regular CMLL weekend shows, Mexico/COVID, major changes in ROH

Today is the last regular Arena Mexico show prior to the Dia del Muerto show. It’s not streaming and there’s nothing particularly notable on it; it’s only notable for how familiar it is. The last four CMLL weeks:

• 10/08: Gran Guerrero, Templario, Último Guerrero beat Místico, Titán, Volador Jr.
• 10/15: Gran Guerrero, Templario, Último Guerrero beat Místico, Titán, Volador Jr.
• 10/22: Místico beat Último Guerrero
• 10/29: Gran Guerrero, Templario, Último Guerrero versus Místico, Titán, Volador Jr.

We know we’ll be spared from this next week, but that doesn’t make this any more interesting. CMLL has become more strict about keeping their rudo units together, which makes it easier to fall in repeat matches like this. CMLL does not care and not enough people care to watch it.

Sunday’s lineup was also revealed.

CMLL (SUN) 10/31/2021 Arena México
1) Leono & Retro vs Apocalipsis & Cholo
2) Avispa Dorada, La Vaquerita, Skadi vs La Comandante, La Metálica, Tiffany
3) Hijo del Villano III, Okumura, Pólvora vs Akuma, Espanto Jr., Misterioso Jr.
4) Kráneo, Stuka Jr., Volcano vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Raziel
5) Fugaz, Titán, Volador Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Felino, Rey Bucanero

Misterioso is fully back in Arena Mexico. The women’s match is described as a rematch from the previous week. It is the same people and the rudas won last week, but it was just Tiffany beating Vaquerita cleanly.

Dia del Muertos is about remembering those who have passed away; there’s a handful of remembrances of past and recently deceased lucahdors already. CMLL has announced they’re doing something to remember fans: they’ve invited fans to send in photos of family members who have “already gone ahead down the road” and they’ll show the photos on the screens during the shows. That’s a thoughtful move

CMLL (TUE) 11/02/2021 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Mr. Trueno, Rey Trueno, Thunder Boy vs Bobby Black, Carlo Roggi, Fúnebre
2) Adrenalina, Crixus, Estrella Oriental, Minotauro vs Ángel Rebelde (Querétaro), Halcón Negro Jr. (Querétaro), Optimus (Querétaro), Trono (Querétaro)
3) Flash, Mr. Samurai, Zandokan vs Joker, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr.
4) Explosivo, Fantástico, Star Black vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Demonio Maya, Principe Daniel
5) Hijo del Villano III & Villano IV vs Felino Jr. & Negro Casas and Blue Panther & Cachorro and Panterita del Ring & Panterita del Ring

This will be a Dia del Muertos themed show. Villano V hasn’t appeared there since a 2017 legends show. Many of CMLL’s biggest names are in the Rey del Inframundo cibernetico in Arena Mexico so that makes as a day to bring in people from the outside to Guadalajara.

CMLL Informa announced that the final 2 of the 12/06 Arena Coliseo Torneo de Gran Opurtindad match will receive spots in the semi-main and main event. The value of those spots have diminished when Sagrado is suddenly back in the top matches, but it’ll still be a first for those involved. It’s really a bigger deal for CMLL itself, desperately in need of a young star to be accepted as a new star and heat up. Given the people involved, this might be a chance to try Panterita del Ring Jr. or Halcon Suriano Jr. in a top spot and see if it works.

Mascara 2000, who has not appeared in CMLL in nineteen months, told the press he had left CMLL. He also claimed Capo Mayor had not paid him for the Mascara 2000 Jr. name in 8 years. I feel like he may should’ve brought it up in year three or four if it was an issue.

Ice Ribbon’s Tsukasa Fujimoto wrote an article for j-cast about her trip to Mexico. Google translates it surprisingly well. Two things I learned: Mexican fans understood her name because they saw it as “Tu Casa” and it was pronounced about the same, and she had five PCR and anitgen tests during her time in Mexico.

The second part of the Mexico Exterior Department’s videos about lucha libre has gone up on various affiliated YouTube channels; here’s it on the Mexico Guayamas YouTube channel. This one focuses on masks.

ROH

Ring of Honor is not going away, but the Ring of Honor that’s existed for the last half decade or so will come to an end in December. ROH announced they would suspend wrestling operations and make major changes following their 12/11 Final Battle PPV. Ring of Honor simultaneously informed their wrestlers that most of their contracts would be allowed to lapse in December; those who have deals into 2022 will get paid until March and may get a buyout for the rest. ROH’s press release says they’re aiming to return in April; the idea appears to be ROH will employ people on a per date basis and likely keep little overhead, just the minimum to keep a wrestling TV show on the air.

ROH will still hold that scheduled Final Battle PPV. They will hold planned tapings next week, according to PWInsider. It’s possible ROH could tape more that weekend of Final Battle, but likely the PPV will be the end of this era. All wrestlers are now allowed to start taking outside bookings for any dates beyond those of the previously scheduled ROH dates. It’s likely some of the current wrestlers will be used in the new iteration of ROH, but likely not as many and not at the pay they had before.

The Mexico-based talent is very much not likely to be among those brought back for a scaled-down ROH. This is not a version of the promotion likely to pay for international flights (maybe not even domestic ones) and the legal fees required in getting a work visa. Bandido, Demonic Flamita, Rey Horus, Dragon Lee, and Rush will lose their full time jobs in January. (La Bestia del Ring was only a per date wrestler, like many newer faces in Ring of Honor.) It’s likely some of those wrestlers were looking around at other options previously – the Munoz were public with it – but their leverage in dealmaking has just disappeared. The options for full time work for Mexican wrestlers in the US are now WWE, which has cut back dramatically on bringing in established wrestlers, and AEW. MLW and Impact are nice, but the four guys working those two groups (Arez, Aramis, Laredo Kid, Black Taurus) are not fully employed at it like the ROH wrestlers were.

My guess is Bandido will draw interest from AEW. I think – I know – fans want to see a Los Ingobernabels reunion in AEW because I get replies to that effect every time I suggest AEW might look into signing some luchadors. I’m doubtful that’ll happen, I believe Rush would be unhappy with being a small fish in a big pond and I think some of Rush’s behavior in Ring of Honor may convince AEW he’s not working behavior. Rush to AEW still is a possibility because plenty of poor actions by wrestlers has historically been overlooked if promoters believe a wrestler is a draw, just don’t put all your chips on it. Dragon Lee is tied to Rush and tied to whatever the situation will be with NJPW in 2022. Demonic Flamita and Rey Horus would be assets to US groups but I don’t feel strongly about their chances. This massive free agency for Ring of Honor wrestlers combined with previous (and likely upcoming) WWE releases means there’s a lot of useful wrestlers for a small number of spots and some deserving people are going to be left out.

I expect you’ll be seeing all of these people work in Mexico much more often in 2022, not just because of lack of opportunities, but maybe lack of visas. Everyone’s situation is different, but likely many of those who had contracts expiring at the end of this year also had their work visas lined up the same. It’s possible to get legal permission to get a visa in the US in different ways – I’m guessing Masked Republic and others doing similar work have gotten some urgent messages in the last few days – but all visa stuff seems slow and lengthy. There may be a small stretch of time where those guys who thought they were working regularly in the US in 2022 are instead locked out.

In the bigger picture, there are few spots for Mexican wrestlers in the US and now they’re fewer. I don’t believe any promotion has a set quota. I do think most US wrestling promotions believe all Mexican wrestlers offer about the same wrestling matches, they find little that differences Mexican wrestlers beyond their proficiency in that style, and so those US promotions believe that signing more Mexican wrestlers is diminishing returns. They’re likely not thinking “we can only four luchadors”, they’re just not seeing what’s unique about the potential fifth guy that would add to the product. Just because there’s a bunch of talented Mexican wrestlers now available doesn’t mean they’ll automatically get a spot somewhere else. Some of them are likely to hustle for indie dates, but those indie promotions are going to see things in a similar way – if Bandido is available, a promotion who sees only value in bringing in one luchador might not give Psycho Clown or an Ultimo Guerrero the spot. I think it’s worth fighting for a visa for a Hijo del Vikingo even if you can get a Dragon Lee easier, but I don’t trust the people who make these decisions feel the same way.  At least Hijo del Vikingo is a known quantity; if you’re a Koamnder or a Latigo, even just getting a look in the US just go longer odds. ROH spots going away affects everyone trying to get work in the US.

There’s also less chance for growth in those spots. maybe 1 to 3 more jobs may open up in AEW, but that’s about it. I don’t think there’s going to be more work for Mexicans in WWE – if anything, they’ll probably lose a spot when Gran Metalik gets let go, and there’s not a Mexican on the WWE roster than I feel 100% confident will be around a year from now. ROH’s pivot was a bad day for everyone in wrestling, but especially the ones trying to fight for a spot from Mexico.

Ring of Honor failed, in this most recent iteration, because they spent like they were a third national promotion and were not able to take in money as the national promotion. Their success in 2017 and 2018 convinced them that was their normal, and they didn’t appreciate how big a share of that growth was due to the Elite and due to NJPW. Even though their sold-out Madison Square Garden show, I think they were in on their own hype and were blinded to their own foundational weaknesses. The Elite left, NJPW focused on their own situation, WWE continued to pick away at ROH for NXT, and ROH wasn’t compelling enough to keep fans into those wrestlers to stay with them. COVID obviously hurt tremendously, and maybe this version of ROH remains in place longer without it. Ring of Honor was still struggling prior, canceling shows in 2019 (explained as “logistics”, fairly obviously as “not enough tickets were being sold”) even prior to the pandemic. People in charge made mistakes and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of content over the next couple of months going through them all, but I think it comes down to the simple bit of not enough people being interested in post-ELITE versions of Ring of Honor.

One of the reoccurring bits of discussion in Mexican wrestling over the last three decades is if there could ever be a third strong national promotion to rival CMLL and AAA. The US is now a similar setup, with both WWE and AEW strong and stable. The Mexican attempts at a third national promotion have generally been badly thought out and either quick disasters or slow failures. Ring of Honor had it’s own issues, though it was still better run and better funded than most of those Mexico attempts and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to survive in that form. I think it’s an open question if US wrestling can support a third major wrestling promotion. There can and will be great wrestling in the US outside of those two promotions, but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough. There’s definitely the wrestling talent available for it, I’m just not sure if there’s enough fan support to pay for it. It may take a completely different version of wrestling to bring in a different fan base, but I don’t think it’s any more guaranteed in the US than it is in Mexico.

Rush & Dragon Lee posted a vlog very thankful to Ring of Honor for their time there and how they took care of the wrestlers during the pandemic. They were also thankful to the fans for their support. They presented their future as having many options with every wrestling company in the US, as well as considering the possibility of just staying independent and working wherever. Rush pushed the idea of wanting to bring the whole family – including Dralistico and La Bestia del Ring – wherever they go, and wanting the whole family to be treated like stars. It’s hard to imagine them in AEW with those requirements. SEScoops quotes Court Bauer as saying he’d have interest in Rush. Rush previously worked for MLW and Bauer talked in great detail about how he lost on a bidding war for Rush when he signed for ROH. MLW seems like a better fit for what Rush and his family are looking for, though it’s possible the money being offered last time won’t be the same with less demand this time. Rush has posted a teaser image to appear in Pro Wrestling Revolution in 2022, though it was so subtle that I didn’t get it the first time I saw it.

GCW announced Bandido for shows on December 3rd (Houston), 4th (Dallas), and 17th (Los Angeles.) Bandido is booked for North Carolina’s PWX on 12/18. He’s occupied with ROH on 12/10 and 12/11 and may be spending Christmas in Mexico so that’s probably about it.

The weirdest CMLL diehards are having the slightest bit of dance on ROH’s grave here is unsurprising; there’s no point in arguing with them because they’re few and very lost. It is worth noting that the big CMLL’s ROH tour came when Ring of Honor was looking for any kind of boost. CMLL gave ROH nothing. CMLL gave Ring of Honor wrestlers and it was up to Ring of Honor to figure out how to use them, but the “CMLL” name and the wrestlers on their own meant nothing outside of the wall of Arena Mexico. The hope was CMLL would bring some level of fanbase similar to NJPW, and that was borderline non-existent. I don’t think one good CMLL/ROH tour changes where ROH is today, but it was a warning signal about how badly CMLL markets itself, one they could’ve heeded. Their problems still haven’t been addressed and now the same small crowd CMLL wrestlers were shocked by at ROH are the normal ones they see on spot shows. CMLL fans generally might want to keep their heads down anyway; this ROH ended because the people with money decided they were tired of spending more of it for ROH to figure it out. CMLL’s not doing that much better and they’re not safe from the same fate.

AAA

10/30 AAA on Space – this week, it’s listed at 7 pm, which was the timeslot Dynamite had been in. Matches scheduled

• AAA has posted the preview still
• so I’ve got nothing to post here
• probably some matches from Xalapa

The Wrestling Observer reported FTR will be on the 11/04 AAA TV tapings. Vickie Guerrero will manage them instead of Tully Blanchard. The WON says the idea of FTR as AAA tag champs and going to Mexico with Guerrero as their manager was a Tony Khan idea, which conflicts with what I’ve heard elsewhere. Guerrero’s best skill is riling up a crowd, so sending her as a manager to a no-fans show is counterintuitive. AAA still wants FTR to defend on the 12/04 TripleMania Regia show and that’s still not confirmed.

The WON says Deonna Purrazzo is a bridesmaid in a wedding the same weekend as TripleMania Regia, so that’s why she’s not on the show.

Other News

Mexico’s president held a press conference to announce that everyone over 18 has been given at least one does of a COVID vaccine. Mexico City’s mayor has done the same. That doesn’t seem exactly true – Our World in Data reports 53% of Mexican have taken one dose of a vaccine. It’s possible they’ve all been offered the chance to get one. At any rate, I read this as Mexico declaring victory and moving on to the end phase in this pandemic. Restrictions will likely be further eased barring another spike in cases. If you’re CMLL and wanting to open up Arena Mexico fully or if you’re AAA and hoping to return to regular live shows in 2022, this is as good as possible. I don’t know they we – either in the US or Mexico – are truly past the health consequences of this pandemic but I believe governments are beginning to act as if it’s largely over.

Arez faces Myron Reed in the first round of AAW’s JLMT tournament tonight in Berwyn, Illinois. It’ll also air on FITE for $13 at 7:30 pm.

Shows of note this weekend

• The Friday night Tr3s Caidas show was just canceled. They say they’re submitted all required forms to get permission to run shows in plenty of time, but did not get them returned by one part of the government at all to get another part to give their permission and they can’t run.
• Arena Coliseo Guadalajara has a special Saturday (not Friday) show with Mistico and Barbaro Cavernario.
• MexaWrestling on Saturday with Demonic Flamita versus Aramis and Latigo & Toxin vs Bendito & Iron Kid.
• Vanguardia returns on Sunday with a show at Arena Aficion

Wrestling Observer Newsletter also mentioned that Will Ospreay was approached to work a “MLW Mexico” taping this year. I presume that’s a The Crash show; MLW has only taped in Tijuana with whomever Konnan is working with that minute. Ospreay was told by NJPW he could only work a show in Mexico if there were no AAA wrestlers booked. Not just in his match, but on the show entirely. It reads like Ospreay won’t be on that show of the way it’s written in the newsletter but not that it’s certain. The Crash hasn’t announced future plans beyond an 11/05 show.

That 11/05 The Crash show has a lot of people announced but also no matches a week out. That’s unusual behavior for The Crash, especially strange since it’s their big 10th Aniversario show.

No IWRG show Thursday night. IWRG is participating at the La Mole comic book convention this weekend, which might be a reason they didn’t run much this week. The next show is the Castillo del Terror show on Sunday, which is a Mas Lucha Premium show.

Mexican sportscaster Javier Sahagun passed away on Wednesday. Sahagun worked for Televisa and announced Raw for the network from 2008 to 2014. Televisa insists on their own announce team for wrestling, so Sahagun and partner Jorge Pietrasanta came off as interlopers to Mexican fans used to Hugo Savonvich and Carlos Cabrera. Still, to the fans who started watching WWE during its hottest period in Mexico, Sahagun was one of the authentic voices of the promotion.