IWRG Zona XXI: 2018-03-04
taped 2018-02-28 @ Arena Naucalpan – Mega/YouTube
1) Dinámico, Dranzer, Puma de Oro vs Bisofera, Carnicero, Chef Benito
2) Fireman, Full Contact, Hijo Del Bombero vs Black Puma, Guerrero 2000, Power Bull
3) Ángel Oriental, Haziel, Toto vs Atomic Star, Hijo del Alebrije, Skanda
4) Kanon, Mike, Teelo vs Dragón Yuki, Leroy, Liderk
5) Aramis, Diablo Jr., Eterno, Lunatic Xtreme, Shadow Boy vs Dragón Bane, El Divino, Pachucho, Ram El Carnero, Shado and La Mosca, Máscara Magica Jr., Motocross, Orión, Príncipe Negro and Ángel Estrella Jr., Death Metal, Guero Palma, Marduk, Taurinoin a cage match
CMLL Lucha Azteca: 2018-03-04
taped 2018-02-23 @ Arena México – Mega
1) Niebla Roja vs Soberano Jr.in a lightning match
2) Ángel de Oro, Atlantis, Dragón Lee vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
3) Último Guerrero & Volador Jr. vs Rush & Terriblein a National Parejas Increible final
IWRG Zona XXI: 2018-03-05
taped 2018-03-04 @ Arena Naucalpan – Mega/YouTube
1) Lilith Dark & Luna Mágica vs Cristal & Dulce Luna
2) Rokambole Jr. & Villano V Jr. vs Black Warrior & Warrior Jr.
3) Ricky Marvin vs Dr. Cerebro
4) Ovett, Trauma I, Trauma II vs Aramis, Hijo del Pantera, Internacional Panterafor the seconds hair
Rey Mysterio suffered an arm injury Saturday night on a show in Connecticut. No one seem sure when it happens, only that Mysterio felt it happen during the match and still was able to finish it.
PW Insider says Rey will undergo surgery to see extent of the injury today. If he needs surgery to repair a bicep, normal recovery is 4-6 months. If it can heal on it’s own, it’s more like 4-6 weeks and it’s possible he’ll wrestle thru it. The Crash and other promotions are probably waiting to find out how bad it is before they announce a replacement. They’re going to be in a tough spot, as Rey defending their heavyweight championship versus Bestia 666 was intended to be the main event of the 03/17 show. There’s no simple way to replace him.
Pura Raza
Pura Raza (SAT) 03/03/2018Arena Lopez Mateos [+LuchaTV, Black Terry Jr. (Flickr), MedioTiempo, R de Rudo]
1) Cometa & Súper Terry b Ángel De La Tormenta & Chico del Barrio AULL trainees
2) Hijo del Villano III & Onix b Fireman & Troyano CMLL trainees
3) Jean Montañez & Pierre Montañez b Hijo del Solar & Trauma I Solar Jr. replaced Trauma II, who could not participate for medical reasons. Montanez brothers are said to be MMA practitioners.
4) Princesa Sugehit b Zeuxis Sugehit pulled Zeuxis’ mask and cradled her for the win.
5) Audaz & Titán b Sádico & Yoruba money thrown in.
6) Blue Panther b Hechicero Panther & Hechicero went to a double pin draw, but the commission said they could have another fall. Panther beat Hechicero in that extra fall.
7) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón DQ Dragón Lee, Mistico, Rush DQ for a Rush foul on Forastero.
Pura Raza posted results live and asked for feedback on their show, so they’re already in my good graces. Attendance seemed ok – not a sell out, not a bad turnout. Matches sound like they generally went well. The show was being taped with the idea of releasing it later – Miguel Reducino was there and might have been announcing it – but there’s no guarantee of any lucha footage being released. There are handhelds of matches already up on YouTube.
IWRG (SUN) 03/04/2018Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, Black Terry Jr. (Flickr), The Gladaitores]
1) Celestial Boy & Seiya b Full Contact & Power Bull straight falls
2) Lilith Dark & Luna Mágica b Cristal & Dulce Luna straight falls
3) Demonio Infernal & Eterno b Relámpago & Súper Brazo Jr.
4) Rokambole Jr. & Villano V Jr. b Black Warrior & Warrior Jr. non-title preview of next week’s title match.
5) Ricky Marvin b Dr. Cerebro Dr. Cerbero had his hand on the ropes on the pinfall but the referee missed it. Very good match.
6) Capo Del Norte, Capo Del Sur, Máscara Año 2000 Jr. b Liderk, Spartan, Spector [super libre] Mascara 2000 gave Spartan a Martinete.
7) Aramis, Hijo del Pantera, Internacional Pantera b Ovett, Trauma I, Trauma II [seconds hair] Hair bet was referees Baby Richard (Panteras) and Capu (Traumas), who were both referees in this match and ended up fouling each other. Trauma I went to get a new referee and found Chabelo. Trauma II had Pantera pinned in the mean time, but Pantera reversed the pin when Chabelo arrived and Trauma II was pinned. Capu lost his hair.
And now the referees will just revert back to normal, I guess.
03/18 in Arena Azteca Budokan has Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Hijo del Wagner vs Rey Escorpion. The Wagners using AAA TV to get their own feud over for indie shows (where AAA is likely not getting a cut) is pretty strong work on their end.
CMLL (SAT) 03/03/2018Arena Coliseo
1) Angelito & Fantasy b Pequeño Universo 2000 & Pequeño Violencia tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Amapola, Dalys, Tiffany b Kaho Kobayashi, La Vaquerita, Marcela Rudos took 2/3.
3) Hijo del Signo & Sagrado b Flyer, Magnus, Disturbio, Astral, Espanto Jr., Príncipe Diamante [Arena Coliseo TAG, battle royal]
4) Magnus & Sensei b Príncipe Diamante & Robin [Arena Coliseo TAG, 8f]
5) Disturbio & Virus b Arkángel de la Muerte & Espanto Jr. [Arena Coliseo TAG, 8f]
6) Astral & Stigma b Flyer & The Panther [Arena Coliseo TAG, 8f]
7) Misterioso Jr. & Sagrado b Arkángel de la Muerte & Hijo del Signo [Arena Coliseo TAG, 8f]
8) Disturbio & Virus b Magnus & Sensei [Arena Coliseo TAG, quarterfinal]
9) Flyer & The Panther b Misterioso Jr. & Sagrado [Arena Coliseo TAG, quarterfinal]
10) Disturbio & Virus b Flyer & The Panther [Arena Coliseo TAG, semifinal] Disturbio & Virus face Triton & Esfinge next week for the vacant championship
11) Rush b Euforia Rush used the ropes.
Disturbio & Virus are a bit of a surprise. Maybe this is a reward for Disturbio doing well in Japan, maybe this leads to Virus winning the tag titles to set up matches with Audaz, maybe it’s just them being good opponents for Esfinge & Triton.
CMLL (SUN) 03/04/2018Arena México [CMLL, Ovaciones]
1) Magia Blanca & Robin b Grako & Inquisidor Tecnicos took 2/3
2) Cancerbero, Raziel, Sangre Azteca b Astral, Oro Jr., Star Jr. Rudos took 2/3.
3) Audaz, Guerrero Maya Jr., Titán b Kawato San, Okumura, Universo 2000 Jr. tecnicos took 1/3.
4) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón DQ Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. Rudos took 1/3. Cuatrero destroyed Angel de Oro’s mask, causing him to leave the match in the second fall. Angel de Oro returned with a new mask, but Cuatrero tossed his own mask to Angel de Oro to draw the DQ.
5) Dragón Lee b Cavernario Dragon Lee toko 2/3. Said to be a great match.
6) La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible DQ Diamante Azul, Último Guerrero, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles] straight falls DQ; Los Ingobernables DQed in the first for excessive violence, and the second for a Rush foul on Volador. UG asked for a rematch next week. CMLL results list Pierroth as La Bestia del Ring (so he finally got his name change.)
It took Pierroth one full year to get his name change to La Bestia del Ring. Even the Munoz can’t get things done quick in CMLL.
CMLL briefly listed a live stream for this show. My guess is this show was being recorded and someone thought CMLL would stream it. They did not, because reasons. Meanwhile, Lucha Azteca returned to showing Friday matches in the US.
CMLL (SUN) 03/04/2018Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) Amperaje b Paymon
2) Capitán Cobra & Principe Daniel b El Gitano & Mr. Apolo tecnicos took 1/3. Gitano’s first match here in 9 months (which was also a one match stint.)
3) Johnny Dinamo & Tigre Blanco b Linterna & Mr. Brisa tencicos took 2/3
4) El Alteño, Explosivo, Neutrón b Exterminador, Joker, Mr. Trueno tecnicos took 2/2, setting up an Explosivo/Mr. Trueno mask match next week.
5) Frezzer, Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte b Mágico, Magnum, Rielero Rudos took 1/3. Rielero replaced Metatron. Maya got in a foul on Rielero to win.
notable because the results are very clear on the mask match happening next Sunday.
CMLL on ROH’s Manhattan Mayhem:
Punishment Martinez beat Soberano Jr.
Volador Jr. & Dalton Castle beat Ultimo Guerrero & Jay Lethal
The tag match was slow at first, but got pretty good by the end and turned out to be one of the better matches on the show.
Martinez/Soberano was a borderline disaster. Both guys seemed at fault and the circumstances were bad. It was scheduled to be the opener, and turned out to be later in the show because the CMLL guys didn’t arrive until late due to travel issues. (The Friday Arena Mexico, Saturday New York, Sunday back to Mexico schedule did no one any favors.) The concept seemed to be Punishment Martinez impressively shrugging off some of Soberano’s big shots, but some of those big shots just totally missed. It was unclear if Soberano was just missing or if Punishment Martinez wasn’t in the right place. Soberano did get to do impressive dives late but the crowd had already turned on the match.
Caristico must’ve healed quick, because he was back wrestling Sunday night after being too hurt to wrestle Friday. It seems like there’s another story here. The timing of the ELITE deal falling apart may be a connection. Caristico is currently not listed on an upcoming CMLL show, but we only have lineups for a few days.
That last four were added today. I’d figure Audaz & Templario in the opener, the women in the second, and Matt Taven in the top trios match.
Spots are filling up quick. WWE has a ludicrous storyline about John Cena being in danger of not having a spot on WrestleMania. WWE will always add a match to find a spot for John Cena. AAA seemed like they added a match to find a spot for Faby & Shani last night. CMLL does not add matches; the people who lose in the tag team block on Friday might find themselves on the outside on of CMLL’s second biggest show of the year.
Tonight’s CMLL in Puebla show has the second in three days of Cavernario. He took the loss to Dragon Lee on Sunday, and now has to find a way to upset Volador. These two had an excellent match last year. I’m reluctant to expect too much from them tonight; this will be Volador’s sixth match in four days with a long trip back and forth from New York in between, and Cavernario knows he’s got a tough task with Atlantis tomorrow. Half effort might still be pretty good, but it might be all we get.
The rest of top half of the Puebla card has some releovos incredibles matches. Mistico, Pierroth (at least on the poster) and Rush of the Munoz family take on Diamante Azul, Euforia, and Mr. Niebla in one. Hechicero, Kraneo, and Stuka face Johnny Idol, Sam Adonis and Titan in another, following up the Kraneo versus Johnny Idol feud. Idol & Adonis should accuse Kraneo being an illegal alien. Audaz is back in action, teaming with Stigma and Triton against Puma, Tiger and Malayo. The second match is Rey Samuray & Tgire Rojo Jr. vs Akuma & Espanto Jr., which is one Espanto Jr. from being interesting. The opener 2v2 match is about four people from being interesting.
The show will air at 9pm. This is the last Puebla show to start at 9pm CT in the US for a month. Daylight Savings Time arrives this weekend and everyone is going to be confused.
Lineups
CMLL (SAT) 03/10/2018Arena Coliseo
1) Bengala & Sensei vs Cholo & Grako
2) Acero, Fantasy, Shockercito vs Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Universo 2000, Pequeño Violencia
3) Flyer, Pegasso, Star Jr. vs Misterioso Jr., Sagrado, Universo 2000 Jr.
4) Blue Panther Jr., Rey Cometa, The Panther vs Okumura, Olímpico, Pólvora
5) Esfinge & Tritón vs Disturbio & Virus [Arena Coliseo TAG, final]
6) Atlantis, Dragón Lee, Niebla Roja vs Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas
I think Esfinge & Triton are slight favorites because they have matching outfits. This is what matters.
Useless facts: when CMLL brought these titles back in 2000, the Stone Brothers (Alan & Chris) won them in a tournament final. The team they defeated was Fugaz & Virus. Virus has since challenged with Polvora, Arkangel, and Hechicero and has never won.
AAA TV (SUN) 03/04/2018 Acropolis Puebla, Puebla, Puebla [2018 is lucha libre, AAA, MedioTiempo (main), MedioTiempo (TLC), MedioTiempo (tournament), Record (main), Record (rest), Record (tournament), SuperLuchas, thecubsfan] ament), SuperLuchas, thecubsfan] Rey de Reyes, 2018
1) Faby Apache b Lady Shani 5:44. Faby Apache German suplex.
2) Rey Escorpión b Angelikal, Dave The Clown, Pimpinela Escarlata [Rey de Reyes, semifinal] 7:12. Rey Escorpion package piledriver Angelikal.
3) Bengala b Dark Scoria, Máscara de Bronce, Argenis [Rey de Reyes, semifinal] 6:50. Bengala Fire Driver on Mascara de Bronce.
4) Hijo Del Vikingo b Ángel Mortal Jr., Dark Cuervo, Pagano [Rey de Reyes, semifinal] 8:42. Vikingo reverse 450 splash Angel Mortal Jr.
5) La Parka b Dinastía, Venum, El Mesías [Rey de Reyes, semifinal] 7:24. La Parka fouled Mesias and armbared Mesias, who didn’t sell it. Parka and Mesias “brawled” after the match.
6) Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana b Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly [TLC] 13:53. Mocho Cota beat Spanish Fly on Averno.
7) Rey Escorpión b La Parka, Hijo Del Vikingo, Bengala [Rey de Reyes, final] 7:38. Escorpion beat Parka with a backcracker after Dave tripped him up.
8) Hernandez, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Monsther Clown, Murder Clown b Dr. Wagner Jr., La Máscara, Máximo, Psycho Clown 10:12. Hijo del Wagner beat Dr. Wagner Jr. with a german suplex.
9) Hijo del Fantasma b Texano Jr. [mask, hair] 12:57. Hijo del Fantasma beat Texano with the Thrill of the Hunt after Tirantes was taken away due to blood loss.
This won’t start to air until March 31 on Space and April 7 on Televisa. It’s going to be an increasingly long time for these shows to turn up on YouTube. The good news is you really don’t have to see anything on here right away. I went back and forth on OK/GOOD grades for the Fantasma/Texano match. Either way, it’s nothing along the lines of what you would hope to see out of those two and strangely didn’t end up the longest match of the night.
It appeared the show had to end at 9:30 by the way they rushed off the air quickly after the hair match, to the point where we barely saw Texano get any hair cut before they went off the air. I’m told he did get the hair all the way cut. (And here’s the video.) That wouldn’t seem to be a Twitch issue since they don’t have those time restrictions. Perhaps it was some window with the (satellite?) company they were using to stream the show, or some additional support they were getting. They had that time limit going in, whatever the reason. AAA added a 9th match, the first match didn’t hit the ring until 22 minutes in, and they spent a fair amount of time between the match so Vampiro could appear on Twitch many times. Time management was pretty poor, and it probably contributed to Fantasma & Texano disappointing again.
Vampiro wrote a Facebook post about talent being very upset about “some production issues”. It’s tough to narrow down which one he’s talking about. There are too many options. It could be the time issue. It could be whatever happened with Mesias, where he was clearly very unhappy about the result of his match and did his best to shrug it off. (It’s hard to understand why AAA would have him lose in his return match, especially when Venom and Dinastia were already being buried in the match.) It could be whatever happened with La Parka, who looked completely unhappy to be out there for the main event. The Alvarados didn’t seem too pleased with how their match went. It could be something completely different. It does not seem like the show was all that smooth. I poked fun at Vampiro’s list of jobs, because it’s hard to believe he’s doing most of the stuff he says he’s doing, but even the stuff he’s really doing is enough for one person and adding weird stuff like showing up in a box during the show is taking away from whatever stuff he’s supposed to be doing a show. If AAA wants Vampiro to be the star of the show, and it certainly seems that way when he gets time to talk after every match, maybe he shouldn’t be in charge of running the show too.
Angelikal, Mascara de Bronce, Hijo del Vikingo, Fantasma Sr. and probably a couple more all got stretchered out. My belief is all were planned spots. (Vikingo too.) It was absurd to do it that many time when they’re all going to be never mentioned again. People, Vampiro included, have talked about wrestlers not selling impacts enough during matches, but the selling of these impacts after the match is far worse.
The next show is scheduled on 03/17 in Cuernavaca, which would be a 8pm start locally and a 9pm CT start if you’re in the US. (Daylight Savings Time gap month is coming.) There’s still no lineup for that show, one should be out in the next couple days.
Faby Apache beat Lady Shani
(5:44, Faby Apache German Suplex, good)
Rey Escorpión beat Angelikal , Dave The Clown, Pimpinela Escarlatain an AAA’s Rey de Reyes semifinal
(7:12, Rey Escorpión package piledriver Angelikal, ok)
Bengalabeat Dark Scoria, Máscara de Bronce, Argenisin an AAA’s Rey de Reyes semifinal
(6:50, Bengala Fire Driver on Mascara de Bronce, good)
Hijo Del Vikingobeat Ángel Mortal Jr., Dark Cuervo, Paganoin a AAA’s Rey de Reyes semifinal
(8:42, Vikingo reverse 450 splash Angel Mortal Jr., ok)
La Parkabeat Dinastía, Venum, Mesiasin an AAA’s Rey de Reyes semifinal (7:24, La Parka foul and armbar Mesias, below average
Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana beat Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly in a TLC match which probably was for the AAA Trios Championship but I’m not 100% sure
(13:53, Mocho Cota Spanish Fly thru a table Averno, good)
Rey Escorpiónbeat La Parka, Hijo Del Vikingo, Bengalain an AAA’s Rey de Reyes final
(7:38, Rey Escorpión backcracker Parka, ok)
Hernandez, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Monsther Clown, Murder Clown beat Dr. Wagner Jr., La Máscara, Máximo, Psycho Clown
(10:12, Hijo del Wagner German suplex Dr Wagner Jr., below average)
Hijo del Fantasmabeat Texano Jr.taking Texano’s hair and saving Fantasma’s mask
(12:57, Fantasma Thrill of the Hunt, ok)
What happened:
no idea what they thought was going to happen here but it looked cool
Hijo del Fantasma defeated Texano in their mask versus hair match. Hijo del Tirantes, who had earlier been barred from refereeing on this show, was instead Texano’s second. Vampiro made the match no disqualification to counter that (some how.) Fantasma Sr. was there to be his son’s second, but quickly taken out accidentally by tope from his son. That seemed to be a planned bit to take Fantamsa Sr. out of the match, but he really struck the back of his head on the Twitch announce table taking the move. Tirantes helped Texano by hanging him a fork, only to end up bleeding himself. Medics took Tirantes to the back, and he didn’t return to the ring in time to save Texano at the finish. Texano began to get his hair shaved in the ring, but the show quickly and strangely ended while the head shaving was still going on.
Hijo del Fantasma now joins Psycho Clown in the four way apuesta match at TripleMania.
Rey Escorpión won this year’s Rey de Reyes tournament. He was one of four surprise entrants, which were all people already on the roster who just had not participated in a qualifying match. All block matches were one pin to a finish. Escorpión won the first block. Argenis was a surprise, but Bengala won the second block. Pagano returned, but Hijo del Vikingo won the third fall when Pagano was still outside following a crowd dive. Mesias, looking in better shape than we had last seen him, returned in the last block but surprisingly took the loss to La Parka. Mesias looked unhappy about that match, and La Parka looked equally unhappy about the finish, where he lost to Escorpión after Dave the Clown interference. Escorpión and Dave had previously formed an alliance following the opener.
Hijo del Wagner pinned his father in the atomicos, when most of the rest of the match had decided to brawl down the aisle. The announcers were quick to note this would probably mean Hijo del Wagner will be getting a title shot soon.
Pagano goes a long way, camera probably should’ve stuck with the initial angle
Mocho Cota defeated Averno with a Spanish Fly thru a table to end the OGT/Poder del Norte feud and keep the trios titles.
In a bonus match, Faby Apache once again beat Lady Shani thanks to help from Estrella Divina.
Vampiro’s plan of appearing in a box between matches and talking back to the fans and the announcers finally happened on this show. It had some issues. Early on, they twice put the Vampiro bit on the air but the announcers were unable to hear him, and they left a visibly frustrated Vampiro on screen instead of figuring it out. Vampiro didn’t really add anything of importance to the broadcast, but it did lead to moments where everyone talked in English to address the English speaking portion of the Twitch audience and to explain the storylines leading into the matches. At one point, Vampiro was asked about Dinastia being the first mini in a Rey de Reyes match, and Vampiro explained he didn’t really see those differences or the need for those divisions, that everyone should just fight each other. Which means Dinastia is now a small fish in a big pound instead of a big fish in a forgotten pond.
Thoughts:
Carta Brava spear
Rey de Reyes was an overall OK show. Nothing lasted too long, and it didn’t have the disasters of Guerra de Titanes or TripleMania, but it also didn’t have anything of great peak value. There were a few good matches, some clunkers, and a lot of forgettable stuff in between. I think I liked this show more than most people who I was watching it with on Twitter, but even then I wouldn’t come away strongly recommending anything on this show.
AAA seemed to have a change of thought about Tirantes & Bengala’s involvement in the main event, removing Bengala entirely and making sure Tirantes wasn’t around for the finish. It wasn’t enough. Just the specter of Tirantes inevitably getting involved hurt the enthusiasm for the match, and the match itself wasn’t that great or memorable. There wasn’t a moment in the match where Fantasma seemed in any danger of losing; even the table powerbomb spot was bizarrely followed up by a figure four reversed into a small package. Fantasma recovered from what should’ve been a debilitating landing on an unbroken table to win seconds later. It felt like they were hoping the blood alone would make the match dramatic, but we’d already seen plenty of blood in the TLC match. I thought there was some value in the match, with Fantasma obviously motivated by the win to do a lot of stuff. Still, when they ditched the Bengala/Tirantes based ending, it felt like they had no ending to replace it with. Ending the show abruptly during the hair cut hurt the moment.
Vikingo SSP to the floor
The semifinal atomicos seemed to exist simply to get to the Hijo del Wagner pinfall over Dr. Wagner with not a lot more effort to it. It seemed liked the Alvarados might have had something big plan for that brawl to the stage, but nothing much came of it. This seemed like a very slight use of Psycho Clown for a big show. It feels as if AAA signed La Mascara & Máximo with the idea that they’d come up with a plan to use them later, and have not with that idea yet.
The best match on this show might have been the Bengala, Argenis, Mascara de Bronce and Scoria tournament match. There were some sloppy moments balanced by a lot of action. Mascara de Bronce came off as an upcoming star for the first time in months and Argenis & Bengala did a good job working with him when they were doing their own spectacular moves. The rest of the tournament was just ok to not very good. Pagano is back but does not seem healthy, needing multiple tries to lift guys from moves early on. Pagano threw himself into spectacular dives but dragged his match down. Pimpinela & Dave limited that match, but Rey Escorpión was as good at working Angelikal as he is with all flyers. The last semifinal was a mess. Venom and Dinastia were thrown around like garbage, because Parka can’t do much and Mesias wasn’t happy. Mesias has a right to be unhappy – if the match was going to treat Venom & Dinastia as jobbers, they probably should’ve been doing the job instead of a guy making his surprise return. Mesias & Parka punching each other and not selling it each other, and then just not selling the whole thing while they stood on the stage and shoved each other, was total low ending indie stuff. Parka was disinterested and an anchor to the final match, where Hijo del Vikingo was again trying to make a name for himself and might have ended up hurt. (Shooting Star Press splashes to the floor are bad ideas that maybe should be stopped.) The final of Rey de Reyes being more build to a Dave/Parka feud is not a good use of resources. They did allow Escorpión to soak in his win more than they allowed Fantamsa.
Shani says hola
The TLC match was the usual plunder match which didn’t seem to go exactly like they had originally planned. No belts were hung, and the ladders were barely used. It wasn’t clear if it was meant to be a title match. They had made a point to hype light tubes being involved. They weren’t. The match did have the usual weapons and the last few big spots looked spectacular. The stuff in the middle was the usual numbing violence where people take big moves but don’t disappear long enough for them to mean anything. Carta Brava stood out as having a big match and for bleeding a lot into his light colored hair.
Faby Apache versus Lady Shani felt tacked on and not as tight at their Guerra de Titanes match. Estrella Divina running in to hit Shani with a weak kick to set up the finish of a match with a lot of hard ones didn’t help. They still hit each other very hard, harder than anything else on this show. If the run-ins don’t hurt that match like they did with Fantasma/Texano, Faby/Shani should be pretty good. I’m just sure only the hardcore people who watch every AAA show will care, since this feud is treated as only something to warm the canvas.
This was the first wrestling show in this new Puebla building. It looked like a big deal visually, but they’re going to want to work on fixing the crowd micing in the future. It was tough to tell if the crowd wasn’t into the show, or if we just couldn’t hear any of the crowd beyond the first few rows. That quiet environment hurt the matches.
CMLL (FRI) 03/02/2018Arena México [2018 is lucha libre, ClaroSports, CMLL, luchablog, Notimex, Ovaciones]
1) Shockercito & Último Dragóncito b Mercurio & Pequeño Nitro 9:21. Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Blue Panther Jr., Fuego, The Panther b Puma, Tiger, Virus 12:50. Tecnicos took 2/3.
3) Felino, Negro Casas, Shocker b Esfinge, Titán, Tritón 10:44. Tecnicos took 1/3. Felino has dropped the Peste Negra act and is now serious.
4) Gran Guerrero & Soberano Jr. b Dragón Lee, Valiente, Forastero, Euforia, Pierroth, Hechicero [CMLL TAG, battle royal] 2:10.
5) Dragón Lee & Mistico b Forastero & Sansón [CMLL TAG, 8f] 8:50 and best match of the night
6) Valiente & Volador Jr. b Euforia & Kráneo [CMLL TAG, 8f] 3:34. Valiente replaced Caristico on Thursday
7) Pierroth & Rush b Hechicero & Máscara Año 2000 [CMLL TAG, 8f] 5:57.
8) Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero b Atlantis & Soberano Jr. [CMLL TAG, 8f] 4:18
9) Valiente & Volador Jr. b Dragón Lee & Mistico [CMLL TAG, quarterfinal] 2:58.
10) Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero DQ Pierroth & Rush [CMLL TAG, quarterfinal] 3:00. Terrible ran in to help his teammates for teh DQ>
11) Valiente & Volador Jr. b Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero [CMLL TAG, semifinal] 4:48. Valiente & Volador advance to the final on 03/16 (H2L), will face the winner of next week’s block.
12) Ángel de Oro, Marco Corleone, Niebla Roja b Cuatrero, Ephesto, Mephisto 11:42. Straight falls, Angel de Oro getting a clean win on Cuatrero before their mask match.
The tournament started off really well with the Munoz/NGD match, and then it was just a CMLL tournament show. I can not wait for these to be fore, but there’s another one next week.
Prior to last night’s show, the Munoz family got to make cement handprints as part of Plaza de la Estrellas walk of fame, as many luchadors have. Mistico told the press that this was the last time his father will appear as Pierroth, and he’d be switching to Bestia del Ring. This is not the first time this has said to be happening, and the switch never happens. Pierroth did wear “Bestia” on his shirt on the CMLL show.
Hugo Monroy, one of the authors of the 85 Years of Lucha Libre book, talked about how the book was put together with Regeneracion. Sports writer/baseball commissioner Alejandro Aguilar Reyes (Fray Nano) is said to have kept detailed and precise records that were useful in putting together the history parts of the book. I’d love to see those.
Tonight’s Arena Coliseo show has the second half of the Arena Coliseo Tag Team tournament (Sagrado & Misterioso the favorites) and Rush vs Euforia. The more intriguing CMLL show is the debut of Pura Raza in Arena Lopez Mateos, which includes the Munoz brothers vs NGD and Blue Panther vs Hechicero. Cavernario’s run of singles matches starts on Sunday in Arena Mexico against Dragon Lee.
Next week’s lineup:
CMLL (FRI) 03/09/2018Arena México
1) Astral & Eléctrico vs Cancerbero & Raziel
2) Lady Maravilla, Princesa Sugehit, Sanely vs Dalys, La Seductora, Tiffany
3) Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa, The Panther vs Johnny Idol, Kawato San, Puma
4) Marco Corleone & Niebla Roja vs Cavernario & Mr. Niebla and Diamante Azul & Stuka Jr.and Okumura & Sam Adonis and Titán & Tritón and Rey Bucanero & Terrible and Blue Panther & Blue Panther Jr. and Ephesto & Mephisto [CMLL TAG, battle royal]
5) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, 8F]
6) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, 8F]
7) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, 8F]
8) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, 8F]
9) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, quarterfinal]
10) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, quarterfinal]
11) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [CMLL TAG, semifinal]
12) Ángel de Oro, Atlantis, Volador Jr. vs El Cuatrero, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero
A rudo team would normally be assumed to be going thru to face Volador & Valente, but theese aren’t the strongest teams. Cavernario & Niebla are the biggest stars, but this would be Niebla’s first Arena Mexico match after looking in out of it a month ago. It’s tough to trust him. Okumura & Sam Adonis would get a reaction but aren’t the best fit for a Volador style big move match. Ephesto & Mephisto are, but they seem like they’ve been dropped in the pecking order. Rey Bucanero & Terrible shouldn’t be teaming at all after Terrible ditched Bucanero to join Los Ingobernables.
Diamante Azul & Stuka were clearly supposed to win the tag team titles last year, and it’s still possible CMLL ends up in that direction. Though, if they’re going tecnico vs tecnico, I’d much rather see Titan & Triton in that spot.
Whoever does come out of this block would be the favorites to win the tournament, since Valiente & Volador already have a team title which they haven’t got much use from of late. I may shut down the website if that trios title gets vacated for another tournament after this one concludes.
ELITE
CMLL & Elite are done one again. CMLL posted a statement declaring they have no be participating in the ELITE Arena Azteca show and have no relationship with that network. They also said none of their wrestlers or buildings will be part of the show. This announcement was made just a few minutes before Friday night’s show. It follows a couple days of Azteca’s A+ network beginning to promote the new Arena Azteca show.
ELITE has not responded to this news. Neither has Azteca. ELITE hasn’t said anything since their 02/11 show was canceled – they haven’t talked about “Arena Azteca” or the lineup that had Cage on it or when they might be back. CMLL never mentions ELITE by name in this most recent press release. It’s possible the breakup here is only between CMLL & Azteca and not ELITE & CMLL. It’s not clear if there is even an ELITE without Azteca, though.
It doesn’t really matter who’s fault it was, because everyone looks silly. ELITE is the promotion who keeps falling apart. Azteca is promoting a TV show which may not exist. CMLL gave this partnership a big rollout about this three way alliance at the press conference, and either fell apart after one show or was never really done to begin with. CMLL’s now back to presenting shows on Sunday which they declared weren’t as interesting a concept as the ELITE shows, and burned a relationship with a TV network when they could really use the TV It’s embarrassing.
I may have a preview on Voices of Wrestling. (I got it done last minute, but it may turn out to be after the last minute.) The shorter version:
Fantasma’s probably taking Texano’s hair, and they really need a good match. Fantasma for credibility going into the TripleMania cage match, Texano so people are left with a thought beyond “he’s the guy who loses the big apuesta matches.” The Bengala/Tirantes stuff makes it unlikely they’re going to get there. This is also the logical Vampiro spot for the night.
the atomicos is to get over the Wagner/Wagner feud and to get people on this show and not a lot more
It’s tough to care about the Rey de Reyes when the last two winners are Pentagon (who lost every big match after and left the promotion) and Argenis (who didn’t really do anything), and when 1/4 of the field is unknown. Pagano wrestled in Guadalajara and Mesias was back in action recently, so they could both fill some of those surprise spots if AAA wants bigger names. Right now, it’s really lacking in any names besides Parka.
the TLC match might steal the show with the people they’ve got involved (and the stuff they’re willing to do.) They just need ladders that are durable and tables that are not.
AAA put up a Texano interview talking about the main event, with a Fantasma one to be posted later tonight.
