Month: May 2018

CMLL (FRI) 05/25/2018 Arena México [CMLL, ESTO, Estrellas del Ring, Lucha Central, Notimex, thecubsfan]
1) Cancerbero & Raziel b Oro Jr. & Robin 
13:17. Rudos took 1/3.
2) Kawato San, Puma, Tiger b Drone, El Audaz, Fuego 
14:09. Rudos took 2/3.
3) Rey Cometa TLDRAW Guerrero Maya Jr. [lightning] 
the 5th time limit draw of the year, with neither men close to winning after the match. Hair/mask challenges followed.
4) Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas b Niebla Roja, Titán, Valiente 
12:53. Rudos took 1/3.
5) Ángel de Oro, El Hijo De La Park, Soberano Jr. b Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón 
17:54. Tecnicos took 2/3. Angel de Oro asked for a title match with Cuatrero. Hijo de LA Park’s CMLL dbeut.
6) Flyer, LA Park, Volador Jr. b La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible 
25:55. LA Park’s first CMLL match in three years, feuding with Rush throughout the match. Los Ingobernables came thru the crowd to attack La Familia Real. Rush & LA Park slightly went into the crowd. A wheeled suitcase sitting by the TV production area was used first by Rush, then utterly destroyed by LA Park. The Ibarra family won the first fall by a very quick countout. Terrible & Bestia beat Volador & Flyer in the second. A very long third fall came close to being stopped by Edgar multiple times. He was eventually taken out by a misaimed Rush middle rope senton. Rush fouled Park, but there was no ref to cover. Volador, who’d dived out of the ring moments early, ran back in from the back with a chair. He smacked Rush in the head with it, then in the side, then covered him for three. Both Rush & LA Park seemed interested in talking on the microphone post match, but the mics were kept from them.

The main event was a success, both in the aesthetic and business sense. Turnout was up, seemingly more than CMLL was expecting since they didn’t show the usual shots of a big arena. It was short of a sell out, but might have cracked 10,000. This seems like the big show CMLL crowd, people who were into LA Park and the bigger names on the CMLL show but not those the level of Angel de Oro. It would be tough to keep this up for months, which might be the reason for LA Park to make limited appearances once they lock in the match.

All LA Park finishes are screwy, but the particular one here felt like it moved the Rush/LA Park feud a bit towards Rush/Volador. Volador was pushing for the LA Park/Rush match in promos though.

Hijo de LA Park was alright. He wasn’t so great that he would belong in his spot under normal circumstances, but he wasn’t weighing down matches either.

CMLL has interviews with La Familia Real (thanks the fans), Los Ingobernables (not happy with the chair shot), the Angel de Oro, Hijo de LA Park, Soberano trio (also want a trios title shot), NGD (Cuatrero not worried about Angel de Oro), Rey Cometa Guerrero Maya (both want a rematch) and Raziel & Cancerbero (want to team back up with Virus.)

+Lucha has press room interviews w/Rey Cometa (angry with Guerrero Maya), Flyer talking about his main event, Titan talking about next week’s match with Cody, Negro Casas speaking about the year of Peste Negra, Rush about the main event, and Los Ingobernables about being Los Ingobernables. No media interview with LA Park either of these two weeks.

At the same time as the CMLL show, Atlantis was appearing on TV show “Conversando con Cristina Pacheco”. He revealed CMLL would hold a show honoring him reaching 35 years in lucha libre on 07/13. He will team with Octagon and Rayo de Jalisco against Ultimo Guerrero, Fuerza Guerrera and Mascara 2000. Fuerza’s pushed the idea of doing a mask match with Atlantis, and that would figure to come up in the main event. CMLL was also hyping a Father’s Day show (06/17?) last night.

Shows tonight include DragonMania in Mexicoty, which has no known lineup, and RIOT in Monterrey, which has most of a lineup. This article says there will be a Piel Roja/Hijo del Signo title match at DragonMania, and I’m absolutely sure everything at RIOT will be better than that.

In his Record column, La Parka says Dave the Clown is telling the media that he will retire Parka at TripleMania. Parka fairly points out Dave the Clown might not even be on TripleMania.

Asked by a fan, Zeuxis said she’s not going to AAA.

Angel Estrella Jr. is going to be out a month and a half after being hurt on Wednesday’s IWRG show.

Segunda Caida reviews La Parka, Psicosis & Villano V vs Juventud Guerrera, Silver King and Hector Garza from a WCW dark match in 1997 and Santo vs Leon Chino.

Lost in Lucha writes about Ultimo Guerrero vs LA Park from 2003 and from 2004.

Lineup

CMLL (FRI) 06/01/2018 Arena México
1) Astral, Eléctrico, Príncipe Diamante vs Disturbio, Metálico, Sangre Azteca
2) Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa vs Okumura, Puma, Tiger
3) Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja, Soberano Jr. vs Hechicero, Rey Bucanero, Shocker
4) Cuatrero vs Ángel de Oro [CMLL MIDDLE]
first defense. Angel de Oro is the former champion.
5) Carístico, Flyer, Mistico vs Forastero, Sansón, Último Guerrero
6) Hijo de LA Park, LA Park, Volador Jr. vs La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible

Main event is a pseudo rematch, with Flyer and Hijo de LA Park changing spots. That’s best for Flyer, who will get a match that might better show off his skills. Cuatrero/Angel de Oro should be interesting.

Second match should be good like usual. We’ll find out if there’s something or nothing to Guerrero Maya and Rey Cometa have issues after their match this week.

IWRG (WED) 05/23/2018 Arena Naucalpan
1) Atomic Star b Chicanito
2) Mexica b Demonio Infernal 
Seems like an upset.
3) Lunatic Xtreme & Toto b Ángel Estrella Jr. & Death Metal
4) Diablo Jr., El Hijo del Diablo, Imposible b Alas de Acero, Aramis, Golden Magic
Mariachi Locos reunite with a win.
5) Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro b Leo, Mike, Teelo 
Oficials took 1/3, the last when Teelo fouled Mike & Leo and allied with the Oficials.

Teelo is a cop! This is disturbing and tragic news.

LA Park returns to action tonight to Arena Mexico. It’s his first Arena Mexico match since he and Rush went threw around metal trash crash two years ago, which seemed to be part (though not all) of the reason ELITE was gone from the building soon after. It’s his first CMLL match since 2015, where LA Park’s post match promo got him kicked out of AAA. He’s potentially got a lot of money riding on coloring in between CMLL’s lines, and CMLL seems to be allowing Park more freedom than they normally allow people. It’s LA Park, so him still finding a way to get in trouble is still very possible.

One way he can earn another get of jail free card is if this show actually draws. CMLL isn’t cracking the magically (?) 10K barrier outside of big shows and apuesta matches (and sometimes not even then). Lots of fans have told Rush & LA Park on social media for the last two years that they really want to see this match in Arena Mexico. If those fans turn out today and it’s a significantly bigger crowd than usual, then it’s gives LA Park a little more solid footing. If the show draws about as much as usual, then there are any critics of LA Park inside CMLL who could argue he’s not worth a hassle. A singles apuesta match is going to draw big no matter how the lead up does, but it’s a bigger boon for CMLL if that lead up does well too.

Tonight’s not the singles match though. It’s LA Park, Volador Jr. & Flyer taking on Rush, Terrible and La Bestia del Ring. This fits in as a brawl, which doesn’t quite fit the best moment for Flyer to get a main event. He might have actually been better in the semimain. Instead, Hijo de LA Park is that position, teaming with Angel de Oro & Soberano Jr. against NGD in what should be a more normal CMLL match. Peste Negra (Cavernario, Negro Casas, and Mr. Niebla) take on Niebla Roja, Titan and Valiente in the third.

The lightning match tonight is Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Rey Cometa in a first time ever singles match. Audaz makes a appearance in the segunda, with Fuego & Drone against Kawato, Puma & Tiger. Oro Jr. & Robin take on Cancerbero & Raizel in the opener. That’s the weakest looking match on the show, and it still might be good. This should be a pretty good show in front of a hot CMLL crowd, and looks well worth watching live.

Lucha Central previews the show. It’ll air at 8:30 on Marca & Facebook, and be on CMLL’s YouTube channel later on.

Reina Isis & La Jarochita have come back from Japan. I’d assume Isis just slides into Zeuxis’ bookings. The tecnica side is a bit more overcrowded.

Ultimo Dragon cards usually have a lineup but don’t really promote it much. It might show in Box Y Lucha or on their Facebook page. For this year’s DragonMania, all we have is the advertising poster, but not any lineup. There is one known match now: Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero, and Euforia will take on Atlantis, Volador Jr. and Diamante. This comes from a Diamante interview, who mentions this will be his first match in Arena Mexico since leaving CMLL five years ago. I would’ve thought he’d been back with ELITE at some point, but it looks like he was right. He’s back now because this show now has connections with All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he and Caristico and Sam Adonis worked last year. Diamante says he’ll have a new look for the show. CMLL might own his current look.

For what it’s worth, Diamante’s last match in CMLL was on October 1st, 2013. He was in the second match, teaming with Pegasso & Starman facing Raziel, Cancerbero and Tomohiro Ishii (who was a sub for Nosferatu.)

Leo Riano’s column says Zeuxis will eventually be back in CMLL because it’s too tough to get work without being on TV.  If Zeuxis’ career was reliant on TV, she was already doomed. She’s only been on the main TV 3 times this year, and the main TV show airs on a station most people in Mexico don’t know exists.

LuchaWorld has the latest news update, which notes Zeuxis is actually debuting as an indie on Sunday for Generaction XXI in Morelia. There’s also a recap of the a recent Brazo de Plata interview.

Lucha Talk has a new episode.

Lost in Lucha reviews Hijo del Santo & Negro Casas vs Rey Bucanero & Ultimo Guerrero from May 2002.

Segunda Caida reviews Rey Mysterio & Konnan vs Psicosis & Damian from Arizona 1996.

+LuchaTV has a new edition of Aqui esta la Lucha.

A brief interview with Zodical Jr. & Fenomeno.

Lineup

CMLL (TUE) 05/29/2018 Arena México
1) Acero & Aéreo vs Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia
2) Pegasso, Star Jr., Starman vs Akuma, Espanto Jr., Hijo del Signo
3) Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Kawato San, Pólvora
4) Fuego vs Virus [lightning]
5) Stuka Jr., Titán, Tritón vs Ephesto, Felino, Luciferno
6) Atlantis, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas

Fuego vs Virus isn’t a same side lightning match. Starman back for the first time in three months.