2018 Tapatia Awards Results

the award presentation

Hola.

These are the results for 2018 Tapatia Awards, honoring the best in lucha libre. Thanks to everyone who voted, and thanks for those who didn’t for still reading this. We had 89 ballots this year, up by about a third.

Full results from past years: 2004200520062007, 2008, 2009, 2017.

Best Wrestler

2004: LA Park
2005: Perro Aguayo Jr.
2006: Mistico
2007: Gran Apache
2008: Blue Panther
2009: Negro Casas

2017: Volador Jr.
2018: LA Park

Name Points Firsts
L.A. Park 223 29
Fénix 161 20
Bárbaro Cavernario 116 11
Pentagon Jr. 81 11
Rush 65 5
Bandido 46 3
Hijo del Vikingo 20
Ricky Marvin 16 1
Lady Shani 15 2
Micro Man 12 2
Aramis 12 1
Psycho Clown 12 1
Hechicero 11
Volador Jr. 11
Niebla Roja 7 1
Kraneo 5 1
Ultimo Guerrero 5 1
Dragon Lee 5
Laredo Kid 5
Soberano Jr. 5
Cuatrero 4
Dragon Bane 4
Puma King 4
Averno 3
Caristico 3
Negro Casas 3
Templario 3
Titan 3
Zeuxis 3
Aeroboy 2
Andrade 2
Dr. Wagner Jr. 2
Faby Apache 2
Hijo De Fantasma 2
Kevin Kross 2
Keyra 2
Police Man 2
Taya Valkyrie 2
Terrible 2

Best Match

2004: Averno vs Zumbido 09/03
2005: Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero 02/25
2006: Black Warrior vs Mistico 09/29
2007: Mistico vs Dr. Wagner 07/27
2008: Blue Panther vs Villano V 09/19
2009: Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Mesias 06/13

2017: 02-27 Barbaro Cavernario & Volador Jr. vs Ultimo Guerrero & El Valiente
2018: 06-22 L.A. Park vs Rush

There’s a problem with this award. 8 different people voted for Barbaro Cavernario versus Fenix as their first place match without indicating which of the two matches they meant, and people did that down ballot as well. If all of those went towards the November match, that would’ve been the first place winner. If I split them among the two, it wouldn’t change the order. I’ve left it as a separate line.

I’ve also left in some matches that I don’t really think count but don’t really affect the voting in a meaningful fashion.

Match Points Firsts
06/22 L.A. Park vs Rush 130 17
11/23 King Phoenix vs Barbaro Cavernario 93 16
06/29 Barbaro Cavernario vs King Phoenix 82 7
??/?? Bárbaro Cavernario vs King Phoenix 45 8
05/25 Flyer, LA Park, Volador Jr. vs La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible 42 5
08/02 Fénix vs Bandido vs Flamita 29 3
08/25 Mexablood vs DJZ & Everett vs Laredo Kid & Golden Magic vs Drago & Aerostar 28 4
04/20 Black Danger, Mirage, Último Maldito vs Arcángel Divino, Black Destiny, Genio del Aire 19 1
08/04 Toxin vs Fly Star 19 1
10/21 Eterno vs Aramis 19 1
08/25 Dr. Wagner vs LA Park vs Hijo del Fantasma vs Pentagon Jr. 15 1
10/12 Último Guerrero vs Michael Elgin 15 2
08/25 Lady Shani vs Faby Apache 14 1
03/15 Angel de Oro vs Cuatrero 12 0
08/03 LA Park, Penta and King Phoenix vs Rush and the Briscoes 11 1
01/23 Titan vs Mephisto 10 0
06/03 Poder del Norte vs OGT 10 2
03/27 Soberano Jr. vs Barbaro Cavernario 9 0
09/14 Matt Taven & Volador Jr. vs Rush & Barbaro Caveranrio 8 1
07/29 The King (Rey Fénix) vs Laredo Kid 8 1
09/23 Rey Fénix vs Aero Boy 8 1
01/19 Gran Guerrero vs Niebla Roja 8 0
01/07 Ricky Marvin vs Keyra 7 1
02/04 Fuerza Guerrera vs Demus 6 0
09/08 Daga vs Hechicero 6 0
01/27 Andrade Almas vs Johnny Gargano 5 1
03/16 Pentagón Dark vs Marty Martinez 5 1
05/18 Toxin & Látigo vs Aramis & Astrolux 5 1
06/10 Ciclope vs Drako vs Leviatham vs Lunatik Extreme vs Toxico vs Wotan 5 1
07/08 Dragon Lee vs Hiromu Takahashi 5 1
07/27 Niebla Roja vs Sanson 5 1
08/18 Dr. Wagner Jr. and L.A. Park vs El Hijo del Fantasma and Psycho Clown 5 0
08/25 Pagano/Joe Lider/Murder Clown vs Texano Jr/La Mascara/Rey Escorpion 5 1
09/14 Diamante Azul & Los Lucha Bros vs Carístico, El Hijo de LA Park and LA Park 5 0
09/16 Hechicero vs Daga 5 1
10/19 Bandido vs Rey Fénix 5 1
02/23 Último Guerrero & Volador Jr. vs Rush & Terrible 4 0
??/?? ANY Micros match 3 0
??/?? Hechicero vs Daga 3 0
01/19 Cuatrero vs Angel De Oro 3 0
02/23 Fenix vs Mil Muertes vs Jeremiah Crane 3 0
02/23 Los Tortugas Ninja vs Capo Del Norte, Dragon Bane, Rokambole Jr., and Villano V Jr. 3 0
03/11 Ultimo Guerrero vs Corsario Negro Jr. 3 0
03/23 Flamita & Bandido vs Dezmond Xavier & Zachery Wentz 3 0
04/28 Toxin vs Fly Star 3 0
06/01 Cuatrero vs Angel de Oro 3 0
06/08 Fénix, Mistico, & Caristico vs Ultimo Guerrero, Negro Casas & Barbaro Cavernario 3 0
08/09 Daga vs Hechicero 3 0
08/30 Lucha Bros vs Bandido/Flamita 3 0
11/06 Cuatrero vs Titán 3 0
12/02 Aramis vs Virus 3 0
12/02 Hijo del Vikingo, Laredo Kid, Myzteziz Jr. vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana 3 0
??/?? Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana 2 0
??/?? Every Bandido match outside of Mexico 2 0
??/?? Taya vs anyone. 2 0
01/14 Rey Pantera Jr., Hijo de Rey Pantera vs As del Espacio, As del Espacio Jr. 2 0
01/26 Faby Apache vs Lady Shani 2 0
02/11 Lady Flamer vs Sucii Love 2 0
02/13 Volador & Ultimo Guerrero vs Rush & Terrible 2 0
03/21 Vengador vs Kastigador 2 0
03/25 Ricky Marvin vs Dr. Cerebro 2 0
04/09 Místico v Caristico 2 0
04/22 Barbaro Cavernario vs Ricky Marvin 2 0
05/01 Soberano Jr vs Magia Blanca 2 0
05/11 Negro Casas vs Soberano 2 0
07/22 Hechicero vs Aramis 2 0
08/04 Hechicero Vs Christopher Daniels 2 0
10/05 CMLL Grand Prix 2 0
10/06 Pentagon JR vs LA Park 2 0
10/21 Ricky Marvin vs Hechicero 2 0
10/28 Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana vs Mamba, Máximo, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Aero Star, Drago, Angelikal 2 0
11/02 Templario vs Sanson 2 0
11/16 Leyenda de Plata 2 0
12/02 Drago vs Hijo del Fantasma 2 0
12/03 Lucha Brothers vs L.A. Park/Hijo de L.A. Park 2 0
12/08 Hijo del Vikingo, Laredo Kid, Myzteziz Jr. vs Australian Suicide, Jack Evans, Taurus 2 0

Best Promotion

2004: CMLL
2005: CMLL
2006: CMLL
2007: AAA
2008: CMLL
2009: CMLL

2017: CMLL
2018: CMLL

Promotion Votes
CMLL 55
AAA 19
The Crash 3
Lucha Memes 3
MexaWrestling 2
PWG 1
IWRG 1
GALLI 1

Best Rivalary

2004: El Hijo del Santo vs Perro Aguayo Jr.
2005: Mistico vs Ultimo Guerrero
2006: Mistico vs Black Warrior
2007: Billy Boy vs Gran Apache
2008: Blue Panther vs Villano V
2009:v Negro Casas vs Mistico

2017: Princesa Sugehit vs Zeuxis
2018: L.A. Park vs Rush

Fued Votes
Rush vs L.A. Park 62
Poder del Notre vs OGT 5
Fénix vs Barbaro Cavernario 4
Cuatrero vs Angel De Oro 3
Lady Shani vs Faby Apache 2
AAA vs Good Commentary 1
Dragon Bane vs Aramis 1
Fénix vs Laredo Kid 1
Jeff Jarrett vs Dr. Wagner 1
LA PARK vs backstage politics 1
Los Guerreros vs La Fortaleza 1
Pentagón vs Carístico 1
Rudos vs Technicos 1
Rush vs Everyone 1
Toxin vs Fly Star 1
Volador Jr vs Matt Taven 1

Best Unit

2004: Guerreros del Infierno (as Best Tag Team and Best Trio)

2006: Los Guerreros del Atlantida
2007: Real Fuerza Aerea AAA
2008: Oficiales
2009: Peste Negra

2017: Nueva Generación Dinamita
2018: Nueva Generación Dinamita

Group Votes
NGD 36
Lucha Brothers 14
Nuevo Poder Del Norte 9
Los Guerreros Laguneros 7
Los OGTS 4
Mexablood 4
Blank 3
Los Ingobernables 3
Los Jinetes del Aire 3
Los Mercenarios 2
Kl4N 1
La Rebelión Amarilla 1
Los Macizos 1
Los Simpsons 1

Most Improved

2004: Olimpico
2005: Maximo
2006: Black Warrior, Marco Corelone, Mistico (tie)
2007: Super Fly & X-Pac (tie)
2008: Sombra
2009: Mascara Dorada

2017: Soberano Jr.
2018: Templario

Improved Votes
Templario 7
Audaz 6
Bandido 6
Bárbaro Cavernario 5
Hijo de L.A. Park 4
Hijo del Vikingo 4
Puma King 4
Soberano Jr. 4
Angelikal/Myzteziz Jr. 3
Aramis 3
Dragón Bane 3
La Hiedra 3
Murder Clown 3
Cuatrero 2
Flyer 2
Villano III Jr. 2
Bestia Del Ring 1
Chamuel 1
Daga 1
Diamante Azul 1
Drone 1
Fénix 1
Jeff Jarrett 1
Lady Shani 1
Laredo Kid 1
Latigo 1
Matt Taven 1
Microman 1
Mr. Iguana 1
Murcielago Plateado Jr. 1
Sanson 1
Triton 1
Vulcana 1

Favorite Wrestler

2017: Barbaro Cavernario & Hechicero (tie)
2018: Pentagon Jr.

Favorite Votes
Pentagon Jr. 12
Bárbaro Cavernario 9
Rush 8
L.A. Park 8
Hechicero 6
Fénix 6
Bandido 5
Aramis 3
Police Man 2
Microman 2
Hijo del Vikingo 2
Andrade Cien Almas 1
Wotan 1
Titan 1
Soberano Jr. 1
Samoano 1
Ricky Marvin 1
Razerhawk 1
Puma King 1
Pagano 1
Niebla Roja 1
Negro Casas 1
Mije 1
Laredo Kid 1
Jeff Jarrett 1
I can’t decide between Hechicero & Fuego 1
Hiromu Takahashi 1
Faby Apache 1
Dragon Lee 1
Dr. Wagner Jr. 1
Cuatrero 1
Carístico 1
Averno 1
Audaz 1
Artemis Spencer 1

 

AAA to TV Azteca, Rey de Reyes, CMLL weekend results, RIOT

Azteca Siete announced AAA would be joining their network early in the post-game of tonight’s Super Bowl. The teaser video was posted to Twitter.

There are no more details. There are lots of questions about what this means and we don’t even know when we might know more. Monday is a holiday in Mexico so it may be a few days. Until then, we know so little about this that it is impossible to figure out if this is a really good thing or just a mildly good thing. Having a deal on TV Azteca over the air in Mexico is almost certainly better than not having one, and that’s about all we can say right now.

Another almost definite is Arturo Rivera & Jesus Zuniga, long time voices of AAA, are probably done with the promotion. They’re Televisa employees despite seemingly only working for the network to call AAA shows. No announce team has been announced. Another Televisa AAA announcer, Andres Maronas spoiled the announcement on Facebook earlier today, so I don’t think he’ll be back. (He seemed to have been replaced a lot this past year, but it was tough to keep track of the Televisa crew with them no longer being on YouTube.) There’s really a lot bigger parts of this deal that will determine if it’s a success or favorably received than the announcers, but “who’s going to be calling the wrestling matches” seems like the biggest immediate reaction on Facebook and Twitter among fans. I do not think Rivera & Zuniga were good – Rivera’s a personality and Zuniga is a good ring announcer but neither added to my enjoyment of matches – but they were as part of AAA as La Parka for some section of long-time viewers.

Everything AAA did this weekend makes a little more sense in the context of this announcement. They said a classy farewell to AAA, they informed some people of the pending move, and they start off Monday with the big change over. It’s unclear how long this has been in the works, but it’s obviously not something that just came together since the Televisa announcement.

The video Azteca used starts off with a LA Park clip, which seems pretty meaningful giving his current weird status with the promotion. If you keep watching, it becomes clearer it is just a random highlight video from this part TripleMania with likely no real meaning.

My pet theory of the moment is AAA shelving their yearly kick-off press conference for some generic face to face interviews had to do with this AAA/Azteca deal (or maybe just the TV picture in general) not being finalized. If/when AAA holds a press conference to announce this move, maybe along with it will come the missing TripleMania main event announcement and the schedule for the year.

CMLL weekend results of nothingess

CMLL (SAT) 02/02/2019 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Príncipe Diamante & Retro b Grako & Príncipe Odín Jr.
tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Astral, Eléctrico, Oro Jr. b Disturbio, Hijo del Signo, Nitro
tecnicos took 2/3.
3) Magnus, Pegasso, Stigma b Sangre Azteca, Universo 2000 Jr., Virus
tecnicos took 1/3.
4) Okumura b Drone [lightning]
5) Felino, Pólvora, Rey Bucanero b Audaz, Soberano Jr., Súper Astro Jr.
Super Astro replaced Flyer. Rudos took 1/3, the last when Bucanero cheated to beat Soberano.
6) Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Volador Jr. DQ La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Villano IV [Relevos Increíbles]
tecnicos took 2/3, Rush fouled Azul and Bestia unmasked him

Villano IV and Rush were buddies again in the one promo CMLL put up from this show. Rush can’t time travel back to the 80s so he’s bringing the 80s to now.

CMLL (SUN) 02/03/2019 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Pequeño Olímpico & Pierrothito b Angelito & Fantasy
straight falls
2) Grako, Inquisidor, Metálico b Arkalis, Halcón Suriano Jr., Leono
rudos took 1/3
3) La Jarochita DCOR La Comandante [lightning]
a double counout draw!
4) Esfinge, Guerrero Maya Jr., Tritón b Kawato San, Universo 2000 Jr., Virus
tecnicos took 2/3.
5) Kráneo, Stuka Jr., Titán vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Kawato
Kawato replaced Vangellys. Rudos took 1/3.
6) La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible b Diamante Azul, Último Guerrero, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
Los Ingobernables took 1/3 cleanly, but still unmasked Diamante Azul after just to keep regular.

La Jarochita & La Comandante want a rematch. Probably should happen, probably won’t happen. A double countout seems like something went wrong but I’ll never check the pictures to find out.  Rush & La Bestia del Ring make a point of congratulating Terrible for beating Dragon Lee, Los Ingobernables ahead of family. Both weekend finishes involving Diamante Azul seems like a hint.

Other News

RIOT (SAT) 02/02/2019 Arena Femenil, Monterrey, Nuevo León[@robviper]
1) Erick Ortiz b Madness
2) Chik Tormenta & Willy Banderas b Kratoz & Prometeo
2) Kratoz & Prometeo b Chik Tormenta & Willy Banderas 
3) Látigo b Belial
top rope Angel’s Wings. Excellent match.
4) Laredo Kid b Aeroboy
Excellent match
5) Kaientai & Lord Bryon b Golden Boy & Símbolo
6) Demonio del Aire b Aramis
good match
7) Bandido Sammy Guevara
good match

RIOT sold out this show without announcing a single wrestler on the show. That seems good. Reviews are based on Rob’s Tweets, may not be trusted. But it sounds like it was a really good show.

The Lucha Brothers lost the MLW tag team titles on Saturday. MLW posted a storyline message on Twitter than Fenix & Pentagon had left the building without comment after the show. Court Bauer seemed to confirm tonight that was the end of the duo in MLW, which would seem to throw the announced LA Park vs Pentagon Jr. match for WrestleMania weekend into flux. MLW had previously announced Penta & Fenix would be working with MLW all 2019.

This will probably be a pattern of Penta & Fenix wrapping up. Even if they’ve only signed non-exclusive deals at this point, those could switch to exclusive as soon as LU is done. Impact’s next PPV is April 28th and I’d take a guess that’ll be the end of the Lucha Brothers there, if not sooner. AAA’s made the opposite decision, at least where it comes to Sammy Guevera, so maybe we won’t see Fenix lose his mega title in any big hurry. ExpoLucha stated they (still) will have Penta & Fenix on August 7th & 8th.

A scheduled Fly Warrior/Bam Bam match on Saturday ended with Demus attacking Bam Bam to resume their old feud and challenge him to a hair match. This seems more likely than the Satanico/Romano Garcia match scheduled for the same night. The most likely match to happen is a Caifan/Ultimo Guerrero singles match, since that’s already been announced (though tentatively) for 02/16.

Another version of that Rey de Reyes poster turned up and I didn’t lose it this time. The date posted here is 03/16 (Saturday) in Puebla, with the user saying it’ll be in the same building as last year but the building not listed on the poster as of yet. Photos on the posters are not binding, but they’ve got Fenix, Penta, Kross, Cage, and Taya among non-regulars at this point. Vikingo and Myzteziz have also graduated to being on the poster.

AAA promoter in Monterrey KDNA is advertising a TV taping there on 03/03. They also said their December show would be a TV taping and it was a normal spot show. I didn’t see the whole AAA on Multimedios show but it did not appear they were advertising this show heavily.

El Pasala has a long interview with Rugido, who presents himself as a two-year vet who hopes to make it to CMLL someday. They do not have space to mention Rugido appeared on AAA TV in 2016 and appeared to be long-time veteran Dizzy under yet another gimmick. Perhaps they’ve changed the person under the mask. Still seems like something worth bringing up.

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.

An interview with Reynosa’s Imagen II.

AAA off Televsia, Penta & Fenix to AEW, Terrible to the Universal final

Dragon Lee

Penta & Fenix have signed with AEW (maybe)

The Elite are have been doing least secret “surprise” indie appearances possible in the weekends since they announced the start of the AEW promotion. They had loudly hinted towards Atlanta this weekend, so it was no surprise to see them at the Mcaloon Productions indie show among a lot of indie names Friday night. The Young Bucks appeared after the SCU versus Lucha Brothers main event, pitching Penta & Fenix on joining AEW to find out who is really the top tag team. The Jacksons said they had no contract right then, but could offer a handshake. Penta & Fenix shook their hands and did not sign anything. Everyone is really confused because they were still signed to LU at last word. I was as well.

Lucha Central explains the situation with the most logical answer: the Lucha Brothers have signed a deal to work non-exclusively AEW shows, similar to the ones they’ve signed with Impact and MLW, not the exclusive deals that hinted at last night. It seems a safe guess the same as true with Joey Ryan, who’s been part of these AEW appearances and also under a LU deal.

As long as they’re under Lucha Underground contracts, that’s the most Fenix & Penta can do. My informed assumption is that AEW contract will likely be changed to an exclusive one when/if LU is canceled. Other agreed upon deals will be fulfilled – similar to how Bandido is still working some non-ROH dates – but there will be no new shows added after that point. No one knows when LU’s future will be decided and AEW probably didn’t want to wait until forever to get it worked out.

This is a subheadline: assuming Penta & Fenix do sign with AEW, they join Rush & Bandido in recent Mexican wrestlers who’ve passed up likely WWE/NXT deals to go elsewhere. I think WWE is still capable of signing Mexican wrestlers, but those who have had experience and become an international star outside of CMLL seemed to be looking at other options. WWE’s going to have to target those who haven’t made names outside of Mexico.

AAA Officially Off Televisa

AAA announced the end of their official relationship on Twitter on Friday night. This has been something talked about for weeks on the internets but it is still surprising news to most people. The last episode on Nueve (formerly GalaTV) aired on January 5th. AAA programming disappeared from Televisa’s cable channels later that week. I’ve been writing about this for several weeks. It has been a topic of discussion since dating back a year. As soon as AAA started airing on SpaceTV and Twitch, it foreshadowed an end to a relationship with the television company that helped start the promotion.

Record, a who has an ongoing relationship with AAA, reports the promotion and TV Azteca have been in negotiations about a deal this month. I’m unsure how likely that deal is, but it suggests AAA doesn’t believe the current Space/Multimedios deals are sufficient.

There’s potential positives to leaving and trying to go elsewhere for AAA. Televisa generally never did much to promote AAA (except for one notable exception) and Space has treated it their much valuable properties. There is an advantage to being a big fish in a small pond at times. On the other hand, AAA making this announcement late on a Friday night seems like a strong indication they thought this was news they wanted to bury.

The one notable exception the recent live airings of the main events from the last two TripleManias. (Televisa also did a special taped broadcast of the Lucha World Cup prior.) Those TripleManias, especially the first one which followed the Mayweather/McGregor fight, did big viewership numbers. Maybe they were enough to convince AAA they deserved a better offer and promotion than they normally got, or for a channel like Space to take a chance on them they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Or maybe this all would’ve happened anyway, as Roldans plans for expansion wouldn’t have ever been satisfied with a bad timeslot on a network paying no attention.

CMLL left the same Televisa GalaTV network in 2013. The effect on CMLL is debatable. There’s definitely an argument that CMLL has been less able to create stars with their current network of small TV channels and internet streaming. The issue could also just as much be about a stagnant and indifferent creative department. (It is not strong recent TV presences which made LA Park, Fenix & Pentagon ticket-selling stars in Arena Mexico.) CMLL has also carefully positioned themselves as an important part of the culture of Mexico City, a destination that belongs on traveler’s lists of attractions to see when visiting. It’s something that’s kept them from being completely vacant on a lot of Tuesdays nights. AAA would like to be the same and has tried to make that effort, but it’s tougher to accomplish when you’re a traveling caravan who may not be in town that week.

That’s AAA’s business plan though. They’re the circus, they come to your town once or twice a year and all the families come to see the big show. The unanswered question going forward is if those same fans (and the local promoters who actually run the shows) will still see AAA as a big show if they’re only on Space and Twitch if they don’t get on Azteca, or if they’ll treat them as no more important than any independent show coming thru. AAA did do well in Mexico City and Ciudad Madero while already off Televisa and we’ll have to see how that sustains over the year.

Terrible wins CMLL Universal Block A

CMLL (FRI) 02/01/2019 Arena México [+Lucha, CMLL, ESTOLucha CentralluchablogMarcaOvacionesPubliMetroThe Gladiatores]
1) Akuma & Espanto Jr. b Robin & Star Jr. LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
12:03. Rudos took 1/3
2) Kaho Kobayashi, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit b Amapola, Dalys, Reyna Isis LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
14:16. Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Niebla Roja b Hijo del Villano III, Mephisto, Villano IV LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
12:15. Tenicos took 2/3.
4) Flyer, Místico, Volador Jr. b Euforia, Templario, Último Guerrero LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
Straight falls. First by excessive violence DQ. Second hurried after Flyer suffered a leg injury.
5) Carístico & Cavernario b Dragón LeeValienteStuka Jr.TerribleGran GuerreroForastero[CMLL Universal, seeding battle royalLUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
3:01.
6) Terrible b Stuka Jr. [CMLL Universal, 8f] LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
2:31. Top rope splash.
7) Gran Guerrero b Valiente [CMLL Universal, 8f] LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
5:16. Super Samoan Driver (Gran Guerrero Special)
8) Dragón Lee b Forastero [CMLL Universal, 8f] LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
4:45. Super poweromb.
9) Carístico b Cavernario [CMLL Universal, 8f] LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
3:23. La Mistica.
10) Terrible b Gran Guerrero [CMLL Universal, quarterfinalLUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
3:38. Nudo lagunero
11) Dragón Lee b Carístico [CMLL Universal, quarterfinalLUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
5:00. Suplex powerbomb.
12) Terrible b Dragón Lee [CMLL Universal, semifinalLUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 1 DE FEBRERO  DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
10:06. Terrible blocked a bodyscissors cradle and hooked a rope to get the win.

The only portions of the show you need to watch are the last two matches. It turns out Dragon Lee is one of the best wrestlers in the world! He and Caristico had surprisingly good chemistry and did really well in that time. Terrible’s match with Dragon Lee was much better than the Kojima one with some impressive back and forth. Terrible winning should not have been a surprise – it’s a heavyweight champion against a lightweight champion – and so CMLL even slightly protecting Dragon Lee with the rope grab finish stands out.

Atlantis Jr. looked green but not terrible in his official Arena Mexico debut. Both he and Hijo del Villano III are not really ready for the levels they’re at, but it’s a fair theory that putting them in those positions will get them ready faster than hanging out in the segundas. There just are going to be a lot of bumps along the way.

Earlier in the night, Flyer’s left leg got caught in the ropes on a toss spot. The injury wasn’t graphic but he appeared to be an immense amount of pain and they went to a finish as quick as possible. There’s no firm update on his injury; the doctor’s statement says they’ll let him rest a couple of days before evaluating his condition.

CMLL interviews: Terrible, Hijo del Villano III, Atlantis Jr., Reina Isis. Isis is back after a left shoulder injury.

Media interviews: Terrible, Atlantis, Hijo del Villano III.

Next Friday’s lineup:

CMLL (FRI) 02/08/2019 Arena México
1) Príncipe Diamante & Robin vs Metálico & Nitro
2) Black Panther, Drone, Rey Cometa vs Kawato San, Misterioso Jr., Universo 2000 Jr.
3) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Místico vs Gran Guerrero, Hijo del Villano III, Villano IV
4) Ángel de Oro, Carístico, Valiente vs Gilbert el Boricua, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush
5) Volador Jr. vs Niebla RojaDiamante AzulSoberano Jr.Último GuerreroSansónMephistoCuatrero [CMLL Universal]

Diamante Azul becomes the favorite to advance in this block and win in this tournament. CMLL is clearly under the impression he’s one of their best wrestlers, he’s got a fellow heavyweight to face, and he hasn’t won this tournament yet. Volador is always an option.

More heavyweights are present in the semifinal with Gilbert returning for an odd match. The Atlantis/Villano stuff continues in the tercera, which still seems to be the best guess at a H2L main event.

Other Notes

Sammy Guevera is still AAA Cruiserweight champion. He defeated Laredo Kid in Tijuana, which was probably the original plan and so didn’t change no matter what else is going on with Guevera. Laredo got a visual pin but Sammy came back to win. I guess that’ll be drama to figure out later. The show drew well, looking close to a sell out if not actually selling out.

AAA announced a Tijuana TV taping date of Friday April 5th. For the rest of the world, that’s the Friday night before WrestleMania. Penta, Fenix and many others who’ve worked AAA in the last year are probably going to be in New York, which is a fair bit away from Tijuana. There was talk of an AAA WM weekend show at one point, and this confirms that won’t be happening. The taping that will happen might be missing some other AAA names who will be working those shows; Impact is definitely interested in using some AAA wrestlers after their recent appearances on their TV show.

Today’s show include RIOT’s Tonto Evento Sorpresa #2 in Monterrey, a show with no announced matches or wrestlers as part of a mystery theme. They say they’re close to selling out. Over near Mexico, FILLM has a Satanico wrestling appearance, teaming with Romano Garcia against the odd duo of Wotan & Hijo de Fishman.

La Mascara did beat Maximo last night in Arena Lopez Mateos. There’s no photo of bald Super Porky but we can imagine the other dozen times he’s lost his hair.

Kcidis has a Stuka Jr. cartoon.

CMLL on Marca: 2019-02-01 

Dragon Lee

Recapped: 02/01/2019

Matches: 

Akuma & Espanto Jr. beat Robin & Star Jr.
(12:03 [4:49, 4:40, 2:34], 1/3, ok, 00:02:34)

Kaho Kobayashi, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit beat Amapola, Dalys, Reyna Isis
(14:16 [8:12, 3:06, 2:58], 1/3, ok, 00:21:47)

Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Niebla Roja beat Hijo del Villano III, Mephisto, Villano IV
(12:15 [5:21, 2:36, 4:18], 2/3, ok, 00:46:40)

Flyer, Místico, Volador Jr. beat Euforia, Templario, Último Guerrero
(9:03 [6:00, 3:03], 1 DQ/2, ok, 01:09:00)

the dumb battle royal went 3:01

Terrible beat Stuka Jr. in a CMLL Universal quarterfinal
(2:31, top rope splash, ok, 01:39:48)

Gran Guerrero beat Valiente in a CMLL Universal quarterfinal
(5:16, super Samoan driver, ok, 01:44:08)

Dragon Lee beat Forastero in a CMLL Universal quarterfinal
(4:45, suplex powerbomb, ok, 01:51:12)

Carístico beat Cavernario in a CMLL Universal quarterfinal
(3:23, La Mistica, ok, 01:57:50)

Terrible beat Gran Guerrero in a CMLL Universal semifinal
(3:38, nudo lagunero, ok, 02:03:11)

Dragón Lee beat Carístico in a CMLL Universal semifinal
(5:00, suplex powerbomb, good, 02:08:57)

Terrible beat Dragón Lee in a CMLL Universal Championship
(10:06, blocked cradle with bottom rope, great, 02:15:20)

What happened:

Atlantis Jr.

Terrible won the first block of the 2019 Universal tournament. He defeated Stuka Jr., Gran Guerrero and Dragon Lee on this night. Dragon Lee was the star of the night, upsetting Carístico to reach the block final before fighting well against Terrible despite giving up a lot of size. Terrible hooked the bottom ropes on a pin to finally put away the lightweight champion. Terrible advances to the final on 15th against the winner of next week’s block.

Flyer suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury in the fourth match. Volador attempted to toss Flyer in the ring on the run from ramp, a spot he often does with Místico. Flyer did not get much height and his left leg hooked between the middle and top rope. It was not a gruesome injury but Flyer still appeared to be in a tremendous amount of pain, laying on the mat unmoving after he was freed and in tears as he was placed on the apron. Volador & Místico quickly finished up the match.

Atlantis Jr. made his official Arena Mexico debut, winning with an Atlantida on Hijo del Villano III.

Thoughts:

Forastero spear

The Universal tournament saved the show, shockingly. I didn’t care for most of the early matches, which stuck too close to the pattern of the losing luchador getting in all his usual offense before losing. (Cavernario/Caristico was the normal version of that. Valiente/Guerrero was the hyper version.) It was the Dragon Lee/Caristico match that turned it around, a competitive back and forth match with Carístico taking a lot of Dragon Lee’s big moves while still ultimately losing at the end. They played off their somewhat forgotten issue, and showed enough here that I’d really love to see a single match all day.

It also did a great job of setting up a tired Dragon lee against Terrible. Terrible tossed Dragon Lee around early and made Dragon Lee look like a heroic undergo for fighting back and coming so close to winning. Terrible cheating to win robs us all of another Dragon Lee singles match in a couple of weeks. Terrible was up to the task in this block final, but it was really about Dragon Lee being able to have a great match with anyone given the right amount of time.

You don’t need to spend much time on the rest of the show. The fourth match was just gearing up when Flyer got hurt. It was likely meant to go for a third fall and ended early when Flyer looked to be in bad shape. It is possible that time got tacked on the main event.

V3 splash

The tercera was a mixed bag. Atlantis Jr. had nice dive and no problem at all with the Atlantida. His big offense in the middle did not look good, with his spinning backbreakers being at Diamante Azul level. I think he did enough well that the crowd didn’t leave disappointed but he’s going to have to get a lot better. Hijo del Villano III looked smoother in his second match out, though both felt not really ready for the position they’re in. I guess the hope here is what happened with Gran Guerrero, where he was clearly over his head for the first year and a half Working with better guys seemed to eventually help him but there were a lot of bad gifs getting there. It’s going to be a marathon.

Kaho and Dalys messed up the first spot they tried together, which was not a great sign for their women’s match. Kaho seems like she could do things but maybe not with this crew. The match lacked some rhythm, with a strange técnico section in the first fall and an odd comeback to end the match. These matches are usually safe but solid and this was less solid than usual.

Robin did a great job of powerbombing himself for the finish of the opener. Akuma stood nearby, not really helping. It was still better than Espanto Jr.’s Destroyer. The younger tries a bit more than veterans in this pot but it still wasn’t close to being good.

CMLL Martes: 2019-01-22 

Super Astro

Recapped: 01/24/19

Matches:

Acero & Aéreo beat Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia
(12:59 [5:36, 4:02, 3:21], 2/3, n/r,
VideosOficialesCMLL)

Arkalis, Magnus, Retro beat Cancerbero, Espíritu Negro, Raziel
(14:15 [6:37, 2:57, 4:41], 2/3, n/r,
VideosOficialesCMLL)

Disturbio, Kawato San, Virus beat Robin, Star Jr., Súper Astro Jr.
(11:44 [4:47, 4:35, 2:22], 2/3, good,
VideosOficialesCMLL)

Dragón Rojo Jr., Hechicero, Pólvora beat Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso
(12:57 [6:24, 6:33], 1/2, ok,
VideosOficialesCMLL)

Euforia, Rey Bucanero, Shocker beat Kráneo, Rey Cometa, Volcano
(11:16 [5:29, 3:30, 2:17], 2/3, ok,
VideosOficialesCMLL)

Niebla Roja beat Mephisto
(18:34, 2/3, good,
VideosOficialesCMLL)

  1. Mephisto Devil’s Wings (2:14)

  2. Niebla Roja reverse campana (2:36)

  3. Niebla Roja Furia Roja (13:44)

What happened:

Nothing really.

Thoughts:

Arkalis spinning powerbomb

Mephisto/Niebla Roja was Niebla Roja doing the Volador big match. Niebla Roja isn’t going to do as many tricky springboards. He is better at getting sympathy from the crowd. The style and the pace of the match were otherwise the same, with the quick first falls to establish finishes to kick out of later, and the extended third fall of move turn-taking in no particular order. At no time will anyone be allowed to get two moves in a row, and Mephisto eventually lost for attacking Niebla Roja without immediately going for a pinfall. It’s entertaining but it’s also very familiar, about what every Mephisto singles match does.

The action of the fourth match had some issues – plus the now normal bit of a referee messing up a count – but the format felt different than most two fall matches they’ve done. It was a lot more back and forth, even in the first fall, feeling like the sort of Blue Panther special that hasn’t been seen a lot lately. Hechicero going after Guerrero Maya was a good idea that would’ve been better with less choking around the top rope. Sleeveless Drone is weird.

Tercera is definitely sliding scale B-show good, but I take what I can get. These técnicos usually don’t get to be this high on the card and they seemed motivated to take advantage of it. Super Astro Jr. continues to improve and looked great here. Star Jr. and Kawato appear to be feuding, if only in their own minds, and mixed up well again. This was a little on the short side but finished well.

CMLL Universal tournament starts tonight, Montañezmania, Toxin benefit show

tonight

IWRG , Castelazzi (THU) 01/31/2019 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTVBlack Terry Jr. (Flickr)The Gladiatores]
1) El Mara & Machete b Mr. Ángel & Príncipe Barush Machete y el Mara vs Príncipe Barush y Mr. Ángel en la Arena Naucalpan (posted by )
bonus match 1
2) Kevin & Portos Montañez DQ Factor Miedo & Saku Portos Montañez y Kevin vs Factor Miedo y Saku en la Arena Naucalpan (posted by )
Bonus match 2. Kevin and the newest Montañez broke up post match.
3) Death Metal & Neza Kid b Cheff Benito & Mexica Mexica y Chef Benito vs Death Metal y Neza Kid en la Arena Naucalpan (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
4) Diosa Atenea, Ludark Shaitan, Mary Caporal, Stephanie Vaquer b Dulce Luna, Kaho Kobayashi, Lolita, Quimera
5) Hijo del Solar & Solar I b Black Panther (CMLL) & Blue Panther Blue Panther y The Panther vs Solar y Solar Jr en la Arena Naucalpan (posted by )
money thrown in
6) Herodes Jr., Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Hijo de Sangre Chicana, Ricky Marvin b Aramis, Hijo del Alebrije, La Mosca, Relámpago Chacho Herodes Jr, Ricky Marvin, H Chicana e H Pirata vs Mosca, Aramis, H Alebrije y Relámpago (posted by )
7) Jean Montañez & Pierre Montañez b Heddi Karaoui & Zumbi © [TWS TAG] Zumbi y Heddi Karoui vs Jean y Pierre Montañez CAMPEONATOS DE PAREJAS TWS (posted by )
CMLL’s Edgar Noriega was scheduled to be referee but the French challengers didn’t want him there. Black Terry ended up as referee.
8) Francois Montañez b Dr. Cerebro [mask, hair]
9) Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero b Mr. Electro & Sharly Rockstar Ultimo Guerrero y Gran Guerrero vs Sharlie Rockstar y Mr. Electro en la Arena Naucalpan (posted by )
Guerreros cheated to win.

Show sounds poorly attended and not very good. Though the point of the show seemed to be to have the Montanez win matches and they did that, so mission accomplished. There will be about 15 different version of this show on YouTube eventually.

Persy unmasked Militar de la Muerte I in Arena Aficion. Militar de la Muerte I is Daniel Torres Ramirez, 35 years, 20 years a wrestler.

CMLL begins it is annual-ish biggest competition, the Universal Tournament, tonight. It’s a tournament of CMLL champions, or at least all the champions who can fit in 1 6 man tournament. It is occasionally used to build up bigger matches for later in the year and occasionally used just to give someone already on top a glorious victory. It has been much more of the latter in the last few years. Valiente’s 2016 win seemed to be forgotten about three weeks after it occurred. Volador’s 2017 win was more about the one top guy in the promotion who hadn’t won it yet getting that win than any direction coming out of it.

The Universal champion and final could be meaningful this year. Homenaje a Dos Leyendas will take place a month about a month after the final and there’s no sign of a match to headline CMLL’s second biggest show of the year. There’s just as much mystery about who would be this year’s winner. When in doubt, Ultimo Guerrero & Volador are always safe choices for repeat winners. Diamante Azul, Caristico, Barbaro Cavernario, and Dragon Lee all have reasonable chances at winning this tournament for the first time. There are cases for a lot of others to at least make the final. Once the (dumb dumb dumb) seeding battle royal is over, we might have a better idea of what match-ups look likely for this block final, but this is the most up for grabs big Universal tournament they’ve done. That’s great, but the challenge is still to make people care about when it’s all done.

Tonight’s Block A breaks up this way
No Chance: Forastero
Maybe They Can Be In The Final (If Block B Is Winning): Valiente, Stuka Jr., Terrible, Gran Guerrero
Possible Winners: Cavernario, Caristico, Dragon Lee

The tournament is scheduled to close the night, which means the matches will go as long as they have time. They usually don’t have much. Doing eight sets of entrances eats up a lot, and this would be much preferable as a cibernetico if it all has to be done in one week.

Flyer, Mistico & Volador take on Euforia, Templario and Ultimo Guerrero in what should be a good semi-main event. It might even be interesting if someone gets to ask Euforia about why he’s not in the Universal tournament. Don’t be mistaken into believing that’s the second most important competition on the show.

The Arena Mexico fans are going to turn out to see Atlantis Jr. make his official Mexico City debut in the tercera. He teams with his father and Niebla Roja versus Hijo del Villano III, Mephisto and Villano IV. Atlantis Jr. looked promising for his experience level on the Fantastica Mania tour, though he worked a lot with experienced people on those shows and will probably be working a lot with less experienced Hijo del Villano III for the time being. Atlantis Jr. should get over to fans of his father, using a lot of the same style he does, but it does make him feel a little dated in 2019. (He’s a better version of Retro at this point.) Meanwhile, with the lack of any other options, aging masked man Villano IV showing up and being booked a lot as an Atlantis opponent suggests one possible solution for Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. Though, if CMLL is doing a Papa Atlantis mask match, they probably want to get it announced early enough to get the people who are willing to fly in for what is sure to be high ticket prices.

The segunda includes Kaho Kobayashi’s first appearance on a stream since her return (Informa excepted), teaming with Lluvia and Princesa Sugehit to face Amapola, Dalys, and Reyna Isis, also back for the first time in a while. Robin & Star Jr. open the show with Akuma & Epsanto Jr.

Lucha Centra has a preview of the show.

The show will air at 8:30 pm CT on Marca (region-blocked) and Facebook (region-blocked). I’ll likely stream on YouTube.

AAA/EMW has a show tonight in Tijuana. The main event is scheduled to be Brian Cage, Psycho Clown and Puma King versus Daga, Hijo del Fantasma, and Killer Kross. Daga continues to work alongside AAA wrestlers on shows which have a Konnan influence but has not yet returned to AAA. Sammy Guevera will defend the AAA Cruiserweight Championship and is scheduled to do against Laredo Kid; I’m ready for any possibility. This won’t stream but will show up on the usual TJ handheld YouTube channels.

Brazo de Plata’s hair is on the line tonight in Arena Lopez Mateos. He is not wrestling, he is seconding Maximo while La Mascara puts Goya Kong’s hair on the line. Super Porky losing his hair is the expected outcome; it’d be shocking if anything else occurred.

In Record, Leo Riano says AAA and Televisa are still in talks about a new deal, and says that is why neither has said anything about the situation. This Saturday will be the fourth week AAA is off of Televisa. Everything goes slowly with AAA and I’d guess Televisa is no different. Still, at some point, it serves the people who are following your product to say what’s going on.

+LuchaTV posted the Fenix & Flamita vs Dragon Lee & Golden Magic match.

MexaWrestling is teasing bringing on Sexy Star on their 02/23 show.

LuchaWorld has the latest news update.

Puma King visits North Carolina, annoys Bandido in his latest video.

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 02/04/2019 Arena Puebla
1) Astral, Milenium, Sonic vs Gemelo Pantera I, Gemelo Pantera II, Guerrero Espacial
2) Arkalis, Pegasso, Rey Samuray vs Joker, Siky Ozama, Tyson La Bestia
3) Esfinge, Fuego, Tritón vs El Malayo, Felino, Pólvora
4) Ángel de Oro, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. vs Shocker, Terrible, Vangellys
5) La Bestia Del Ring, Místico, Rush vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón

the Munoz family takes on NGD in the main event. Dragon Lee is around this weekend but apparently disappears next week. It’s possible he might have some Exatlon commitments as that show finally ends, not sure.

CMLL (TUE) 02/05/2019 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Avispón Negro Jr., El Rielero, Tigre Blanco vs Bobby Black, Furia Roja, León Blanco
2) Magnum, Oro Jr., Súper Astro Jr. vs Difunto, Espanto Jr., Sangre Azteca
3) Black Panther, Esfinge, Tritón vs Misterioso Jr., Okumura, Universo 2000 Jr.
4) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Volcano vs Hechicero, Rey Bucanero, Shocker
5) La Bestia Del Ring, Místico, Rush vs Gran Guerrero, Mephisto, Último Guerrero

Munoz head over to Guadalajara next. I believe Gran Guerrero and Universo 2000 Jr. is the only main roster rudo under 30 years old on this show.

CMLL (TUE) 02/05/2019 Arena México
1) Bengala & Sangre Imperial vs Inquisidor & Príncipe Odín Jr.
2) Kaho Kobayashi, La Jarochita, Lluvia vs Amapola, Dalys, Metálica
3) Fuego, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma vs Cancerbero, Raziel, Sagrado
4) Audaz vs Tiger [lightning]
5) Blue Panther, Flyer, Titán vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Vangellys
6) Kráneo, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. vs Cavernario, Euforia, Terrible

and I think Cavernario and Metalica are the only rudos under 30 here. These are the thing to talk about where neither of these shows has a feud this week. Audaz/Tiger should be fun.

Mexa Wrestling (SUN) 02/10/2019 Coliseo Coacalco, Coacalco, Estado de México
1) Príncipe Aéreo vs Black MetalAstroluxKalibusCelestial BoyPumitaShere KhanMascaraita DivinaFandangoJuventud Venegas
winner faces Flamita on the next MexaWrestling show
2) Chris Stone Jr. & Syrus vs Mike & Teelo and Mimo & Toro Negro and Samoano & Terremoto
3) Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatik Xtreme vs Diablo Jr., Fly Star, Yoruba
4) Atomik Star, Black Terry, Emperador Azteca, Freelance vs Baby Star, Diva Salvaje, Fly Warrior, Tromba
5) Keyra vs Rossy Moreno
6) Látigo vs Dragón Bane
7) Flamita vs Ricky Marvin

This is benefit show for Toxin, who’s out an unclear length after leg surgery. Three singles matches to headline the show. Opener is interesting: the 02/23 has been called New Stars without really having any new stars. One of those guys actually facing Flamita would fit.