Month: March 2020

There are now known 12 cases of COVID-19 in Mexico. Only 1 is still hospitalized. Things can and have changed quick but business is proceeding like normal in Mexico for now. I’m going to trust you to read an implicit “assuming this isn’t affected by the coronavirus” in every paragraph so I don’t have to keep writing it. It is a bizarre experience to be writing about a country where everything seems to be going on as normal while living in one that seems to be swiftly shutting down.

MLW told PWInsider all of their staff and talent is either in Tijuana or Baja California. They did shut down their office on Monday because a case of COVID-19 was discovered locally, but Friday’s TV in Auditorio de Tijuana taping remains on. The ROH shows in Las Vegas, including Mexican wrestlers, are still on at this point.

The announced US travel ban includes Germany on the banned that list. Anyone foreigner there in the last 14 days is not able to travel to the US from Friday at midnight. That means Bandido, Puma King and Taurus will not be able to come to the US after Friday. Bandido is either en-route to the US or has arrived already; he was already going to be in before Friday to work the ROH PPV. Puma King is back in Mexico and I don’t believe his next book in the US is in the next two weeks. Taurus is still in Europe and was not scheduled to return for a week, though the shows he was scheduled to be on may no longer take place. Mexican luchadors typically connect thru the US from foreign bookings, which does not appear to be an option next week. (Taurus also won’t be allowed to work the AAW show on the 20th unless he’s in the US by Friday; that’s less than two weeks from his last day in WXW.) I don’t know how it’s going to work out for him.

A tourist industry event scheduled for Merida from March 22 to the 25th has been postponed over COVID-19 concern. Rey de Reyes is scheduled for the same city a day before. This is not apples to apples. That tourist function was expected to bring in hundreds of foreign visitors, Rey de Reyes will be mostly a local crowd. It is still a concerning sign. Any additional travel ban or concern would also throw havoc into that event. Not only would AAA be at risk of losing Kenny Omega, Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz, but Fenix is US based and Pentagon may be as well for the moment. Flip Gordon missing CMLL’s Homenaje a Dos Leyendas (and the CWE show in Costa Rica) won’t be as big a deal but also seems possible at this point.

IWRG is running another Thursday Night Wrestling tonight, with El Imperio facing Demonio Infernal, Fresero Jr. and Shun Skywalker. I watched the Death Metal versus Black Dragon match from last week’s debut show with this concept – review coming at some point – but the turnout looked good. It came off as dark in photos but as not bad in video. The tables are a fun idea for the crowd but also might turn dangerous the first time a luchador tries to do something silly around them. Metal & Dragon awkwardly brawled in between them to give the crowd a feel of the action but someone’s going to try to do more at some point.

TripleMania tickets are on SuperBoletos. They run from 251 to 7298 Mexican Pesos, which is slightly higher than last year on the high end but same on the low end. That money went a long way in paying for Blue Demon & Dr. Wagner last year. AAA advertising every match having a stipulation does suggest they don’t have a singular match to carry the entire card like a Wagner/Psycho in years past (so maybe keep expectations for LA Park vs Rush in check.)

I don’t think I ever put CMLL prices Homenaje a Dos Leyendas prices here. They are 336 to 1476, the same pricing as the last two years. It’s hard to believe, but the highest H2L prices remain the 2017 show with Diamante Azul and Pierroth in a mask match on top (plus a trios title match and an Ultimo Guerrero/Matt Taven match.)

On CMLL Informa yesterday, Julio Cesar Rivera stated that all of Sangre Chicana’s children were welcome to his tribute on Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. “You know who we’re talking about”, he said. I’m not sure exactly how welcome La Hiedra should feel if CMLL doesn’t feel comfortable saying her name. La Hiedra is currently booked in Cuernavaca that night. AAA could easily replace her for one show, card changes are common. It’s a matter of AAA letting her off that show and if CMLL is sincere about that welcome.

CMLL also pulled the KeMonito & Microman interview from Informa into a separate video. They should probably do this more often.

03/28 RIOT (“Trusa”) in Monterrey’s Arena LLF

• Demonio del Aire vs Jack Evans
• Alex Zayne & Blake Christian vs Kratoz & Prometo
• Aramis vs Iron Kid
• Willy Banderas vs Facade vs Douki  – changed
• Arez vs Erik Ortiz for the RIOT Championship
• Mr. Iguana vs King Rex

Another actor has been cast for the Blue Demon Disney show. The Violet role, the one they needed to find before the show could cast a pilot, has not been decided.

Hijo del Santo talks about his father beating him in 1v1 soccer and helping his son gain confidence in diving off the top rope.

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 03/16/2020 Arena Puebla
1) El Asturiano, Rey Samuray, Tigre Rojo Jr. vs El Malayo, El Perverso, Toro Bill Jr.
2) Marcela, Sanely, Skadi vs Dalys, La Comandante, Metálica
3) Diamond, Stigma, Stuka Jr. vs Disturbio, Hechicero, Sagrado
4) Carístico, Felino, Negro Casas, Terrible vs Cavernario, Euforia, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
5) Último Guerrero vs Forastero

That’s a family main event. CMLL accidentally booked an atomicos in build up for Homenaje a Dos Leyendas (and possibly because they had Soberano & Euforia both booked.)

AAA held their first TripleMania XXVII press conference today. There will be three of them between now and August 22nd. All matches on this year’s TripleMania will have something on the line, be it a mask, a hair, a belt or a trophy. Three of those matches were announced today.

• A Heroe o Villano five-man match. This is a tournament featuring international and AAA stars. AEW & Impact were mentioned. (No MLW.) No names were announced; Dorian set they were still finishing deals with people. The teaser image they used includes silhouettes of Laredo Kid & Kenny Omega. It’s possible those were just place holders.
• A Pagano versus Chessman hair versus hair match. A point of emphasis was this was going to be like a Pagano match you see on the indies (lots of weapons) and a no rules match.
• The finals of a four-team tournament, where the losing team will be in a mask versus mask match.
  • The four teams are Aerostar & Drago, Parka Negra & Dave the Clown, Octagon Jr. & Myzteziz and Pentagon Jr. & Fenix.
  • The tournament matches will take place before TripleMania. The semifinal matches will take some in April or May. The losing teams advance to a final on 05/23 Verano de Escandalo show. The team which loses that match wrestles in a mask match at TripleMania.

That last one is the most intriguing. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix having a mask match at TripleMania would be amazing and likely one of the most memorable AAA matches of all time, but it has zero chance of happening. Octagon & Myzteziz just got their AAA gimmicks and have about the same zero chance of losing. Dave the Clown & Parka Negra are the two lowest important people in this match, but would AAA run a Dave the Clown versus Parka Negra mask match at TripleMania? They’d have to work very hard the next few months to get people to care about one. Fans would care about Drago & Aerostar more but that’d be a big career move for either. “Something changes” seems likes the slight favorite.

The part I didn’t grasp at first is everyone besides the final two are still going to do something else at TripleMania. Penta & Fenix aren’t going to be in the mask match, so they may (and probably will) have another TripleMania match to be announced.

Pagano versus Chessman is more of a toss up than it might seem at first glance. The rudo normally loses his hair in this situation, but Pagano has lost his hair before and been fine. Pagano also seems like he’s at the ceiling of what AAA is going to do with him. It’s pretty high, it’s a good place to be, but this does not appear to be a scenario where Pagano has to win because they’re going to make him co-face of the company with Psycho Clown. I’d guess Pagano is going to win but I don’t feel sure about it.

Heroe o Villano seems to generally be the subtitle of TripleMania XXVII. Not sure if that’s good or bad for Villano III Jr. Specifying five names (specifying a number at all) suggests AAA has in mind already who they have in that match but the deals with the international talent weren’t done in time. Putting Impact & AEW people in the same match may be politically difficult.

That’s three matches. There were eight last year. It can fill out quick

• A Reina de Reinas match seemed to be confirmed during the Q&A.
• The Mixed Tag title is the most likely other championship to be defended on the show, since it’s an easy way to include a lot of midcard people.
• Copa TripleMania is also likely for similar reasons.
• LA Park vs Rush or whatever else turns out to the main event
• that leaves room for just one more match if they’re sticking with eight. (They don’t have to stick with eight.)

Dorian Roldan was surprisingly non committal on how the show would air, only that it would be available for everyone to see. I’ve been taking it for certain it’d be the same Twitch/AztecaTV/Space combo as last year. Dorian mentioning international names and markets opens the possibility of an international PPV, though he never said that. It’d be a big challenge with NJPW & WWE NXT offering shows that same night. Maybe Impact’s Impact+ service could be an option, but that’s just spitballing. I’d prefer it be on Twitch and think it’s best for this year if it’s freely available.

Dorian also got “is Park vs Rush going to happen???” question and avoided giving a firm answer. You could read it as a saving a storyline twist or not getting them to agree to the match. These matches AAA’s announced have value but none seem the level of the recent big TripleMania singles matches; if Park/Rush isn’t happening, something else still needs to be added.

Tickets for TripleMania were meant to be on sale today. They’re not on SuperBoletos last time I checked.

In addition to TripleMania, TripleMania Regia was also formally announced. It’ll take place on October 10th, in the Monterrey baseball stadium. The idea is to do big matches there again. The 2019 TripleMania Regia was a clear success and it was just a matter of announcing a date for the second.

CMLL (TUE) 03/10/2020 Arena México [The Gladiatores]
1) Apocalipsis & Inquisidor b Bengala & Leono 
Rudos took 1/3.
2) Akuma, El Coyote, Espanto Jr. b Arkalis, Magnus, Robin 
Rudos took 1/3.
3) Cancerbero, Okumura, Raziel b Drone, Pegasso, Stigma 
Rudos took 1/3.
4) Blue Panther Jr. b Dark Magic [lightning] 
8:30.
5) Shocker, Terrible, Vangellys b Kráneo, Star Jr., Volcano 
Rudos took 1/3.
6) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Valiente b Ephesto, Gran Guerrero, Mephisto 
straight falls, Valiente using the ropes to beat Gran Guerrero, setting up Valiente/Gran Guerrero next week.

Valiente & Gran Guerrero talk up their next match. Blue Panther Jr. celebrates his win, as do Raziel & Cancerbero. Espanto Jr. & Akuma invite Coyote to join Ola Negra; I think they need Grako too to make that work.

I’ve been trying to watch both Puebla and Tuesday Arena Mexico on Tuesdays, waiting until after the Tuesday show completes to start. That doesn’t quite work when the Tuesday show ends at 10:30. I made it a match and a half (and apparently missed a fall finish in the opener because my recap has it as straight falls.) It was not particularly exciting and doesn’t look like it got better.

CMLL (TUE) 03/10/2020 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) El Divino, Mr. Samuray, Sonic b Jabalí, Príncipe Odín Jr., Ráfaga
Divino’s return from injury. Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Demonio Maya, Disturbio, Hijo del Signo b Fantástico, Magia Blanca, Oro Jr.
Rudos took 1/3.
3) Misterioso, Pólvora, Sagrado b Black Panther, Esfinge, Fuego
Rudos took 1/3
4) Cavernario, Euforia, Último Guerrero b Diamante Azul, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr.
Rudos took 1/3.
5) Carístico b Sansón
Caristico took 1/3 for the win.

A narrow variety of fall patterns on this show.

Felino told the press Cavernario can’t say Peste Negra is done because only the CMLL office can decide those things and he’s still in the group until the office says different.  CMLL, as a promotion, does not appear to believe in free will. Free fight yes, free will no.

The head of the Mexico State boxing and lucha libre commission is Juan Jose Herrera. He’d like to update the rules for the state; they’ve been static for 15 years and he feels the wrestling regulations need to be updated. They have new rules, but they have no idea when they’ll actually be approved. This article goes into details about the legal reasons there, which aren’t as interesting but just mean this could last forever this way. The lucha libre aspect is the commission says extreme matches are banned, but there’s currently nothing on the actual rules that say it’s banned. The new rules would change that.

Zona 23 comes up, though not referred to by name. The story the commission says is they want to stop those shows. They’re extreme wrestling and they’re also an unlicensed show. The commission can get them for the last part. Except, the commissioner claims they haven’t done it because the Tultitlan has told the commission to leave those events alone. Zona 23’s next show is this Sunday.

A new Boxing and Lucha Libre commission was formed in La Paz, Baja California.

The Gladiatores write up on the Tr3s Caidas show mentioned Rey Horus was explained as off the show due to a recent injury. I think he’s OK for the ROH shows and this might have been taking a weekend off to be read for those.

03/28 RIOT (“Trusa”) in Monterrey’s Arena LLF

• Demonio del Aire vs Jack Evans
• Alex Zayne & Blake Christian vs Kratoz & Prometo
• Aramis vs Iron Kid
• Willy Banderas vs Facade
• Arez vs Erik Ortiz for the RIOT Championship
• Mr. Iguana vs King Rex – changed

Iguana goes from facing a nacro to a dinosaur. As I write this, RIOT says they have another change coming…

Flamita & Rey Horus were announced for the 04/19 NWA The Crocket Cup. This an eight-team tournament scheduled to be held in Atlanta. Four teams are left to be announced and there was a CMLL team (Guerrero Maya/Stuka) last year.

Toxin announced he’s starting Kriminal Lucha Libre in April.

Tiger and Audaz are announced for the 05/28 WrestleRex show in Pittsburgh.

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Update.

Lineups

IWRG (MON) 03/16/2020 Arena Naucalpan
1) Baby Star vs Voltrex
2) Legendario & Shadow Boy vs Neza Kid & Rey Halcón Jr.
3) Lady Cat & Perla Lagunera vs Diosa Quetzal & Lilith Dark
4) Baby Xtreme, Hijo del Alebrije, Metaleón vs Arkángel Divino, Lunatik Xtreme, Último Maldito
5) Black Warrior, Hijo De Payaso Pura Santa, Payaso Pura Santa, Payaso Pura Santa Jr. vs Black Terry, Chicanito, Death Metal, Puma de Oro
6) Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Pasion Kristal vs Herodes Jr., Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Shun Skywalker

Monday is a holiday in Mexico (Benito Juarez’s birthday observed), so Arena Naucalpan is one day off from usual and in the afternon. I assume it’ll still stream. Semi-main is a IWRG vs Welcome to Mi Barrio special.

The Crash (SAT) 03/28/2020 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) Terror Azteca vs Próximo, Legacy King, Latino, Ángel Jr., Rencor
2) Adam Brooks & Chris Dickinson vs Steve Filip & Tome Filip
3) Black Danger, D Luxe, Gelus vs ?, ??, Oráculo
4) Dinámico © vs Iron Boy [The Crash JUNIOR]
3rd defense
5) Arandú, Tony Casanova, Zarco vs El Dragón (Chihuahua), Hijo Del Impostor Jr., Súper Nova
6) Dragón Lee (Indie), El Bandido, PCO vs Bestia 666, Damián 666, Mecha Wolf
7) Rayman & Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Pirata Morgan

This is the full card, with an added multiman opener. The last two matches being in that order surprises me.

Ultimo Guerrero and the Chavez Brothers were announced for this show and do not appear on it. That’s typically CMLL stopping them from appearing because they object to someone else (Dragon Lee?) on the card.

CMLL (MON) 03/09/2020 Arena Puebla [CMLL]
1) Arkalis, Halcón Suriano Jr., King Jaguar b Black Tiger, El Coyote, Inquisidor 
tecnicos took 2/3
2) Stigma b Okumura [lightning] 
Stigmatica
3) Audaz, Flyer, Kráneo b Hechicero, Toro Bill Jr., Vangellys 
Toro Bill missed Shocker, who’s missing multiple shows again. Tecnicos took 1/3.
4) Felino, Negro Casas, Templario b Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Titán 
rudos took 1/3
5) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón b Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero 
NGD took 1/3, Forastero using the ropes to beat Ultimo Guerrero and set up a singles match between them for next week.

Another Forastero singles match wasn’t exactly what anyone was hoping from the main event. Though, if he can’t have a memorable match with Ultimo Guerrero, it’s just not happening.

There were no edecanes on the show. My hunch is those women were joining in the general women’s strike. Many Mexican women refused to go to work on Monday and participates in protests against the government and their inaction in stopping violence against women. The Diosas del Ring hasn’t specifically said that was the reason, but that Twitter account has posted content supportive of that cause. (I haven’t watched the full show, it’s possible CMLL explained this on the broadcast.)

Today’s CMLL Arena Mexico card is poor. The main has some decent names but appears to be just a set-up or a Gran Guerrero/Valiente match. None of the other matches look promising; all are repetitive and have no meaning. Dark Magic versus Blue Panther Jr. doesn’t look good but maybe Dark Magic will be less confused in a singles match than a team one? It is Magic’s first ever singles match in CMLL. Blue Panther Jr. has won his last five lightning matches. The show starts at 7:30 pm local, 8:30 Central Daylight Time but maybe it’s one you should skip.

Guadalajara has Caristico vs Sanson.

CMLL continued their sit down interviews was past Homenaje a Dos Leyendas main eventers by talking to Mascara 2000 about teaming with Cien Caras against Perro Aguayo & Hijo del Perro Aguayo in 2005. Julio Cesar Rivera is showing off the plaque for these shows. They really should be hanging somewhere in Arena Mexico instead of being in a closet.

El Hijo del Santo says he may retire in 2021, in an interview with Monterrey’s El Horizonte. It’s not committal; the only thing Santo is committing to is a desire to retire before an injury forces him to retire and that he’s not planning to retire this year. His dream is to run a retirement show in 40K seat Plaza Mexico, similar to his father’s retirement show in El Toreo. (There may be some of the same people on both.) He’s also considering running a retirement tour through various cities, but neither of these plans appears close to occurring at this point. Neither does the proposed series based on El Santo’s life. Hijo del Santo explained the idea for the story shifted from just being biography to also including fantasy elements of the El Santo films. He’s searching for writers who can capture the many different layers of El Santo. On the subject of Nieto del Santo, Hijo del Santo says his son was stressed out from trying to balance wrestling with university and so the father told the son to focus on his school. He’s one and a half years away from graduating. That may explain that 2021 date, but Hijo del Santo also says his son should follow a career he likes – the son is studying communication, so if he’d like to pursue movies or music or something else instead of lucha libre, his father will support him, he just wants his son to be successful.

After the AAA taping ended, Blue Demon attacked Drago a lot. Demon/Drago, Argenis/Myzteziz, Parka Negra/LA Park Jr. all feel like they’re feuds to fill out a (TripleMania Regia) cage matches and not singles matches AAA will be running. That’s where I’m keeping my expectations at least, anything more will be an unexpected bonus.

Psycho Clown wants a singles match with Rush.

LuchaMemes posted an apology statement from Atlantis Jr. about missing this past week’s show and announced KeMonito on the next show. +LuchaTV is posting clips and interviews from the show. Aramis states he does not have a deal with AAA but CMLL doesn’t really know who has one or does not. (So he thinks it’s an AAA vs CMLL issue.) Arez is disappointed he didn’t get that match with Titan. Memes demanding an apology and refunds on deposits is a tough

The Mr. Iguana versus Fresero match on the 03/28 RIOT show has been canceled. It appears Kaoz Lucha Libre threatened to take away bookings for one or both of the luchadors if RIOT got to do their singles match in Monterrey first. The Iguana/Fresero break-up has been playing out through multiple promotions, not just Kaoz, and Kaoz isn’t focusing on that rivalry – this seems more like jealousy that than business. RIOT says they’ll announce a replacement match with Mr. Iguana soon.

(Unlike other promotions, RIOT is announcing this ahead of time and offering refunds.)

Nuevo Leon luchador Black Conde (Dante Omar Conde) passed away during a match on Sunday night. The match took place in tiny outdoor Arena Malvinas, in Escobedo, Nuevo Leon. It was their first shows of the year. Conde was teaming with Shadowman against Vader & Jinete Infernal. The details of his death aren’t clear, but it reads closer to a heart attack than a fall in the match causing his death. The funeral is taking place today.

Jimmy told El Sol de Hidalgo that he’s returning to Dragon Gate this month. That’s probably dependent about actually being able to travel to Japan, which is battling the COVD-19 virus. I believe Jimmy is a five-month stint this time, which means he’d return sometime in August.

The last news report I saw had less than 10 COVD-19 cases in Mexico. There’s no concern about any events being canceled in that country at this point. Still, it seems to be going through every country eventually and it’s something looming in the near future.

Principe Negro lost his mask in a cage match in Monterrey’s Arena Jaguar on Sunday. He’s Roberto Valdez, 47, 19 years a wrestler, losing it to Monje Negro Jr.

The 07/26 PWG match between Bandido, Flamita & Rey Horus and Puma King, Laredo Kid, and Black Taurus was declared the 2019 Southern California match of the year by SoCalUncens

LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.

+LuchaTV has a new edition of En+carados.

Lineups

CMLL (SUN) 03/15/2020 Arena México
1) Sangre Imperial & Sonic vs Príncipe Odín Jr. & Yago
2) Halcón Suriano Jr., Magnus, Principe Daniel vs El Difunto, Espíritu Negro, Nitro
3) Esfinge, Fuego, Rey Cometa vs Okumura, Tiger, Virus
4) Marcela & Skadi vs Reyna Isis & Tiffany and La Magnifica & Silueta and La Comandante & La Seductora and La Jarochita & Lluvia [MEX WOMEN TAG, battle royal]
5) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX WOMEN TAG, quarterfinal]
6) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX WOMEN TAG, semifinal]
7) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX WOMEN TAG, semifinal]
8) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX WOMEN TAG, final]
9) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón © vs Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Soberano Jr. [MEX TRIOS]
fifteenth defense, fourth against this team.

A five-team tournament is odd. I’m not sure if that means the battle royal goes to the block final or if the first two have a play-in match. (I’m not confident CMLL knows either until they explain it.)

It also means CMLL probably needs more five more teams. That seems to leave them one short: Amapola, Dalys, Estrellita, La Guerrera, La Infernal, La Metalica, La Vaquerita, Mystique, and Princesa Sugehit make 9. Dalys is counted as Mexican because she’s married to a Mexican and spent enough time in Mexico; maybe that’ll mean Stephanie Vaquer counts as well? Maybe Estrellita doesn’t participate (or is even done with CMLL) and it’s just four teams.

The main event is going to be good but they’ve gone to it too many times with nothing changing.

CMLL (SUN) 03/15/2020 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Avispón Negro Jr. & Cosmos vs Destructor & Relámpago Azul
2) El Alteño, Reycko, Rielero vs Joker, Sádico, Vaquero Jr. [OCCIDENTE TRIOS, #1 Contenders, 8f]
3) Fantástico, Luminoso, Mr. Samurai vs Difunto, Fúnebre, Infierno [OCCIDENTE TRIOS, #1 Contenders, 8f]
4) El Divino, Explosivo, Star Black vs Freezer, Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte [OCCIDENTE TRIOS, #1 Contenders, 8f]
5) Crixus, Flash I, Gallo vs Bobby Black, Carlo Roggi, Mr. Apolo [OCCIDENTE TRIOS, #1 Contenders, 8f]

This is a 16 team tournament. That’s 48 people; basically, if you’re a man in the CMLL Guadalajara gym and weren’t in this tournament, you’re way low on the depth chart. Star Black is back from a six month absence with a broken leg to fill this out.