IWRG (SUN) 06/25/2017 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, The Gladiatores]
1) Tentáculo b Power Bull
debut of Tentaculo
2) Atomic Star & Lunatic Xtreme b Climax Jr. & Shaolin
3) Alas de Acero & Aramis b Metaleón & Picudo Jr.
Picudo Jr. replaced Demonio Infernal
4) Dinamic Black, Gallo Frances, Pantera del Japon DQ Eterno, Látigo, Tyson La Bestia
straight falls. Latigo replaced Cerebro Negro.
5) Heddi Karaoui, Trauma II, Villano III Jr. b Emperador Azteca, Hijo del Pantera, Pantera I
Hijo turned on his partners for screwing up and mask challenges followed.
6) Cerebro Negro, Máscara Año 2000 Jr., Trauma I DQ Hijo De Dos Caras, Imposible, Veneno
Dos hit Mascara with a chain. Cerebro Negro replaced Black Warrior.
7) Black Warrior, Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan b Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro [hair]
3 v 3 hair match. Black Warrior replaced Pirata Morgan Jr. Piratas took 1/3. Hijo pined Ak-47 for the deciding pin.
Getting Black Warrior as a sub seems totally unfair. Black Warrior subbing for someone who no showed is also kind of unusual.
Tonight’s CMLL Puebla show is highlighted by Dragon Lee versus Negro Casas. It feels like they’ve had good matches in the past, but really it’s just been the Leyenda de Plata final from 2015. They’ve matched up a couple times in Guadalajara, but this is the first time we’ll get to see them. The lightning match might be the better format for them, it’ll allow them go at a fast pace and not worry about fall breaks.
The actual main event has Ultimo Guerrero as the third Ingobernable for a night, facing Terrible, Rey Bucanero and Niebla Roja. The fourth match is Drone, Johnny Idol, and Stuka Jr. versus the Felino family; it’s probably going to be the second best match. Ares & Espiritu Maligno, who slightly started feuding with each other last week, continue to be on these shows in trios matches. Arkangel, Canelo, Fuego & Pegasso will be around them. There’s a tag team women’s match with Dalys & Amapola against Sanely & Estrellita; it’s a rematch from last week where the rudas were DQed, so there’s probably a title match coming out of it. Dalys defending against Estrellita fits. Local favorites Asutriano & Vega take on Perverso & Joker in what could be a good match if they had no handicuffs. The show will stream at 9pm CT on CMLL’s YouTube channel like normal.
Drago & Hijo del Fantasma will represent AAA in an international four way tag title match with LAX. The Impact storyline is LAX has been going to other promotions to create havoc so now they’ve got other promotions coming there. The real life story is what the heck.
Back at the TripleMania press conference in April, Impact and AAA (Dorian Roldan) announced there’d be wrestlers going back and forth between the companies. This immediately seemed to be an issue, since Lucha Underground wrestlers were said specifically not permitted by their contracts to appear on any one else’s television. This was something specifically enforced on an Impact show where a referee was blurred because he was on LU contract. After AAA made this announcement, both Vamprio and Eric Van Wagenen said Lucha Underground luchadors would not be appearing on Impact due to that contract. You can thread a needle to make everyone correct: technically, they’re right now only scheduled to appear on a PPV and not the TV show, and perhaps there’s different rules for that. Penta, Fenix, Drago and others have appeared on (relatively small) streaming services since being on Lucha Underground without LU appearing to raise a contract issue, maybe this is being seen as the same thing.
It’s still weird for the LU people to be so definitive about these guys not appearing elsewhere and then it to mostly just happen. It comes off as if they were being creative with the truth or overruled. Dorian Roldan, in position of being in charge of Lucha Underground live events, maybe just decided this was a live event worth pursuing. In the end, they only thing the LU side seems to have gotten so far was AAA not to putting the two people who are feuding on LU together in Impact – Aerostar was the original rumor, Fantamsa is in his place. Both Impact & AAA’s press releases on this match avoid mentioning Lucha Underground by name, even though that’s the place where most American fans would know Drago from and Fantasma being included would be a bigger deal if they said he was King Cuerno.
Just to be clear, I have no problem with AAA wrestlers on Impact. If AAA still plans on doing a TripleMania US PPV, getting some courtesy mentions on another PPV could be a help. I don’t expect many people to be buying an Impact PPV but people who buy an Impact PPV are probably more open to buying just about any wrestling PPV if they’re made aware of it. (So, it’d be a really good idea if AAA was sure of it’s TripleMania date and plans by this Sunday so those could be correctly promoted, and if there was English language information some place handy so curious people could find it. The press release keeps the August 26 date.) But I generally don’t see a problem with LU being allowed to be anywhere on TV that might help promote the show – there’s no real LU advantage to having the referee blurred or Ricochet being kept off the NJPW shows this weekend in LA – and those haven’t been allowed. The exception here seems to be solely to help AAA and not really anyone else.
The press release says it’s a four promotional match, with LAX, Drago/Fantasma and two other teams to be mentioned. NOAH’s probably the third team, since they’ve both got a relationship there. Both NOAH & Impact say they have a relationship with the Crash. It would seem to be political impossible to get The Crash & AAA guys in the same match, but Impact is already doing the impossible (and Mexican promotions historically have gone the extra mile just to be associated with Impact) so I can’t rule it out. LAX is headed to Puerto Rico’s WWL soon, and probably that’s the better answer. The press release also mentions AAA wrestlers will be on the November Impact show as well.
Lucha Underground has an eBay store now. That seems random, but I’d guess it was just what they could get done.
AAA posted last week’s Zona Ruda, which included a Brazo de Plata appearance as part of a father & son (& son) segment.