AULL (SAT) 05/15/2021 Arena Lopez Mateos [Furia de Titanes, Mas Lucha, R de Rudo, SuperLucahs]
1) Alex Pain & Vaquero Tormenta b Emperador Brillante & Rayo Boy
2) Freelance, Legendario, Tiger b Dante, Impulso, Príncipe Rebelde
money thrown in
3) Lady Apache b Ludark Shaitan, Diosa Quetzal [Copa Femenil AULL]
4) Arez, Black Warrior, Black Warrior Jr., Villano III Jr. b Alas de Oro, Alas De Plata, Centella Oriental, Emperador Azteca
5) Blue Demon Jr. DQ Penta 0M, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., DMT Azul
Hijo del Dr. Wagner replaced Dr. Wagner (COVID.) DMT Azul added himself to the match and fouled Demon for the DQ.
6) Mr. Potro b Chucho el Roto [mask]
Penta & Demon interfered as seconds and there were a bunch of the usual fouls. Chucho el Roto was under the ropes when he was pinned but the referee allowed it. Chucho el Roto is Jonathan Romero Martinez, 40, 22 years a wrestler
DMT Azul & Blue Demon Jr. heavily feuded during their match and teased a mask match after. The issue here is everyone believes CMLL’s “Blue Diamond” was created as an imitation of Blue Demon to fool the tourist fans at Arena Mexico; this is junior versus clone. The mask match is unlikely to occur – I think they’d both be happy to do it, there’s just not an obvious location for it unless/until Demon returns to AAA – but it gives them both a new feud to sell to the indie promoters and that’s the real goal.
The mask match participants are not national stars but long-time local guys who’ve been built up for this match for months. It was a more focused and long-term build than indie promotions generally do for mask matches. That seems to work well enough that it’s a mystery why more promotions don’t try it.
This appeared to be a full house of 2000+. Capacity limits are effectively over in Mexico State, even if that’s obviously a very bad idea.
This show airing live meant the Vanguardia Anniversary is delayed airing on Mas Lucha. Everyone’s been mum on the results, though Jimmy revealed he won the new singles title. Vanguardia posted a clip on Facebook; Santy Hernandez has resurfaced.
IWRG (SUN) 05/16/2021 Arena Naucalpan [Mas Lucha]
1) Hellboy b Blue Monster Jr.
2) Legendario & Puma de Oro b Ciber & Especie Maligna
3) Baby Xtreme, Freelance, Mexica b Dick Angelo 3G, Fly Warrior, Toxin
Dick Angelo 3G replaced Low Rider. Money thrown in.
4) Estrella Divina, Zorayita, Zoy Raymunda b Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Pasion Kristal
29 minutes. Divina used the ropes to beat Salvaje
5) As Charro NG, Emperador Azteca, Súper Nova DQ Canek Jr., Hijo del Fishman, Máscara Sagrada Jr.
Fresero Jr. fouled Super Nova for no clear reason.
6) DMT Azul & Puma King DDQ Demonio Infernal & Fresero Jr.
match ended up out of control, with the IWRG security and locker room breaking up the fight
The main event turned into an out-of-control brawl, with even IWRG head Marcos Moreno among those trying to break it up. I may be unenthused about La Empresa but they did seem to get plenty of heat in Naucalpan. Maybe too much heat; a person in the crowd threw a chair at DMT Azul, and DMT Azul jumped the barrier to punch the person twice. (9:05 in this video.) I’m not sure if the second punch actually hit; a second angle makes it appear as though he was already falling. Attacking fans, justified or not, typically leads to a suspension from wrestling in that state. The Mexico State commission hasn’t really been enforcing rules much this year so Azul may skate.
Puma King has relaunched his vlog now that he has all the La Empresa stuff to talk about.
29 minutes is underplaying how long that exoticos match went; it was closer to 50 with the before and after match bits. It was not ideal. In this context, money thrown in seems to be more about how long they worked for it after the match.
You should find some time to watch the five-way Copa Hijo del Perro from this week’s AAA TV.
AAA’s TripleMania press conference is said to be Tuesday, though AAA hasn’t yet announced anything about it and so it’s always subject to getting bumped back. (It’s also possible AAA just doesn’t say anything until it’s about to start, around 11 AM CT.) My hunch is Azteca getting the news first means this isn’t going to be an PPV – both Space & Azteca airing in Mexico, no international outlet because of the lawsuit, and people like me looking for unauthorized streams. I hope I turn out to be wrong tomorrow.
AAA’s Arturo Rivera underwent foot surgery on Wednesday. Photos of him in a hospital bed turned up later in the week, with people not sure the story.
Penta el Zero Miedo faces Robo on AEW Dark Elevation tonight. Robo is apparently an Indian-born wrestler who’s been active in the northeast US. Penta and Fenix have been at AEW tapings but haven’t wrestled much in the last month.
CMLL’s 05/28 Copa Dinastia looks to be a handful of tickets away from selling out.
Friday’s CMLL AMX saw Angel de Oro foul Cavernario in the main event. That’s the second straight week for issues between the two, which normally would mean a singles match this coming Friday. Empty arena CMLL isn’t quite as consistent. Saturday’s CMLL Televisa show included Dalys & Stephanie Vaquer defeating La Jarochita & Lluvia, seemingly setting up a Mexican national women’s tag title match. The tecnicas already beat the rudas on a previous PPV in a non-title match.
Arena Mexico hosted a press event for the Mexico Paralympic Team on Sunday. I think CMLL social media teased this last week but did it in such a way where I had no idea what they were talking about.
ROH announced its 07/11 Best in the World show will have a limited amount of fans. It’ll be their first fan-attended show since February 2020. No specific amount of fans or percentage of capacity was announced. It’s worth noting that’s a Sunday PPV; ROH has tended to run Friday night PPVs. I don’t have a great sense of what matches are planned for that match based on TV yet; maybe they’ll have a Flamita/Bandido rematch?
Federacion Wrestling announced Los Negociantes (Demonio Infernal and Fresero Jr.) as the first people in their 20 man Copa on the 06/19 PPV. It might be important that they’re wearing the KAOZ tag team belts in the promo picture. It’s hard to be sure what this group is doing. There’s been not much news about this promotion since the initial press conference. In retrospect, Federacion appears they rushed hurried to put together an announcement just so they’d get out word of Andrade appearing on their show before AAA announced Andrade for Rey de Reyes. Andrade in an eight-man tag sound even less appealing comparing to Andrade versus Omega.
Leon luchador Rock Killer (Sergio Merino Buendía, 35) passed away Thursday, according to local news outlet Noticias Vespertinas. He suffered an epileptic seizure while working as a security guard. I have no info about his career outside the article and a sparse Facebook page.
Sergio el Hermoso (Sergio Sarabia, 74) passed away on Friday, according to a post by his niece on Facebook. Sarabia was a solid journeyman wrestler whose career took off after the formation of UWA/Promociones Mora as a second national wrestling group in 1975. Sarabia & El Greco became stars as exoticos Sergio el Hermoso and Bello Greco in the new promotion. That spot probably wouldn’t have been there without the new promotion; they were (and remained) very good wrestlers but there wasn’t a great place for them and Adorable Rubi had already been doing an exotico character in EMLL. They excelled, especially in those first few years of the MORA/UWA group. LuchaWorld has a greatly detailed bio, and Furia de la Titanes also has an obituary.
Veracruz luchador Chuntaro passed away on Friday, according to Facebook page Adictos al Ring. He was a local wrestler since at least 2017.
Monterrey luchador Astro Negro (Jesus Tores Hernandez, 63) passed away Friday, according to SuperLuchas. He is better known outside of Monterrey as mask maker el Pony.
Mexico State luchador Ahijado de la Muerte (Joel Mendoza) passed away Saturday, according to Box y Lucha. He worked many small shows since the early 2000s, often on shows with the Cirio family. He was listed on shows as recently as two weeks ago, though he didn’t appear on them. Fellow luchador Kripta says this was a COVID related death.
Mexico State luchador/promoter Destructor Muerte (Eduardo Tinoco) passed away Sunday, according to Box y Lucha. He’d been sick for some time; friends threw a benefit show for him about a week ago.
Veracruz luchador Silver Star (Ruben Torres Ortiz, 63) passed away Sunday, according to Box y Lucha. He was a local star in the 80s. He shouldn’t be confused with the more well-known Silver Star from the Monterrey area.
A KDNA (Nuevo Leon) show with Caristico and Averno on opposite sides of a tag match has been canceled due to veto. The surprise is it wasn’t CMLL objecting to Averno and Caristico sharing a ring but the local government not allowing lucha libre events. KDNA posted a very unhappy message about it.
IAW has a Skayde tribute show in an undisclosed location on 05/29. Skayde faces Latigo in the main event.
Tinieblas Jr. has been on a mid-day dancing TV show for the last few weeks. He was eliminated this past week. The actual story was in his last dance. The dance was going wrong, Tinieblas Jr. decided to spank his female partner Macky Gonzalez during the dance in an unplanned spot, Gonzalez essentially gave up on dance at that post and complained about Tinieblas’ action. (Vido here) The judges, including ex-luchador Latin Lover, seemed to be more critical of Gonzalez giving up than Tinieblas hitting her. That didn’t go over well and it turned into a multiday controversy. That also might have been the intent; this show previously did a worked confrontation between Latin Lover and Pirata Morgan. Tinieblas Jr. seems like a goof either for actually doing this or thinking this was a good viral bit to participate in.
Dr. Wagner Jr. announced he’s in week two of battling COVID-19 and his doctors say his condition is improving. Wagner apparently traveled to the US to get a shot his first shot of the Pfizer vaccine on April 26th, then announced he got sick with pneumonia a week later. That pneumonia was actually COVID, which he presumably knew either at the time or shortly after.