Atlantis, Diamante Azul, Valiente vs La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible (6:22 [1:10, 1:47, 3:25], 2/3 DQ, ok, via thecubsfan)
What happened:
Esfinge ends Hechicero thru the front row
Soberano & Cavernario feuded thru their match.
Hechicero kept the NWA Light Heavyweight Championship over Esfinge.
Rush fouled Valiente for pretty much no reason.
Thoughts:
Hechicero/Esfinge was about as good as an Hechicero/Esfinge match. There was one badly blown spot, but that’s about what you expect with Esfinge. Hechicero got in most of his trademark spots, but his bigger skill was being there for Esfinge’s moves. He was smooth in the smaller moments and sold the big dives well. The match felt longer than I was expecting it go, though they never ran out of things to do. Hechciero has become a bit CMLL-ifed, focusing on a set of trademark spots instead of mixing it up, and I found myself wishing he brought a little bit more different stuff for a bigger match. Esfinge did about as much as Esfinge is going to do, and they reached the limit of that here.
Hechicero could probably use a second taunt
The other two matches didn’t give much to write about. The opener was a standard build up trios matches for Soberano and Cavernario. Audaz working with Dragon Rojo wasn’t always smooth, but Audaz can do enough stuff with the ropes that he’s going to be fine no matter who he’s working with. The main event seemed edited down, but it’s not like Los Ingobernables matches are long. The foul came in the flow of the match but also just felt like a quick end.
CMLL (MON) 05/21/2018Arena Puebla [CMLL, Lucha Central]
1) Astro, Asturiano, Black Tiger b King Roker, Policeman, Sombra Diabólika Tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Arkalis, Magia Blanca, Rey Samuray b Fuerza Chicana, Rey Apocalipsis, Sangre Azteca Tecnicos took 2/3.
3) Blue Panther Jr., Fuego, The Panther b El Malayo, Misterioso Jr., Sagrado Tecnicos took 1/3.
4) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón DQ Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto NGD took 2/3. Mephisto unmasked Sanson for the DQ.
5) Kráneo, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero DQ La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible Team Kraneo took 2/3, the last by DQ foul, setting up a UG/Terrible match.
Terrible/Ultimo Guerrero is not exactly the direction the main event seemed to be going last week, but it’s an interesting match. It’s also CMLL booking someone in no singles matches, then two singles matches in two days.
A DQ in the semimain as well might mean they’re also setting up a trios title match on 06/04. It’ll be a clear when the lineup turns up.
Ultimo Guerrero defends the NWA Middleweight Championship tonight in Arena Mexico. Ultimo Guerrero should be known for his long title reigns with many defenses. He defended the CMLL Light Heavyweight championship at least 32 times and the heavyweight at least 20 times, and had one tag title reign go 18 defenses. This is ‘only’ his 14th defense of the middleweight title. Long reigns means people challenging multiple times, and tonight’s Stuka’s second shot. Their last title match was two years to the day, because time is a circle in CMLL. I thought that match was good, but both men fall in to routines and you can probably guess how this one is going to go without seeing it.
The title match is the main event. The sure to be quick main event has Mistico, Caristico and Atlantis against the Hijos del Infierno. The entire Panther family take on Shocker, Hechicero, and Felino. Esfinge, Triton and Stigma face Okumura, Virus and Disturbio. There are two more opening matches, and neither looks good. It’s not a good card outside of the title match.
Lucha Central and CMLL have previews of the show. It starts at 7:30pm on YouTube.
Zeuxis announced on Facebook that she was leaving CMLL and wrestling as an independent. CMLL has acknowledges Zeuxis leaving, saying the doors are open for her to return. She’ll be working CMLL dates thru June 4th and out on her own after. Her only remaining shows are tonight in Arena Coliseo Guadalajara and a show in Tabasco on the 3rd, though it’s possible she could still be around for one more week. Announcing it now allows her to start taking booking elsewhere, and Zeuxis makes a point of saying she’s interested in wrestling in USA and Japan in addition to Mexico. Zeuxis is technically the current CMLL-REINA International Championship, but the promotion is at least inactive and maybe dead, and the title hasn’t been mentioned in quite some time.
We talked about this situation on the podcast. Although Zeuxis won her mask match with Princesa Sugehit last year, it’s Sugehit who’s been pushed as the new star of the division coming out of the match. Zeuxis hasn’t been booked much, hasn’t gotten a feud, and hasn’t a notable singles match since. CMLL’s women division never being positioned as a drawing card is a bit of a unbreaking negative cycle: there’s no incentive to push people who are over long term or run angles to get people over because they’re going to be in the same spot, so they stay in the same spot because nothing changes and no one’s really that over. Zeuxis, like a lot of other luchadors, would probably like to be a big wrestling star, and a big WWE star if possible, and wrestling in never ending and never meaningful trios matches isn’t going to get anyone from point A to point B. Dalys is going to be women’s champion as long as she desires, CMLL didn’t seem to want to go back to the Zeuxis/Sugehit feud, and Marcela seems more likely to win a title than Zeuxis at this point. The Zeuxis/Sugehit feud was really good for both people and they did well in it, but CMLL can’t/won’t offer her more and so she’s got to get out if she wants to go up.
Zeuxis is probably going to be doing a lot of indies for the short term. She seems a logicial pickup for The Crash among others. I’d bet on seeing the Keyra/Zeuxis match once again, and Zeuxis finally getting to work in Puerto Rico. Zeuxis and AAA do not seem like a great fit at the moment; their focus is going to be on Faby/Shani and so Zeuxis would have the same issues there. WWE’s running another Mae Young Classic this summer and that’s probably the ultimate goal but I think generally trying to break in the US to make a name there is the plan.
06/02 ROH in New York
Titan vs Cody (Rhodes)
Ultimo Guerrero vs Dalton Castle (c) for the ROH Heavyweight Championship
These matches don’t seem to have been promoted yet; I just happened to check the lineup page for this show and found them on there. This is NOT a show that’ll stream live on their Honor Club service, but instead a TV taping that will air later on.
Ultimo Guerrero has a shot of winning the ROH title. The heavyweight championship is not really the drawing card for the promotion at the moment, so a short term reign for a guy who’s not known or around a lot isn’t going to hurt ROH. It would give them some added attention. Castle’s top challenger is Matt Taven, who’s got history with Guerrero and CMLL. They could easily spin it into a UG/Taven match next or a three way. Castle is banged up, enough that he missed his title defense against Taven last week. That could be an excuse for him losing the title and maybe a real reason to give him some time off. Guerrero doesn’t have a strong chance of winning by any means, but it’s a better shot than Titan has against Cody.
Dragon Lee is now 2-0 in the BOSJ tournament, following the grand tradition of CMLL luchadors of getting off to a hot start in a NJPW tournament and then not finishing so hot. Dragon Lee beat Taguchi today. Dragon Lee’s next match is Hiromu Takahashi early Friday morning, where both men will try to die. Should Dragon Lee live, he’s mentioned the other match he’s looking forward to is the one against El Desperado on the final show of the tour.
I don’t know the reason. I do know CMLL filed for a US trademark of “MISTICO” on April 12th, after Heroes of Lucha Libre had filed for their own trademark on “MÍSTICO” two months earlier. CMLL filed for that trademark just about the same day they pulled Adonis from the Casas match, and neither he or Idol has been booked since and Mistico & Dragon Lee aren’t on the June HOLL show. Adonis seemed to be the connection between Mistico & Dragon Lee & HOLL, CMLL is sensitive over the ownership of the Mistico name after everything that’s happened with Caristico & WWE, and it’s possible Adonis got the punishment for HOLL’s trademark (regardless if he was or was not had any responsibility for it), and Idol was cut loose because his only role was to fill out the trio they’re no longer running. I haven’t asked around, but the timing matches up. Adonis has mentioned a bunch of upcoming dates elsewhere in the world, and I’d suspect Idol would be looking for non-Mexico bookings too.
IWRG (WED) 05/23/2018Arena Naucalpan
1) Chicanito vs Atomic Star
2) Mexica vs Demonio Infernal
3) Lunatic Xtreme & Toto vs Ángel Estrella Jr. & Death Metal
4) Alas de Acero, Aramis, Golden Magic vs Diablo Jr., El Hijo del Diablo, Imposible
5) Leo, Mike, Teelo vs Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro
Golden Magic & Hijo del Diablo back here for the first time in a while.
CMLL Lucha Azteca: 2018-05-20
taped 2018-05-11 @ Arena México – Mega
Gran Alternativa Block B
Miscellaneous Live Recordings: 2018-05-20 – YouTube
taped 2018-05-20 @ Arena GALLI, Villa Park, Illinois
1) Cíclope (DTU) & Miedo Extremo vs El Bandolero & Gringo Loco
If Park can manage to get back in CMLL, I can bother to record a podcast. Rob and I talk about LA Park’s arrival in to Arena Mexico and how the anniversary show build should work, as well as Zeuxis’ exit from the promotion and the problems with the CMLL women’s division. We talk about this past Friday’s AAA taping in Tehuacan, and the multiple visions heading into Verano de Escandalo. Finally, there’s talk about Saturday’s The Crash lineup and where we see the promotion right now.
