CMLL Aniversario is tonight, AAA lineup for this weekend, IWRG

CMLL

CMLL 88th Aniversario tonight. The one lingering bit was the main event. Reyna Isis announced she will be able to wrestle on tonight’s Aniversario show, after testing negative on her most recent COVID test. That completes the card:

CMLL (FRI) 09/24/2021 Arena México
CMLL 88th Aniversario
1) Templario vs Dragón Rojo Jr. [MEX MIDDLE]
vacant title, last held by Octagon
2) Titán & Volador Jr. © vs Gemelo Diablo I & Gemelo Diablo II [CMLL TAG]
Originally a Misico/Caristico defense, vacant after Mistico II left CMLL.
3) Hechicero vs Último Guerrero © [CMLL HEAVY]
Originally for MEX HEAVY, 11th defense.
4) Espíritu Negro & Rey Cometa © vs Akuma & Espanto Jr. [MEX TAG]
5) La Jarochita & Lluvia © vs Dark Silueta & Reyna Isis [MEX WOMEN TAG]

You can buy the show via TicketmasterLive, though I had some issues doing so. I think someone on Ticketmaster has this show marked as a physical ticket, not an email, and it’ll be available everywhere if they just uncheck that box. That’s maybe one of those reasons CMLL should be using a company focusing on streaming shows for these, not a ticket-seller website doing it on the side.

The Aniversario show remains live only, no VOD. CMLL said the opener will air on AMX next week, which I think means the rest sure turn up on Televisa and YouTube eventually. I don’t want to promise that because I have no idea what CMLL is going to do, but I don’t think anyone’s betting their life on the ability to see CMLL matches. In-person tickets seem to be tracking towards a sell-out; the Aniversario name is such that people who haven’t gone to a show since pre-pandemic will try to show up for this one. No one outside of the CMLL bubble knows or cares this show is happening, but the bubble itself is still large enough to fill up the building (as allowed) for an Aniversario. It’s the other shows that are the problem.

Samurai TV will air matches from both this week and last week’s show on October 7th. They typically air Aniversario every year. I expect it’ll also turn up on NJPW World.

I think it’ll be a better show than last week. Nothing here feels like a sure bet to be one of the best matches of the year, but most of them seem like they’ll be good and everyone’s usually better on a show like this.

matches ranked in order of my certainty in the results, from most to least certain

• Rey Cometa & Espiritu Negro vs Akuma & Espanto Jr. [MEX TAG]: CMLL’s already setting up the next title defense in Puebla, this is more about Akuma & Espanto proving (or disproving) they deserve more shots.
• Templario vs Dragon Rojo Jr. [MEX MIDDLE]: Templario’s the guy and Dragon Rojo just getting this far is his victory
• La Jarochita & Lluvia vs Reyna Isis & Dark Silueta [MEX WOMEN TAG]: the challengers already have their own titles, too soon for the champs to lose, but other promotions might do a title change in the main event to make it more historic
• Ultimo Guerrero vs Hehicero [CMLL HEAVY]: the single result that would make people watching this show the happiest is Hechicero beating Ultimo Guerrero; CMLL does not exist to make you happy
• Volador & Titan vs Los Gemelo Diablos [CMLL TAG]: close to a coin toss; Volador & Titan are slight favorites but neither side winning should be a surprise.

It really hurts CMLL that tonight’s PPV is live only. People who just want to watch a big show tonight are going to pick the AEW one, but they might check out the CMLL one over the weekend if something hits well. Some of those people still might but they won’t be paying CMLL or Ticketmaster to do so.

We don’t know when the next CMLL PPV will be, just that they only seem to be doing them on big weeks. November 1st is a Friday this year, so that lines up perfectly for Dia de Muertos, but it’d be a longer wait for a show than usual. I’m sure another tournament is coming, I don’t know which one it’ll be.

Sunday lineup

CMLL (SUN) 09/26/2021 Arena México
1) Leono, Sangre Imperial, Sonic vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Grako
2) Amapola & La Metálica vs La Comandante & Tiffany
3) Flyer, Pegasso, Stigma vs Okumura, Sagrado, Universo 2000 Jr.
4) Esfinge, Fugaz, Panterita del Ring vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Raziel
5) Blue Panther, Místico, Stuka Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Cavernario, Negro Casas [Relevos Increíbles]

Last week’s main event had Angel de Oro cheating Mistico, so we’d expect that again. Flyer seems to have been passed by a few tecnicos. Esfinge hasn’t been around in six weeks.

Other News

IWRG (THU) 09/23/2021 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG]
1) Fussion & Hell Boy b Shalom & Skanda 
2) Legendario, Noicy Boy, Sol b Kenji, Rey Halcón, Vudu Max 
3) Diosa Atenea & Kendy Rebel b Lolita & Sagitarius 
4) Halloween Jr., Medico Brujo, Sick Boy b Big Boy, Big Chico Che, Big Mike 
Sick Boy & Medico Brujo avenged Espectro’s busted tooth from last week’s show against the Big Strippers.
5) Aster Boy, Bengalee, Galeno del Mal, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Tonalli, Toxin b Eli Surge, Giant Orión, Liiza Hall, Lil Blay, Miles Deville, Sidney Steele, Sweet Daddy Soul 
Hijo del Pirata Morgan & Wagner beat Giant Orion to win.

Mexico triumphed over Canada. A proud day for all.

Sunday’s Arena Naucalpan show is actually an AAA spot show:

AAA , ROSALES (SUN) 09/26/2021 Arena Naucalpan
1) ? vs ??
2) Golden Jacket & Rey León vs Cobre & Galio and Astuto & Tiago and Daimo & Toxin [Copa Rosales]
3) Lady Shani vs La Hiedra vs Faby Apache
4) Ex-Mascara De Bronce & Raptor vs Emperador Azteca & Head Hunter and Diva Salvaje & Jesys Ventura
5) Murder Clown, Niño Hamburguesa, Psycho Clown vs Abismo Negro Jr., King Balam, La Parka Negra

Guess which luchador is the promoter. These don’t always stream, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had one and so who knows. I believe Mascara de Bronce has announced a new name, wrestled once, and then disappeared for six months at least twice prior. I hope he’s doing well. Head Hunter is working a bunch of shows this weekend.

IWRG and Lucha Time people posed with a government official earlier on Thursday. This is the most I’ve seen Lucha Time in months.

AEW Rampage tonight has the Lucha Brothers & Santana & Ortiz vs The Butcher and the Blade and Private Party. I’ve read the reactions for the LB team were very strong.

09/25 AAA on Space

• Latigo, Arez, Argenis vs Dulce Kanela, Komander, Dinastia
• Octagon Jr., Lady Shani vs Abismo Negro Jr., Mamba
• Chessman, Pagano vs Puma King, DMT Azul

I’m not checking this but I feel like Dinastia has appeared on TV more times the year than past, because he’s always been available (few outside dates) and he only gets used when they’re just throwing matches out there to fill time. That’s most of these shows. I’m not smart enough to figure out why Abismo Negro Jr. is on the same show as his friends and not teaming with them.

Dorian Roldan teased doing Bryan Danielson versus Kenny Omega in AAA after seeing the match in AEW. Bryan Danielson versus Kenny Omega will probably not be happening in AAA. It’d be neat if they were teasing Danielson versus Psycho Clown, like the AEW guy actually threw out there this week, but I’m not sure AAA’s all that interested in the people they have until they go elsewhere and make a name for themselves.

PWG on Sunday includes

• Dragon Lee & Laredo Kid vs Aramis & Rey Horus
• Black Taurus & Demonic Flamita vs Brody King & Malakai Black
• Bandido vs Davey Richards for the PWG World Championship

Those matches sound good. The previous show not coming out on DVD before this one is not good.

Villahermosa luchador Mr. Demoledor (Juan Antonio Catzin Caraveo) passed away Wednesday after a battle with COVID-19 according to El Heraldo de Tabasco. The local promotion held a benefit show for him about a week ago. Going through his Facebook, Demoledor apparently broke a leg on a bad dive around August 23rd, then was back in the hospital in serious conditions on September 7th. He’s believed to be the first luchador from the state of Tabasco to die of COVID; there’s not as much wrestling in that state as others.

Mascara Sagrada is trying to raise money for surgery.

Rey Bucanero will be out two or three more weeks with knee rehab.

Dralistico, talking with Lucha Azteca, says he’s briefly talked with AAA since leaving CMLL but has no dates with them right now. He wants to team with Dragon Lee against the Lucha Brothers.

GALLI announced Mil Muertes versus LA Park for their big 10/03 in Cicero. We’re many years away from when Mesias & LA Park had some of the best matches of the year but it’s a good match to book to see if any of the magic is still there.

Mas Lucha asked fans to follow them on YouTube channel Mas Lucha Jr. and on their Facebook page. They continue to post videos on their normal YouTube channel and haven’t announced any further change; they were streaming Thursday’s IWRG show on both channels. In my experience, starting a similar second channel usually happens when you’ve got some concern about that first channel going down. The original Mas Lucha channel going down would be painful for that media company and devastating for the lucha libre community – I’m sure 90% of the videos would be gone from the public forever because there never would be the time to upload it all, much less the interest. Mas Lucha has never gotten a verification flag; having that relationship with YouTube seemed to help AAA when they got in copyright trouble over the lawsuit. That’d be an avenue I’d try, but perhaps they’ve already tried it. I hope it works out positively for them.

The 10/08 The Crash show at Auditorio de Tijuana will have a main event of Psycho Clown & Pagano versus Moose & Masada. Mexican wrestling promotions love Masada.

Kriminal Lucha Libre posted a graphic for the WWE UK Title Tournament, which has gotten no more or different reaction than their other Facebook posts. I presume that’s a tease to bringing in Travis Banks. It’s important to note Travis Banks hasn’t been officially announced but who else is going to be from the 2017 WWE UK tournament? Like I said previously, Big Lucha might be a rare promotion in Mexico to even be apologetic for using Banks. Everyone is going to be excited to have a”real-life legitimate WWE (UK) star” that nothing else matters; young Mexican wrestlers generally lose their mind over working with someone who’s been a name elsewhere. (Look at the Canadian wrestlers in IWRG last night, who are relatively not even that much of a star.) I don’t know if Toxin knows the reaction to Banks working Bandido’s show – it was a story only on English-speaking Twitter, never broke into the general Mexican wrestling discussion, and Toxin’s not someone I see on Twitter much – but I’m also not sure if it would change anything.

La Jornada talks to Lady Apache, who questions why there’s never been a female star on the level of Santo or Blue Demon, and answers it as because of the “machismo” in Mexican wrestling.

Laredo Kid beat John Skyler, again, on Before the Impact. That’s the good news. The less good news is Laredo Kid drew Trey Miguel and the debuting Alex Zayne in the first round of a tournament for the vacant X-Division match on next week’s show, and he’d probably got the worst chances of advances. I guess we’ll for sure know where Impact sees him.

LuchaWorld has the Lucha Report.