2018 CMLL on NJPW World (first half)

NJPW had been posting delayed versions of the Friday night CMLL shows as bonus NJPW World subscription content. They switched to showing Sunday shows in July. Those shows are not streamed on CMLL’s YouTube. These are technically blocked in Mexico, perhaps they air on some obscure TV station CMLL’s never bothered to mention, though I know the Mexican people are clever enough to find a way to bootleg these shows anyway.

The shows are not complete. There’s usually the top four matches, but sometimes it’s three if there’s no lightning match. There are no women’s or minis matches. There are 10 shows from 2018, and it’s not always clear why those are chosen. They also air irregularly, used to keep the live stream arm when NJPW is between their own events. They’re also hard to find on the website after they’ve aired, not tagged like most of their content.

All commentary is done in Japanese, with various NJPW wrestlers (usually with some Mexican connection) joining in. The announcers are knowledgeable enough to identify the CMLL finishing moves and sometimes name them. Their crowd & ring mics do end up being quieter than usual in the mix.

I’m trying to pick out at least one match from the ten shows, though it is a stretch on some of them. I probably wouldn’t be doing this unless there were a couple of matches I knew I needed to see; not sure this website needs any more CMLL recaps.

Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. © vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero for the CMLL World Trios Championship
(Arena México on 07/01,15:40, great, NJPW (50:51))

There’s also a handheld version of this match: tonyzorr

I’m not listing finishes based on my habit for catch up posts, but you probably already know this turned out to be the end of the Sky Team. At least they went out with a good match if it took a while to get there. It’s a good encapsulation of what the series of matches between these two teams have felt like, though it felt like the pace and the action was better in some of the previous matches. The first two falls don’t really feel like a big title match, even with the spectacular finishes. They get there in the end, though doing it with the usual CMLL problem of the first believable finish being the only one. Euforia looks sharp in his third fall exchange with Volador, Último Guerrero’s powerbomb catch of Volador’s dive seemed like the latest it ever has been, and the announcers were thrilled to see a Valiente special.

Audaz, Blue Panther, Rey Cometa vs Hechicero, Okumura, Templario
(Arena México on 07/08, 11:37, ok, NJPW (5:49))

What Happened: Audaz falls harshly trying an around the ringpost headscissors. He’s not moving immediately after. Blue Panther checks on him and waves in the medics, who immobilize his neck and take him away with some caution. The match still goes on a couple minutes longer. They kept him off the following Tuesday show but he was back a few days after that.

This was a general standard midcard match. Rey Cometa’s personality and heart shines thru well in these sorts of matches, battling Hechicero well. Audaz and Templario looked impressive in their glimpses but were not showcased in any particular way. They kept it together thru an injury better than most of these situations.

Drone vs Kawato San in a lightning match
(Arena México on 08/05, 7:43, ok, NJPW (6:04))

This is doldrums Kawato, but the pairing of the Japanese guy with the guy who messed up his career in Japan is too wonderful to miss. They don’t disappoint on the dives: Drone gets crushed by Kawato’s tope con giro for being too close, Kawato gets bulldozed by Drone’s tope. When they get back in, a rope flip moonsault spot barely comes together, then is sabotaged by Tirantes refusing to count for one of them being under the ropes (neither are close.) Kawato can’t sustain the bridge on a big Dragon suplex This is Kawato trying to do what he thinks he’s supposed to do and not really getting it, and Drone not really having a good night either. There are worse matches it’s fine on a surface level

Cavernario, Christopher Daniels, Último Guerrero vs Matt Taven, Mistico, Niebla Roja
(Arena México on 08/05, 12:40, good, NJPW (56:25))

Christopher Daniels making a one-off appearance. He waved at the crowd on the previous Friday night but was really mostly around for the ill-fated (& seemingly final) Pura Raza show on Saturday. This match does treat him well, going out of their way to have him get in both the Best Moonsault Ever and Angel’s Wings to pin people in the first fall. (Someone getting two finishers in one fall seemingly never happens.) He gets to mix it up with Místico too in the first fall, but sort of fades into the background of a Niebla Roja/Cavernario heat up match. It’s good for being that, and the six people mesh well together for an unnatural combination. This is during the short-lived and ultimately nonsensical Matt Taven técnico run, and his offense is good for what CMLL wants a técnico to be. This holds a little more value than just the curiosity, though it’s nothing you have to go out of your way to see.

Niebla Roja vs Cavernario
(Arena México on 08/12, 16:20, good, NJPW (29:35))

didn’t like Niebla Roja/Cavernario as much as I was hoping. It got good at the end but mostly felt like the intensity of a lightning match (with pointless fall breaks) until they turned it up in the late stages. This might be an audio issue because the crowd and ring noise seemed especially quiet and it’s tough for me to get into a muted match. At the same time, Niebla Roja’s cradle to win the first fall was so horrendous that it may justify me not loving the match.

Flyer vs Mephisto in a lightning match
(Arena México on 09/02, 7:55, ok, NJPW (5:47))

Mephisto seemingly murdered Flyer with a powerbomb on the floor, a great finish. Except they kept going for a couple more minutes because they had spots (and a very predictable finish to get in.) Flyer’s biggest problem is he seems to believe he’s got these matches solved when they’re not that good and the repetitiveness of them is not helping. This was fine.