Lucha Underground will just have two matches next week. Jack Evans in a Put Up or Shut Up challenge and the three-way casket match. One of those is going a lot longer than the other! Two people are getting stuffed into caskets, which means they’re dead forever – or at least for a little while given the history here. The preview also mentions Worldwide Underground trouble and a new challenger for Pentagon.
It’s not up on the preview because it’s probably not airing on TV, but the Hijo del Vikingo performance from Tehuacan should make it onto AAA‘s YouTube channel this week. (I think the Televisa show is airing an hour early this week again but I don’t know that anyone actually uses this to watch Televisa now?)
LA Park versus Rush is a thing is happening. CMLL Marca is region blocked at least as of Thursday night. Ideas what I can do with the feed are welcome.
two Ks is a sufficient amount of Ks, please do not add a third
Cibernetico & Sharly Rockstar invaded CMLL Informa yesterday to announce their new group – Klan Kaoz – is coming to CMLL. There’s also a Zorro promo up on CMLL’s YouTube channel. The end result is a match on the 29th with Cibernetico, Sharlie and Zorro against Caristico and two partners TBD. At least I think that’s the match: CMLL’s twitter says has Zorro as the second and in the match. Zorro’s probably in the match. The fourth member of this faction, Mesias, seems unmentioned. I’m not as excited by the possibilities of this group of coming in, but it’s an obvious thing to try given the success they’re having with LA Park and “whatever we’re calling Rey Fenix today.” It may be too much at once to have the biggest possible effect, but perhaps this week will be the end of LA Park/Rush for now.
You have to be a long time fan or someone who likes looking up stuff to know this, but this is actually a return to CMLL for Zorro. He started as a Arena Coliseo Guadalajara wrestler, got scooped up by Promo Azteca when they got going (in a similar fashion to Ultimo Guerrero and Ultimo Rebelde) and migrated to CMLL after Promo Azteca fell apart. He doesn’t seem to have stayed too long and ended up making his name in AAA. The character feels so AAA but he had it beforehand. This is a big deal for him, trying to get a promotion off the ground in Monterrey which would be helped by having a connection with CMLL.
AAA announced their next TV taping
AAA TV (FRI) 07/13/2018Auditorio General José María Arteaga, Querétaro, Querétaro
1) Dragón Bane, Lady Maravilla, Starfire vs Arez, Chica Tormenta, Keyra
2) Arkángel Divino, Hijo Del Vikingo, Joe Lider vs Carta Brava, Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana
3) Dinastía, Lady Shani, Niño Hamburguesa vs Australian Suicide, Faby Apache, Parka Negra
4) Aerostar, La Máscara, Máximo vs ?, Juventud Guerrera, Taurus
5) Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly vs ?, Rey Escorpión, Texano Jr.
6) Pagano & Psycho Clown vs Hijo del Fantasma & Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett is here because AAA believe he’s famous and important. They spelled his name wrong. They spelled Chik Tormenta wrong too, so it’s an equal opportunity name misspelling. Fantasma & Jarrett are the two top AAA champions teaming up. Jarrett & Pagano wrestling should be thrilling, though Jarrett will probably be stalling more than usual. OGT go from feuding with the rudo Poder del Norte to feuding with Escorpion & Texano apparently. Maybe Samoano gets his first match.
Aerostar brings some needed energy to the Mascara/Maximo matches. Doesn’t look like Killer Kross is around for this show and Teddy Hart remains MIA, so maybe a new MAD member. Dinastia seems lined up as Suicide’s next challenge in the tercera – but TripleMania is more likely to be a multiman match with every lightweight guy not busy given history. If being a rudo doesn’t matter, I’d rather move Parka Negra down and Joe Lider up so Lider can do comedy with Hamburguesa and Parka Negra can be part of a good segunda. Chik Tormenta is the latest person to debut in an opener.
ELITE sent out another video, teasing an AAA versus ELITE confrontation on the 07/21 CDMX taping, the AAA taping after that Queretaro one. That’s already been leaked as being AAA versus ELITE. A lineup was going around Facebook as if was the one for this show; it’s a fake. There are people listed for that show who probably aren’t working that show – Rush said he won’t be there (even showing up on their Facebook show to repeat it), Cibernetico is unlikely to be coming back to AAA at the moment, Bandido may still be in Dragon Gate at that point. I have strong suspicion there are people who aren’t listed who will be on that show too; they’re going to want some surprises.
The Crash’s next Tijuana show will be on 07/14 (Saturday). Matt Riddle vs Daga has been announced for the show, based of a challenge on the previous show.
The Criterio Hidalgo report on Tuesday night’s DTU show confirms Draztick Boy is starting with AAA in July. Draztick worked in ELITE and could end up being part of that roster. They also say the Ciclope/Miedo Extremo match was to determine who was leader of their Macizos. Since that group seems down to just being the two of them, I think they could’ve just kept it simple with a coin toss.
Dragon Lee will be getting another match with Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship on the 07/07 NJPW San Francisco G1 Special show. It’s unlikely Dragon Lee will win but the match will be great. The show will air on AXS in the US and will be available on NJPW World outside of the US.
Puma King was announced in PWG’s Battle of Los Angeles tournament. A fair amount of CMLL wrestlers work in the US. Puma’s been working more in the relatively higher profile indie shows, the kind that seem to get people’s names out there to get bookings elsewhere. This is the biggest of all of those, and a successful weekend for Puma could open up a lot of options for him going forward. That is also the Anniversario show weekend, so it’s notable Puma would be passing on any chance of working CMLL’s biggest show. Given how CMLL’s used him and the addition of new talent into the promotion, Puma would’ve been a long shot to work the opener at best.
CMLL is now listing Rey Fenix as King Phoenix. No one knows why. It would seem like something that AAA might push back about – they didn’t want him to use the name “Fenix”, so he’s been wrestling as The King in Mexico – but it seemed like there was a truce when Fenix showed back up in AAA. Maybe? Maybe not? Maybe CMLL is just weird?
In other name changes, Blue Panther Jr. & Black Panther did the weekly CMLL interview segment on Marca, which means someone finally got to ask “the Panther” about why he’s no longer “the Panther.” His story is everyone knows they’re the sons of Blue Panther and people were calling him “Black Panther” already because he wears black a lot, so he decided to run with it. Black Panther is also fairly obviously a Marvel name and CMLL changed Flash to Fuego to get away from a different comic book hero. That trademark hasn’t been filed in Mexico so I guess it’s fine for now.
Lucha Memes announced it’s next show (Chairo Bill Vol. 4) in Coliseo Coacalco is on 07/22 with their first match:
Lolita was an AAA luchadora from 2011 until sometime in 2014. The last show we know she wrestled on was the New Years Day show that year, though she showed up on lineups afterwards. She left wrestling to start a family with Hijo del Pirata Morgan, and there was no prior indication she’d be returning to lucha libre. She showed promise but still needed to improve when we last saw here. I have no idea what to expect.
Today is the 59th Anniversario of Arena Coliseo Guadalajara. The first show had Blue Demon vs El Espectro, almost as big as Carisitco/Mistico. They figure to do something big to celebrate the round number next year.
The main event usually leads to the title changing whenever IWRG does it. Guessing Trauma I is winning. Toscano is back here for the first time in a while. He’s been wrestling only in northern Mexico for the last while, so it’s notable for him to pop up here. He’d fit with either promotion’s invasion angle going on.
CMLL (TUE) 06/26/2018Arena México
1) Bengala & Leono vs Apocalipsis & Cholo
2) Astral, Eléctrico, Oro Jr. vs Cancerbero, Nitro, Yago
3) Estrellita, La Jarochita, Marcela vs Dalys, La Metálica, Reyna Isis
4) Hechicero vs Felino [lightning]
5) Esfinge, Titán, Tritón vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Luciferno, Pólvora
6) Dragón Lee, Flyer, Mistico vs Euforia, Forastero, Negro Casas
That’s a good main event featuring young people on a Tuesday show? Seems like a mistake. Forastero/Dragon Lee would be a logical title match if they’re interested in running a feud off that match.
Semimain could be good too. It seems like CMLL’s running with the OneAtos trios too.
Cancerbero is teaming with Coyote & Nitro on Sunday and Yago & Nitro on Tuesday. Raziel is nowhere to be seen since having a very public running argument with Tirantes on the 06/12 show.
KAOZ (SUN) 07/15/2018Arena Coliseo Monterrey
1) Chica Tormenta vs Lady Apache
2) Azteca Warrior, Galactar, Rico Rodríguez vs Apolo Estrada, El Divo, The Tiger
3) Lince de Oro & Tormento vs The King Crow & Vasco Jr. and Hijo del Volador & Tequilita
4) El Elegido & Toscano vs Difunto I & Diluvio I
5) Dos Caras Sr. & Panthro vs Negro Navarro & Skayde
6) Blue Demon Jr., Octagón, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs Cibernético, Sharlie Rockstar, Zorro Demon 22th Anniversary show
Second show for the promotion. That semimain is interesting.
Gran Guerrero, Titán, Último Guerrero beat Flyer, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. in a relevos increíbles match (8:30 [3:11, 5:19], 1/2, ok, via VideosOficialesCMLL)
What happened:
Stukita splash
The main was a quick build-up to next week’s title match. It was split pretty evenly between getting Titan over as a rudo in this feud and showing what they could do in a singles match. Hopefully, they get a lot more time next week. Flyer continues to get the status boost from being in the top two matches without actually doing all that much in them.
Titan continues to wrestle as a rudo, going as far as ripping off Soberano’s mask in the second fall. (Tirantes belatedly distracts himself with the Guerreros as to not call a DQ.) Titan challenged for a title match after submitting Soberano in the second fall.
Rush had his match seemingly won with a dropkick to the corner on Kraneo. Referee Pompin held up at two despite Kraneo not kicking out at all. Pompin restarted his count and got to two again, but Rush yanked Pompin by the shirt, angry about the count. Pompin explained something to Rush, shoved Rush from his knees, and crawled over to raise Kraneo’s arm to give him a win. Rush dropkicked Pompin – who never takes physical contact – then grabbed a beer from outside he ring and threw it to him. Kraneo half sold and half checked on Pompin, as did medics. Pompin seemed to tell him he was ok, but they still put him on the stretcher to sell the attack.
Amapola rather flagrantly used the ropes to beat Princesa Sugehit. Sugehit demanded a rematch.
Arkangel was honored in between the third and fourth matches.
Thoughts:
Soberano can leap
The original Rush/Kraneo benefited from the crowd really into the concept. It was just a match here, and the minimal action itself wasn’t enough to carry it. The finish was classic CMLL, unclear if it was an ending completely and embarrassingly falling apart or a weird way to protect both men from having to go to a decision. It was far more interesting than the match.
I’m not sure why I watched the fourth match. It wasn’t going to be any good when Okumura is the best guy on his side. Kawato and Stigma didn’t seem to be a good matchup but nothing was a good matchup. Esfinge and Mascara 2000 doing shoulderblock spots was some unconvincing wrestling. This match had plenty of dropkicks that didn’t seem to connect right if that’s your thing.
I wanted to like the minis/locals match. Some parts were really good. I wish Stukita had one of the fifty singles titles in this promotion so we could see him in a singles match with Pequeño Nitro after their short time together. Asturiano & Astro got to do dives and that was nice. It was just still boring in large stretches and the work wasn’t always solid. Astro’s handspring flop wasn’t great. Stukita landing on Nitro’s knees and just popping back up because they needed him for the next bit looked silly. Maybe if they got rid of the Sauron’s and Acero’s, it would allow the better wrestlers to do more to make up for it.
