AAA AutoLuchas episodes 9, 10, and 11

I’m still going through these three at a time, though it’s mostly just to check it off a list. It’s not the fault of the luchadors – even ‘ok’ here is a much more palatable watch than equally aged CMLL – but these can’t help but feel very stale when we’re up to episode 9 of seeing them perform at the same drive-in. There are few angles, with some intending to lead-in to TripleMania matches which happened months ago (or didn’t end up happening) and others just running in place. They’re easy shows to throw in the background while you’re doing something else, but it’s also transparent the purpose of these show are just to keep the TV slots warm and not to do anything too interesting.

AutoLuchas 9:

10-18: Lady Shani beat Faby Apache and La Hiedra for a title shot at the Reina de Reinas championship [good]
10-18: Big Mami & Myzteziz Jr. b Australian Suicide & Hades [ok]
10-18: Niño Hamburguesa & Octagón Jr. b Carta Brava Jr. & Mocho Cota Jr. [ok]
10-18: Pagano b Chessman [ok]

Chessman gives Pagano a martinete after their match, which came off like it was meant to lead into TripleMania. Lady Shani seemed previously owed a title shot, would seem likely to get the title match even without one, and that match might have been designed when AAA believed Taya would be available for TripleMania. Shani cleanly submitting Apache seems worth nothing, though here it was more about leading into a Maravilla & Hiedra post-match attack.

That contenders match is about as good as you’d expect with the names. It’s a shame the women’s division had their worst match of the year on the one show non-AAA people watched, but so it goes. Pagano vs Chessman is a more wrestling moves ordinated version of their match, though that’s also with Chessman going through a table and coming in the neighborhood of hitting his head on cement.

Octagon mostly sits out of his match. Hades displays more ruda personality than usual in the other tag match.

AutoLuchas 10:

10-17: Australian Suicide b Mr. Iguana and Tito Santana [ok]
10-17: Argenis b Myzteziz Jr. and La Parka Negra [good]
10-17: Big Mami & Lady Shani b Faby Apache & La Hiedra [ok]
10-17: Chessman b Psycho Clown and Texano [ok]

Argenis unmasks Myzteziz (after an ugly Destroyer) to keep that feud ticking over. I liked that three-way a bit better than the previous one, but this was the point where I was again tired of seeing threeways. Big Mami didn’t look sharp this weekend but the women’s match was more about Faby & Hiedra not getting along.

AutoLuchas 11:

10-17: Faby Apache b Lady Shani [good]
10-17: Texano Jr. b Octagon Jr. [good]
10-17: Murder Clown beat Tito Santana and Parka Negra [ok]
10-17: Maximo & Niño Hamburguesa beat Carta Brava & Mocho Cota [ok]

Texano fouled and piledrived Octagon, who seemed a little shook up afterward. Argenis attacked Octagon after the second match for no reason other than to set up a Myzteziz making the save. Maximo hurt his right hand (maybe fingers?) on a dive early on, sat out while it was taped, and then essentially tried to do the rest of the match with one good arm.

That main event wasn’t much as a result of Maximo’s injury. Semi-main went very long for something that was mostly Murder Clown throwing around two smaller guys. The two singles matches were enjoyable but missing any increased drama as the match went along; they started off hot (or maybe more warm) and then just stayed on that same note for the entire match. There’s not much build, which is a common issue. Faby being willing to lose Lady Shani makes a lot more sense knowing she won the day before; the two matches should’ve aired in the opposite order. It’s a CMLL thing to do it this way.

AAA went back to 10-18 for episode 12, which I’ll have in the next batch. They can get at least one more episode of the 10/17-10/18 weekend. (We haven’t seen the minis much, and they’re all over those.) AAA also largely skipped over most of the 10/10-10/11 weekend, that’s 4-5 episodes. This can go on for a while longer, though I’d probably also be ok with it wrapping up soon.