Day: February 12, 2018

CMLL Mexico de Nuevo Valores: 2018-01-16 

thecubsfan
this one moves in all three dimensions

Recapped: 02/06/2018

Matches:

Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia beat Acero & Aéreo
(14:56 [6:19, 4:43, 3:54], 1/3, n/r, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

La Jarochita, La Vaquerita, Sanely beat Dalys, Metálica, Reyna Isis
(13:53 [6:37, 3:11, 4:05], 1/3, n/r, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Magia Blanca, Pegasso, Starman beat Nitro, Templario, Virus
(14:49 [7:34, 3:10, 4:05], 2/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Johnny Idol, Sam Adonis, Vangellys beat Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther  
(9:35 [0:20, 4:30, 4:45], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Stuka Jr., Titán, Valiente beat Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
(12:26 [5:41, 2:01, 4:44], 2/3, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Carístico beat Euforia
(14:44, 2/3, good, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

  1. Euforica Special (1:58)

  2. Carístico springboard huracanrana (1:10)

  3. La Carística (11:36)

What happened:

Templario tossing Magia Blanca around

Titan pinned Mephisto twice, setting up a title match challenge.

Adonis & Idol are beat in the first fall within seconds, cradles from behind while they’re waving their flags.

Thoughts:

Titan off the stage

The main event turned into a lengthy Carístico exhibition. Euforia works better in these spots in some ways because he hasn’t had a chance to do them with smaller guys and feels fresher. He also hasn’t won any of these, which meant they did a lot of nice near falls and the only people buying Euforia having a chance of winning on any of them were the announcers. Carístico getting increasingly frustrated with Tirantes being Tirantes is a nice hidden subplot. It doesn’t feel he’s as much selling the physical punishment of each near fall as he is selling the emotional toll of a referee who just won’t count like normal people. He pulled off the moves too, but that was a more storytelling than the rest of the match had.

The semimain was not super interesting out of Titan getting the surprise pins to set up his title match, and even then the surprise was a bit too much for CMLL’s cameras. They missed his second fall win except for the count, then nearly missed him diving off the stage while showing a relay of that. Stuka & Valiente were taking it easy and the other rudos didn’t stand out.

Typically, a quick first fall will led to the time redistributed elsewhere. This time, it just led to a quick overall match that never really developed. The Panthers ripping the wig off Sam Adonis and then immediately getting dropped for the loss was a bit deflating. It was fine while it lasted, it just didn’t really last long.

Templario matches feel like must watch ones at the moment. One spot with him and Magia Blanca goes badly near the end, though the slightly save that one, and Templario makes an even bigger save for the finish. Templario’s doing springboard dropkicks and then taking headscissors from behind, he is up for doing anything at this point. Pegasso and Nitro both wrestling Superman logos was not great, but Pegasso trying to do a casadora armdrag to send Nitro thru the ropes was worse, Nitro stood no chance of making it thru the ropes.

Euforia makes it look easy

referee drama in IWRG, Atlantis/Ultimo Guerrero tonight in Puebla, Elite postponed

thecubsfan

IWRG (SUN) 02/11/2018 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, The Gladiatores]
1) Skanda b Full Contact
2) Alas de Acero & Haziel b Fandango & Odín
straight falls
3) Demonio Infernal & Hijo del Alebrije b Eterno & Lunatic Xtreme
Demonio Infenral replaced Aramis (moved up), which meant he and Lunatik feuded again.
4) Emperador Azteca © b Cerebro Negro [IWRG IC WELTER]
5th defense (last two were scheduled in small Oaxaca shows which may or may not have happened.)
5) Ovett, Trauma I, Trauma II DQ Aramis, Hijo del Pantera, Internacional Pantera
Aramis replaced Pantera I. Straight falls. There’s referee drama going on: the commission added Babe Richard to the pool of IWRG refs, feeling they were not following the rules. Normal referee Capu & Richard officiated this match, and DQed the Traumas in the first fall when they wouldn’t stop beating up the opposition after the won the first fall. In the second fall, Richard went to check on Aramis after a dive, and Capu counted a pin after Trauma II fouled one of the Panteras. Babe Richard, from outside the ring, overruled the call and called it a second DQ. The Traumas & Ovett argued with Babe Richard & the commission after the match. Trauma fouls appeared to be seen by referee Babe Richard but not called.
6) Dr. Cerebro, El Hijo del Medico Asesino, Máscara Año 2000 Jr. b Danny Casas, Hijo De Dos Caras, Imposible
Dr. Cerbero beat Imposible, which is probably setting up a title match.
7) Black Dragón DQ Spartan [hair]
Mascara 2000 Jr., seconding Spartan, interfered frequently. Babe Richard was the ref and called a third fall DQ, giving Dragon the win. This set off a Capos vs Comando elite feud.

I think a referee is losing their hair soon.

Today’s Arena Puebla show has an Atlantis versus Ultimo Guerrero. You may know this is not a first time match! This is their 38th singles match, if you throw in matches that happened in Memphis, Tennessee and Thorton, Colorado. It is their first match since last April, though that’s probably because Atlantis was out for six months and still doesn’t look 100%. The drama here isn’t in the outcome – there’s nothing on the line, UG is going to ask for the mask versus hair match either way, Atlantis will say no – but if Atlantis can at least get a Good level in this singles match. This seems too soon and unnecessary. Maybe it’ll draw.

The rest of the card seems somewhat more promising than usual. Mistico, Rush (in for Volador) and Soberano face the Hijos del Infierno. Stuka, Triton & Titan team up against Misterioso, Sagrado and Kawato in what should be a pretty good match if they go for it. Locals include Astro, Asturiano, Joker, and Arkalis, though the two opening matches each have people I assume will make the match worse. The show will air on YouTube at 9pm.

There’s one significant change for tomorrow’s card. Marcela was scheduled for the lightning match, but she’s now off the lineup. Princesa Sugehit will now take on Kaho Kobayashi in her first CMLL singles match.

EDIT: Are you looking forward to watching ELITE? TOO BAD. In authentic Elite fashion, CMLL announced the TV show – and the Sunday Elite shows – are on pause for now. The story is the TV launch date is being pushed back and so they’re going to run regular CMLL shows on Sunday until it’s ready to go. There’s no indication if this is a short term thing or a going to take a while.

Uno TV has a feature on Micro Man, including him training. He’s the oldest of three brothers (imagine a Micro Trio.) It sounds like they had him training with a normal class just as a trial before starting the micro group.

A Japanese news site posted an interview with Ultimo & Gran Guerrero from the FantasticaMania trip. Google Translate of Japanese interviews is shaky. What I did get out of it Ultimo Guerrero likes the movement of lucha libre to a more aerial style, though it also makes him feel like a soccer goalie trying to fend off flying objects at him all the time.  UG’s also got a real estate business to prepare him for a post-lucha life. Gran Guerrero wants a match with Tanahashi.

SoloWrestling points out a Johnny Mundo video interview w/ Chris Van Vliet of note. Johnny Mundo says Vampiro is an idiot. I’m not sure alone Johnny Mundo calling Vampiro an idiot is even news at this point. Mundo saying Kevin Kross, Fantasma, Texano, and Wagner among other have issues with Vampiro too is sort of news, though it comes off at least half in character. Mundo does say Vampiro will be back on Lucha Underground Season 4 and he seems to be as interested in finding out how they work together as everyone else.

Speaking of Lucha Underground, Johnny Mundo outright says they’re taping next weekend. Everyone is willing to say this except for Lucha Underground, though even Mundo isn’t even sure of the schedule. He thinks they’re doing 2 episodes a week, 3 days a week, for about 5 weeks – but that would be 30 episodes and they’ve announced 21. Maybe there are weeks without three days a week, maybe no one knows and that’s why this is taking forever.

Black Terry Jr. has photos of the latest Zona Ruda 23 show.

Aeroboy & Violento Jack are wrestling in Chicago’s GALLI next week.

Luchador Tacubo talks about his anti-bullying work.

CMLL Puebla: 2018-01-15 

thecubsfan
they weren’t expecting luchadors to be in their lap

Recapped: 02/05/2018

Matches: 

Meyer & París beat Guerrero Espacial & Sombra Diabólika
(13:44 [6:22, 1:57, 5:25], 1/3, n/r, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Flyer, Príncipe Diamante, Rey Samuray beat Hijo del Signo, King Jaguar, Perverso
(14:08 [5:30, 3:48, 4:50], 2/3, n/r, via VideosOficialesCMLL)

Audaz, Lestat, Stigma beat El Malayo, Raziel, Universo 2000 Jr.
(19:20 [9:15, 4:15, 5:50], 2/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Hechicero beat Guerrero Maya Jr. in a lightning match
(8:25, magia negra, great, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Carístico, Kráneo, Valiente vs Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible
(10:52 [3:57, 2:18, 4:37], 2/3, n/r, VideosOficialesCMLL)

Marco Corleone © beat Diamante Azul for the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship
(11:20, 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)

  1. Marco Corleone Aero Italiano (2:29)

  2. Diamante Azul flying clothesline (2:40)

  3. Marco Corleone Reflection of Perfection (6:11)

What happened: 

Hechicero in flight

There’s no reason for Kraneo to be a técnico, except they were probably short a técnico for a couple Mondays. Terrible fouled Carístico for no real reason beyond them building to that match next.

Thoughts:

The title match felt more entertaining the first time I saw it than the rewatching it much later. The five ramp spots are all look good and are used well, there’s just not a lot of meat to this match otherwise. Diamante Azul is a strong guy who doesn’t do many strong in this match, and the rest of what they do just is OK. This match felt like they made the most of what they had to work with, they just didn’t have a whole to work with.

great moments in lucha libre

The highlight of Hechicero & Guerrero Maya is Hechicero taking a short pause in the ring on his own, as if he’s considering if it’s really worth it launch himself dangerously out of the ring onto Guerrero Maya. Hechicero decides it’s absolutely necessaries, and flies thru the air with the gracefulness of a mattress being thrown out of a second floor window. CMLL will run about 120 of these lightning matches on streaming shows this year and it’s hard to imagine much of them beating the enjoyment of this one. It wasn’t the technical battle you’d expect from two of the best in CMLL at that. They’re also two of the best at connecting spots in interesting fashions, and they made their usual offense more interesting when they weren’t wildly diving out of the ring or taking huge bumps off the top. They fought as fast as the fast guys while keeping it clean. Definite recommendation.

Audaz is good, though even he couldn’t make a long mat section with Malayo something the fans were interested in seeing. They went nearly five minutes by themselves to in the first fall, which is a bit much. That match closed with a third fall that seemed to have no particular direction too. Universo 2000 Jr. seemed to be in the middle of everything for most of the match, never looking spectacular but improving his competency. Raziel caching dives by shoving away the person taking them is strange looking, and he generally didn’t look sharp in this one.

Audaz is sort of caught