CMLL Universal Block B tonight, Konan Big in IWRG, AAA Space

CMLL

Tonight’s Arena Mexico show finishes the qualifying rounds for the CMLL Universal final. This show has the “CMLL” champions (except for Angel de Oro, who was already in the national ones.) Mistico seems such a clear favorite to win overall that this week just feels like figuring out who would best fit with him and Templario. Hechicero and Titan would be best, Niebla Roja & Dragon Rojo can’t be ruled out. Sagrado, Los Gemelos Diablos and Stigma should be ruled out.

Los Guerreros versus Los Sobearno should be good, though it’s clearly meant to be a middle chapter in a longer story. There’s a women’s match with all the big names and a regular opener. You could buy the show on TicketmasterLive and maybe you’d even get to watch it. No guarantee. The corrections I’ve learned from last week to should log in early, see if it’s working, and not to be patient for TicketmasterLive to fix the issue themselves. You could better wait two weeks for this to go up on YouTube.

CMLL (MON) 04/25/2022 Arena Puebla
1) Cholo & Inquisidor vs Centella Roja & Hijo de Centella Roja
2) Asturiano & Millenium vs Prayer & Toro Bill Jr.
3) Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Disturbio
4) Stigma © vs Suicida [CMLL SL]
second defense
5) Averno, Titán, Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Terrible

Stigma may lose that title someday but it sure won’t be in his home arena.

Blue Panther Jr. appeared on Wednesday Informa to explain where he’d been. He has not wrestled since September and revealed it was due to eye issues. He suffered a fracture near one of his eyes from a kick, had vision issues, and eventually found a doctor who was able to diagnose the problem and get surgery before both eyes were affected. Panther was eventually told he could return, but he has no idea when he’ll get cleared to do and is currently not allowed to even work out.

I think it’s just a freak thing, but Panther joins Skandalo (2017) and Super Halcon Jr. (2016) as recent CMLL midcarders whose careers were derailed by eye injuries. Those other two retired, Blue Panther Jr. was insistent he’d return.

CMLL ran a private show in Arena Coliseo on Thursday. They usually run those in Arena Mexico.

AAA

04/21 AAA on Space should have

• Black Danger & Viva Van vs Sammy Guevara & Tay Conti vs Dinámico & Sexy Star (II)
• Rey Escorpión, Taurus, Villano III Jr. vs Danny Rivera, Flip Gordon, Willie Mack
• DMT Azul, Puma King, Sam Adonis vs Laredo Kid, Psycho Clown, Rey Xolo

The preview hasn’t been posted yet.

Space advertised they’ll air TripleMania Monterrey, as usual. They didn’t list a start time. Space online guide, shaky more than a few days out, lists a start time of 9:15. That would mean the first four or five matches will only air on FITE, and then be shown over the next couple of weeks on TV. AAA likely needs to be taping the weekend of May 14th to avoid going into repeats again, but we’d normally hear about a taping that was three weeks out. (AAA could also just the Showcenter or Dallas cards as filler; both were skipped on TV.)

LA Park, in Pasala, threw out the idea that he might purposefully lose his first two matches to get him a TripleMania main event mask match with Canek or Rayo de Jalisco. If we pretend LA Park is being serious, he’s on before those two at TripleMania Monterrey so he won’t know if they’re advancing yet. He ranks the mask importance as Canek, Rayo, Demon, Ultimo Dragon, Villano IV, Penta, and Psycho Clown very much last and least.

Deonna Purrazzo defends the AAA Reina de Reinas championship on Saturday on Impact’s Sacrifice PPV. I don’t know this for a fact, but I presume Taya is beating Deonna for this title at some point and it’s just a question if it’ll be on this show.

Dorian Roldan met with Konnan Big Thursday, then assured everyone that Konnan Big will not appear on TripleMania.

Other News

IWRG , LLB (THU) 04/21/2022 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Fantasma De La Ópera Ii & Hijo De Brazo De Platino b Hausser & Sumed  
2) Arturo Gaona Jr., Espartan, Especie Maligna, Medieval b Caramelo, Gravedad Cero, Juan Diego, Pinochito  
challenges followed
3) Demencia b El Divino 
challenges followed
4) Reina Obscura & Sagitarius b Artemiz & Mary Caporal 
5) Chicanito, Mafioso, Puma de Oro, Tonalli b Aster Boy, Cerebro Negro Jr., Freelance, La Momia 
Puma de Oro and Tonailli unmasked Aster Boy & Cerebro Negro J.
6) Diva Salvaje & Jessy Ventura b Cíclope & Miedo Extremo 
7) Fantasy IWRG b Bombero Infernal, Bestia Rubia, Carta Brava Jr. (LLB), Avisman, Fantasma de la Ópera, Súper Mega, Último Vampiro, Tony Rivera, Cerebro Negro [royal rumble] 
8) Konnan Big & Zumbido b Galeno del Mal & Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.   
Zumbido pinned Wagner after a Konnan Big foul. hair match challenges followed

This show drew very well for a Thursday night show, around a full house. It was Konan Big’s first time in Naucalpan and he’s a solid curiosity act that can draw once, though I’m less certain it’ll do well with multiple appearances. (This “retirement tour” may work too well and we’ll find out how those second and third shows go.) That hair match will happen if someone (KAOZ) in Monterrey wants to pay for it. Konan Big claimed he had talks to fight Mike Tyson and Hulk Hogan in Monterrey, which I’m only repeating because it’s a very funny lie. That’s the gimmick.

Most of those in the Retro Royal Rumble (which was not a royal rumble, they just all came to the ring to start the match) were familiar faces back in old faces. The notable exception was Fantasy, who might be better known as long time CMLL prelim wrestler Sensei. He was much more successful in Naucalpan in the early 90s and late 00s. Sensei quietly disappeared from CMLL cards in 2018 and hasn’t been seen since. (The name popped up on a couple of indie show this past weekend, though it’s unclear if it was the same Sensei.) Fantasy’s chest was ugly looking after all the welcome back chops.

Dollar, who last was in the news for getting in trouble with the law, appeared at the show in a wheelchair., thanking the promotion for starting him off and saying he was in danger of losing a foot due to illness.

Shows of note this weekend

Saturday

• Big Lucha has a Vipers/Black Generation main event, plus Los Jinetes in the semimain. That should turnup on YouTube eventually, though they’re getting slower about posting these things.
• Nothing on the Lucha Libre CM show in Arena San Juan sees interesting but it always ends up on five Youtube channels.
• Same with the AVE show in Arena Lopez Mateos.
• Coliseo has Audaz/Virus.
• Ultimo Guerrero and Negro Casas are schedule to work ChinampaLuchas.
• Lucha Madre has a 4:20 themed show a few days late with few matches announced and a secret venue

Sunday

• Laredo Kid teams with the Vipers against Fly Warrior, Fulgor and Mike in IWRG. That could be great.
• Sunday Arena Mexico has nothing notable.
• GALLI has an IWRG Tag Title match and Arez & Aramis defending the local tag team titles; I might have written this section to remember that was happening.

RIOT officially announced Arez defending their championship against Blake Christian on their 06/04 show.

Tampico luchador Zebra Kid (Humberto Perez Whijares, 74) passed away on Thursday. SuperLuchas reported the death; he had a column in the old print magazine for years where he’d demonstrate different holds. His biggest match is probably his mask match against Villano III.

The clip of Maravilla getting a beer poured on her reached enough virality that IWRG put out a statement saying they’re against fans doing stuff to wrestlers and will take action. It shouldn’t have been a surprise this went viral: people who write about lucha libre in Mexico care far more about things like quick clips and fan/wrestler interactions than any match happening.

Fantasma and other luchadors appeared at a Morena (political party) press conference to push for a better social safety net for luchadors and boxers.

SuperLuchas posted a video interview with Pequeno Pierroth and Pierroth. Pierroth’s not been seen much since suffering his stroke seven years ago and it seemed to me like he’s doing a little bit better.

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.

Miguel Reducindo talks about his custom toy rings business.

SuperLuchas interviews Blue Demon Jr. about Blue Demon as to a lead into a series on Blue Demon.

BolaVIP has a long interview with Solar.