LA Park appears in CMLL, Flyer wins Gran Alterantiva, AAA in Tehuacan, Crash tonight in TJ

CMLL (FRI) 05/18/2018 Arena México [+LuchaTV, CMLL, ESTO, Lucha Central, Marca, Notimex, Ovaciones, R de Rudo]
1) Astral & Eléctrico b Espanto Jr. & Hijo del Signo 
2) Okumura, Puma, Tiger b Blue Panther Jr., Drone, The Panther 
3) Guerrero Maya Jr. b Fuego [lightning] 
eight minutes. Like their last match, Fuego teased rudo tactics.
4) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón b Ángel de Oro, Mistico, Soberano Jr. 
5) La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible b Atlantis, Diamante Azul, Kráneo 
6) Flyer & Volador Jr. b Templario & Último Guerrero [Gran Alternativa, final] 
Los Ingobernables attacked Flyer & Volador after their win, with LA Park & Hijo de LA Park making the save. LA Park immediately challenged Rush to a mask/hair match. Rush indicated he’d accept.

The main event was really good and then overshadowed by the post match angle. The storyline LA Park is running with is the fans on social media really want the match and pushed LA Park to come to Arena Mexico to make the challenge, and Rush wants the match, and all they need is CMLL to agree. The seeds of this have been planted for a while. Maybe even as far exactly one month ago, when the Gran Alterantiva Block A was announced. Flyer being in the final gave reason for LA Park to save, so the idea to bring in LA Park could go back at least as far as when they set up this tournament.

LA Park’s appearance got a big reaction in the building, and in the media afterwards. This is obviously the Anniversary main event, and possibly the highest ticket ever for a CMLL Anniversary main event, if Park & CMLL can manage to work together four months. It’s the easiest sell for a big CMLL match since Atlantis/Ultimo Guerrero – the hard work of making people care has long sense been done, it’s now just about seeing if they can pull it off. It would reflect harsher on CMLL than on LA Park if it doesn’t happen, but then CMLL is also more likely to just not care.

CMLL posted promos from Astral & Electrico, Hijo del Signo & Espanto Jr., Okumura, Guerrero Maya Jr., Los Ingobernables and La Famalia Real (LA Park, Hijo de LA Park, Volador Jr. & Flyer). +LuchaTV has press interviews with NGD, Los Ingobernables, and Volador & Flyer.

The matches expected to be good were really good, and the main event was said to be very good.

Dragon Lee won his opening BOSJ match over Sho (Raijin). It sounds like it went very well, but he’s wrestling very hard and did not appear to be 100% going into the tournament. I hope he makes it thru OK, but I’m also penciling in Dragon Lee taking some time off after the tour.

AAA TV (FRI) 05/18/2018 Polideportivo La Huizachera, Tehuacán, Puebla [+LuchaTV, AAA, Lucha Central]
1) Látigo & Toxin b Aramis & Astrolux 
Debuts of all four. Latigo beat Astrolux via powerbomb in a very good match.
2) Argenis & Hijo Del Vikingo b Halcón 78 Jr. & Parka Negra 
Main show debut for Halcon 78 Jr. (who appeared in a dark match in Queretaro last year.) Vikingo pinned 78 with a 450. Killer Kross destroyed all 4 afterwards.
3) Faby Apache & Hades b Ashley & Lady Shani 
Faby beat Ashley (who is/was to get a title shot in Arena Aficion.) Faby attacked Hades after the match, with the tecnicas making the save.
4) La Máscara & Máximo b Histeria & Psicosis 
Mascara submitted Psicosis to a campana. Histeria wrestled without his mask.
5) Rey Escorpión & Texano DQ Aerostar & Drago 
Prior to match, a vignette with these two teams (& Poder del Norte) had the tecnicos angry and declaring the rudos couldn’t beat them without pulling a mask. They couldn’t on this show: Escorpion unmasked Aerostar for the DQ. Samoano was now with Escorpion & Texano and interfering thru the match.
6) Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana b Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly 
bloody brawl.
7) Hijo del Fantasma & Psycho Clown b Hernandez & Kevin Kross 
Fantasma & Clown briefly had problems during in the match. Kross betrayed Hernandez, who definitely is not in MAD, then Juventued Guerrera appeared to trick Fantasma into hitting Psycho Clown. The two men in the TripleMania main event brawled, then were beaten up by MAD. A MAD masked man – obviously Konnan – watched from the entrance area.
8) Dr. Wagner Jr. © b Pagano [AAA HEAVY] 
Surpise title match. 3rd defense, Wagner winning clean with the Wagner Driver. Lady Shani seconded Pagano for no obvious reason outside of being available for Faby Apache to attack post match. Murder Clown also attacked Pagano before their match in Arena Aficion.

This was also a really good show! It was a good night for lucha. The MAD angle stalled out a bit here, but they did great work with the OGT/Poder del Norte feud and the TripleMania main event got some heat to it. (It still needs two more people, and it sure doesn’t look like one of those will be LA Park now.) Shani/Faby still is working for me, though Fabi betraying Hades and having no allies right at the time Mary Apache & Natsumi have returned to Mexico does make for a good story. The opener on this show was nearly as good as the Tijuana one, and Hijo del Vikingo was great in the second match. So was Parka Negra – I don’t know if he’s “most improved”, but he’s definitely become a real asset in the short time under the mask. It’s too bad they didn’t give him a new character and saddled him with the baggage of something that hasn’t been working.

Again, it was clearly Konnan as the MAD mastermind and, again, everyone was on strict orders not to say “Konnan.” I’d expect the reveal is being kept until Verano de Escandalo, though I guess it could be even longer with how AAA sometimes paces things. There’s also a possibility that they’ll keep on teasing Konnan and do the swerve into it being someone else for the reveal. Earlier, Konnan posted a photo of Juventud Guerrera & Killer Kross and two mystery people. Neither of the other mystery people appeared on TV. Teddy Hart was briefly mentioned as being part of the attack in Tijuana prior to the show, and wasn’t mentioned again.

An AAA Twitch subscription is worth the $5/month right now with the quality shows they’ve done recently. I don’t expect a lot from the Arena Aficion show a week from Thursday, but you’d get the Verano de Escandalo VOD if you started today. If you prefer to wait for it to hit YouTube, this show should be start to appear on June 16.

+LuchaTV post show interviews: Pagano, Murder Clown, Poder del Norte, Psycho Clown, Dr. Wagner, and Dr. Wagner Jr.

Dr. Wagner’s title defenses have come against La Parka, Hernandez and Pagano. He won the title against a less than interested Johnny Mundo. Dr. Wagner Jr. appears to have lost a step or two, but it also might be related to the people he’s having matches against. His next scheduled title match is at Verano de Escandalo, though I’m not quite sure against who: Rey Mysterio is still definitely booked, but AAA has gone back to mentioning a surprise third wrestler after previously taking the surprise off the poster. This doesn’t look like a one time brain freeze, they were hinting about the same in the comments earlier in the day. I think it’ll turn out to be a noteworthy person, because I do not expect Wagner to leave Monterrey as champion.

No sign of Blue Demon. No sign of Hijo de Dr. Wagner Junior. Hernandez seems to exist simply to be a guy to be beat (and it’s as if AAA had previously agreed to a number of dates with him and are trying to burn them off now that the direction has changed.)

AAA’s next TV taping is Thursday, May 31st in Arena Aficion. The advertised May 28th TV taping in Contla, Tlaxcala, was changed to a house show on Monday.

This week’s La Parka column celebrates 26 years of AAA by telling the current story of how it came to be. In this version, Antonio Pena’s great work got EMLL on Televisa, Televisa was impressed and wanted to form an alliance (?) with EMLL, EMLL called them crazy and so they formed an alliance with Pena instead.

The Crash AOZA (FRI) 05/18/2018 Lienzo Charro Prof Enrique Gonzalez, Saltillo, Coahuila [Lo Mejor de Lucha Libre]
1) Jupiter b Guerrero Negro III, Datogo, Nossivo, Diluvio Jr., Cronic, Delirio, Aladino, Radamantis, Destino, Hell Raider, Aero 2000 [Copa Saltillense 2018, royal rumble]
2) Devil Boy, Hijo del Guerrero Negro, Latino b Memo Valles, Mini Difunto, Potro Jr. and Águila De Guerrera (Aguascalientes), Aliado De Dios (Aguascalientes), Orkuss (Aguascalientes)
Monterrey vs Aguascalientes vs Saltilllo
3) Guerrero Negro Jr., Psicótico, Tormento Negro b Desafio, Obsesión, Rico Rodríguez
4) Ninja Jr., Séptimo Dragón, Taurus (Indie) b Ángel Dorado Jr., Epydemius, Lince de Oro
5) Daga & Rey Horus b El Bandido & Flamita
6) Rey Mysterio Jr. © b Penta 0M, Bestia 666 [The Crash HEAVY]
Announced as a title match at a press conference earlier in the day. 1st defense.

The other show last night. Turnout looks great in the one photo they posted.

The Crash is in Tijuana tonight. The main event is Penta/Caristico on a show with a lot of fly-ins and different local guys than usual. The show includes a Copa Hector Garza (who passed away five years ago next Saturday), Lacey Lance defending the women’s title for the first time against the debuting Tessa Blanchard and the cruiserweight championship being decided in the opener. They’re also mildly teasing their own surprise person walking thru the Auditorio tunnel tonight.

The Crash’s next show in Tijuana is on 06/16, and we know that because the poster is already out. Rey Mysterio, Alberto, Rush, Penta, Fenix, and Matt Riddle are among those pictured. This would be Rush’s first appearance in The Crash this year. He appeared to be done with the group after La Mascara left. Alberto hasn’t appeared on The Crash Tijuana show since June. Garza Jr. is listed as well, which perhaps might be his final match for the promotion if he’s headed to WWE.

Lucha Central has a preview of that show. The Crash did not appear to be filming the last Tijuana show, not that those ever turn up.

DTU has announced 06/12 Arena Aficion, 06/14 Arena Xalapa, and 06/15 Arena CLLP. There’s one more date to be announced.

You will not be allowed to wear lucha libre masks at the World Cup.

Lost in Lucha reviews Jake Roberts, Eddie Guerrero and Love Machine versus Blue Panther, Konnan, Perro Aguayo from 1993.

Lineups

CMLL (FRI) 05/25/2018 Arena México
1) Oro Jr. & Robin vs Cancerbero & Raziel
2) Drone, El Audaz, Fuego vs Kawato San, Puma, Tiger
3) Rey Cometa vs Guerrero Maya Jr. [lightning]
4) Niebla Roja, Titán, Valiente vs Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas
5) Ángel de Oro, El Hijo De La Park, Soberano Jr. vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
6) Flyer, LA Park, Volador Jr. vs La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible

This is a really good card. Every match has a strong change of being good.

Flyer gets the main event by winning the Gran Alternativa tournament. LA Park gets the main event by being LA Park. I can’t explain La Bestia del Ring.

Hijo de LA Park looked good on indies when I spotted him last year. Though, most of the times I saw him, he was wrestling with Fenix. Might have a sample size issue there. We’ll see what he can do with NGD.