AAA Merida show, other COVID issues, new Mercenario

COVID

AAA’s TV taping in Merida on 01/30 is in flux. The last word is it’s still on, but in no way do I feel sure about it staying that way for two weeks. Thursday night, the state of Yucatan announced new COVID restrictions, including prohibiting any massive public events until 02/15, That would seem to zap the Merida taping, but neither AAA nor the local promoter said anything about the situation. Friday morning, Facebook media outlet Consigna Yucatan talked to the local promoters, who said they’ve been told by the government they still have to go ahead to run the show. The local promoters also vaguely alluded to good news on their Facebook page. Professional sports events are excluded from the ban, and lucha libre is being ruled a professional sport. This is probably intended to be just a carve-out for soccer, with money overruling health policy, and so this show’s existence is entirely subject to a government official changing their mind.

If the show goes on, it’ll require capacity capped at 50%, which it seemed like the local promoter was already advertising for the floor seats. It’s a little bit of a tricky situation: what I didn’t realize about Merida being the first show canceled by AAA back when the pandemic started is people who had tickets for that show in March 2020 apparently didn’t get their money back, they just were eventually given tickets to this show. It’s also why AAA may be reluctant to move this taping; everyone wants to finish off those old promised shows. Not sure if that applied to everyone, and hopefully they have room for everyone with limited capacity. The promotion was also already saying all attendees will have to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test.

A show scheduled for Sunday in Tuxtla Guiterrez with many CMLL names was announced earlier this week as still on, with the local promotions saying the CMLL shut down didn’t affect their status. That has changed; an announcement Thursday night says CMLL wrestlers have been told to no longer appear on outside shows for the time being and so the Tuxtla Guiterrez event is postponed.

We haven’t seen many public announcements of COVID positives from wrestlers, but both Demonic Flamita and Stephanie Vaquer alluded to testing positive on Wednesday on their social media account. Neither reported serious symptoms. This is the second time Flamita’s deal with COVID, first positive before 2020’s Final Battle. Box y Lucha also mentions Jessy Ventura, Diva Salvaje and Hijo de Dos Caras missed last Sunday’s IWRG show due to health issues; it’s not said if was COVID.

A KDNA show announced for Monterrey tonight was canceled due to COVID.

DTU announced they’re suspending shows for the moment due to the rise of COVID.

Rey Bucanero is still going to run his shows on Saturday. He’s now just not going to advertise any wrestlers and will only use people who arrive in time to due COVID testing. Matches will be random draws except for the title/apuesta matches. Most lucha libre promotions would be no worse if they did random draws; CMLL may be there already.

Other News

AAA has been running an angle on social media, with La Hiedra taken out by La Empresa and Rey Escorpion promising a replacement as a and new member of Los Mercenarios for Merida. There’s no overt hint who it’ll be, and it could be just about anyone with AAA. There’s no sign Texano is returning to AAA and he seems pretty solidly working with Robles, but AAA’s been willing to bring people back who dipped out during the pandemic. It could also just as easily be Samoano finding his way into AAA.

Similarly, a local match for the AAA TV was announced as Eterno Alcander, Shangai Kid, Angelito Vengador versus Panther Boy, Halcon Rojo Jr., Tormenta Negra Jr. We still don’t know if AAA will return to airing regular TV tapings live but, even then, they usually don’t show these matches.

In other stuff I wrote before the Merida taping appeared to be in danger, Pentagon Jr. said there’s a 99% chance Fenix will not wrestle on that show as part of the scheduled Lucha Brothers versus FTR tag title match. That’s kinda what everyone figured; the Rey de Reyes appearance in February at least has a chance, but we don’t know for sure until we get a timeline and it doesn’t appear Fenix & Penta have been given one yet. I spent some time trying to figure to how AAA would rebook this and the answer might be it all gets postponed anyway.

Charles Bronson Mexicano (Ismael Ramirez Cruz, 88) passed away on Tuesday. Named because he looked like the actor, Charles Bronson Mexicano wrestled in the 5os to the 70s, also as the masked Rebelde Rojo, but was most famous for working as a double for Santo in movies. Box y Lucha reposted a video interview with him from his gym.

Mexico City luchador Tom Mix passed away, according to the LEGEND promotion and Box y Lucha. He was a guy who had more local renown as a trainer, with Vulcano and Aguila Solitaria two of his students.

CMLL is now advertising the matches airing on Televisa, MVS, and AMX this weekend, as they tend to do when there are no live events. All are matches that have already aired before on different networks or on YouTube. (Heraldo Television has the only unaired match, and that show doesn’t stream most weeks.) CMLL should have all the matches from the 01/02 and 01/04 shows to air and aren’t using them yet. Very few matches matter in CMLL and much of it feels interchangeable, so maybe airing new material isn’t as important. There’s nothing new going up on the drive if that’s what you’re looking for.

Deonna Purrazzo retained the AAA Reina de Reinas championship and won the ROH Women’s championship over Rok-C on Impact Thursday night. It was pretty good match. Purrazzo is scheduled to defend the AAA title against the winner of a match on 02/19, most likely Taya, but we don’t when or where that’ll happen. The Black Taurus match on Impact’s BTI pre-show is available on YouTube for free. That’s the last week of BTI; NJPW returns to AXS to take over that hour next week.

MLW’s YouTube show included a fun 5150 vs Skalibur & Destiny match and then other stuff you don’t have to see unless you’re already into MLW. Next week’s MLW Azteca #3 episode will have 5150 versus Aerostar & Drago, Bestia 666 versus Mads Kruger and probably one more match. Hijo del Vikingo wrestled twice on these tapings and is one of the more appealing wrestlers from Mexico for non-Mexico fans, so it’s surprised me he hasn’t been hyped or even mentioned at all on these shows so far. Maybe MLW doesn’t see it. MLW has three episodes left so he’ll be appearing soon.

Albert pointed out in the comments that MLW’s Mini Abismo Negro Jr. is Mini Fussion; there are Facebook pages reporting it too. Mini Fussion was brought into Robles Promotion to work opposite Microman, so that strongly suggests he’s the mystery man in that MLW match. It’s bizarre for a “Robles” guy to get an “AAA” gimmick, those two groups are the opposition in Mexico, but MLW and AAA themselves get along.

Former CMLL building Arena Coliseo Acapulco is scheduled to reopen for a show on Saturday. The show has sporadically had shows the last few years, though it’s also been used as a basketball arena among other events. The promoters say the building has been “comprehensively remodeled”, apparently with the idea of running more.

Furia de Titanes says the IWRG Tryout show will start airing on January 27th Thursday on IWRG’s channel, while promoting their own affiliated wrestlers as participating.

The Crash (FRI) 01/28/2022 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) Ryan Kid & Toto vs Próximo & Terror Azteca
2) Sexy Star vs Lady Maravilla, Lady Flammer © [THE CRASH WOMEN]
3) Black Danger, Dinámico, Oráculo vs Destiny, El Dragón (Chihuahua), El Impostor (Chihuahua)
4) Hijo Del Vikingo vs Flip Gordon
5) ACH, Rich Swann, Willie Mack vs Bestia 666, Mecha Wolf, Rey Horus
6) Penta 0M vs El Bandido, Dragón Lee (Indie), Jack Cartwheel

This show had Fenix & Microman advertised, and at least one of those has an obvious reason not to be here. Unclear why Vikingo/Gordon isn’t a title match, though The Crash has never done a singles match for their championship so maybe that’s the reason. I would not know Lady Flammer is the current The Crash women’s champion if I didn’t have a database.

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
• El Mago versus Tromba in a first-round match – new

AAA wrestlers will return to the Mexico City Vive Latino music festival on March 19th & March 20th. This was the last shows AAA wrestlers worked before the 2020 shutdown. That festival seems long enough away that maybe this current wave will have past by then.

Los Brazos were voted into the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame in the latest edition of the newsletter of the same name. Mistico was one vote short. The full Mexico totals, listed by votes

107 Los Brazos
---
 74 Mistico
 57 Los Hermanos Dinamita
 41 Sangre Chicana
 40 Huracan Ramirez 
 36 Dorrell Dixon 
 31 La Parka AAA 
 30 Pirata Morgan 
 28 Octagon

Psycho Clown received less than 10 votes and will be dropped from the ballot, but will also likely be added back to the ballot later in his career. No new Mexico candidates are to be added next year and Mistico has the best chance of getting in.

Segunda Caida watches some 1991 Super Porky.

King Rap won the award for best luchador of Saltillo’s Arena Pavillon del Norte.