Day: October 4, 2019

CMLL transitions from cutting ties with their two biggest stars a week ago to running their new star tournament this Friday. It’s a coincidence, CMLL plans these tournaments out in advance, it just sure is leading timing.

CMLL’s Gran Alternativa rookie/veteran tag team tournament this year is in the three-week, two-block format. It takes place in a moment without a lot of exciting rookies. Or at least those rookies aren’t in this competition. This Gran Alternativa should be the Hijo del Villano III & Atlantis Jr. year; maybe they’re in next week’s block? What remains is one obvious candidate and not too many others. Quick synopsis:

• Grako (w/Mephisto) & Coyote (w/Terrible) are an opening team, a cowboy, and his animal friend. Both have shown more enthusiasm and potential than the veteran rudos in that position but need work. They don’t seem to be in line for a push now, if ever. They’re likely out after the first round. The rookies tend to dress up like the veterans for one night, so the most we may get out of this duo is everyone losing their minds if Coyote wears Ingobernables gear.
• Arkalis (w/Stuka Jr.) is the first Puebla luchador to graduate to the main roster since Stigma did years ago. He’s a decent wrestler with no special look and has worked mostly openers. He’ll probably be done in one.
• Fugaz (w/Mistico) is a wild card. He’s a late replacement for fellow Guadalajara luchador Star Black. CMLL seems like they’ve had plans for Star Black, while Fugaz’s previous Mexico City appearances have just been filling out tournaments. He hasn’t really shown much so far. Star Black probably would’ve advanced once round, and Fugaz might do the same if it’s easier. Fugaz is perhaps the only guy in this group who doesn’t know if/when he might be in Arena Mexico again. The performance matters more than the results for him.
• Retro (w/Diamante Azul) is a tall person who acts like an older man. The Retro gimmick is to lean into that personality, but he needs to show more in the ring. Retro should make round two given who else is around. Farther might be the start of the expected push.
• Espiritu Negro (w/Mr. Niebla) is truly an older man, by wrestling standards. He’s a 38-year-old prelim guy here to make up the numbers, much like Raziel has been used in previous years. It’s not great for CMLL’s claim of having a great training school for Espiritu to be part of this. He won’t get out of round one.
• Difunto has Ultimo Guerrero as a partner, so that’s a pretty obvious clue he’s going far. He’s another Guadalajara wrestler who hasn’t been seen much in Mexico City. I thought he was pretty well the last time he came thru. He’s been kept in a strong position in Guadalajara and seems like a guy that will end up in a decent spot in Mexico City whenever he decides to relocate. (I’m thinking around Polvora level.) Difunto’s quickly got the best shot of winning the block on the rudo side – especially if they want to coronate Atlantis Jr. this year.
• Dulce Gardenia (w/Volador) is the clear favorite, already wrestling near the top of the card in a tournament full of people generally in opening matches. Dulce’s already pushed and likely will win big soon; it’s just a matter of when.

Too many matches on tonight’s card will damage this tournament. There are thirteen matches scheduled for this card. Some of those will be shorter than usual, and the Soberano/Templario match is specifically one fall, but that’s too many falls for a two-and-a-half-hour show. This tournament is going to be notable only for the outcomes, not the matches. The tag title match went 15 & 17 minutes in previous match-ups; it’s hard to believe they’re going to that sort of time after the tournament has concluded. It’d be great if they surprised, but keep your expectations in check.

It would be a sound card with an unlimited amount of time. The tag title matches have been repetitive, though with a purpose. Like most big Guerrero matches, they believe they’ve figured out a formula to have exciting matches, and they’re going to keep doing it the same way forever. Most people haven’t seen their Monday & Tuesday matches, so it should work fine if they have a chance to do it. Soberano & Templario has been strong whenever they’ve met and can create highlights even in a reduced amount of time. Cavernario, Cuatrero, and Hijo del Villano III versus Titan, Valiente, and Flyer are decent. The first two matches are more question marks: Rey Cometa & Guerrero Maya teaming with Esfinge against Dark Magic, Okumura, and Vangellys is not promising. The Guadalajara team of Silueta & La Magnifica sounds promising. Reyna Isis is one of the better rudas, but Seductora is definitely not. They’re most likely to be squeezed on time.

The Friday night show returns to Marca Claro’s YouTube channel tonight at 8:30 pm. Those streams remain blocked in the US, Puerto Rico, and Japan, so I’ll be streaming it on my channel.

Tonight additionally includes an ELITE show at Arena Naucalpan, with Murder & Psycho Clown versus Los Traumas. Myzteziz is still listed, so the card is subject to change. Arena Neza also has a show with Wagner vs LA Park vs Blue Demon scheduled.

+Lucha posted a Q&A with the Munoz family, taking place after the press conference. Alfredo did a lot of translation.

Rush said he didn’t feel excited the last 6-7 months in CMLL, and it was time to move on. Dragon Lee again said he had no intention of leaving CMLL. Rush thanked Franco Colombo (who is like an uncle but not truly related to them) and told him about leaving CMLL before he posted that announcement. Rush had talked to Chavo Lutteroth twice about a new deal but could not agree. Rush said he’d support Sofia Alonso in any new project she had.

Both Dragon Lee & Rush is felt they were helping CMLL by wrestling well outside of the promotion. They feel CMLL saw it differently and weren’t happy with them. Dragon Lee noted that CMLL would rarely mention his success outside of the promotion. (CMLL seems to have a policy of never saying outside work unless it is in NJPW or ROH.) Dragon Lee confirmed he & Cavernario were told not to work BOLA, but he wanted to grow as a luchador and though that would help. I’m honestly unsure if CMLL wants their wrestlers to grow past a certain point. I think it may be increasingly challenging to get CMLL wrestlers on non-ROH US shows in the future.

Dragon Lee mentioned he’d been contacted by big promotions. The week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter says WWE/Triple H is high on him. The same says AEW is higher on Rush of the two because of Lee’s involvement in Hiromu Takahashi’s injury. Rush wouldn’t be an option to AEW until after his ROH contract ends in 2020. I think it’s still most likely Dragon Lee ends working primarily with NJPW and more with ROH in the short & medium term.

Both the WON and Konnan on Keepin it 100 have the same basic theory on what happened with Sofia Alonso and her power in CMLL, mostly going with the idea of a coup. The long-time CMLL office employees and perhaps some of the older wrestlers feared changes Sofia would make. They were concern she wasn’t ready to run the company, or that she was prepared to sweep those long time people out. Those employees went to Chavo Lutteroth to convince him to take back over the company, and the family gave him power over Sofia Alonso. This was presented as what they think happened, though it didn’t seem completely clear if it was fact or extrapolation.

Konnan takes this a few steps forward and suggests the possibility of Sofia Alonso leaving CMLL and running opposition. This bit is not meant as disrespect to Konnan but, we’ve arrived in crazy town. Please use this section carefully and do not treat it like anything that has a chance of happening because you will be out ahead of yourself. LA Park has been suggesting the possibility of Sofia Alonso leaving all week, and much of LA Park says is a bit to get attention. (Konnan’s definitely not above that either.) Dragon Lee & Rush making a point of saying they’ll support Sofia Alonso in whatever she does suggest they’ve had similar thoughts. Sofia Alonso doing something outside of CMLL should be out of the question. CMLL is essentially her father’s company, her inheritance, and maybe even something she believes she’ll get back in the near future. It also may be something that is hers on paper already. Many of the CMLL trademarks (including some on the promotion’s name) were in Paco Alonso’s name. Some of those are now in Sofia Alonso’s name. Most businesses would have those trademarks under the business name, but very few of the CMLL ones appear that way. That’s been an immaterial difference to this point – CMLL & Alonso have been the same – but would give Sofia leverage if craziness broke out. And who knows how much that same policy of putting everything in Paco (& then Sofia) Alonso’s name extends to the rest of the business. It could be a messy divorce if she wanted a divorce.

I don’t think anything like that has a chance to happen. Sofia Alonso probably wouldn’t be showing up a CMLL lottery presentations if she was thinking of leaving the promotion. An internal battle over CMLL would be costly to everyone involved. It would significantly damage the company Sofia’s father has built. (It’s something that would primarily serve to help AAA, which Konnan happens to work for, in grabbing a larger market share and talent left adrift. AAA already benefits from the chaos though.) We also have so little information about how Sofia, Chavo, and any other Lutteroths reached this point. It could be Chavo took over and that’s that. It could be Chavo’s in control for now with a stated plan of easing Sofia in. It could be something completely different. We have little information about how CMLL works. Any little information we get it ends up gets taken as the complete truth and entire picture. Not because we know it’s correct but because there’s a vacuum in concrete knowledge of what’s going on.

All these possibilities are still worth considering, even if they seem highly unlikely. CMLL is in territory no one would’ve thought possible in January. I’d still be surprised if anything besides “running the same shows six times a week” came out of it. We’re just in a moment to be ready for surprises.

Lucha Libre Vanguardia (THU) 10/03/2019 Autolavado VM, Tulancingo, Hidalgo [+LucjaTV, Cuadrilatero TV]
1) Guerrero Sagrado Jr. & Zuzu Divine b Caballero Atena & Dayami 
Jeff Killer helped the losing team attack the winners post match.
2) Falcón Fire, Gasparin, Kulukitaka, Lobo Blanco Jr., Rey Dragón, Símbolo Azteca DCOR Dragón Boy, Freyzer, Jeff Killer, Josh Snipper, Mr. Chivo, Reyairon 
Rematch set up for 10/20.
3) Bobby Cruz, Impostor, Némesis b Colmillo Blanco, Dragón Latino, Tarasco II 
4) CIMA b Calibus, Aramis (Estado de México), Draztick Boy, Juventud Aerea, Jitsu [AEREO NACIONAL] 
CIMA pinned Aramis. CIMA was added to the match a few days before the show, while Jitsu added himself right before the match started.
5) Aero Boy & Violento Jack b Cíclope & Miedo Extremo and Crazy King & Lunatik Fly 

I’m weirdly fascinated with the promotion despite watching maybe five matches. I had the semi-main on last night while finishing up some other recaps, and it seemed fun. I may go back and watch later. Lucha Libre Vanguradia’s next show is 10/20 in Tulancingo with Pagano. That’s back to Sunday; I think this was a Thursday night show maybe to work with Violento Jack’s schedule. It’s the only match he’s doing in Mexico in between trips to FREEDOMS.

Record has quotes from AAA’s mass to honor Antonio Pena.

AAA also posted a tweet talking about their next two shows, which seems like a quiet acknowledgment that Los Angeles will not be one of them.

Flamita will make his Ring of Honor debut on their tour of the UK later this month. Flamita’s picking up Bandido’s dates, including singles matches with Colt Cabana on 10/25 in London and Speedball Mike Bailey on 10/27. The storyline is Bandido specifically asked ROH to bring in Flamita to replace him while he’s out hurt. It may be the truth. The idea of Flamita coming to ROH has been around since Bandido came aboard, though that was more with the idea of them teaming. It is best to understand this as an outgrowth of that relationship, not any commentary on the CMLL/ROH one.

Puma King’s latest video covers his tragic loss of the DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship.

Fantasma was part of a panel discussion on lucha libre in Cuernavaca. As people do every time they have these sort of discussions, they talked about the historic but demolished Arena Isabel and the need for a new lucha libre arena in the city.

SuperLuchas tells the story of the recently deceased Batman becoming X-Lord for X-LAW shows, a character focusing more on his height than the comic book character.

Hidalgo luchador Sky Angel talked to his hometown paper about moving to Texas for another job, noticing a poster for a wrestling show, and talking to the promoter about starting with them. He mentioned with a fair amount of promotions (but maybe he’s wrestling under a different name?) The best people he’s fought are Steve Pain & Jaivo VI, and his goal is defeating Poder Nocturno for the CTLL championship.

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 10/07/2019 Arena Puebla
1) King Jaguar & Rey Comodín vs Prayer & Rencor
2) Príncipe Diamante & Rey Samuray vs Centella Roja & Fuerza Chicana
3) Arkalis, Oro Jr., Súper Astro Jr. vs Cancerbero, Perverso, Raziel
4) Stigma, Stuka Jr., Titán vs Felino, Templario, Tiger
5) Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas
6) Último Guerrero vs Místico

Mistico should definitely win for image reasons but, it is unclear if CMLL believes they have an image problem.

There are more new names in the opener. Rey Comodin & Rencor are locals I haven’t seen. The oddly named Prayer is one I have seen, a bit – he’s been a regular player in Lucha Memes shows the last couple of years. He is part of a unit with (Mini) Multy(facetico) and Brole Extreme called Los Heavy Style; Brole’s disappeared but Prayer and Multy are among the better known and thought of local Puebla luchadors. Prayer’s match with Virus in 2017 got him some attention. It’s an interesting addition if he’s in for more than one show, and interesting in general to see new names popping up here when the local roster had been so unchanging.

CMLL (TUE) 10/08/2019 Arena México
1) Acero & Aéreo vs Pequeño Olímpico & Pierrothito
2) La Jarochita, La Vaquerita, Skadi vs La Comandante, Metálica, Reyna Isis
3) Drone, Oro Jr., Pegasso vs Disturbio, Pólvora, Universo 2000 Jr.
4) Black Panther, Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. vs Dark Magic, Misterioso, Sagrado
5) Atlantis, Místico, Soberano Jr. vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
6) Carístico vs Forastero

Forastero’s not going to win but could use a good match in this spot. This show could use a good match; there’s nothing promising here outside of the top two matches.