Dos Misticos Tag Team Champions, The Crash 8th Anniversary show, AAA/MLW

CMLL (FRI) 11/01/2019 Arena México [Lucha Central, The Gladiatores, thecubsfan]
1) Espanto Jr. & Espíritu Negro b Magnus & Príncipe Diamante
Espiritu Negro replaced Akuma. Rudos took 1/3.
2) Dalys, Metálica, Reyna Isis b La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit 
Rudas took 2/3. Lluvia replaced Marcela.
3) Atlantis Jr., Flyer, Fugaz DQ Hechicero, Hijo del Villano III, Templario 
9:42. straight falls, the last when Villano III unmasked Atlantis
4) Sansón b Star Jr. [Rey del Inframundo] 
23:53. Sanson took falls 2/3. Second defense.
5) Cavernario, Mephisto, Último Guerrero b Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Stuka Jr. 
7:05. straight falls.
6) Carístico & Místico b Euforia & Gran Guerrero [CMLL TAG] 
18:14. Tecnicos took 1/3. Caristico & Mistico are the 42nd champions. Guerreros fall on their 4th defense.

CMLL Promos: Sanson, Ultimo Guerrero, Mistico & Caristico.

Press room interviews: Guerreros Laguneros (The Gladiatores), Star Jr. (The Gladiatores, Box Y Lucha), Sanson (The Gladiatores, Box Y Lucha), Mistico & Caristico (The Gladiatores)

This didn’t stream live and CMLL didn’t mention it not streaming live. I assume that is intentional. There is at least a shot it may have been some technical streaming problem. The CMLL recording is usually streamed live on a private link and then made public later. That one is missing the first half hour of the show. The show did air in full (albeit on a two hour delay) on Nuestra Vision, so whatever issue there was had to do with the streaming. Still, CMLL’s capable of saying “our stream isn’t working” just as much as they’re capable of saying “we’re not streaming tonight”, and they went the usual Mexican wrestling deal of not saying anything when it is bad news. As always, it is important to remember that CMLL does the streaming bit as a way to make a tiny bit of extra money and doesn’t really care about them beyond that.

I thought fourth and six matches were good though not great. They tried, and they probably tried for too long in the Rey del Inframundo match. Star Jr. was fine, though he also seems like a guy who’s going to be better off in trios matches than singles. The crowd did get behind the Caristico & Mistico team, so hopeuflly this has legs. (They didn’t really get behind Star as much.)

CMLL switched from body paint to wearing cloth skeleton themed tops and bottoms for the rudos. It was probably a lot easier (and a lot cheaper) but seeing a dozen people dressed the same way except for a slightly different mask hurt the concept. There was a big turnout for the show, though CMLL didn’t do the big arena shots they usually do for a large house.

Mystique is hoping to return late this year or early next year from her collarbone injury.

The Crash (FRI) 11/01/2019 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California [So Cal Uncensored, The Crash, Zona Ruda]
The Crash 8th Anniversary
1) Terror Azteca b Ovett Jr., Baby Xtreme, Soldado Del Invierno, Próximo [TLC, THE CRASH JUNIOR]
vacant title
2) Lady Flammer © b Christina Von Eerie [THE CRASH WOMEN]
3) Oráculo b Jonathan Gresham ©, Black Danger, Dinámico [THE CRASH CRUISER]
Orraculo won the title. Extreme Tiger challenged Oraculo to a title match.
4) Negro Navarro b Solar I
5) Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf © b Trauma I & Trauma II [The Crash TAG]
Damian 666 and Negro Navarro got involved in the finish, teasing a match
6) Rey Horus © b CIMA, Jeff Cobb [THE CRASH HEAVY]
Bandido appeared to challenge Rey Horus for the next show.
7) Arandú, Star Boy, Zarco b Animal, Demencia, Silver Star [hair, mask]
Triple Amenaza beats Los Haragnes in the triple apuesta match
8) Penta 0M & Rey Fénix DQ Dragón Lee (Munoz) & Rush
Bestia del Ring ran in after Fenix had removed Dragon Lee’s mask.

So Cal Uncensored streamed a couple of these matches on Periscope, and they may be up on YouTube by now. I only had a chance to really pay attention to the main event, which was good as long as you weren’t expecting anything big. The Crash appears to have sold out the building. They also set up matches for their 11/23 show, which was announced as the last show of the year. Their original schedule had one for 12/14 but those things can change.

The 11/23 date fits with Flamita saying he expected Bandido to be back this month.

MLW announced a talent sharing deal with AAA. No details were announced. There’s history here: MLW’s Court Bauer was also the guy heading up the English/US expansion in 2015, the person in charge of promoting the infamous 2015 TripleMania PPV. Bauer didn’t seem to have much to do with the issues of that show, but it did seem to lead to him leaving AAA. (Bauer had nothing bad to say about AAA even with leaning, which probably makes it a lot easier to do this deal four years later.) Bauer restarted MLW in the meantime, where Konnan’s been working in front and behind the scenes. MLW has been successful in marketing to latinx fans in US but hasn’t been able to find stable relationships with luchadors outside of the Park family since the Lucha Brothers left. Bauer’s previously mentioned and rejected the idea of doing a deal with CMLL or AAA, feeling anyone who got over could be shifted over to ROH or AEW. It’s unclear what has changed to make MLW unconcerned with that situation.

It also complicates the increasingly weird entanglement of wrestling promotions. AAA is working with AEW, Impact, and MLW, who are all competing for the same fans. MLW has relationships with AAA and The Crash, who are at war with each other. Konnan has talked about a world where all the promotions work together. That’s never happened because the promotions will eventually pick their own success over the success of the entire group. Maybe it’ll be different this time, but there’s more likely to be more shifting to come.

+LuchaTV has a video up teasing something with Zeuxis.

Silver King was remembred in Torreon as part of the Dia de Muertos celebration.

Lineups

CMLL (FRI) 11/08/2019 Arena México
1) Magnus & Príncipe Diamante vs El Coyote & Hijo del Signo
2) La Jarochita, Sanely, Shoko Nakajima vs Amapola, Dalys, Reyna Isis
3) Audaz vs Hijo del Villano III [lightning]
4) Dulce Gardenia, Fugaz, Star Jr. vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto
5) Cavernario, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero vs Soberano Jr., Titán, Valiente
6) Carístico, Místico, Volador Jr. vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón

Back to a normal card, with a familiar main event. Titan and Volador are back from Japan. Shoko Nakajima had been announced as coming in a while back, so far back that it was easy to forget by now. Perhaps she’ll get a win so Dalys can beat her one on one, but likely not.