I bothered with this two days late only because Nacion Lucha Libre is debuting (also frequently promoting their debut.) The show starts at 10:30 pm Central and is listed as an hour. ImagenTV has a YouTube channel and feed, though they turn it on and off during the day. I don’t know if it’ll be up for this show.
AAA on YouTube is up to Cancun, which means they’re just going to get to Verano de Escandalo before TripleMania happens.
One more Negro Casas/Soberano match on Monday in Puebla.
Recapped: 07/19/2019
Matches:
Sonic & Súper Astro Jr. beat Cancerbero & Raziel
(13:05 [4:47, 3:10, 5:08], 2/3, ok, 00:00:25)
Ángel de Oro, Esfinge, Niebla Roja beat Ephesto, Hechicero, Luciferno
(11:01 [5:39, 5:22], 1/2 DQ, ok, 00:19:41)
Marcela © beat Amapola for the CMLL World Women’s Championship
(12:40 [4:29, 1:48, 6:23], 2/3, ok, 00:39:07)
Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón, Volador Jr. beat Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Soberano Jr., Templario in a relevos increíbles match
(14:20 [3:28, 2:58, 7:54], 2/3, good, 01:00:35)
Hijo de LA Park, LA Park, LA Park Jr. vs La Bestia Del Ring, Místico, Rush
(24:55 [4:00, 1:56, 18:59], 1/3, good, 01:26:13)
Jushin Liger beat Carístico, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero in a Relevo CMLL match
(11:17, Liger Bomb on Casas, good, 02:14:30)
What happened:
Jushin Liger wrestled his final match in Arena Mexico, defeating Negro Casas in the first ever Relevo CMLL match. Liger was celebrated before and after the match.
LA Park and Rush brawled thru the arena in their latest match, pulling rows of seats and throwing at each other (when CMLL would allow that to be shown.) Rush’s family never actually lost a fall, getting counted out after the dives in the first fall and losing either due to fouls or for shoving the referee in the last fall. Park & Rush teased the mask versus hair match, but they were not allowed to talk on the microphones after the match.
Sanson appeared to suffer a shoulder injury in the fourth match but recovered quickly.
The second match ended oddly, with Hechicero being disqualified for kicking the middle rope to foul Angel de Oro as he came in the ring. Angel de Oro sold it as a foul, though the rudos reacted strongly like they didn’t expect that to be the finish.
Thoughts:
This was a strong show despite what would traditionally be called a great match. The presentation of the main event made it come off as a giant important deal. The crowd’s intense interest in seeing LA Park & Rush even when some things didn’t go as planned. This felt like a big show.
Caristico, Ultimo Guerrero and Negro Casas had a good match that was helped by the important of the moment. Liger got to work with each CMLL wrestler because of the weird format. It progressed to the happy ending of Liger winning after everyone hit a few of their key spots. Liger’s getting out at the right time but didn’t feel too old for this moment at all. This wasn’t an epic and I’m not sure that’s going to ever be possible for a Relevo CMLL (assuming we see another one.) It did give enough of what people wanted to see out of this moment.
LA Park & Rush also gave the people what they wanted to see, except for the mask versus hair challenge. Rush & Park clearly still want that match and made a point of making sure the fans knew and felt the same when they were done. The match had the wildness and excitement that’s lacking in most CMLL shows, though it had some egregious flaws. The finish was almost messed up because perennially forgetful La Bestia del Ring went out of the ring at the wrong time. That’s expected at this point, less expected is Rush forgetting to stop Edgar for counting three or kickout, making for a very awkward situation. Mistico was predictably hated by this crowd but he and Hijo de LA Park did well as second bananas. LA Park Jr. tried but didn’t have much to work with Bestia as his normal opponent. The magic is still there with Park & Rush but CMLL treated this like a one-off thing to help fill a house and not the start of a build to September.
The atomicos match was a struggle early, with spots not going as planned and nothing really clicking until the end of the second fall. (They really caught a break that Sanson’s shoulder wasn’t as bad as it looked since he was a huge part of that fall’s finish.) Volador seemed happy to wrestle a bit as a rudo, Soberano seemed eager to try out more spots with his Guerrero friends assisting and it went a lot better for Volador than it did Soberano. There’s a weird bit here where NGD both are booked as a stronger team than the Guerreros and also came off as better than this particular lineup, but have the lesser trios titles with no sign of that changing. This particular match didn’t totally work but they did find an extra gear in that third fall to make it exciting. The top three are all worth checking out.
The crowd seemed to really get into Amapola and Marcela by the end. The same match seemed slow and not well performed from my screen. Amapola almost wiping herself out with her old tope con giro thru the ropes proved a point to me; these women still try to wrestle like they did eight years ago but it doesn’t work for them. Marcela was the better of the two but she wasn’t great. Still, the crowd cared about the near falls, which means there probably isn’t any incentive to change this.
The second match was going along fine until the abrupt finish. I’d believe any story about what was supposed to happen, from Hechicero having a strange idea for a two fall match or the referee totally screwing up. I thought it was a referee screw up live and a planned spot rewatching it later. Either way, it still felt like they cut it off just as it was breaking out of the usual spots. You can safely skip it.
The opener is also a safely skip, though the effort was better than usual. Raziel & Cancerbero were in a good mood, showing more on offense. The tecnicos just didn’t show as much, either by chance or by rudo design. Super Astro was missing the spark he’s shown in other matches and Sonny struggled at times.
AAA TV (THU) 07/18/2019 Palenque de la Feria, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes [AAA]
1) Dark Finder, Discovery, Marvel ?? Rey Sombra, Triham, Xtrem X
locals match, not shown on stream
2) Astrolux & Freelance b Impulso & Low Rider 
9:07. Astrolux pinned Low Rider after a 450 splash. Added match, essentially replacing Cage/Kross.
3) Lady Maravilla, Látigo, Parka Negra, Último Maldito b Arkángel Divino, Big Mami, Dinastía, Eclipse
14:08. Ultimo Maldito replaced Eterno (moved up) and Arkangel Divino & Latigo surprise added to the match. First AAA TV match in months for Arkangel & Maldito (who may have left the promotion for a time.)
4) Golden Magic & Lady Shani b La Hiedra & Villano III Jr.
10:10. Shani beat Villano III with a jumping spinning DDT, though Villano III was clearly in the ropes
5) Chik Tormenta, Dave The Clown, Tessa Blanchard b Faby Apache, Niño Hamburguesa, Taya
9:21. Tessa beat Taya with a hammerlock DDT after Tirantes previously slow counted Taya (and then fast counted for Tessa.) Chik Tormenta replaced Keyra.
6) Aerostar, Laredo Kid, Puma King b Averno, Chessman, Eterno
12:31. Eterno replaces Daga (moved up). Puma King beat Eterno with a code red. Monster Clown destroyed Aerostar after the match.
7) Daga & Taurus b Cody Rhodes & MJF
14:00. Daga replaced Cage (moved to a singles match, then off the show anyway due to injury). Daga & Taurus pinned MJF. Cody attacked both of them post match, only for Rey Escorpion & Texano to attack him.
8) Dr. Wagner Jr., Pentagón Jr., Psycho Clown b Blue Demon Jr., Rey Escorpión, Texano Jr.
15:30. Texano Jr. replaced Kross (moved to a singles match, then didn’t appear at all). Wagner won with a Wagner Driver. Los Mercnarios attacked Wagner after, allowing Cody to appear and make the save.
This was an overall good show with nothing terrible, one match that didn’t work at all. Everything from match 2 (the stream opener) to 6 had hyperactive people working very hard, sometimes with mixed results. Villano III Jr. had a performance for the ages, switching from taking huge bumps to giving them out. Referee Piero & security appeared to want to restrain Villano III Jr. from doing any more at one point, only for him to explain to them that he was really done with the big crazy moves and was setting up Golden Magic’s comeback instead. Aerostar had a good night until he slipped on Destello Azul (Brillo Dorada) attempt at the end of his match; he seemed shook up but got to his feet enough so Monster Clown could beat him up. The stream opener had some major issues at times but the overall card was a good reminder of how deep AAA is even on a show where Vikingo and Myzteziz aren’t around.
Daga & Taurus versus Cody Rhodes & MJF did not work. It wasn’t a lack of effort but it wasn’t the right match for that crowd or presented to them in a way they care. A Los Mercenarios & Konnan promo early in the show tried to get Taurus over as the rudo in the feud, but the crowd did not respond to Cody as a tecnico. It didn’t help that his partner was flipping off the fans and acting the heel for most of the match. Like the Young Bucks debut at Rey de Reyes, this felt like an artificially inserted AEW segment that’ll produce useful content for a web series and not something which naturally fit on AAA show. (They even did hot tag psychology, which will make a lot of sense in an AEW video package but never gets over when Americans do it in AAA.) It did get better with the Young Bucks return and I’m sure it’ll get better when Cody is on a team with Psycho Clown instead at TripleMania. They really needed someone like Psycho Clown teaming with Cody here too. This was just one match so I feel like I’ve wasted too many words on it, but it does feel like the presentation of AEW in AAA could be improved to fix these issues. (They really need to do something to explain who Kenny Omega is for the many AAA fans who have no idea why they’re supposed to be excited about him at TripleMania.)
There were things – Monster Clown/Aerostar jumps to mind, but Los Mercanarios also set up a bunch of title matches in the opening promo – building to a show that is not TripleMania. AAA sure has a lot of important shows planned for the last third of this year, so they do need to be building past TripleMania. But it is AAA, so there’s always a little bit of concern these are loose threads that will never be sown up. It doesn’t really hurt the TripleMania build to announce now that Monster Clown and Aerostar are having their match at MSG or LA or Heroes Inmortales. That’s also just not the way AAA does things.
Wagner beating Demon is the usual “guy who’s losing the big match-winning the one in the lead up” bit we’ve come to except. Nino Hamburguesa appearing to care more about Big Mami than Lady Maravilla might be the galaxy brain version of that trope.
The building appeared to be a sell-out, though I never thought to check out the upper reaches. The crowd was more responsive than previous shows in this building, though they died off a bit late in the show, especially in the AAA/AEW match.
AAA is off until TripleMania on August 3rd. This was a very long night, ending around 1AM. That one starts an hour longer. Prepare for it to end around the same time.
AAA says they’ll have a big announcement today at 2 pm. It’s probably a Psycho Clown mask giveaway.
Tonight’s CMLL show is Jushin Thunder Liger’s farewell match to the promotion. Liger came to Mexico when he was considered too small and young to wrestle in Japan, training in Arena Mexico. He impressed quickly and made a much bigger name for himself in Japan. Liger (often spelled as “Lyger” in Mexico, I randomly go back and forth) has returned to periodically Mexico over the years. His longest runs were in 2010 and 2011, where he spent many months a top figure in the promotion. Liger won the 2010 CMLL Universal tournament over La Sombra and participated in the cage match on the Aniversario show that year. Liger’s 2011 return included a title match loss to Dragon Rojo and his most recent match against Ultimo Guerrero.
Liger will face Ultimo Guerrero again tonight as well as Caristico and Negro Casas in the first-ever Relevos CMLL match. It appears to be a simple four-way match, which CMLL has run on big occasions in the past, just with a fancy new name. The only difference they’ve mentioned is that instead of two people randomly starting the match, it’ll be Jushin Liger and whoever he chooses. When the person in charge says they’re looking for new ideas, might be worth a shot to make the old ideas sounds like they’re new.
Tonight’s the end of Liger’s story in CMLL. The story for the rest of the summer may start in the semi-main. Dinastia Munoz (Rush, Mistico and La Bestia del Ring) are facing the returning LA Park and his two sons. CMLL’s Aniversario show is 8-9 weeks away, there is no obvious match for that show. I’m reluctant to believe LA Park versus Rush is actually happening. CMLL’s gone down that road before and bailed off it. Actually convincing LA Park to put his mask which he’d almost surely lose is an incredibly challenging task. LA Park’s been featured prominently in MLW and his usage there suggests they expect him to be in a big masked way when their first PPV takes place in October. It is LA Park, so anything is possible, but I’d be prepared for this to be a violent brawl that doesn’t lead to anything definite.
LA Park seemed to say Salina de la Renta is debuting tonight as well. LA Park and his are part of de la Renta’s Promociones Dorada group in MLW.
The rest of the CMLL card is also a big show lineup, as this is the big monthly event. (CMLL commentary might give a hint of the next one, which seems to be the Gran Prix.) The fourth match is a rare 4v4 match for CMLL, where NGD unusually team with Volador Jr. against Templario, Gran Guerrero, Euforia and his son Soberano Junior. We got a bit of Sobreano with Los Guerreros recently and it was pretty good. This match looks very promising.
Marcela & Amapola, the CMLL women’s rivalry of the first part of this decade, will have their first title match in Arena Mexico since 2011 in the third match. I understand why they’re doing this match, but it’s also a subtle indictment of CMLL’s inability to recruit, train and improve luchadoras that they still have to go back to this match for a big show. A title change is highly unlikely. Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja team with Esfinge against Ephesto, Lucifierno, and Hechicero. That’s usually Mephisto’s spot, who did appear in Arena Puebla earlier this week. The show opens with Sonic & Super Astro facing Cancerbero & Raziel.
CMLL starts at 8:30. It’ll air on Marca (new link) and on their YouTube. I’ll also stream it on my YouTube.
Jushin Thunder Liger did a press interview on Thursday in addition to the CMLL Facebook appearance. There’s also a video interview with MedioTiempo. Liger said, when he first came to Mexico, Paco Alonso was surprised someone had traveled from Japan to train as a luchador. He was impressed enough to waive Liger’s gym & training fees. Liger mentioned he trained with Rafael Salamanca and Halcon Ortiz. Halcon and Liger got to talk on Thursday, with Halcon presenting his former student with a mask. Liger says watching Dragon Lee and Titan fight convinced him he no longer had the speed to fight with them and his time has passed. Liger said two Mexican wrestlers he admires are Negro Casas (had the most spirit in the ring) and Perro Aguayo (seeing him was the best.) Liger mentioned his retirement match will be on the January 5th show, the second of the two Tokyo Dome shows. Not sure if that had been out there. Liger said some CMLL wrestlers may be invited.
Black Terry (as Guerrero Maya), Aeroboy, and Esfinge posted tribute masks to Liger they plan on wearing. I’m sure there will be a lot more. Aeroboy mentions watching Liger matches when he was young (the one Hayabusa and in WCW are mentioned) and playing with him on the Nintendo 64. He feels very privileged to get to face Liger on Saturday, knowing many other luchadors would want the same moment. Ultimo Guerrero mentioned he was impressed with the reaction Liger got in Ring of Honor when he was there.
Okumura and Kawato both mention they would’ve liked to be involved in Liger’s final match but are happy just to attend the card. Kawato hopes he’ll have a chance to face Liger in a singles match back in Japan before he retires.
Lucha Central has a preview of the Arena Mexico show.
Hijo del Villano III called Atlantis Jr. “a spoiled little boy.”
Super Nova said he left AAA due to lack of opportunities and hopes for more chances as now as an independent.
Arena Coliseo Guadalajara is hosting dancing classes now.
Black Label Pro announced Rey Horus vs Taurus for their 08/24 show in Crown Point, Indiana.
Zeuxis hasn’t wrestled much lately; her last known match in Mexico was April. She is scheduled to wrestle in Puerto Rico this weekend. I may start believing in a Mae Young Classic curse in Mexico. Zeuxis went from a mask win on the Aniversario show to being a near-forgotten person. Princesa Sugehit hasn’t been seen in six weeks since suffering a concussion, though she is advertised on a show on August 1st.
MexaWrestling “Summer Course” on 08/10 in Arena San Juan Pantitlan
LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.
Segunda Caida writes about all the Pierroth matches in WWE.
Lineup
AAA , ELITE (FRI) 08/09/2019 Domo de Zumpango, Zumpango, Estado de México
1) Samoano & Tonga vs Fly Warrior & Mr. Leo
2) Faby Apache & Goya Kong vs Diosa Quetzal & Rossy Moreno
3) Argenis & Mocho Cota Jr. vs Karonte Jr. & Zumbi
4) Hijo Del Vikingo & Myzteziz Jr. vs Astral & Golden Magic
5) La Parka & Parka Negra vs Electroshock & Verdugo
6) Dave The Clown & Psycho Clown vs Trauma I & Trauma II
Just noting the AAA/ELITE concept continues. This, like the previous show, is listed as a TV taping. No idea when or where (or if it really is happening at all.) Monterrey’s KDNA says they’ll also have an AAA/ELITE show on 08/11 with Canek.
Tonight’s the final AAA taping before TripleMania from Aguascalientes. The stream starts at 9 pm Central Time (with a dark match starting around 8:30 pm.) The main event is one last Blue Demon/Dr. Wagner trios match, the tenth streamed match they’ve had this year. That remains the focus of AAA going into the biggest show of the year, though this one might get a little different attention with Pentagon Jr. being involved for the first time. Penta’s not been in AAA at all this year outside of the Young Bucks feud. AAA actually getting a date on Penta while only making him the third man on a team doesn’t seem like great usage unless there’s a bigger plan.
Taurus ran over Cody Rhodes back at Rey de Reyes, aggravating his injured knee. AAA teased Cody being back at Verano de Escandalo, and he’s actually making his return tonight. He teams with the debuting MJF against Taurus & Daga. The Young Bucks are Konnan-aligned rudos in AAA, while Cody was presented as anti-Konnan in his previous appearance. That was all handwaved at the time and probably will be again. (There’s also the weirdness of Cody being a tecnico in AEW and MJF being a rudo, but that seems more of an intentional plot point than an inconsistency.) Taurus is great but this tag match has a lot of variance to it. I’ve thought Daga is better than he’s shown lately and I’m not sure how those two will mesh with Cody & MJF. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was really good or a slight disaster.
Brian Cage versus Killer Kross looked on paper like possibly Kross continuing his undefeated run with a win over an impressive foreigner to launch him into the TripleMania trios match. I have no idea what it is is now that Cage appears to be off this show due to injury. I would’ve put Murder Clown in Kross’ spot, but Murder hasn’t indicated he’s on this show. Your guess is as good as mine. (Latigo‘s indicated he’s now on this show, but I don’t think he’s replacing Cage.)
The rest of the show are interchangeable tag matches. They’ve already been changed up once, so it would be no big surprise for them to change again. Averno & Chessman are scheduled to team with Eterno against Puma King, Laredo Kid, and Aerostar, in what might be the best trios match of the night. The fourth match was announced as Faby, Hamburguesa, and Taya versus Dave, Tessa, and Keyra, but Keyra’s certainly out due to injury as well. Golden Magic & Lady Shani are listed as facing La Hiedra & Villano III Jr. in a mixed tag. Big Mami and Lady Maravilla open the streamed portion of the show, with Dinastia, Eclipse, Parka Negra and Ultimo Maldito expected to be their partners. That should continue the Nino Hamburguesa drama, though certainly not resolve it before TripleMania.
This looks about an average show of matches, but an average AAA show has been an enjoyable one lately. There will be some added curiosity because of the AEW wrestlers involvement, though their match happening a couple of hours into a late starting taping will mean most people will hear about it rather than see it. The goal here might just be to create enough noise that those people make sure to see it themselves when TripleMania comes around.
AAA is off Twitch until 08/03 for TripleMania after this one.
Lucha Central has a preview of the AAA show.
Cain Velasquez posted a moderately boring promo that’ll also probably be played tonight.
AAA posted a vignette last night with La Parka convincing Los Jinetes del Aire to sort of break up. La Parka’s been treated as their mentor character since giving Angelikal the Myzetziz Jr. gimmick and setting up the trio late last year. (It’s a smart way to give Parka a vital player/coach role without giving him a big feud.) In the video, La Parka tells Myzteziz, Vikingo, and Laredo Kid that they’ve been a great team, but Laredo Kid can grow even bigger and deserves a place in the main event. He recommends Laredo Kid leaving the group to make a mark on his own and suggests Golden Magic as the replacement in the team. Parka explains AAA gave the new team permission to continue to be trios champions. Los Jinetes del Aire agree with Parka’s idea and Parka assures Myzteziz & Vikingo that they’ll be top stars within a couple of years. Golden Magic was already announced as teaming with Myzteziz & Vikingo on TripleMania. AAA had earlier hinted that would somehow be a trios title match and will probably make that clear during today’s TV taping.
AAA has to be planning on seriously going all the way with Laredo Kid. There’s no need to pull him out of the team unless Laredo is going to be wrapped up in that for a while and they don’t want to put the trios titles on ice. Having Laredo Kid team with Myzteziz & Vikingo has made for much steadier trios matches than I expect they’ll have with the talented but inconsistent Golden Magic. I like the idea of Top Star Laredo Kid, though there’s the same looming they’ve had with Fenix – Laredo’s not exclusive to AAA, does not appear to be under contract to AAA, could be less available in Mexico if bookings elsewhere pick up, and could be completely unavailable if a WWE offers him a deal. (I’d be surprised if there hasn’t been any recent contact there following Laredo appearing in AEW’s show.)
I think this may have aired on TV as part of either the Monterrey or Cancun TV taping; it’s obviously been taped a while back because Parka’s mask fringe is sporting a Pride Month color scheme. It did not air on Twitch. The first I’ve heard of it was when AAA posted it on YouTube and everything on YouTube usually airs on TV earlier.
Ayako Hamada pops up on the AAA show in Nuevo Laredo on Monday. It’s possible she’s just grabbing an extra booking while being in the area for Pro Wrestling Mexico on Sunday, but she still seems like someone who could turn up in AAA at any time.
Ring of Honor quietly released the Dragon Lee & Rush versus Briscoe Brothers match on their website for free this morning. This was taped at their most recent TV taping in Philadelphia and is worth your time to check out. I don’t think it’s airing on TV – there’s a moment with Rush and blood that local TV networks may not be thrilled with – but it’d be a great match without it.
Silueta made a surprise appearance at the Arena Jalisco show on Sunday, attacking Chik Tormenta after she won a match. Silueta was a regular CMLL luchadora thru the end of 2017 and re-appeared for one match in Arena Coliseo Guadalajara this past May. She had not seen since in CMLL and had not been seen much. On Twitter, Silueta explained she’s outside of CMLL for the moment, thanking CMLL for giving her “temporary permission” to wrestle outside the company and letting promoters know she’s free to take bookings. The El Planchitas gossip column has an alternate version of what happened, saying Silueta had been blocked from getting much working by the Arena Coliseo Guadalajara programming department. They go on to say the person in charge (Magnum?) told close friends that if Silueta wanted to get booked, she would have to give him a sexual favor. Planchita immediately notes the programmer could’ve just meant that as a joke, but that’s not something people in power should even be joking about. Even if this story isn’t true – and Planchitas doesn’t have a great accuracy rate of late – it does make sense for Silueta to go independent. There’s not much opportunity for luchadoras in CMLL and there may be more on her own.
Meanwhile, the thing CMLL is very concerned about is fans might not understand the rules of a Relevo CMLL. Back in reality, I’d be half the fans coming to CMLL shows now don’t understand the rules of the basic trios matches they run every week.
Fly Star ran in on the DTU main event and ended up with seven stitches from a Demus light tube smash, which should be a lesson against running in.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter mentions the WWE October PPV is probably 10/06, which means the AAA show in Los Angeles will be going up against a WWE live event in Anaheim but it won’t be a PPV. That’s slightly better.
MexaWrestling next show is 08/10 in Arena San Juan.
“how many people can actually fit in Arena Puebla” watch: this article about the 66th Anniversary has the capacity as just under 3,000 people.
Did you know: Dulce Gardenia also was (is?) in modern pentathlon. That’s pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding, and cross-country running unless I’m confused about which pentathlons he’s in. I’m definitely confused as to why Dulce hasn’t wrestled in Arena Mexico since that big introduction; he was back in Torreon this past weekend.
The New York Times has a write up of the latest documentary on Cassandro.
Lucha Talk has a new episode up.
Lineups
CMLL (TUE) 07/23/2019 Arena México
1) Bengala & Sonic vs Cholo & Inquisidor
2) La Jarochita, Maligna, Mystique vs Amapola, La Seductora, Reyna Isis
3) Black Panther, Blue Panther Jr., Star Jr. vs Dark Magic, Okumura, Universo 2000 Jr.
4) Tritón vs Pólvora [lightning]
5) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Flyer vs Felino, Hechicero, Hijo del Villano III
6) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Terrible
A Tuesday show. Would you believe this is the first time Triton and Polvora have had a lightning match despite being in the same trios matches for about a decade. They did meet in the 2012 En Busca de un Idolo.
CMLL (TUE) 07/16/2019 Arena México [CMLL, Lucha Central]
1) Magnus & Retro b Akuma & Espanto Jr. 
Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Drone, Fuego, Magia Blanca b Disturbio, Misterioso Jr. Hijo del Signo, Sagrado
Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Black Panther, Blue Panther Jr., El Audaz b Dark Magic, Okumura, Virus
Tecnicos took 1/3
4) Felino b Blue Panther [lightning]
5) Hechicero, Rey Bucanero, Vangellys b Kráneo, Stuka Jr., Titán
Rudos took 2/3
6) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Valiente b Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Mr. Niebla
Tecnicos took 2/3
Felino talked about his win. Which was an odd one; Pompin signaled the submission win and Felino reacted like normal, but Blue Panther seemed confused. He never physically indicated he gave up. It wouldn’t have mattered if he did since Pompin was looking at Felino instead of Panther. My guess is that was intended to be the finishing hold but perhaps Panther was planning to hold out for a few seconds longer. This is all more interesting than the rest of this show.
Box Y Lucha posted interviews with Blue Panther, Felino, Hechicero and Stuka.
CMLL (TUE) 07/16/2019 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) El Alteño, Luminoso, Star Black b Furia Roja, Gemelo Pantera I, Gemelo Pantera II
2) La Comandante, La Seductora, Tiffany b Avispa Dorada, La Guerrera, Mystique
rudas took 1/3.
3) Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa, Star Jr. b Difunto, Tiger, Universo 2000 Jr.
Difunto replaced Kawato. Tecnicos took 1/3.
4) Fantástico b Capitán Cobra [lightning]
5) Cavernario, Negro Casas, Pólvora b Esfinge, Soberano Jr., Tritón
Rudos took 2/3.
6) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Volador Jr. DQ La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible
straight falls, Rush fouling Volador in the second.
Luminoso returned from injury in the openers. The Tuesday lightning matches continue to get added as a surprise (or after they submit the lineups to Mexico City for the posters.)
Mascara 2000 made an appearance on El Voz Senor, a Mexico version of US singing show The Voice. He was not chosen to move on. He also did not seem to be identified as a luchador. El Voz Senor is a TV Azteca show and CMLL is a Televisa product, so that’s an unusual cross over.
Liger is on his way to Mexico.
AAA on US PPV
PWInsider reports AAA’s 09/15 New York and 10/13 Los Angeles shows are scheduled to air on US PPV. No price is mentioned. The PPVs are said to be on all platforms, which sounds promising for an internet competent but that’s not confirmed. Dorian Roldan had previously said these shows would not air on Twitch but would be televised. I took that to mean a television channel, but it’s possible Roldan meant PPV all long.
Running PPVs on those dates present some issues. PW Insider says there are already WWE PPVs on both those days. The 09/15 is already announced as the Clash of the Champions show in North Carolina. PW Insider believes the 10/13 date will also end up a PPV, which also means it’ll be the show WWE is running in Anaheim, California opposite the AAA Los Angeles show. The WWE dates for these shows were public for months and people in the PPV industry presumably have an idea when WWE is running shows. WWE PPV buys are a fraction of what they used to be with every show also airing on the WWE Network, but they still seem to be the most purchased shows by people still buying WWE PPVs. Their existence at all means the AAA PPVs will be shuffled to secondary PPV channels; anyone wanting to buy these shows will have to do a little extra work and be reminded they have a WWE option. AAA picked the 09/15 date to be close to Mexican Independence Day. It’s unclear how or why they ended up on 10/13 for the Los Angeles show. Running a PPV in Madison Square Garden also adds significant extra union labor costs, a reason why WWE’s previously refrained from using the arena.
AAA’s last US PPV was 2015’s TripleMania, a broadcast memorable for severe technical issues to the point where refunds were offered after the show. The plan then was to broadcast ever major AAA show on PPV, but it was abandoned after the failure of that show. The ensuing internal strife over the failure seemed to contribute to lead booker Konnan’s exit (among others) from the promotion by the end of that year. The specific production issues that happened to that show should be fixed with another production crew. I’m still increasingly worried about this all being a similar level of disaster that leaves fallout for years. AAA is really good right now, even their “bad” shows are OK, I would really prefer for everyone not to lose their mind and the promotion return to the “Dalton Bragg versus Joe Lider” days. This has a chance to cause everyone to lose their minds.
The general perception is AAA is going to cancel these shows at some point. It does not seem like that’s close to happening. Beyond the PPV announcements, Dorian Roldan was posting video from inside Madison Square Garden on Instagram yesterday. The other general perception is this is an AAA funded event. I think that’s not true – AAA doesn’t promote most of the events it runs in Mexico, and every US incursion has included some outside investors getting involved. I’d guess that’s the same this time, even if it’s never been the same, and these are something along the lines of sold shows. Perhaps there’s a business plan somewhere noting the number of subscribers AAA has on YouTube (915,363 when I checked), the number the Young Bucks have (390,699), AEW’s ticket sales, and a demographic breakdown of the latinx population that makes a compelling case. It’s hard to match that up with the reality of the situation.
I don’t think AAA would want to poison their TripleMania build by cancelation these shows prior to it. And I don’t think AAA’s interested in actually building these shows up before TripleMania. So, let’s hope to not talk about all of this for a few weeks.
Other AAA notes
Or maybe it’ll just bleed into the next section. This past weekend’s Arena Neza AAA show set up a Psycho Clown & Maximo vs Traidor Clowns match for 09/15. You might notice that’s the day of the AAA show in MSG. Maximo was specifically advertised for the MSG show. You can’t be in New York and Neza at the same time. Maybe it’s a mistake? (I thought at first they meant August 15th, but that’s a Thursday and there are no Thursday Arena Neza shows.) That might be the first real sign of the MSG show being canceled. But then why would Dorian Roldan be in MSG?
The bigger takeaway here is it seems like Mexico City promoters are going to run on September 15th. Independence Day Eve has been treated as an impossible day to draw in recent years and so a dead day for lucha libre. It is a Sunday this year, so that may cause a different approach. It also means that if you’re a person planning to go to Mexico for that weekend – which could also be the CMLL Anniversario weekend – you might be able to find shows for all the days. I just wouldn’t suggest you actually going to Arena Neza specifically, that area is unsafe for foreigners.
(related: Canelo Alvarez is now not boxing on September 14th.)
Fenix has been announced as appearing on the 08/10 TV taping in Saltillo, Coahuila. That would be Fenix’s first appearance on a regular AAA TV taping since last September. They were headed to a title match program then and probably will be again for Heroes Inmortales. AAA’s talked about Fenix & Penta appearing more often in the second half of the year. This is at least one more appearance.
That next TV taping card is typically out by now and might turn up at any point.
DTU
DTU (TUE) 07/16/2019 Arena Aficion [+LuchaTV, Cuadrilatero TV]
1) Samuray Jr. b Fight Panther, Kunay, Vengador Radioactivo, Aero Panther, Dragón Suicida
2) Gran Cobra b Drolux, Fly Danger, Calibus, Estudiante Jr., Sindrome
Gran Cobra is the former Pequeno Cobra.
3) Baronessa, Calibus, Low Rider b Jitzu, Moria, Sagitarius
4) Brazo Celestial, Brazo Cibernetico, Brazo De Oro Jr. b Exótico, Kaleth, Pesadilla
sets up the Brazos challenging Kaleth & Tiburon (not mentioned) for a DTU NEXO title match
5) Hijo del Solar & Solar I b Camuflaje & Kevin
money thrown in
6) El Diablo Fly Star b Hard Boy, Ultrasonico (Veracruz), Malakraido
Fly Star earns a title shot at some point.
7) Damián 666 & Demus b Hijo De Dr. Pólux & Kunai and Crazy Boy & Crazy King and Carta Brava Jr. & Fresero Jr.
Fly Star attacked Crazy King before the finish. Demus also wants a title shot, setting up a Demus/Fly Star/Crazy King DTU title match with barbed wire.
DTU often struggles for fans, so a strong turnout at Arena Aficion is worth noting. I’m not sure why this did better than usual; Damian and Demus being included helped but it seems more than I’d expect just from them. This seems like it’ll turn up on +Lucha at some point.
The next DTU at Arena Aficion will be Casta de Campeones on 08/15. The poster lists five championship matches along with Puma King. They set up two title matches here. There will probably be some random title matches, but DTU also might be getting around to resolving their Alto Impacto situation. That secondary champion has been held by now MLW/Impact wrestler Ace Austin since last April. There’s no sign of him being back for that champion’s show so far.
Nacion Lucha Libre
There’s a second lineup!
NLL (SAT) 07/27/2019 Centro de Convenciones, Fresnillo, Zacatecas
1) Baby Xtreme vs Dual, Azrael, Batab El Guerrero
2) Dulce Sexy & Lady Flammer vs Reina Oscura & Stephanie Vaquer
3) Emperador Azteca (Indie) & Séptimo Dragón vs Súper Nova & the Tiger (Tamaulipas)
4) Galeno Del Mal, Hijo De Wagner, Hijo Del Espectro vs Brazo De Oro Jr., Fresero Jr., La Park Jr.
5) Hijo del Fantasma & La Máscara vs Carlito & Chavo Guerrero
6) Alberto el Patrón & Hijo De Dos Caras vs Bram & MVP
Maybe the third match will be OK. Nacion hasn’t actually announced this show yet but Lo Mejor de Lucha had it. The promotion is concentrating on hyping the TV debut, which is Saturday at 10:30 pm. Kamille and Ricardo Rodriguez are also advertised though not wrestling.
Razon says Chavo Guerrero is officially Nacion Lucha Libre’s “director of operations.” That article mentions Nacion Lucha Libre promising health care to their wrestlers; I believe that’s more marketing hype than reality.
Other Notes
There’s a Twitter thread calling Billy Boy and Faby Apache the most toxic couple ever.
Dragon Lee versus Kenny King has been added to the 07/21 Ring of Honor show.
Warrior Wrestling announced Dragon Lee vs Andrew Everett for their 09/01 show outside of Chicago.
Segunda Caida writes about CMLL’s Juicio Final.
LuchaWorld has their latest Lucha Report and a new edition of their podcast.
One of the many Huracan Ramirez Jr.’s – this one also wrestled as Shogun – passed away earlier this week.
El Universal has a history of Mil Mascaras.
Lector 24 has an interview with Goya Kong.
Lineups
CMLL (MON) 07/22/2019 Arena Puebla
1) Arkalis & Tigre Rojo Jr. vs El Malayo & Policeman
2) Marcela & Skadi vs Dalys & La Metálica
3) Perverso, Stigma, Virus vs Eléctrico, Kairos, Toro Bill Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
4) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
5) Soberano Jr. © vs Negro Casas [MEX WELTER]
8th defense
6) Carístico, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero vs Euforia, Valiente, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
That’s a mixed up main event. And maybe a set up for a tag title match.
Soberano/Casas was good the last couple times they did it.
Karios is a new name for Arena Puebla. He’s not a new name for Puebla itself, where he’s been wrestling as an indie wrestler. He also popped up in Arena Coliseo in 2017 in a special singles match against Demasiado. That was presented as two hopefully getting a tryout at the time. It was also presented what in the Nuestra Lucha Libre documentary TV series, which had me suspicious the true reason they got the match was to create a storyline for an episode. Neither has been back in CMLL since. Kairos himself hasn’t been much of anywhere. It seems to be at least partly a spelling issue, but he’s not worked a lot since then and showing up in a tercera is a bit random.
Women’s tag match seems headed to another Marcela/Dalys title match.
CMLL (TUE) 07/23/2019 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Explosivo, Fantástico, Star Black vs Carlo Roggi, Fúnebre, Paymon
2) Hijo De Mano Negra, Príncipe Diamante, Vaquero Jr. vs Difunto, Hijo del Signo, Sangre Azteca
3) Esfinge, Fuego, Rey Cometa vs Disturbio, Sagrado, Vangellys
4) Místico, Titán, Valiente vs Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas
5) Volador Jr. vs Rush
Volador and Rush seems like it should be an ultimate match in CMLL but also feels like the one most likely to be mailed in.
Hijo de Mano Negra is CMLL Mexico City trainee popping up here, so he’s likely (though not definitely) headed to the main roster shows before long. CMLL was lacking another family member being invovled.
CMLL (MON) 07/15/2019 Arena Puebla [CMLL, Lucha Central]
Arena Puebla 66th Anniversary
1) Fuerza Chicana & Toro Bill Jr. b Rey Samuray & Tigre Rojo Jr.
Rudos took 1/3.
2) Marcela & Skadi b Amapola Reina Isis & Dalys
tecnicas took 2/3
3) Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto b Kráneo, Stigma, Titán
Rudos took 2/3.
4) Perverso b King Jaguar [hair]
Perverso took falls 2/3 to win King Jaguar’s hair.
5) Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero b Ángel de Oro, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr.
Straight falls. Casas challenged Soberano to a title match for next week.
6) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón © b La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible [MEX TRIOS]
NGD took the 2 (mask pull DQ) and 3rd. 12th defense.
I haven’t seen a moment of this one yet, but my impression is the hair match was worse than I expected and the title match is better. Perverso is one of the better young luchadors but he’s not very good – or at least he hasn’t been in Arena Puebla – and it should be a problem to CMLL that they’re not developing lucahdors well in this arena right now. It doesn’t seem like that important of a thing to them. Soberano and Casas (who became a grandfather for the fifth time earlier in the day) has been good before and should be good again next week.
Nothing big tonight in Arena Mexico. Brothers Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja unite with Valiente to face Euforia, Gran Guerrero and Mr. Niebla. The semi-main give you your weekly doses of Rey Bucanero & Vangellys. They team with Hechicero against Kraneo, Stuka, and Titan. Blue Panther versus Felino might be a creative lightning match, or it might just be a match. Panther’s sons team with Audaz against Dark Magic, Okumura, and Virus. The group of Drone, Fuego, Misterioso, and Soberano feel like they’re one spot lower than usual (not as much Magia Blanca & Disturbio) by working a Tuesday second match, which is probably a ripple from Friday’s card being loaded up and midcard free. Magnus & Retro face Akuma & Espanto in the opener. This will stream at 7:30 pm on CMLL’s YouTube channel.
Guadalajara has the Atlantis family teaming up with Volador against Los Ingobernables.
It’s a busier Tuesday than usual for shows. DTU has a busy show at Arena Aficion, which seems likely to turn up on +LuchaTV either live or later on. Lucha Memes and Generacion 21 are making a visit to Arena Queretaro. Mistico & Octagon versus Caristico & Fuerza Guerrera doesn’t appeal to my tastes but perhaps Caifan vs Puma King or Alas Acero/Iron Kid vs Arkangel Divino/Ultimo Demonio vs Gremlin/Speed Demon will be better.
The government of Soledad de Graciano Sanchez honored lucha libre venue Arena Margartia for its 15th Anniversary. I thought the venue was in San Luis Potosi proper and now I have a lot to fix at some point.
Laredo Kid was announced for the Black Label Pro “Turbo Graps 16” tournament on 09/21 in Crown Point, Indiana
+LuchaTV has the newest edition of their podcast.
LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.