Mexico City will remain in orange health conditions next week, which means lucha libre shows will continue to not be permitted. The specifics are slightly worse than last week. Mexico City’s mayor pushed more citizens to wear face masks to reduce the rate of infection.
El Fantasma held a press conference Wednesday around another distribution of pantry items to luchadors out of work during the coronavirus crisis. Medicine was also given out to those in need. Doing these very public events puts Fantasma in the middle of the spotlight, but they also draw public attention to the issues and may help get more donations for the next month. Mas Lucha talked to Fantasma about possible restarts for AAA & CMLL. Fantasma showed off a CMLL request to run reduced capacity shows (video title says 50% but I thought he meant 50 people) while saying it’s out of his hands – the Mexico City government will not give approval until they reach a yellow health light. AAA appears to be in the same situation; Fantasma mentions they presented him the idea three weeks ago in the longer version of the interview but they can’t run either until government approval. Fantasma encourages luchadors to look for other work options besides lucha libre during this period.
Salvador Lutteroth, the person who is running CMLL at the moment, appears on a Comic-Con panel this Saturday at 7 pm CT. It’ll air in YouTube and should be available there afterward. I think it’s been taped in advance and will likely be in Spanish. There’s no expectation of news coming from this, but we don’t even have the broadest hints of what the person in charge of CMLL thinks about lucha libre at the moment so the littlest references might have give some insight. The Lutteroth family is based in Tijuana, which might be how this came about.
Lucha Libre Vanguardia is running this weekend, a show airing at 8 pm on Mas Lucha’s YouTube channel (so presumably free.) They’re the first drive-in lucha libre show in Mexico. They’re not the first one that announced, and this is an idea borrowed from the US. It serves as a preview for AAA’s attempt at the same, which will probably get more attention.
Vanguardia (SAT) 07/25/2020 Tulancingo, Hidalgo
1) Draztick Boy © vs Eclipse Jr., Cobre [BMLL CRUISER]
2) Billy & Murdock vs Falcón Fire & Misionero
3) Alfa vs Máscara De Ángel
4) Gasparín & Símbolo Azteca vs Amnesia & Aster Boy vs Príncipe Aéreo & Resplandor [BMLL TAG]
5) Caballero de Atena, Dragón Boy, Jitsu, Rey Dragón vs Crazy King, Fly Star, Miedo Extremo [infierno death match]
The Draztick Boy matches are always good and the main event sounds like it’s going to be an unusual stipulation. (Cars and fire might not be the greatest combo though.) The names in the other three matches really blend together, and hopefully will be able to distinguish themselves more.
Vanguardia also announced Latigo would appear on the show, so matches may be added. Also, it appears Rey Dragon is getting at least a new look. There are too many Dragons in lucha libre so I hope it’s a new name too. DTU has a Dragon Suicida, Vanguardia has a Dragon Boy and a Rey Dragon and I could not tell any of them apart unless they wear that name on their gear.
Speaking of names: Billy is the ex-Billy Gamer, no longer under that name because Billy Gamer was a DTU gimmick.
CMLL’s Wednesday virtual media tour included Blue Panther and Hijo del Signo, who both have mask matches airing this week. Panther versus Villano V airs on Televisa (and YouTube the following week), while the Signo/Yago vs Akuma/Camorra mask match airs on TV Mexquiense tonight. Panther mentioned he’s never actually watched the 2007 match where he lost his mask. There’s an old tall tale about that match: Villano V left the ringside area briefly with his brother and the story was the Villano who came back out to face Blue Panther was actually Villano IV subbing in. Caristico, among others, pushed that as a possibility after the match. Panther, for the record, says he believes it was the same Villano V throughout the match. Mystique was also interviewed; she’s got an eclectic list of favorite luchadors. Starman also talked; he’s been in CMLL for twenty five years and think he just needs one chance and he’ll go to the top.
On Keepin’ it 100, Konnan mentions the Auto Luchas ring will have a roof over it, so they’ll be able to run even if it rains. He also mentioned the matches would be more stand-alone and not be tied in with TV storylines. It was pushed as a way to do different match-ups, which was a highlight of the Lucha Fighter season.
Lucha Time some months ago hyped a match where the ring broke. It aired this week. I assume that also means the end of their five weeks of shows, since the ring breaking is probably the last match to air. They may be taping again, they keep it pretty quiet. Which is sort of the bigger issue. Lucha Time is strange in that they taped lots of TV, but then the only mention of it is poster that comes out late Wednesday and a Facebook stream on Thursday. They put in a lot of work getting shows done in a pandemic but not much in promoting it. If Mas Lucha didn’t post some results, I’d forget it existed. It seems targets just at Monterrey fans so that’s probably OK.
Mascara Año 2000 (Jesus Reyes) posted an interview with Mas Lucha to reveal a new ‘son.’ Bless Mas Lucha for also writing an article about it, because I’d never be able to follow this situation otherwise.
- the current Mascara Año 2000 Jr. (“Angel Reyes”?), the one who lost a mask match to Dr. Wagner Jr. on the 2012 TripleMania, is not actually Jesus Reyes’ son and is no longer allowed to use the name. It’s unclear what name he will use.
- Jesus says Angel was renting the name but stopped paying after he lost his mask, arguing he was only paying for that. We’re led to believe Jesus was unhappy but allowed this usage to continue until now.
- the new Mascara Año 2000 Jr. is also not Jesus Reyes’s son. He’s a 29-year luchador who has been wrestling under another name and is one of Jesus Reyes top students. Jesus required him to get a university degree; he’s got one and is working on becoming a lawyer.
- Hijo de Mascara Año 2000, who’s apparently in CMLL’s school but hasn’t been seen outside of glimpses with the rest of the Dinamitas, is also not Jesus Reyes son. This one at least is related – he’s Forastero’s brother, Jesus’ nephew.
There is some social media push back on this, for the idea a Mascara 2000 Jr. is unmasked and another one can be trotted out with the same mask. To me, it’s more why bother? Jesus Reyes bothers with it because it’s free income, but the name hasn’t helped the CMLL guy get booked. It probably was the reason “Angel Reyes” got into AAA, though he may have gotten the TripleMania booking just because he was a bigger masked man who could lose in a stable without an alternative. It hasn’t helped him much after that. Taking on a junior of a famous wrestler gets a luchador mid-level indie bookings and guarantees no more. Even if they do get over, that name can be pulled away from the “son” at any time. Luchadors take these names because it’s presented as a huge honor – “my mentor wants me to carry on his legacy (for only a small monthly fee)” – but it comes off more as younger wrestlers getting played.
Psycho Clown, Konnan, Chessman, Dave the Clown, Lady Shani, Maximo, and Texano will be in a LigaMX prediction pool sponsored by newspaper Record, where the person with the worst record will endure some punishment.
WWE announced a new Latin America General Manager, Klaudia Bermudez-Key. Her background is in television, which suggests they’re focusing on their TV deals in the region.
Virus has joined Arez & Jonathan Gresham in the Foundation. I still do not understand what this is.
Queretaro’s Fantasma Negro passed away recently. A Tabasco Funebre I is also recently mentioned as passing away, but the photo being used is the same for a Funebre II last year so I’m not sure of it.
NVI Noticias has a obituary for Oaxaca’s Relampago Gomez.
El Manana has an obituary for Imagen de Oro (Edgar Exiqui Duran Espino, 36). There’s a mention that he died four days after getting ill, though no mention as to the disease.
Segunda Caida watches some 1999 Mr. Niebla.