COVID notes
Mexico City will remain in Orange health status for the upcoming week. The hospitalization occupancy rate in Mexico City dropped a slight amount, from 53% to 50.68%. A recent article discussing the possibility of opening outdoor sports stadiums – largely soccer – has a doctor saying May would be best timeframe to start doing so at reduced capacity, while the rest of the article foreshadows it happening much sooner. Currently, states are allowed to open outdoor stadiums to fans at health code Yellow.
Late Wednesday night on Facebook, Cibernetico said he has COVID-19 (in a suitably roundabout way fitting Cibernetico.) Thursday, his staff updated the Facebook to say Cibernetico would not be doing his weekly video show because he has moderate to strong symptoms and is under medical care.
As Box Y Lucha reminds, Cibernetico had issues late last year with his gallbladder and would be more at risk for an infection. He also worked the Arena Mamas Luchas show this past Sunday. There’s no way of knowing if he had COVID then or got COVID there, but that’s a risk of running these shows right now.
Of CMLL’s four owned arenas, two are now active. Arena Mexico is taping shows every week, with a PPV coming up later this month. There’s no sense in taping in two different empty Mexico City venues, so Arena Coliseo will stay closed at least until fans are allowed back in buildings. Arena Coliseo Guadalajara seems like they’re going to one day a week shows for Facebook and local TV. That leaves Arena Puebla, who have not had a show since March 9th; it’s close to one year since the last Monday night show. Wednesday, a three-way meeting to talk about possibly re-opening included the head of the local Box and Lucha Libre commission (Carolina Morales García), the head of shopping centers in Puebla (Andrés De La Luz) and Benjamín Mar, who runs Arena Puebla for CMLL. There’s no date and it doesn’t read like opening the building is even a consideration at this point – they’re not going allow fans sitting inside buildings soon. There was a lot of talk about coming up with new and different ideas. Nothing was said, but I wonder if the strange inclusion of a person managing malls in this conversation is leading to holding matches at outdoor shopping centers as a new idea. That’s just a guess. The article notes five luchadors from Puebla have passed away from COVID during the pandemic.
Lucha Libre on TV/Streaming This Weekend
03/05 CMLL AMX (Streaming Worldwide 7 pm/Google Drive)
- Angelito vs Mercurio (possible repeat)
- El Audaz & Drone vs Okumura & Vangellys (likely repeat)
- Volador Jr., Templario, Mistico vs Mephisto, Titan, Ephesto in a relevos increibles match
I’m not sure if the main event is build to the long ago taped Templario/Titan match or something else.
03/06 CMLL MVS (streaming only in Mexico/Google Drive)
- Oro Jr. vs Espanto Jr. (likely repeat)
- Blue Panther Jr., Black Panther vs Ephesto, Lucifierno
- Angel de Oro, Terrible, Niebla Roja vs Volador Jr., Diamante Azul, Ultimo Guerrero (likely repeat)
CMLL ran Panthers versus Ephesto & Mephisto and all three Panthers versus the HIjo del Infierno but not Panthers versus Ephesto & Lucifierno and, an important distinction.
03/06 CMLL Televisa
- Sonic vs Yago (possible repeat)
- Guerrero Maya, Stigma vs Sagrado, Misterioso Jr.
- Diamante Azul, Black Panther, Blue Panther vs Sanson, Forastero, Templario
- Mistico & Audaz vs Negro Casas, Felino
03/07 CMLL YouTube
- Star Jr. & Stuka Jr. vs Ephesto & Luciferno
- La Jarochita vs Dalys (probable repeat)
- Okumura vs Black Panther
- Soberano, Titan, Volador vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sanson
03/06 AAA on Space (Tlaxco Week 1)
- Latigo, Arez vs Mini Drago, Laredo Boy
- Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana, Aerostar vs Poder del Norte
- Psycho Clown, Murder Clown, Monster Clown vs Rey Escorpion, Chessman, Abismo Negro Jr.
03/07 AAA on YouTube (Tlaxcala Week 1 of 3)
- La Hiedra & Lady Maravilla vs Faby Apache & Lady Shani
- Abismo Negro & Texano vs Laredo Kid & Octagon Jr.
- Chessman & Rey Escorpion vs Hijo del Vikingo & Psycho Clown
The plan at the moment is the Space show goes on the Google Drive and YouTube show goes on YouTube (as long as the only-Mexico block remains.) The plan will probably change.
GALLI is streaming a Friday night show (instead of the usual Sunday) with Aramis & Mr. Iguana as guest wrestlers. The show starts at 8 pm CT and streams on their website.
Mas Lucha is airing the most recent Vanguardia show on Sunday. Lineups/poster without spoiler is here, results are here.
Other Notes
Diamante Azul recently had La Mascara on his YouTube show, which caught attention because La Mascara said he’d like to go back to CMLL. SuperLuchas pulled some quotes out of the 45-minute conversation. La Mascara has struggled since leaving CMLL, with AAA seemingly giving up on his feud with Maximo and Mascara entirely after a year and a half stint. Mascara hasn’t done much better on the indies, mostly because Mascara has seemed entirely unmotivated and effortless. He’s likely a cautionary tale told to current CMLL wrestlers, warning the same fate could arise them should they leave the Arena Mexico nest. La Mascara likely would’ve been employed with CMLL forever if not for the infamous 2017 incident where he, Maximo, and other members of the Brazo family (including Psycho Clown) destroyed Ultimo Guerrero’s car. (Talking to Azul, Mascara denies the widely believed story that incident was about control of the wrestler’s union, attributing it to a longer running grudge instead.) Mascara claims he paid for all the damages, but believes Chavo Lutteroth III still doesn’t like him much. He also accuses CMLL of showing favoritism to Ultimo Guerrero, which is likely true and also exactly why he’s unlikely to ever return to CMLL while Guerrero is there. La Mascara can be critical of Guerrero or try to come back to CMLL, but he can’t do both.
CMLL has an unusually good preview for the 03/26 Volador/Bandido show. Bandido told the media “it’d be a dream for Mexisquad to be on a CMLL show.” I’m unsure his fellow Mexisquad members share that dream; Horus was last seen in AAA and Flamita hasn’t seemed interested in returning to CMLL in past talk. Bandido is an optimistic fellow, maybe he can make it work.
RIOT will run COVIDIOTAS on 03/20 in or around Monterrey. It’ll be a no-fans show streaming for free live, relying on donations. It’s a big challenge; RIOT’s never streamed a show, never done a no-fans show, never asked the fans to help out via donations. There are plans to do things to immediately reward people who give money and their fans have responded very positively on Facebook, but it’s still going to be tough. RIOT was as hot as it had before the pandemic, and there is a lot of pent-up demand for more locally, I’m less sure how it’s going to do beyond that fanbase. The promotion says it’ll be a usual RIOT level card and it’ll be at a mystery location instead of their usual Arena Femenil Monterrey home.
Indy Army Wrestling El Club de La Lucha 2 (no date announced, coming to Mas Lucha eventually)
Dragon Lee retained the ROH TV championship over Brian Johnson in a YouTube special match.
LA Park & Hijo de LA Park retained the MLW Tag Team Championships on Wednesday’s MLW show. LA Park will challenge Alex Hammerstone for the MLW National Openweight Championship on next week’s show. That seems like a match where MLW would want neither man to lose. Los Parks have been winning their tag matches with LA Park Jr. getting involved, so maybe that’ll backfire and he’ll take the loss. Laredo Kid continued his role as an enhancement talent by losing to Calvin Tankman.
GCW announced Laredo Kid for their Acid Cup on 04/08 & 04/09, joining Dragon Bane as luchadors announced. If Arez and Laredo Kid are going to be around Templa, they ought to be on a bunch of cards.
Infobae has a long article looking back at the 59th anniversary of TV debut of Argentina’s Titanes en el Ring.
This is barely even connected to wrestling but I have to include it: two funereal wreaths were found in the courtyard of the Tijuana Boxing, Lucha Libre and MMA commission, labeled “Alberto” and “Cardona” on Tuesday. Alberto Martinez is the Vice President of the commission, Juan Manuel Cardona is the boxing commission. They are alive and not in need of items marking their death currently. At least currently. The commission said they have no idea who sent them and they called the police. The head of the Tijuana commission suddenly resigned due to personal issues about two weeks ago. Boxing is the only one of those three sports that has been truly active in Tijuana over the past 12 months.
Lineups
Lucha Memes (SUN) 03/14/2021 Coliseo Coacalco, Coacalco, Estado de México
1) Black Yaya, Milenario, Tanatos vs Águila Guerrera Jr., Cachorro De Guerrera, Destino
2) Black Out, Genio Rojo, Intenso, Kaito vs Bagheera, Blue Monster Jr., Ciclón Infernal, Taurino
3) Dr. Cerebro vs Perro de Guerra
4) Impulso & Justiciero vs Trauma I & Trauma II
5) Calibus vs Iron Kid
6) Juana La Loca vs Ricky Marvin
7) Aramis vs Jimmy
Some of the matches look good but I don’t know. I’m planning on getting to the previous Lucha Memes shows this weekend – you should have all the links if you donated, though I would suggest not assuming those links will work forever. It’s hard to get excited about another card after that last lineup fell apart/changed a lot (a never-ending issue with Memes) and what I’ve seen of the production has looked aggravating. There’s also the greater issue with Memes, where it’s just matches for the sake of matches, people being mixed and matched with absolutely no stakes to it. This show will eventually go up on IWTV.