Leyenda de Plata, AAA in Colombia, Penta/Park to come on the Naucalpan Anniversary show

thecubsfan news
AAAA

IWRG , FLUFENAX (THU) 11/15/2018 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, The Gladiatores]
1) Emperador Brillante b Blue Monsther
2) Francoise Montanez b Dr. Cerebro
Took place before the stream started. Cerebro challenged for a mask match.
3) Hijo del Solar & Solar I b Hijo del Fishman & Negro Navarro IWRG - 15 Noviembre 2018 - L.A. Park vs Rush vs Penta Zero M, en Jaula (posted by +LuchaTV)
Billed as Hijo del Solar versus a mystery MMA wrestler, ended up a tag math instead.
4) Blue Panther Jr. & The Panther b Trauma I & Trauma II IWRG - 15 Noviembre 2018 - L.A. Park vs Rush vs Penta Zero M, en Jaula (posted by +LuchaTV)
Good match, mask match challenges followed.
5) Jack Evans b Ricky Marvin IWRG - 15 Noviembre 2018 - L.A. Park vs Rush vs Penta Zero M, en Jaula (posted by +LuchaTV)
A rare loss for Ricky Marvin.
6) Jean Montanez & Pierre Montanez b Heddi Karaoui & Zumbi IWRG - 15 Noviembre 2018 - L.A. Park vs Rush vs Penta Zero M, en Jaula (posted by +LuchaTV)
7) Charly Rockstar, Ciber the Main Man, Cuervo (Puerto Rico), The Chris b Hijo de LA Park, Lizmark Jr., Mr. Electro, Ramsés IWRG - 15 Noviembre 2018 - L.A. Park vs Rush vs Penta Zero M, en Jaula (posted by +LuchaTV)
Ciber beat Electro to set up a title match.
8) Rush b LA Park, Penta 0M [cage] IWRG - 15 Noviembre 2018 - L.A. Park vs Rush vs Penta Zero M, en Jaula (posted by +LuchaTV) Rush vs L.A Park vs Penta 0M ¡¡¡ LUCHA EN JAULA EN LA ARENA NAUCALPAN !!! (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
The rules were the first person to escape would win, and the last two would have a match later. Rush escaped, and Penta & Park will have a singles match on 12/21 as Arena Naucalpan’s Anniversary main event.

I only saw the main event. You don’t need to see the main event. The semi-main went far too long.

Tonight is the Leyenda de Plata. In the old times of the 2000s, it used to be the sort of the tournament to determine the best wrestler in the promotion. It was supplanted by the Universal tournament, but it might as well serve that purpose with no sign of the big red belt this year.

Historically, last year’s winner of the Leyenda de Plata faced the winner of a cibernetico to determine the new champion. It was exactly the same format the Rey del Inframundo just used. That was thrown out last year, because the former champion was La Mascara and La Mascara ceased to exist in CMLL. Volador is the reigning champion, but they’re putting him in the cibernetico instead. That means tonight’s cibernetico will end with two people left in the ring and without a definite winner and loser. That is what happened last night in the IWRG cage match, no one much liked it then, and no one will much like it tonight. It’s a simple to way to set up a singles match, which is what CMLL likes.

Chances of making the finals

Good: Volador Jr., Cavernario, Mistico, Mephisto, King Phoenix
Minimal: Dragon Rojo, Soberano, Templario, Titan
Nope: Felino, Triton, Kawato San, Flyer, Virus, Audaz, Tiger

I write those “Nopes” even while noting the best recent Leyenda de Plata finals were the 2013 tournament (Negro Casas versus Titan) and 2015 (Negro Casas versus Dragon Lee), where they put a young guy with an experienced guy who would make him look good while still winning. Cavernario versus Audaz or even like King Phoenix versus Tiger would be really helpful for the lesser star, but you can’t actually bet on CMLL doing thoes things.

In an interview with Diario Basta, Mephisto says the Leyenda de Plata is for the smaller weight classes and the Leyenda de Azul is for the heavyweights. The older version of that is Leyenda de Plata was for the best actual wrestlers and the Leyenda de Azul was for the bigger names. There’s a decent amount of overlap in those ideas. Mephisto has been in 11 of the 16 and has won 0 of the 16, but he thinks he’s got a good shot this time.

Mephisto also notes he has 13 defenses of the Welterweight Championship, up from 11 in the last reign (we can only find 8), and he hopes to reach 20 this time. Mephisto explains his winning strategy is to use his big moves late in the match.

The rest of the show is pretty much a nothing special show. Caristico, Diamante Azul and Valiente take on Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, and Penta 0M. The Caristicio/Penta program was super over when Penta debuted and CMLL just sort of ran away from it. It’s UG versus Azul that’s probably the focus. Esfinge, Guerrero Maya Jr., and Rey Cometa take on Misterioso Jr., Okumura, and Vangellys in an added match. This will be Vangellys return if he actually is back (and he’s listed on a lot of shows.) The women include Dalys & Marcela fighting for the umpteenth time. Astral & Electrico team up against Espanto Jr. & Grako in the opener.

The show will air at 8:30pm on Marca (currently geoblocked) and Facebook (not geoblocked). I’ll probably stream it as well.

AAA debuts tonight in Colombia. The card has changed a little bit from when it started; an original Hijo del Fantasma vs Psycho Clown main event now includes Blue Demon. Angelikal & Hijo del Vikingo replace Arcangel Divino & Black Boy (who hasn’t been around much) in the undercard. The show is not expected to stream on Twitch, though there’s always a chance it could turn up in other forms.

There are some big-picture questions which might be answered. AAA has wanted to advance northward but hasn’t found sustained success in the US. If they can grow to the south, perhaps that’ll bring in the revune they were expecting from the US. It is also test to see if the new content platforms they’ve been on this year are strong enough to reach fresh markets. This show has been promoted locally, but also by AAA on their Twitch broadcasts and on via their show on Space, which airs in South America. If AAA can grow on the Space deal alone, maybe that changes their relationship with Televisa going forward.

AAA (Dorian Roldan) has done interviews previously suggesting returning to Colombia for a tour of shows in 2019, and even running a satellite promotion in the country that they would train and use to run the smaller cities. These are grand ideas, and AAA grand ideas have a way of not actually turning out. (I wouldn’t be surprised if local wrestlers ended up on tonight’s show; they’ve been used in promotion for this card.) If it anything is going to come of it, it has to start with a good turnout tonight. I just don’t really have a strong idea of what “good” means. The arena holds 14K, but I don’t think they need to fill it out to consider it a success. Hugo Savinovich, who seems to have been a part of promoting this, was doing well with 7K crowd in Chile. Maybe AAA would be happy with the same.

There’s lots of local press for the shows. Blue Demon went in depth about his life with El Tiempo, mentioning he choose to go to a military academy when he was young, and says the lymphatic cancer he was discovered to have in 2000 reached stage 4. Faby Apache is interviewed in ADN.

At least one of the pieces on the show indicate lucha libre was a big deal in Colombia in the 70s/80s, then died out due to people complaining about the violence. A local wrestler, Rayo de Plata, did an audio interview saying Colombia wrestling actually went down to the violence in the country around that time.

Mexa Wrestling on 12/08 in Arena San Juan has

That’s the final card, they just don’t have a poster yet. I would like singles matches instead of a fiveway but the five away is probably going ot be very good.

Puma & Barby did a live Q&A video.

LuchaWorld has the latest news update.

Lucha Talk has a new episode.

Lineups

AAA TV (SUN) 12/02/2018 Palenque de la Feria, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
1) Keyra vs Faby Apache ©, Lady Shani, La Hiedra, Scarlett [AAA REINA DE REINAS]
2) La Máscara, Parka Negra, Taurus vs Mamba, Máximo, Pimpinela Escarlata
3) Angelikal, Hijo Del Vikingo, Laredo Kid © vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana [AAA TRIOS]
3) Angelikal, Hijo Del Vikingo, Laredo Kid vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana © [AAA TRIOS]
first defense
4) Joe Lider & Pagano vs Rey Escorpión & Texano Jr. and Cíclope & Miedo Extremo [AAA TAG, hardcore]
8th defense (6th on TV)
5) Hijo del Fantasma © vs Drago [AAA LA]
5th defense, 4th on TV.
6) Fénix © vs Brian Cage [AAA HEAVY]
2nd defense, 1st on TV
7) Dr. Wagner Jr. & Psycho Clown vs Blue Demon & Killer Kross

A taping we didn’t even know was coming before the local promoter put up this lineup. I could really use a list of upcoming shows. This comes before the Xalapa taping (a week later, which has Poder del Norte defending these trios titles against OGT, so.) What’s more is the poster bills it as Guerra de Titanes. That would mean AAA will have a (January 2018) Guerra de Titanes and a (December 2018) Guerra de Titanes.

Fenix defends the AAA title for the first time 3.5 months after winning it, and not again the guy who challenged him. Cage did indicate he’d like to get a title shot and maybe they’ll explain it Juarez. Drago & Fantasma was set up on the last taping. Rey Escorpion & Texano are going to regret wandering into the extreme feud. The women’s division continues the “everyone gets a title shot” strategy.

CMLL (TUE) 11/20/2018 Arena México
1) Príncipe Diamante & Robin vs El Coyote & Grako
2) Eléctrico, Pegasso, Stigma vs Cancerbero, Disturbio, Raziel
3) Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Pólvora, Tiger
4) Titán vs Flyer [lightning]
5) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. vs Felino, Hechicero, Rey Bucanero
6) Kráneo, Soberano Jr., Valiente vs Cavernario, La Bestia Del Ring, Terrible

Titan & Flyer is at least a unique match. Raziel might be back, or I might skip through that match so far that I’ll never know.

CMLL (TUE) 11/20/2018 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Avispón Negro Jr., Magnum, Mr. Samurai vs Carlo Roggi, Guerrero de la Muerte, Mr. Apolo
2) Lluvia, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit vs Amapola, Dalys, Reyna Isis
3) Black Panther, El Audaz, Esfinge vs Misterioso Jr., Sagrado, Templario
4) Carístico, Místico, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
5) Diamante Azul vs Rush

Diamante Azul/Rush is sometimes alright, and sometimes not very good. Semi-might might be pretty good.

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