CMLL (MON) 03/26/2018 Arena Puebla [CMLL, Lost In Lucha, Notimex, R de Rudo, thecubsfan]
1) Black Tiger, Centella Roja, Meyer b Espíritu Maligno, Fuerza Chicana, Sombra Diabólika 
16:02. Tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Hijo del Signo, Metálico, Policeman b Eléctrico, Millenium, Rey Samuray
16:59. Rudos took 1/3.
3) Ángel de Oro, Esfinge, Stigma DQ Máscara Año 2000, Pólvora, Universo 2000 Jr.
17:36. Tecnicos took 2/3, the last when Mascara fouled Angel de Oro after they had feuded all match
4) Dragón Lee, Matt Taven, Niebla Roja b Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible
15:51. Tecnicos took 2/3.
5) Carístico, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero b Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
10:47. Straight falls, setting up a trios title match next week.
I watched this live. It was not a great decision. The building was packed and the atmosphere helped the matches. The trios title match next week could be very good, even if the chances of a title change are very low.
Today’s big CMLL match is Soberano/Cavernario. It’ll probably be very good, it usually is. It’ll probably be a loss for Cavernario, it almost always is. Since Cavernario took Rey Cometa’s hair for a second time in 2016, Cavernario has lost his last 17 programs. (I’m calling a program anything that CMLL built up or intended to build up.) The closest Cavernario has come was winning the Rey del Air in 2016, but then he lost to Volador anyway. Cavernario was getting one of these programs a month for a while, it’s just been bugging me because CMLL’s gone crazy with them in the last month: he’s lost a feuds on Sunday to both Dragon Lee & Matt Taven, in Puebla to Volador, in Guadalajara in Atlantis and probably tonight to Soberano. It’s a sign of CMLL’s confidence in Cavernario that they see him as a great guy to get a tecnico over, but it’s not great for him to be in perpetual big match loser spot, and it’s really not great for CMLL for Cavernario always to be in the spot instead of a Sagrado or a Polvora or a Disturbio or whoever to get those chances in programs.
I’m not sure CMLL planned this specifically out, it may just be a situation where they don’t want to put a Casas or Mephisto or Shocker in those spots as much any more. The real problem is CMLL doesn’t look at the big picture. Maybe the championships have to be on certain order for precious Universal tournament, but tonight is a non-title match and there’s been plenty of those in these feuds before, and there’s no reason Caveranrio should be losing all of them.
The actual main event is Diamante Azul, Matt Taven, and Dragon Lee versus Ephesto, Mephisto and Terrible, which seems like it’ll have a hard time following the Soberano show. Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa and Stuka take on Disturbio, Misterioso and Universo 2000 Jr., which will be useful to see if Universo is actually good now. The bottom half of the card is dire: the ex-Minis & Pegasso vs grumpy rudos, a minis trios match with a lot of the lesser lights, and an opener where Inquisidor & Apocalipsis are involved. The show starts 7:30 pm locally, 8:30 CDT in the US, and you may want still give it at least an hour more before starting to watch it.
There’s no single big match in Guadalajara, though it’s a big show overall. CMLL is holding a Homenaje a Dos Leyendas show where Cien Caras will be honored. His sons and nephew are in the semimain, facing Esfinge, Titan and Triton. I thought that might be the start of a title program, but it’s hard to have the NGD lose on the day Cien Caras is being honored. The main event has Caristico teaming with Mistico & Volador against the Guerreros, which doesn’t fit well along side the Puebla feud. The micros are also on the card.
For reasons unknown to me, CMLL has changed Friday’s title match from being called “Historic NWA Welter” to “Welter National Wrestling Alliance NWA”. Short version: CMLL was part of the National Wrestling Alliance when it formed to around 1991, fell out of when it ceased to exist in it’s old form but still kept the title names and belts, and finally got new belts and (slightly) new names in 2010 when Blue Demon Jr. wanted to promote in Mexico using the NWA Mexico name, and that went nowhere. The titles that Volador, Ultimo Guerrero and Hechicero hold are technically ‘new’ titles, but we’re meant to think of them as carrying on lineages which go back to the 1930s. The NWA has gone thru a lot of owners, some of whom may have tried to re-establish a relationship without it going anywhere. CMLL actually swooped in and got the Mexico trademark to the “National Wrestling Alliance” name in 2010 when this was all happening, but haven’t ever used it.
For CMLL to go out of the way to use the name suggests something must be going on, but there’s always a good chance this just lucha libre randomness or something which will never be explained.
Ricky Banderas/Mesias held a press conference today. It had been originally billed as Mesias talking about his post-AAA plans. What’s going to get the most attention is talking about his AAA exit. +LuchaTV posted live video on Facebook. I’m working off notes from SuperLuchas and Twitter (@LuchaParaTodos, @therealfredo @apolovaldes) for this, and I’m sure MedioTiempo & LuchaWorld will have more later.
Banderas says he suffered his knee injuries last June, and AAA insisted on him to continue to work on it thru October, thru his matches on the Japan tour. Banderas said Dorian Roldan gave him less money than what he was promising during his injury, and was told by Gonzalo Pérez Rodríguez, (AAA director of programming) that any more money AAA would give him would be considered a loan he would have to repay. When he finally did finish five months and rehab, he felt disrespected for being asked to lose to La Parka in his return. Banderas didn’t want to do it, not because of Parka, rather because it was a dumb way to return to TV. Banderas didn’t officially quit at Rey de Reyes, but he already made up his mind after that and just waited until he returned to Mexico after LU was done to make the announcement.
Banderas says he’d been asking to see his contract from AAA, and both Dorian Roldan and Marisela Pena had been giving him the run around about it for four years. He has no idea how long he’s still under contract. Banderas is not the only wrestler to note this same difficulty in getting their AAA contract from AAA. Banderas claimed Roldan threatened to make his life impossible if he left AAA, and is not the same person he first knew when he came to AAA. He’s was especially upset about sarcastic comments Roldan has made about him and other people who’ve left AAA in recent years.
Banderas was shown a paper in showing that AAA owned his name, but pointed out he was using “Ricky Banderas” long before he was in AAA. AAA’s exact trademark appears to be the phrase “Ricky Banderas el Mesias”. He believes he’ll still be able to work Lucha Underground, as the other AAA wrestlers were not stopped from working there. I’m a little curious if he’ll be allowed to use Mil Muertes. He’s been advertised as that name already. If Dorian Roldan still controls the LU trademarks thru Lucha Libre FMV, then maybe it’ll shut him down, but it’ll continue to push the idea Lucha Libre FMV exists primarily as a way to punish Lucha Underground wrestlers for not working with AAA and not to help with Lucha Underground.
Mini Rey Mysterio, the most recent Octagoncito, was there to support Banderas. Misterio said AAA didn’t book him much for the last two and half years he was there because of their fight with Octagon over the name, and his professional life has gone much better since becoming an independent. Misterio knows it’ll go even better for Banderas, since he’s a much bigger star. Many other people in AAA would like to leave, Banderas says, but they’re comfortable there and fear the unknown of the promotion. Banderas feels he’s done everything there is to do in AAA so it’s time for him to move on. His first match in Mexico will be 04/28 versus Cibernetico, and he’s open to working with anyone (CMLL, The Crash, indies) after that. He plans on wrestling 3-4 years, and is not sure if he’ll stay in Mexico after he’s done.
+LuchaTV happened to post interviews from after AAA’s Monterrey show on Sunday. La Parka & Fantasma both talk positively about Mesias and frame his exist as moving onto a different point in his life. In other post Monterrey interviews, Fantasma isn’t happy about Blue Demon saying he isn’t on his level and Texano & Escorpion were happy about winning the tag titles.
With Mesias/Mil Muertes out of AAA, that leaves just Fantasma/Cuerno, Drago, Aerostar and Vamprio as the prominent on-screen members of Lucha Underground who are still in AAA. There are others like Texano who’ve been around in secondary roles, but it’s shrinking numbers. I don’t know the full results of this season of Lucha Underground – I’ve heard surprising little about Ultima Lucha so far – so I’m not sure if other people might have been added. It has appeared LU has gone more towards US based talent due to visa issues.
On Facebook, Vampiro says Verano de Escandalo is in Monterrey. That’s the June AAA major show, which doesn’t appear to have been announced yet, though I haven’t seen recent AAA TV and it could’ve been slipped in there, and Vampiro could just be saying things. Vampiro brings this up in the first place because his thinking about his last TV match has gone from “no more TV any more” to “this match in Monterrey is my last one” to “no, really, the next match in Monterrey is my retirement match (except for not TV matches and I’ll still do LU if they’d want to use me but maybe they don’t).” Vampiro’s Mexico career started in Monterrey and the idea is he’d like to end it there, though it’s hard to imagine he won’t want to find a way to keep going for TripleMania.
04/22 Lucha Memes vs CaraLucha in Coliseo Coacalco
- Indystrongibles (Arez, Belial, Impulso) vs Neza Kings (Danger, Andy Boy, Guerrero Mixtico)
- Toros Locos (Toro Negro II, Toro Negro Jr., Torito Negro) vs Demasiado, Aramis, Alas de Acero – new
Puma King will face Jonathan Gresham on the 04/28 Beyond Wrestling show. Gresham taking on luchadors seems like a great fit, one people have been talking about for the last couple years but hasn’t gotten to happen until now. Puma’s latest video is about 48 hours in the life of a luchador.
LuchaWorld has the latest news update and this week’s Poster-Mania.
The new edition of the +LuchaTV podcast is up.
Lineups
CMLL (SUN) 04/01/2018 Arena México
1) Bengala & Sangre Imperial vs El Coyote & Yago
2) Shockercito, Stukita, Último Dragóncito vs Mercurio, Pequeño Nitro, Pierrothito
3) Drone, Fuego, Tritón vs Misterioso Jr., Sagrado, Virus
4) Hechicero vs Forastero [lightning]
5) Soberano Jr., Stuka Jr., Titán vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Ephesto, Pólvora
6) Diamante Azul, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Mephisto
Definitely a Sunday show.
IWRG (SUN) 04/01/2018 Arena Naucalpan
1) Sombra vs Celestial Boy
2) Príncipe Mexica & Toto vs Atomic Star & Dragón Bane
3) Black Dragón, Dinamic Black, Dragón Fly vs Gallo Frances, Hip Hop Man, Lunatic Xtreme
4) Factor & Spector vs Rafy & Teelo and Capo Del Norte & Capo Del Sur
5) Hijo del Alebrije, Imposible, Internacional Pantera vs El Hijo del Medico Asesino, Máscara Año 2000 Jr., X-Fly
6) Hijo De Canis Lupus, Mr. Electro, Veneno vs Ovett, Trauma I, Trauma II
The original Canis Lupus hasn’t been seen since the end of 2016 (unless he’s a Capo now or something.) This is not his son, it’s IWRG bringing back a character they created themselves with a new person underneath it.
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