The Daylight Savings Time gap is almost over. Tomorrow’s Friday show – the Matt Taven/Volador match the world is talking about on CMLL Claro – still has a 9:30pm US Central Time start, but everything goes back to normal on Monday. It will technically still mess with my attempts to record Guadalajara but that’s not going to well anyway.
AAA’s TV isn’t going up on YouTube now, but promos indicated the Space TV show will be getting the Rey de Reyes semifinals this week. AAA could not tape a show until mid-May and they wouldn’t be out of footage. Which is one reason there’s no AAA TV taping for a while.
Máscara Año 2000beat La Bestia Del Ring (8:14, 1/3, below average, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
Mascara step over tirabuzon (2:57)
La Bestia del Ring crab with ropes (3:22)
Mascara crab with ropes(1:55)
Marco Corleone, Soberano Jr., Valiente beat Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas (11:01 [2:55, 3:13, 4:53], 1/3 DQ, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
What happened:
Angelito destroyed by a chop
Cancerbero was Mascara’s second and Nitro was Bestia’s second, as the rest of the Munoz family was all in Guadalajara. Nitro interfered much more flagrantly than usual for a second in a CMLL match and was eventually tossed from the match. Bestia used the middle rope on a crab to win the second fall. Mascara did the same in the third fall, though Bestia tapped out before Mascara could grab the ropes it on.
Mascara gestured for Bestia to stay near the ring so he can do a promo bit post match. Bestia instead waited a half second before walking to the back, and he’s gone by the time Mascara gets the microphone to tease future match ups.
Triton suffered a minor knee injury in the second fall of the fourth match, which sidelines him and derails the match. The second fall ends with Triton being counted out instead of them just pinning Titan, which came off as weird. Triton came back in the third fall to set up the planned finish, Mephisto giving Titan a super Devil’s Wings onto to Triton after a shoulderbreaker.
Thoughts:
Tiger clears house
Poor Soberano and Cavenario were having an interesting mat battle to open the match and Niebla running across the ring to slap Marco put an end to that. They worked well together and should have a good match. Soberano and Casas had a nice section right before the finish too. The crowd reacted loudest to Marco and Niebla’s antics, and it was the usual Tuesday match worked for the audience.
The singles was no good and you shouldn’t watch it. It was bad for the clumsily slow reasons you’d expect, and for Bestia messing up the really easy finish of “not taping until Mascara does the thing”. The high points of the match were Mascara doing a good job selling being totally overwhelmed by Bestia (until he wasn’t) and Nitro’s towel trip looking good. I wonder if Nitro was supposed to get more involved than he did; the commissioner seemed unhappy about what was going on enough to stand on the ramp and glare until he was sure Nitro was gone and Mascara wouldn’t throw another beer.
The fourth match doesn’t work out due to Triton’s injury. They can’t cover for it well and cut it short. It wasn’t really going great before it either; the first fall includes the rudos forgetting to trip up Stuka as he bounces off the ropes, only Stuka stops and turns around like it happened anyway. The crowd really got on them for that, and they were only bailed out by Titan quickly and impressively winning the fall right after. Titan’s Titanics headscissors on Mephisto got the other big reaction of the match
The tercera was the better version of the usual Puma/Tiger/Panthers match, with a strong surge in the last moments and a good pace the whole way. Kawato is now an average luchador. He knew how to do the missed elbow drop spot, he can do a senton (though maybe not accurately), he doesn’t feel lost. He also doesn’t feel special. The crowd connection isn’t there yet, and neither is the fire that made him stand out. That’s tougher on the rudo side and he’s still making improvements, I’m just not sure what the finished product is going to look like yet. He’s also not going to make it to being a finished product if he doesn’t turn to catch dives.
SuperLuchas has an interview with Mesias, I think from after Tuesday’s press conference. Mesias is asked about his relationship with Vampiro, and Mesias is very clear he has no problem with Vampiro. He says Vampiro has helped his career a lot, and he feels owes a lot to Vampiro. Vampiro knew how Mesias felt in AAA and about the Rey de Reyes match, but his hands were tied and he wasn’t able to help.
That suggests Vampiro has something significantly less than autonomy on booking if he can’t change the finish of a Rey de Reyes match. Maybe it also means Mesias had a situation like Pentagon, where AAA ownership booked him to lose matches seemingly because they thought he was leaving, while still being caught off guard when he actually did. And while not doing enough to find a solution to the problems, obviously.
Publimetro put together their list of the many people who’ve left AAA over recent years. AAA people would point out they’ve added guys like Blue Demon, La Mascara and Maximo. From the outside, it seems like they’re not being added under the same conditions. Demon is working in Monterrey this weekend for a non-AAA promoter, something that wouldn’t seem to be allowed to a Nino Hamburugesa. The most freedom AAA deals seem to go to top stars who’ve been added over the last year or so, suggesting the best thing a current AAA wrestler could do is become a ex-AAA wrestler and then hope you get hot enough that they want/need you back.
ESTO has a promo with Microman saying he’ll be on the 04/30 Arena Mexico Kid’s Day show. On recent broadcasts, CMLL’s mentioned there will also be a Kid’s Day in Guadalajara on that day, as well as the previous announced one in Puebla the next day.
Heroes of Lucha LIbre, the aspiring US based lucha libre promotion which has run a couple times in California, says it’s next show will be on 06/02 in downtown Los Angeles. They’ll announce the building on April 6. I’m not sure the Friday before WrestleMania is the greatest time for US wrestling announcements.
CMLL (TUE) 04/03/2018Arena México
1) Bengala & Sensei vs Apocalipsis & Inquisidor
2) Angelito, Shockercito, Stukita vs Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito
3) Kaho Kobayashi, Lady Maravilla, Marcela vs Amapola, Dalys, Tiffany
4) Súper Astro Jr. vs Flyer, Sangre Imperial, George Kebrada, Retro, Grako, Astral, Yago [Copa Nuevos Valores, semifinal]
5) Diamante Azul, Dragón Lee, Soberano Jr. vs Ephesto, Mephisto, Mr. Niebla
Semimain is Super Astro Jr.’s debut, and Kebrada’s Arena Mexico debut. Those two, Retro, Grako and Sangre Imperial have never gotten wins. Yago at least won a bit a few years ago in a Gran Alternativa, but it’s probably either Astral or Flyer advancing.
CMLL (SAT) 04/07/2018Arena Coliseo Arena Coliseo 75th Anniversary
1) Magnus & Robin vs Akuma & Príncipe Odín Jr.
2) Estrellita, La Vaquerita, Marcela vs Amapola, La Seductora, Zeuxis
3) Audaz, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa vs Puma, Tiger, Virus
4) Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja vs Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible
5) Solar I & Súper Astro vs Máscara Año 2000 & Negro Casas Mascara 2000 will be allowed to use his mask
6) Atlantis & Blue Panther vs Fuerza Guerrera & Satánico Blue Panther will be allowed to use his mask
The two legends matches are additions to an otherwise normal card.
This is scheduled to air on 52MX, and most stuff CMLL tapes for TV ends up being streamed live on their YouTube channel. CMLL hasn’t said anything about streaming it and might not until the moment it goes up on YouTube. The show starts at 7:30pm, around the same time as the ROH & NXT shows on WrestleMania weekend.
La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Sam Adonisbeat Euforia, Kráneo, Mr. Nieblain a relevos increíbles match (7:02 [4:21, 2:41], 1/2, n/r, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
Volador Jr.beat Cavernariofor the NWA World Welterweight Championship (17:36, good, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
Cavernario La Escalera (2:59)
Volador backcracker (2:30)
Volador Canadian Destroyer (12:07)
What happened:
everyone loves King Jaguar and then things like this happens and I’m confused why everyone loves King Jaguar basically
Volador’s progressed to needing a bandage but no longer the facemask. In lesser important news, he retained his title.
Kraneo accidentally clotheslines Euforia in the first fall leads to the team losing. Kraneo belly bumps the entire other team in the second fall, but then also accidentally gets Euforia and Niebla. Euforia attacks Kraneo, then gives up the match. Euforia attacks and yells at Kraneo for screwing up repeatedly. This sets up a Euforia/Kraneo singles match, with Euforia vowing to drive the last Invasor out of the promotion.
The técnicos won the first fall of the fourth match by excessive violence DQ. That seemed like the planned finish.
Thoughts:
Kraneo versus the World
Volador/Cavernario was a good version of their big match. They mixed up the spots a little bit, though it still followed the usual pattern of Volador matches. It’s not at the level of their best matches, but it’s still was an entertaining match after a not great entertaining lead up. I think my enjoyment of the match was harmed by Cavernario taking so many losses. It’s hard to believe he’s ever going to win one of these, even if it wasn’t Volador’s big streak on the line. The third fall never felt in the balance despite Cavernario going for his finish and Volador’s finish.
The fourth match had some good moments and just didn’t totally come together as a match. Stuka doing his suplex onto each other spot looked weird when the NGD just moved before he could do the same to Pólvora. Sansón had to rush around the ring before Titan did a moonsault onto nothing. I don’t like the NGD’s black on black outfits; they remind me of the Mephisto generic outfit of a long time ago. This was still a fine match but nothing super.
this didn’t go well for Kaho
Audaz is really good. Maybe too good. His escape to set up the second fall comeback happened so quick and impressive that Pegasso and Lestat weren’t ready to do their spots and time stood still for a while. Pegasso & Templario was a fun match up and King Jaguar did not mess up every spot he did. This was a borderline enjoyable match and I like watching everything Audaz does.
The women’s match felt long and the story telling wasn’t great. Kaho’s offense has no effect on Comandante for a very long first fall, Kaho clotheslines Comandante with no problem in the third fall, and Comandante goes back to no-selling to set up her finish. Meanwhile, Sugehit is not that much bigger than Kobayashi and has none of the same problems. It didn’t work.
