Day: August 22, 2018

DTU (SUN) 08/19/2018 Arena Xalapa, Xalapa, Veracruz [DTU]
1) Kaleth & Tiburón b Hector Perfecto & Little Ricky, Flyer Boy & Magnum
winner gets a tag title shot
2) Totem I & Totem II b Camuflaje & Paranoiko
3) Poseidón, Poseidón Jr., Sayfer b Emperador, Laser Boy, Tigre Cósmico
4) Mini Flash b Ángel Negro, Hermes, Luigui, Hard Boy
5) Aj Gray b Jitsu, Pesadilla, Moria
6) Kaleth & Tiburón © b Jimmy & Príncipe Cometa [DTU NEXO]
winners of opener
7) Ace Austin © b Lokillo [DTU AI]
Jimmy made the challenge for the next title shot, and they teased it happening in the US.
8) Crazy King © b Último Gladiador, Crazy Boy [DTU]
Crazy Boy was added to the match to make it a three-way. King retained, but Crazy Boy challenged him to a singles match.

Jimmy making it to the US would be cool. The Tiburon winning the title here is not the son of Atlantis. He’s a Veracruz luchador who’s been a regular with DTU of late.

CMLL (TUE) 08/21/2018 Arena México [CMLL, Lucha Central, The Gladiatores]
1) Bengala & Leono b Apocalipsis & Príncipe Odín Jr. 
Tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Espanto Jr., Hijo del Signo, Metálico b Astral, Eléctrico, Star Jr. 
Rudos took 2/3
3) Amapola b La Jarochita [lightning] 
Amapola won with the Devil’s Wings.
4) Dragón Rojo Jr., Okumura, Pólvora b Blue Panther, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa
Villano III was honored before the match. Blue Panther replaced Stuka. Rudos took 2/3.
5) Stuka Jr., Titán, Valiente b Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto 
Stuka replaced Blue Panther. Tecnicos took 2/3, setting up a Titan/Mephisto title match.
6) Atlantis, Mistico, Soberano Jr. b Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón 
tecnicos took 2/3.

CMLL promos: Amapola talking about her win, Atlantis and Blue Panther giving condolences to the Villano family, and Titan & Mephisto talking about their title match. The Gladaitores also put up a video of Atlantis talking about facing and teaming Villano III. Sounded like the latter matches were watchable.

CMLL (TUE) 08/21/2018 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) Neutrón, Star Black, Vaquero Jr. b Carlo Roggi, Gran Kenut, Ráfaga
tecnicos took 2/3
2) Dalys, Reyna Isis, Tiffany b Lluvia, Mistique, Princesa Sugehit
rudas took 2/3
3) Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja b Felino, Mr. Niebla, Shocker
tecnicos too 2/3. Niebla Roja accidentally bled during the match. Villano III was honored after the match.
4) Cavernario, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush b Flyer, Matt Taven, Volador Jr.
Rudos took 1/3.
5) Carístico b Último Guerrero © [NWA MIDDLE]
Title switch. Caristico is the 8th (or 92nd) champion, winning this belt for the 1st (or 3rd) time. Ultimo Guerrero falls on his 15th defense, after 1086 days as champion. UG remains CMLL trios champion.

Caristico versus Ultimo Guerrero will air on YouTube on Saturday assuming the stream says up. It’s Caristico’s first big singles title win since returning to CMLL. It’s seemed last night as much about getting the right numbers and participants in the Universal tournament as anything, but that can’t be happening soon. There’s no space before the Anniversary, and there’s none right after unless they’re going to run the final at the same night as the Gran Prix (which seems unnecessary.) If they’re running on Fridays, they won’t be running it until 10/12 at the soonest.

Niebla Roja’s cut looks ugly.

Hechicero is on CMLL Informa today to talk about losing his title last week. I think it’ll end being something else. This paragraph is annoyingly vague because I can’t confirm anything.

The biggest news coming out of the TripleMania press conference was about Alberto el Patron, who will not be wrestling at TripleMania. Alberto was announced for TripleMania in March. Alberto no-showed a Lucha Underground/Impact show on WrestleMania weekend, and Impact fired him. Alberto has rarely been seen since, though he did wrestle just one week ago in San Luis Potosi on a show honoring Mil Mascaras. As the TripleMania press conference was ending, Alberto’s PR team sent out a message putting the blame on Alberto not appearing totally on AAA, for not paying his agreed upon deposit and not agreeing to his terms. A few minutes later, Dorian Roldan claimed AAA had little communication with Alberto after he no-showed the LU/Impact show, and so no longer included him with TripleMania.

That’s where it was left after the press conference. Alberto was told about Dorian Roldan’s comments and went on an angry media tour. He spoke to at least MedioTiempo and World TV Deportes and probably other places. In MT, Alberto says Roldan told him at first that they couldn’t find an opponent for Alberto, that the guys they were looking at were Rey Mysterio Jr. or a “someone who didn’t want to work for AAA”. (Johnny Mundo?) Alberto also mentioned a plan to team him with Rey against two unnamed opponents, saying Roldan mentioned it to him four weeks ago. His point there is Roldan was still talking to him after the Impact situation, so the idea they weren’t talking after the Impact situation was a lie. Alberto says last year, he was left sitting around at a hotel room on Saturday before TripleMania waiting for a deposit that never came. Alberto said Roldan promised him both that deposit and the rights to his El Patron name (which AAA had trademarked.) He tried calling Roldan as late as 4pm that day, Roldan didn’t pick up, and Alberto decided to go home. Alberto is also still upset about AAA pushing some blame his way for not being able to drop the AAA title in the ring (or at least defend it), which had been the plan when he signed with WWE.

We could probably figure out which side is lying, but it’s a long day and “eh, probably both” is both simpler and also likely true. The real truth is AAA should’ve addressed this situation in advance so the focus after their press conference would be on the people actually on the show, not the one who’s not. The problem is Mexican lucha libre promotions will forever just not talk about issues hoping a complicit press will not ask them either. It works enough for them to keep doing it. As far as Alberto & AAA, they’ve broken up and gotten together so many times that it’s impossible to take any of this seriously. They’ll be back working together down the road if it makes sense for them, and they’ll be pretending none of this ever happened.

The Cruiserweight match will be a four-way, according to Tercera y Definitiva. No names have been announced for it or the Llave a la Gloria match. Arkangel Divino & Ultimo Maldito figure to be in one or the other.

Space posted a half hour special on TripleMania XXVI. It’s more a “what is TripleMania” explainer for about half the way, and talk about the big two matches the second half.

Record has an interview with Senora Psycho Clown, Zoraida Casas. She paints his masks.

Villano III’s passing was mentioned on many Mexico media sites, and he’s been recognized as a giant star of lucha libre. Publimetro has a good one. So does Ovaciones. ESPN’s post-TripleMania interviews turned into asking AAA wrestlers about their Villano III thoughts. SuperLuchas brings back a 2012 interview with Villano III, where he talked about his life and has photos from the funeral service.

Lucha Underground hits the midway point of the season (!) with the 11th episode of this season, “Last Man or Machine Standing”. Matches on the show:

• Pentagon Dark (c) vs Cage in a last man standing match for the Lucha Underground Championship
• The Mack vs Mil Muertes in a Haunted House match

A Haunted House match is a cage match with Halloween decreations. August feels way too early for a Halloween match. On the other hand, I was just at the grocery store yesterday and Halloween candy and pumpkin spice items were out, so maybe I’m the wrong one. There’s also a Taya bridal shower. The wedding is coming.

In an interview with the Alvarados, Maximo revealed he wanted to be a dentist.

Segunda Caida writes about Villano III vs Atlantis.

LuchaWorld has the Lucha Report.

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 08/27/2018 Arena Puebla
1) Centella Roja & Meyer vs Ares & Fuerza Chicana
2) La Jarochita & Marcela vs Dalys & La Comandante
3) Shockercito © vs Joker [CMLL MINI]
4th defense
4) Esfinge, Titán, Tritón vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Olímpico, Pólvora
5) Ángel de Oro, Matt Taven, Niebla Roja vs Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas, Templario
6) Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero vs Cavernario, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush

Joker/Shockercito lightning match didn’t convince me on a title match but it’s worth a try anyway. Main event is setting up either a trios title match or Rush/UG.

CMLL completed a press conference announcing the full lineup up for it’s annual biggest show of the year. Outside of the main event, it doesn’t feel like one.

CMLL (FRI) 09/14/2018 Arena México
1) La Jarochita, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit vs Dalys, La Maligna, Reyna Isis
2) Ángel de Oro, Audaz, Niebla Roja vs Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas
3) Atlantis, Mistico, Soberano Jr. vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
4) Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero vs Ciber the Main Man, Scharly Rockstar, The Chris [CMLL TRIOS]
first defense
5) Carístico, Hijo de LA Park, LA Park vs Diamante Azul, King Phoenix, Penta El Zero M
6) Matt Taven & Volador Jr. vs Bárbaro Cavernario & Rush [hair]
two hairs on the line

The main event should be good. There was heated back and forth, especially when Taven’s heel promo bits were translated a little harshly into Spanish. They teased fighting in front of the press, and Rush was angry with the idea of even having to sign a contract, feeling his word was good enough.

It’s still not LA Park versus Rush. Like yesterday with AAA & Alberto originally, CMLL just didn’t talk about the problem and hoped no one else would bring it up either. LA Park’s name only came up when JCR quickly ran thru the rest of the card. The main event and the trios title matches were the only ones highlights. LA Park is still on the card, but in a random trios match. (Fenix & Penta are still booked. Dragon Lee is not. I suspect Audaz got on the card due to people being moved around to replace Lee.) The press were not allowed to ask questions about the main event during the portions that were streamed, so we won’t know what excuse CMLL came up until later.

The card is at best alright. Only the main event feels like something special. Give credit to Klan Kaoz for somehow continuing to get booked despite having bad performances in most of their matches. The rest of this card has matches which seem like they could be seen any other day or matches no one is in any hurry to see anyway. It’ll be better the day of the show, but the Casas Anniversario show was better than this, and it’s likely other cards will be as well. I feel sorry for anyone who bought Anniversario tickets already – I think it’ll be good but CMLL was promising better.

It’s a safe assumption that the main event would’ve been Rush & Terrible versus Taven & Volador had Terrible not been injured.

There was oddly no mention of how this show will be aired. They’ve done iPPV in various forms in recent years, so maybe expect that. The only thing CMLL cares about, to the extent they care about anything at all, is tickets so that’s what they pushed. Tickets were moving well when fans thought Park/Rush was happening.

There were plenty of other announcements on the show:

Next Friday, August 31st, Los Ingobernables del Japon will come to Arena Mexico. It was treated as a one night only event. Naito, BUSHI, and EVIL will take on Volador Jr., LA Park, and Diamante Azul. Naito & BUSHI (as Bushiroad!) have appeared in Arena Mexico plenty of times before, and this is EVIL’s debut.

The annual minis anniversary match will be on 09/23, a Sunday. That usually means a cibernetico, sometimes setting up a title match the following week

Mistique & La Malgina will head to Japan on 09/28 and be there until the end of the year. They’re announced as working for REINA (announced it was back from the dead & may not even be a thing still) and J@ST (where Isis & Jarochita actually ended up working last time.)

Kaho Kobayashi will return to CMLL on 10/05 for an indefinite amount of time.

The annual Gran Prix will also take place on 10/05 (a Friday.) Four international names have been announced: David Finlay from NJPW, Jay & Mark Briscoe from ROH, and Dark Magic from – I don’t know where from, though JCR seemed to think he had WWE and ROH experience. Maybe as an extra? You may vaguely remember Dark Magic from seeing him a few times in IWRG in late April. His Facebook mentions he’s getting a work visa and shows him training with Ultimo Guerrero – he’s might be a totally different wrestler, but this seems like a similar situation to Johnny Idol. Expect Magic to turn up as a regular either starting with this match or earlier. Hope he’s good, expecting him to be a work in progress.

The other four spots will be announced on Informa today, though only after a lot of ticket giveways. Okumura and Kawato seem likely. Christopher Daniels teased a return after his appearance. I’m under the impression at least one more NJPW name will be involved, which would make 8. That’s right near the end of a NJPW tour, so it may not be a big name.