Reminder: The Tapatia awards for the best in lucha libre are open thru January 28th.
CMLL made another announcement on Informa yesterday, repeated today on Twitter: A mini will be moved to the main roster. The announcement makes it sound as if someone’s being prepared to move up like Astral), not that there will be a match where the winner will get moved up like Demus & Virus. (Principe Diamante also moved up, but he wasn’t booked regularly as a mini before becoming part of the main group.) Electrico seems most likely: he’s the same size and close to the same physique as Astral. Electrico hasn’t been around much of late: he defended the lightweight title on December 2nd against Mercurio, appeared on the New Year’s Day, and will be back on Friday’s Claro show. That might be the time to make the announcement if it’s happening.
Stukita would be the more popular pick, the most exciting guy in a bland division. I think it’s unlikely he’ll get to be in the main division any time soon, but he could benefit from Electrico moving out to get more of a spotlight. There would also be a question about the Mexican Lightweight title Electrico holds. It’s historically a main division championship, but has been used as the secondary minis championship since 2008. (It’s also amusingly never actually changes hands in that time; the only other mini champion was Pierrothito, when he went to the US for a while.)
I was skeptical CMLL was really going to be doing more stuff in 2018, but between this and the new women coming aboard, they’re pretty busy already. It looks like there might be a new male wrestler too, check the lineups.
Also on Informa, CMLL announced they were going to honor Atlantis, Negro Casas, Blue Panther and Mascara 2000 during the year. Triton said he was knocked out in the lightning match last week. He was out until they took him backstage. He wrestled five days later. Not a doctor.
NJPW posted their intro video for this year’s FantasticaMania tour.
The Viva la Vida (Japanese photographer/Depomart) blog says Rocky Romero was the sub for Negro Casas. I didn’t consider it, because he’s teaming with his tag team, but it makes sense. He’s facing Lyger thru the non-Tokyo show, then both largely disappear in Korakuen because a Rocky/Lyger match wouldn’t work like the Casas/Lyger one.
El Siglo de Torreon interviews El Bandido, who says he got into wrestling just going with his (already training) brother to the gym at the age of 15. He liked the training, couldn’t afford to pay for it, but his trainer – the original Stuka – told him to keep coming back to training anyway. Bandido says he (and I guess Magia Blanca) wrestled briefly as “Monaguillos” as well as Magnificos. He was 18 when he came to Mexico City and didn’t even have a place to sleep. He jokes his CMLL run was “debut and farewell” in one match, not liking the situation there and obviously very happy with his independent run.
AAA posted an interview from Faby Apache, who says Lady Shani has a lot to prove, and Faby feels she’s much better. The text interviews on AAA’s site are always believed to be ones created by the promotion and usually don’t got beyond that, though no one would be all that surprised if Faby actually believe those things. In this case, Lady Shani responded on Instragram, saying Faby’s always has put down other luchadoras, forever unwilling to accept someone else might be good because of her ego. Shani says she’s not going to shrink away from Faby in their match and will defend herself in the match.
In an interview with Claro, Sagrado says it took him about 11 years to realize being a rudo is much better and more free than being a tecnico.
Fray Tormenta will appear in Soledad, San Luis Potosi on 01/19, in a non-wrestling capacity.
Mexa Wrestling returns on 01/27 with Aramis vs Toxin vs Ricky Marvin.
Lucha Memes announced Chairo 12 will take place on 02/05. It’s billed as the only Chairo show in the year. In the comments, Lucha Memes explains IWRG no longer wants to rent out the arena on the weekend, running on the weekday is just a way to lose money, and so they’re planning on running elsewhere (and not calling it Chairo) the rest of the year
Lucha Libre Boom has Atlantis, Octagon, Mascara Sagrada versus Canek, Fuerza Guerrera, Pirata Morgan on 02/17. That sounds bad.
Hijo del Fantasma, the only AAA wrestler apparently working the Impact tapings this time around, is also scheduled to work WrestleCircus on 02/17. Again, that must mean Lucha Underground is not running that weekend.
Soberano Jr., Esfinge, Puma, Tiger, Stigma and Magnum are listed as working on Houston on 02/18.
LG in Xalapa has Caristico vs Volador, Dalys vs Marcela for the world women’s title, and the micros on 02/24. Tirantes is involved in promoting this card, which is probably how they got those matches. He used to promote Xalapa regularly when he was with AAA.
LuchaWorld has the latest lucha report.
Wrestling with GIFs wries about La Sombra vs Ultimo Guerrero.
Lineups
CMLL (TUE) 01/16/2018 Arena México
1) Acero & Aéreo vs Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia
2) La Jarochita, La Vaquerita, Sanely vs Dalys, Metálica, Reyna Isis
3) Magia Blanca, Pegasso, Starman vs Nitro, Templario, Virus
4) Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther vs Johnny Idol, Sam Adonis, Vangellys
5) Stuka Jr., Titán, Valiente vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
6) Carístico vs Euforia
Carsticio & Euforia had two singles match last year, but neither was streamed. They seem good on paper. The guys Caristico faced in previous years are hanging around the semimain. Vangellys appears to be an honorary memory of the axis of evil.
CMLL (TUE) 01/16/2018 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Metatrón & Tigre Blanco vs Ráfaga & Thunder Boy
2) Ángel Del Amor, Sensei, Vaquero Jr. vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Cancerbero, Gran Kenut
3) Astral, Audaz, Oro Jr. vs Misterioso Jr., Sagrado, Tiger
4) Diamante Azul vs Guerrero Maya Jr., Esfinge, Rey Cometa, Tritón, Terrible, Hechicero, Rey Bucanero, Forastero, Pierroth [cibernetico]
5) Marco Corleone vs Mr. Niebla
Marco gets the two singles main events in two days (with this one carefully listed as non-title.) Audaz already up into the tercera, though maybe that’s circumstance. That second match suggests former Arena Lopez Mateos luchador Angel del Amor has started with CMLL, or someone using the same name.
CMLL G21 (MON) 01/29/2018 Gimnasio Municipal, Irapuato, Guanajuato
1) Astro Infernal, Eduward Punk, Lucifer vs Ángel Caído, Impala, Sicario Infernal
2) Chacal, Dr. Pólux Jr., Galáctico Dragón vs Homicida, Joven Maravilla, Kastigador
3) Zeuxis vs Marcela vs Keyra
4) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón vs Dr. Pólux Jr., Murciélago Plateado Jr., Perro Negro Jr.
5) Bárbaro Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas vs Angeluz Fly, Apoando Negro Jr., Crazy Latino
6) Trauma I & Trauma II vs Rey Hechicero & Virus
7) Carístico & Mistico vs Mr. Niebla & Volador Jr.
Generacion XXI has been using mostly Crash wrestles, so this is a sudden shift to CMLL people. It might just be a one show thing, that happens with local promoters. Keyra being there either way is interesting. Traumas/Virus/Hechicero will be sought after if it turns up (and this is a “sometimes +Lucha” situation.)
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