Black Man (1949-2022), Stuka versus Atlantis, Heavyweight Title tournament, AAA WrestleCon lineup,

CMLL

CMLL (TUE) 03/01/2022 Arena México [CMLL, CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Kaiser Sports]
1) Cholo & Retro b Apocalipsis & Valiente Jr. [Relevos Increíbles] 
2) El Suicida, Eléctrico, Robin b Disturbio, Enfermero Jr., Grako 
tecnicos took 1/3
3) Amapola, Dalys, Metálica b La Guerrera, La Magnifica, Marcela  
Rudas took 2/3
4) Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado b Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Terrible  
Gemelos took 1/3, asked for a CMLL TAG match
5) Atlantis, Stuka Jr., Titán b Felino, Negro Casas, Templario  
tecnicos took 2/3, though Stuka attacked Atlantis after the match. The two brawled in the interview area.

Atlantis had earlier done an interview about how he was going to train Atlantis Jr. hard for his mask match. Perhaps Stuka saw this as a threat? At any rate, the angle on Friday was confusing as to who was meant to be the rudo, but now it seems as if Stuka has turned rudo. You can’t attack Atlantis without becoming the bad guy. Atlantis declared he’d never team with Stuka again, which makes it hard for Stuka to be on the tecnico side. Titan also reacted like Stuka had turned.

CMLL (TUE) 03/01/2022 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, Arena Coliseo Guadalajara (photos)]
1) Atilius & Rey Uranio b Aurelius & Maximus
2) Destello, Gran Kenut, Jabalí b Cosmos, Micro, Último Ángel
3) Joker, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. b Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga
4) Gallo DQ Rey Trueno
Mr. Trueno broke up the pin and attacked Gallo for the DQ. Flash made the save, challenges followed.
5) Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Trono b Crixus, Difunto, Zandokan Jr.
Angel Rebelde suffered a minor right knee injury on a late dive, the match stalled for a bit, and he came back to finish the match with one boot on. Trono beat new champion Zandokan.
6) Bestia Negra b Exterminador © [OCCIDENTE HEAVY]
Exterminador falls on first defense. Bestia Negra won the title when Furia Roja threw water in Exterminador’s hair and Bestia Negra reversed his hold into a leg lock.

Lots of angles on this show; the semi-main seems to be setting up something a Zandokan/Trono title match. Rebelde was moving slow enough that I think he actually got hurt, but it felt like a story.

Volador beat Arena in Puebla; there’s video of it here.

CMLL (FRI) 03/04/2022 Arena México
1) Micro Ángel, Micro Gemelo Diablo I, Micro Gemelo Diablo II vs Átomo, Chamuel, Periko Zacarías
2) El Audaz, Esfinge, Star Jr. vs Cancerbero, El Coyote, Okumura
3) Fugaz, Místico, Soberano Jr. vs Diamond, Magia Blanca, Volador Jr.
4) Euforia vs Último Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, Terrible, Cavernario, Sagrado, Akuma, Star Black [MEX HEAVY, torneo]
5) ? vs ? [MEX HEAVY, quarterfinal]
6) ? vs ?? [MEX HEAVY, quarterfinal]
7) ? vs ?? [MEX HEAVY, quarterfinal]
8) ? vs ?? [MEX HEAVY, quarterfinal]
9) ? vs ?? [MEX HEAVY, semifinal]
10) ? vs ?? [MEX HEAVY, semifinal]
11) ? vs ?? [MEX HEAVY, final]

The Mexican Heavyweight championship refresher: Diamante Azul was champion, Azul quit CMLL but felt he should still be champion, CMLL had the actual belt and declared they were going to determine a new champion on the Aniversario show, Azul threatened to sue both CMLL and the commission for not letting him remain champion, the commission said CMLL had the right to the title but they were going to order CMLL to include indie wrestlers in their tournament to win a title, CMLL said nope to that idea and just put the belt on the shelf until the heat cooled off. The heat has cooled off and now CMLL’s just going back to do whatever they want to with it. The commission hasn’t said anything this time, and DMT Azul either doesn’t know or has moved on. Last year’s argument was a lot of fuss for a title that has scarcely been important in Mexico. It’s likely most recent former champion Terrible regains the title so CMLL can say all of the Ingobernables have a belt, but he (or whomever) is not going to be treated like the best heavyweight in Mexico or anything. This tournament should be fine but it’s just checking a To Do list off a box with no obvious plan beyond it.

Star Black is a Guadalajara luchador who’s was in CDMX in 2019 and probably would’ve been back again already if not for an ill-timed injury and the pandemic. He’s implied to be part of the Rayo de Jalisco family, though I haven’t seen the details on that. I read the poster as this tournament deciding the final two, but Mas Luchas says it’s to determine a new champion and they know better than I. (I’m also assuming single-elimination, though they don’t say that anywhere.) This also means at least three straight weeks of Friday tournaments, since the women’s tag will begin next week.

Zacarias is still around after all. When Mistico & Ultimo Guerrero got pulled from indie shows early in February, Box y Lucha mentioned CMLL had threatened them with being suspended for a month if they worked those shows. I don’t think Zacarias has been gone a full month but it’s possible he got suspended for working that indie show and didn’t quit. That opener is just missing Mije from being the full micros division.

This show is listed as on Ticketmaster Live, though no show from March is available to be ordered.

CMLL (SAT) 03/05/2022 Arena Coliseo
1) Angelito, Pequeño Magía, Shockercito vs Full Metal, Mercurio, Minos
2) Leono, Panterita del Ring Jr., Sangre Imperial vs Inquisidor, Nitro, Raider
3) Skadi vs Dalys [lightning]
4) Guerrero Maya Jr., Hombre Bala Jr., Panterita del Ring vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
5) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto vs Atlantis Jr., Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero

Skadi & Dalys are partners in the upcoming women’s tournament, fighting here. There seems to be a better effort at following up the issues from Fridays on other shows. I’m afraid to give CMLL too much credit for ideas everyone else has been doing for 40 years but it’s an improvement. Now, they just need to have more good matches.

CMLL Informa today has Atlantis, Stuka Jr., Sagrado, Terrible, Star Black, Skadi and the new Ola Negra (Akuma, Espanto Jr., Dark Magic.)

CMLL is now selling NJPW merchandise at the Arena Mexico merchandise counter. I wanted to call it a store but it’s really just a counter. You could find NJPW merchandise on the outside of the building prior. Not sure if you still can.

AAA

AAA is advertising FTR versus Lucha Brothers for the 03/13 Merida show. AAA specifically never put out the graphic with the Lucha Brothers versus Hermanos Lee for Rey de Reyes, seemingly because they knew it was never going to happen. I guess we can read this as AAA believes FTR & Lucha Brothers will happen. I don’t feel confident about it, but this is what we have to work with when AAA’s not straightforward about these things.

Sammy Guevara and Willie Mack were announced for the 03/26 show.

AAA TV (THU) 03/31/2022 Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
1) Microman, Niño Hamburguesa, Taya vs La Hiedra, Mini Abismo Negro Jr., Rey Escorpión
2) Aramis, Mr. Iguana, Octagón Jr. vs Abismo Negro Jr., Arez, Faby Apache
3) Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf vs Aerostar & Drago [NWA TAG]
4) Drago Kid, Jack Cartwheel, Pagano vs Gringo Loco (Indie), Puma King, Sam Adonis
5) Laredo Kid vs Bandido vs Flamita [AAA CRUISER]
12th defense
6) Psycho Clown vs Taurus

This feels like an authentic lucha libre show for the most part. The top two matches should be really good, and others have a chance. Bestia & Mecha aren’t in AAA (though check again after the Tijuana taping), but that’s sort of crossover match expected for WrestleMania weekend. Aerostar & Drago have ended up as the signature AAA team that goes to lose against other teams’ champions; they kind of seem to have more value to AAA in that role than they do in AAA storylines. Faby Apache’s spot feels like it should have been Chik Tormenta, or Toxin or Latigo, but they’re probably just working with who’s available.

The comparable show to this AAA one is The Crash back in New Orleans. It had eight matches, lots of outsiders, and three/four ways to fit everyone in. I remember liking it while feeling disappointed it wasn’t better – all the people booked meant the matches had to go short to hit their time. (On the other hand, non-lucha fans who went to the show with lesser expectations seemed to remember it fondly.) I like this card more, I think it has a higher upside.

I think this is airing on FITE, but no one seems to know for sure. Likewise, I think this is being taped for AAA TV, but AAA hasn’t said anything and hasn’t even posted the lineup themselves last I checked.

I don’t know if it means anything special them but it sticks out to me that the notable AAA show in the US is headlined by two guys who CMLL seemed to have no use for. It’s the first-ever Psycho Clown versus Taurus singles match I know of; they have a few three-way matches.

I noted in the Rey de Reyes recap that AAA seems to only have four referees, and that was if Copetes Salazar was still around. He appeared on this past week’s Arena Neza show and Copetes said was no longer with AAA, leaving after 29 years. He said he left on good terms and he’s working indie dates now.

Cain Velasquez is being charged with attempted murder, shooting at a motor vehicle, assault with a firearm, and assault with a deadly weapon, which may be related to a member of his family being abused. Nothing upcoming had been announced or hinted at for Velasquez in AAA, though an ESPN report on the situation mentions Velasquez was supposed to return AAA sometime this year and that’d make sense with TripleMania shows to fill.

Passings

Álvaro Meléndez Tibanez (73), best known as Black Man, passed away on Monday. (Posters spelled it both “Black Man” and “Blackman”; I tend towards the two-word version but both work.)  Black Man was a star lightweight wrestler, someone who appears to have been innovating springboards and other flying moves in the 70s. None of it was getting him anywhere except for prelim positions in EMLL until the UWA gave him the martial arts-inspired Black Man gimmick and everything clicked. UWA was a perfect fit for him: they gathered together a lot of lightweights because those were the best wrestlers EMLL wasn’t using, and they emphasized doing “world title” matches in places that weren’t getting them often with EMLL. That meant a lot of work, if intense schedules, for guys like Black Man. The UWA Lightweight Championship history page on the luchawiki charts a busy schedule, and is realistically 15-30% of the defenses. Black Man challenged frequently in 1977 and 1978, won it in 1978, and was said to lose it on his 70th defense in 3 years.

Black Man had a second peak as part of Los Fantasticos, teaming with similar marital artists Kato Kung Lee and Kung Fu. Kato Kung Lee, like Black Man, was a guy hanging around shows for years and featured in magazines as a prospect but it only finally clicked when he got the masked gimmick. The lasting popularity of Bruce Lee and other martial arts movies also seemed to play a part; the idea of cool and super quick fighters connected well with the audience. Los Fantasticos were the first UWA World Trios Champions when the division was belatedly created in 1984. They only held the titles for a month and a half but remained a team for a while longer, challenging occasionally. Kato Kung Lee and Kung Fu sometimes seemed like they didn’t get along, and sometimes seemed like they were more interested in doing their own thing, so the trio went on hiatus in 1986 when those two jumped back to EMLL. Black Man would team with Kendo & Avispon Negro in a new version of Los Fantasticos, but it didn’t go far and may have been only a way to build his profile before losing his mask to Blue Panther. The original trio reunited over the years but without the same magic. Black Man later remarked as Celestial and toured Japan, losing his mask there. He’d been retired since the mid-90s and had been mentioned as in bad health for a while. Black Man was the last of the three original Fantasticos left alive.

I’m not entirely sure where the “Black Man” name comes from; obviously, it reads strangely to English readers. It was trendy at the time to use English words as a name to stand out. Álvaro Meléndez had used a Spider-Man gimmick (first in that name, then just “Spider” probably when someone caught on) prior to the Black Man name. My guess has always been someone just saw his black-colored outfit and affixed the old “Man” surname to it, as a superhero thing, not a skin color. Black Man teamed with a wrestler named “White Man” – same character, different color as if he was Mortal Kombat ninja – before Los Fantasticos. It didn’t work out and Black Man unmasked White Man as Alberto Munoz, who had suffered serious injury years prior and probably just wasn’t the same at that point.

Los Fantasticos would’ve been a surprise pick to win that first UWA trios tournament. Los Misionerios de la Muerte were still considered the best trios team in Mexico. The problem is Los Misioneros were so highly regarded that they had a tour of Japan that overlapped with the tournament, and so shockingly lost in the first round to the all-star irregular team of Anibal, Solitario, and Villano III. The final was unusual too; Los Fantasticos were scheduled to face Los Cadetes del Espacio (Ultraman, Super Astro, Solar), only Super Astro’s mother sadly passed away prior right before the show and Gran Hamada stepped in his place. Los Fantasticos only held the belts for a few weeks but UWA squeezed in two defenses, including one against the full Cadetes, so they still came off as deserving champions.

Mi Lucha Libre released an autobiographical documentary of Black Man on their YouTube; Part 1 is here.

AAA’s currently in the midst of a Vipers relaunch. This is not their first one. Back at the end of 2009, AAA tried a relaunch with an existing “new” Abismo Negro (Black Abyss), a new Psicosis (the third), a new Histeria (technically the third but the first didn’t last long), and new character Amnesia. It didn’t go well. Their first few TV matches didn’t go well and they didn’t get much more than that. Their TV last match in February against La Secta saw these Vipers get squashed, and you almost never see squashes in Mexican wrestling. The group was still booked on spot shows for the rest of the year, then drifted back to the indies. Histeria kept his gimmick, eventually using “Histeria 2.0” and other slight modifications to stay clear of AAA troubles, and wrestled around Guadalajara and later Torreon, and would lose the mask on an indie show to Pagano in 2019. He passed away on Monday. Histeria 2.0 is listed as “Pablo Romero” in some obituaries but that’s believed to just be another ring name. On the luchawiki, we have him as Juan Juvencio Pablo Hernández Diaz, 37 years old. No cause of death has been mentioned.

A third luchador, who wrestled under the names of Mr. Raff & Karma, also passed away on Monday. He was busy in the 70s and 80s; I saw “Mr. Raff” a lot in Plaza de Toros el Cortijo and other Raul Reyes promoted buildings when I was entering in results of the last two years. He was a guy who held a few local titles, wrestled in the SuperLibres/AWWA/Pavillon group (probably under more names than we know) but never had a really big break-out moment.

Other News

There is a full lineup for Thursday IWRG’s show, but I’m just linking to it for spoiler reasons. Mas Lucha and IWRG put out the lineup on Monday, then tried to delete all traces of it from the internet. (It didn’t take.) The bulk of Thursday’s show are two rounds of the Tryout rookie tournament, the card lists the first eight matches to happen, and that gave away the results of a couple of episodes of the reality show which are taped but hadn’t aired yet. The Tryout tournament will all be caught up by Thursday, though it’s still funny they spoiled their own show.  The important match on that Thursday show is Aster Boy defending the IWRG Lightweight Championship against Tonalli. Those were the final two in last year’s Tryout series (Aster Boy 1st, Tonalli 2nd), they had a strongly reviewed match two Sundays ago, and this match Thursday will probably be worth going out of your way to see.

WrestleCon announced Bandido vs Mike Bailey for their 03/31 Supershow. WXW ran that match right before the pandemic; it’s up on their YouTube free and absolutely worth going out of your way to watch. It’ll probably be similarly as great when they do it again this year.

03/21 Lucha Memes in Ecatepec

• el Bendito vs Mike

This one is in Ecatepec because they’re going to have two rings and that would be very tough to fit in Coacalco.

RIOT announced they’ll go with 100% capacity for their 03/25 & 03/26 shows after Nuevo Leon has lifted COVID restrictions. They won’t be having it at Arena Femenil; due to changes with the Monterrey lucha libre commission, they’re moving to the LLUE Showcenter outside the city.

04/01 the WRLD on Lucha

• Pagano vs Sadika in an extreme match
• Jack Carthweel vs Johnny Caballero
• also scheduled to appear: Psicosis, Hugo Savinovich, Laredo Kid, Drago Kid, ASF

Yahoo! Deportes has a profile of LA Park as a social media star.

LuchaWorld has the latest Poster-Mania.