CMLL remains on pause, AAA at WrestleCon, other shows go on

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CMLL/COVID

CMLL announced Tuesday night that they would remain on hiatus with no set time of return due to COVID. They had previously canceled all shows through Tuesday, and now they’re out until they’re not. We have no idea when the next CMLL show will be.

This pause seems different than an outbreak. Everyone infected might not yet be better, but they’d be getting closer to the end; going out a week more would fit, going out indefinitely suggests it’s a deeper concern about the overall environment. Mexico is starting to see the same rapid rise in his case seen in the US, though thankfully also so relatively far fewer days. Mexico City still hasn’t enacted new policies, though other places are starting to make changes.

• Arena Lopez Mateos shows scheduled for 01/16 and 01/22 are canceled due to a city ban on public events. I didn’t have lineups for either show yet, though Psycho Clown and Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. had been announced for 01/16.
• The state of Jalisco will begin requiring proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID events to attend events. This now applies to indie lucha libre shows and would apply to CMLL’s Arena Coliseo Guadalajara when they start running again. It’s the first I’ve heard of those requirements for shows in Mexico.
• Zacatecas is pausing all events for two weeks, which canceled a show in Fresnillo.

CMLL’s decision to shut down was their own call, though it’s possible Mexico City may be catching up to them in the next couple of weeks. It’s at least possible the next Big 2 show in Mexico is the 01/30 show in Merida. Ironically, Merida was the scheduled location of AAA’s next show when the pandemic first shut everything down.

Lluvia and Soberano were at a government ambassador’s dinner on Tuesday night. Lluvia was one of the wrestlers missing last week, so good to see she’s doing well. This appears to be part of the video project on lucha libre as Mexican culture, the luchadors were there for photo ops.

CMLL Informa continues on, as it must until the end of time. I would’ve bet the postponement announcement would’ve come on that show, but CMLL Informa is a place only for good news. Mistico, Hechicero, Okumura, and Lluvia will be there to talk about matches they might have one day.

El Sol de Puebla talked to Puebla’s King Jaguar, who just had his first match back in Arena Puebla, and still runs a food stand outside of the building with his family. Their business is down 70% when Arena Puebla is shut down, but they’re staying up on Sundays and Mondays to do what they can do. He believes Arena Puebla will be closed for a month. Gossiping wrestlers aren’t the most reliable source of information but we’re all just guessing.

AAA

AAA will have a show in Dallas, Texas on March 31th as part of WrestleCon’s series of shows. It will be AAA’s first show since the attempt at running MSG in August 2019, which seemed to lead into the FMV/AAA lawsuit. There’s still no public or court statement announcing the end of the AAA/FMV issue, but AAA is proceeding like it’s been settled. I’m told the idea is for it to be an authentic AAA show, though I’m not sure who/if will be there. As always, if Vikingo gets a visa, Vikingo will be booked, but we have no idea if/when Vikingo is getting a visa. Same for most people.

This appears to be the start of AAA’s fourth major push into the US. How they’ve gone so far:

• early 90s: some very memorable matches (When World’s Collide) and some people involved eventually get picked up by major US promotions, ends in a legal dispute with FMV
• 2009: sponsored by a cheese company, shows no one remembers happens, Lucha Libre USA* weirdly came out of this, not sure if there was a legal dispute but AAA is blocked from trying again in the US for five years
• mid/late 2010s: some very memorable matches (Lucha Underground) and some people involved eventually get picked up by major US promotions, ends in a legal dispute with FMV

AAA will probably have some good matches and maybe we should just focus on that part. There’s still no posted update on the existing lawsuit, but everyone’s under the impression it’ll be concluded in some fashion soon to allow this to happen.

This is scheduled to be the first of a series of AAA shows this year. AAA and plans never work together well and I have no dates or locations of when those are going to be happening, and nothing is for real with AAA until it’s print. Still, this is an important show for AAA to get some buzz on a weekend where a promotion or a wrestler can get hot, because they’ve lived in an unseen wilderness for most of the last two years. Thursday early evening is not the most ideal time but I’m not sure there’s a great time for a WrestleMania weekend show: I think Dallas will revert back to the sort of crowded landscape last seen in August with multiple shows going on at once and there is no unobstructed time. This Thursday time in particular means it’s right before MLW’s taping that night, which might mean a busy day for Arez & Aramis among others.

MLW 01/21 in Dallas has El Dragon, Aramis, and a mystery person against Arez, Gino Medina, Mini Abismo Negro Jr.. MLW’s press release makes it clear this time this is a new Mini Abismo Negro, not the old AAA guy. I presume it’s an AAA guy getting re-gimmicked, because it’s hard to believe MLW would care/know enough about Mini Abismo Negro Jr. to give someone that gimmick and only AAA would call the new version of a guy “Jr.”. El Dragon is the Juarez/El Paso wrestler who’s been seen in KAOZ. MLW says they’ll not reveal the mystery person until the day of the show.

A video on the Empresa injuring La Hiedra is going up on AAA’s YouTube channel, so this is an AAA angle going somewhere. Maybe the Merida lineup will change again.

AAA’s shop has a few new designs.

Going back to the * up there: this past week’s AEW podcast reveals Alex Abrhanates – the guy with Pentagon and doing Spanish commentary – was the guy who wrote for Lucha Libre USA. I guess “reveals” is too strong, it’s on IMDB and everything, but my mind was blown at that connection.

Other News

Carxyus has photos of the Lucha Memes show this weekend, the first sign I’ve seen that it actually happened. I wish the excitement for Memes shows among hardcore internet fans was matched by people attending the shows in Mexico.

IWRG is back to announcing unspecific contract signings, say they’ve signed luchadora Sagitarius. This is the same Sagitarius who’d been wrestling in Veracruz.

IWRG (SUN) 01/16/2022 Arena Naucalpan
1) Kunay & Villarreal vs Carnicero & Garra Mortal Jr.
2) Hell Boy, Legendario, Sol vs Black Dragón, Cerebro Negro Jr., Rey Halcón
3) Big Boy & Big Mike vs Aster Boy & Noisy Boy and Puma de Oro & Tonalli
4) Freelance, Hijo del Alebrije, Toxin vs Cerebro Negro, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Karaoui
5) Alpha Wolf & Dragón Bane vs Súpernova & Texano Jr. and Diva Salvaje & Jessy Ventura

No Banks this week, at least not on the poster. Las Shotas are listed as back.

Vanguardia (SUN) 01/30/2022 Cancha del Deportivo 11 de Julip, Pachuca, Hidalgo
1) El Sable vs Devitt Rodríguez, Dragón Boy, Rayito Mexicano
2) Gasparín vs ?
3) Falcón Fire vs Tromba
4) Colmillo Blanco, Jitsu, Rey Dragón, Santy Hernández vs Black Terry, Sadico (Estado de México), Símbolo Azteca, Terry 2000
5) Jimmy © vs Brazo De Oro Jr. [VANGUARDIA EXTRAORDINARIO]
6) Crazy King vs Ricky Marvin
7) Damián 666 & El Mago vs Cíclope & Lobo Blanco [explosions]
8) Miedo Extremo vs Último Guerrero

Tough to explode the ring in the semi-main but I suppose Ultimo Guerrero has to be in the main event. Guerrero still being advertised for a 01/30 show seems like a good sign at this point, though it certainly can change by the time we get there.

Warrior Wrestling on 01/22 has Gringo Loco vs ASF vs Aramis vs Drago Kid vs Sam Adonis for the Warrior Wrestling Lucha Libre championship.

PWG’s BOLA night one (01/28) includes

• Aramis vs Rey Hours
• JD Drake vs Black Taurus
• Bandido vs Speedball Mike Bailey

The final three rounds will take place on the 01/29 show, which takes place Sunday.

GCW in Dallas on 02/05 has Gringo Loco versus Psycho Clown.

Lucha Va Voom appears to be returning in Los Angeles on February 11 & 12. Extreme Tiger mentioned it on his social media about a week ago. The promotion still hasn’t announced itself through social media but tickets are on sale.

Marco Corleone is listed on the 02/11 Robles show in Laredo. It’d be his first match in three years. Those Robles shows must pay well.

02/11 RIOT

• Latigo, Toxin and Arez vs Iron Kid, Kratoz & Prometo
• Erick Ortiz vs Mr. Iguana in a first round match
• Jimmy vs King Rex in a first round match
• Blake Christian vs Aeroboy in a first round match

X-LAW, a promotion that has not meaningful existed since 2010, announced it’ll run a 21st Anniversary show on March 5th in location to be revealed. LA Park, Juventud Guerrera, and Crazy Boy are announced; Guerrera hasn’t appeared in Mexico since his AEW one off appearance and it’s nice to know he’s OK, but I’m not sure what else to do with this. The press release teases a LA Park versus Super Parka match based off a long forgotten angle, which probably will do fine but reminded me how much Super Parka was struggling through matches when he was last in CMLL five years ago. Anyone announcing “we’re back!” during a pandemic and when shows aren’t drawing well is deeply confusing.

LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.