Daylight Savings Time
Mexico ends Daylight Savings time late Saturday/Sunday night. The US ends it next week. That means all Mexico shows starting Saturday will be one hour later than usual. My AAA on Space Twitch stream will be 7:30 pm this week, and next week’s CMLL Friday stream will start at 9 pm. (Tonight’s Gran Prix is unaffected.) Everything goes back to ‘normal’ on November 6th.
That’s all you need to know for this week. There is a bigger change coming. Until now, there’s been a one-week DST gap in the autumn, and a four-week DST gap in the spring. The good news is this is the last time for the autumn gap. The bad news is the spring one is extending to about 34 weeks. Mexico’s legislature approved a law to end daylight savings time on Wednesday (except for towns that border the US.) It still has to be signed into law, but that’s considered a formality, the Mexican president has pushed for this change personally. The clock switch Mexico makes this week will be the final one it makes. The US has considered making this change many times but never gets around to passing the legislation. The end result is there will be “winter” and “summer” times for US viewers of Mexico streams, with shows airing later during the warmer months. People streaming from Mexico who want a US audience must be very careful at explaining the different start times. It’s going to be a challenge.
CMLL
Today has the Gran Prix:
CMLL (FRI) 10/28/2022 Arena México
1) La Guerrera, La Magnifica, La Vaquerita vs Hera, Metálica, Tiffany
2) Esfinge & Fugaz © vs Magia Blanca & Rugido [MEX TAG]
3rd defense
3) Místico, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. vs Atlantis Jr., Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
4) Amapola, Dalys, Faby, La Jarochita, Lluvia, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit, Reyna Isis vs Alex Gracia, Avispa Dorada, Hikari Shimizu, Ivelisse, Lady Frost, Mei Suruga, Stephanie Vaquer, Tae Honma [Gran Prix de Amazonas]
Team Mexico figures to win, figured to win even before Team World won the lead up match in Guadalajara. CMLL’s tendency to spread out wins means Dalys or Reyna Isis or Marcela seem like favorites. I would really like to see more with Avispa Dorada; she was the first eliminated in Guadalajara and seemed to get the short end of the stick last Friday. There’s going to be more international eyes on this show than usual – maybe more than the men’s Gran Prix because of how women’s wrestling fandom works – and it’d be great if Avispa got to show a new audience why we’ve been fans of hers for the last few years. I’m generally curious who will be the last few people on that Team World team; Ivelisse and Surgua being the final 2 was surprising in Guadalajara. Honma and Shimizu make sense as the two sticking around a little longer, but maybe we’ll be surprised again.
The biggest outsider name to the Mexican fans is Team Mexico’s Faby. The Rest of the World team has done lots of press and the Guadalajara announcers put over their quality, but they’re just a lot of new people or rarely seen people. Faby showing up CMLL remains the big deal; the fans seemed excited for the idea on Informa and I’m really curious how tonight goes with reactions.
The two men’s matches should be good, though the tag match guys will likely be pushing themselves a lot harder than the trios ones. Los Depreadores are unlikely to win but could really use a good performance. They just haven’t had enough standout matches. Magia Blanca is the champion most people would forget is champion. Rugido did fine playing Mistico’s foil and could show more of his own style here. The opener looks like a struggle.
This will air on Ticketmaster Live for 200 pesos (double price show) and will go up on YouTube around 11/10.
Informa had some teases of future plans. Julio Cesar Rivera made a point of saying how great it would be to see Ivelisse return for a longer stay, and Ivelisse said that was a goal of hers. Ivelisse also brought up the idea with Mas Lucha, so it’s something in the air. Ivelisse did mention she plans to take some time to rest her body after 20 years of wrestling. CMLL hasn’t brought back any of the men from the Gran Prix, though Lince Dorada has hinted at a December return on social media. (That one might be waiting for Mascara Dorada’s immigration status to ever be cleared out, now that I think about it.)
Informa had a strong tease of a Marcela/Faby match. Faby said she’d do it if the fans want it, and then noted fans always bring up Marcela as an opponent for her. Cesar Rivera said they’d team up first, and then CMLL would make the match if the fans demand it. Faby isn’t announced past tonight’s show, but it came off as it’s just a matter of announcing a date.
This is really the first of back-to-back weeks of big Friday night shows, with the Dia del Muertos show next week. That one has the same double PPV price, though nothing is announced for that date so far except the Rey del Inframundo final. (CMLL’s returned to Saturday posting of Friday lineups.)
CMLL (MON) 10/31/2022 Arena Puebla
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II vs Chamuel & Periquito Sacaryas
2) El Suicida & Panterita del Ring Jr. vs Disturbio & Raider
3) Dalys, La Jarochita, Lluvia, Reyna Isis vs Avispa Dorada, Hikari Shimizu, Stephanie Vaquer, Tae Honma
4) Atlantis Jr. vs Hijo de Octagón
5) Gran Guerrero, Místico, Último Guerrero vs Euforia, Hechicero, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
Atlantis Jr. & Hijo de Octagon are great friends on Sunday, arch-rivals on Monday, and great friends on Tuesday.
I wouldn’t expect to see more fan-cams from here any time soon. The video of last week’s women’s match got taken off YouTube by CMLL copyright strikee. If you pay really close attention, CMLL seems to have a rule that ‘media’ videos of shows last have to be under two minutes. This has never been explained to the general public, and CMLL does not announce rules against video taping at shows. There are plenty of CMLL videos that are longer than two minutes, including by the same YouTube user sitting in the same Arena Puebla and on the same channel. (You won’t find them now; he’s wisely marked them as private.) The difference here was I mentioned the video on Twitter to let non-lucha fans know where they might see their wrestlers, rather than just mentioning it on a post here or linking to it on the database as I did with past videos. CMLL seems to pay attention only to my Twitter account, so I’m probably at fault for that video getting a strike.
CMLL doesn’t appear to be taping Arena Puebla shows, there’s no obvious harm to CMLL by having that video online. There also were many other steps CMLL could’ve taken, like posting a comment asking the video to be taken down before they struck, but CMLL remains terrible at internet community management and engagement.
CMLL (TUE) 11/01/2022 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Flash, JKR, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. vs Cris Skin, Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga
2) Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono vs Adrenalina, Crixus, Explosivo, Fantástico
3) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Náutica, Sexy Sol vs Maligna, Reyna Isis, Stephanie Vaquer, Valkiria
4) Felino Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Soberano Jr. vs Bestia Negra, Difunto, Zandokan Jr.
5) Atlantis Jr., Hijo de Octagón, Místico vs Averno, Hijo del Villano III, Último Guerrero [Relevos Increíbles]
This is a Dia del Muertos-themed show. Panterita del Ring Jr. against the GDL young guys should be interesting. A lot of Hijo de Octagon lately.
Somehow, we all forgot Maligna existed when it came to the Universal tournament (and the odd number of people involved.) It’s not too big of a miss: she returned in May but has only wrestled in CMLL five times since, the last on August 20th. I’m guessing she’s been unavailable or she would’ve appeared in October given all the other women who were included.
FantasticaMania
Thursday, NJPW announced the return of their FantasticaMania tour for February 2023. The 2020 tour turned out to be some of the final NJPW shows before the pandemic hit Japan, and this will be the first FantasticaMania since that time.
The schedule:
- 02/22 (Wed) Takamatsu (Kagawa)
- 02/23 (Thu) Kyoto
- 02/24 (Fri) Osaka
- 02/26 (Sun) Makuhari Hall (Chiba)
- 02/27 (Mon) Korakuen Hall
- 02/28 (Tue) Korakuen Hall
It’s a smaller tour than the last few (8 shows, 4 in Korakuen Hall), but that’s OK. NJPW wants to run as many shows as possible to mitigate the costs of flying so many people over, but the cards themselves felt stretched thin the last couple of years. A few years off will do wonders for that, though CMLL still doesn’t have a super deep roster. CMLL sent 21 wrestlers in 2020, and I expect that number will be a little lower with fewer shows.
The tour also was moved from January to February; a common NJPW English-speaking fan complaint about this tour was it broke up the momentum following the 01/04 Tokyo Dome show to hand the shows over to another promotion. It’s not as much an issue this year – NJPW isn’t as hot, FantasticaMania indicates a return to pre-pandemic normalcy (and perhaps full attendance cheering crowds, which Japan has yet to permit.) CMLL fans in Japan are happy to see this back at all too, and the wrestlers are probably thrilled.
Luchador announcements for this tour are still TBA; we might not hear about them until early next year. The late February schedule means a bunch of top wrestlers are going to miss a Friday night show during the build to Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. It’s only one Friday so it shouldn’t be too big of an issue, and maybe whoever’s feuding will stay in Mexico. (Or maybe CMLL could run an angle to build up H2L on Tokyo to get someone besides CMLL fans to notice.) CMLL could still fit on a three-week tournament on starting on 03/07 and a final on a Homenaje a Dos Leyendas on 03/21.
This actually feels like bigger news in NJPW than CMLL at the moment. The Gran Prix tonight and the Dia del Muertos shows next week are getting the big attention. The attention will be increased once those names get announced and people start trying to figure out matches. I’m hoping Panterita del Ring Jr. makes because he’s got the best chance of wow-ing people who haven’t been paying attention to CMLL. NJPW and CMLL likes running those family tag team tournaments so there’s a chance. Panthers/Panteritas match 3 happening in Tokyo would be be fun if we’re going to dream.
AAA
AAA on Space will air at 6:30 pm CT this week. They almost have to be airing those two missing matches from TripleMania this week. The rest of the televised portion (tag, trios, women) goes up on YouTube Sunday.
AAA, EMW and American Icon Autographs have a show on 11/12. This is not a TV taping, though shows from this venue routinely show up on YouTube via fan cams.
AAA , EMW , ICON (SAT) 11/12/2022 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) Ju Dizz & Ryan Kidd vs Kal Herro & Rayo Star and Kamikaze & Skalibur and Fantastik & Mirage
2) Reina Dorada & Sexy Star vs La Hiedra & Maravilla
3) Mr. Iguana & Niño Hamburguesa vs Máscarita Sagrada & Viva Van
4) Vampiro vs Nzo
5) Arez & Rey Horus vs Flip Gordon & Marty Scurll
6) Komander vs Taurus vs Argenis
7) Hijo Del Vikingo, Pentagón Jr., Psycho Clown vs Gringo Loco, Moose, Sam Adonis
I think a lot of the names that don’t work here normally may be brought in by American Icon. It’s still got the big AAA logo, so some people got annoyed with AAA for using Marty Scurll. The top two matches could be good. Vampiro vs Nzo (ex-WWE Enzo Amore) sounds like a prank.
WrestleTix said Thursday that 425 tickets have been distributed (purchased or given out) for the 12/03 Tempe show. Another way of speaking is the building is at 8.6% capacity. Tickets have been on sale for four weeks. There was no meaningful promotion for the show on TripleMania, and no matches have been announced. AAA usually releases lineups a month ahead of time, so they should have an Tempe card out next week.
The press release for the 12/28 show says the trios titles (NGD) and two sets of tag titles are on the line, which suggests a trip to Acapulco for Sammy & Tay. That leaves one more title match, either Taya or Fenix. Probably Taya. It’s also possible those three matches weren’t announced because those decisions aren’t settled and the plans can change.
Dorian Roldan, talking to Mas Lucha, mentioned an AAA show with “a good friend” taking place in the first few months of 2023 that’ll be announced in the next few weeks.
He was very happy with how TripleMania went and how the luchadors did, and was relieved El Furioso’s injury was not more serious. He’s asked if it’s a TV taping and Roldan says it’s a “test of the US market” which really doesn’t answer the implicit “is anyone outside of Tempe going to be able to see this show” question. Roldan refers to the show as a trial by fire. He also clarifies Marvel Lucha Libre match in Acapulco is a five-person match; we had four winners from TV, so something’s unclear. (The Iron Man analog was shown watching the match with the belt, so maybe he’s meant to be part of the final too.) Dorian’s evasive about which other matches will be added.
With Laredo Kid out, the non-TV AAA show in Aguascalientes is now bringing in Bandido to wrestle Vikingo and Flamita. That show sometimes streams on the promotion’s Facebook page.
Abismo Negro Jr. told the Sin Mascaras podcast said he was originally offered three gimmicks by AAA: Abismo, Octagon and a third he doesn’t name. He didn’t like the third gimmick and didn’t want the responsibility of taking over the Abismo name, so Octagon was the pick. He took photos in the gimmick and was going to debut on September 9th, but Konnan talked to him and convinced him that was the role he was made for. He got a lot of hate the day he debuted and told his parents he was going to talk to AAA to quit the gimmick, but his father told him AAA gave him the character for a reason, that he’s right for it. Abismo just got off social media for a week. Abismo Jr. said he reached out to Abismo’s family after they started posting negatively about the gimmick on social media, they talked for a time but the family ended up blocking him and continuing on his campaign. He sounds like he’d have no problem being in a match with Abismo Negro’s son, who since started wrestling.
IWRG
Thusday’s IWRG Retro
- 2002-08-01: Scorpio Jr., Enterrador, Kick Boxer vs Tinieblas Jr., Hijo de Anibal, Hijo de Lizmark
- 1999-04-11: Kato Kung Lee, Ultimo Vampiro, Mike Segura vs SUWA, Dr. Cerebro, America
- 2002-02-21: Asteroide vs Erick Daven
They’ve aired 3 of the matches from that 1999 show so I guess the other two may come yet.
Luka is out of the Castillo del Terror for health reasons. How can Luka possibly get hurt? Yorvak will replace him. That Castillo del Terror show is Sunday. Can’t believe WWE is running against Castillo del Terror.
IWRG is also posting spooky videos. Go to 1:05 to see a mystery face.
Big Lucha
Tonight’s Big Lucha World
- Black Skayde, Metal Shadow, Nix vs Hatana, Zenki, Andy Panda Jr.
- Orbita, King vs Kong, Elipse
- Bendito, Emperador vs Gravity, Viajero
They’re listing a 9:30 pm start time.
Sol won the INJUVE El Lance a La Victoria’s tournament, earning 5000 pesos, a free wrestling license renewal, and a 1-year contract with Big Lucha. Only in Mexico would someone already wrestling for a promotion win a tournament to find a new wrestler to join the promotion. Second place was Little Star, and third was Night Fury. I am heartened to see Night Fury do well, because he’s a Mistico family member and so we’ll be seeing him for a long time and it’s useful if he’s actually good. The winner of the lucha libre comic contest was Erick Sanchez Garcia, who also received a cash prize.
Big Lucha (FRI) 11/11/2022 Bandidos Gym, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal
1) Metal Shadow, Sussy Love, Zenky vs Andy Panda, Diosa Nix, Estrella Del Ring
2) King & Kong vs Black Skayde & Hijo De Skayde
3) Carito & Skayde vs Action Jackson & Potro
4) Galeno del Mal vs Limbo
5) Cometa Maya, Éxtasis, Radioactivo, Viajero vs Forneo, Hannya, Sol, Torito Negro Jr.
6) El Bandido, Gravity, Komander vs Elemental, Bendito, Flamita
The end of the last Big Lucha show seemed to tease tag matches, and tag matches is what they have. Seems a little lacking in a marquee attraction for a monthly show; it’s just the regular roster plus Galeno del Mal, which is unusual for this promotion. This lineup already went through one revision, which hs not unusual.
WWE
They’re running in Monterrey on Saturday and Mexico City on Sunday. Matt Riddle vs Seth Rollins is the main event, with the Mysterio family feud and Legado/Lotharios earlier in the shows.
There’s no obvious social media buzz for these shows and I don’t see many articles about them, but I’m not in Mexico City so maybe I’m missing it. I’ve been tracking the Mexico City sales closer and those seem like they’ve picked up; the map lists many sections as “unsold” where it’s really just a few scattered seats that are unsold. The map wasn’t overly optimistic regarding TripleMania, so we’ll have a better idea looking at pictures on Sunday. There’s a good chance the Gran Prix on Friday outdraws the WWE show on Sunday.
Other News
LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.
The Laredo Kid/Black Taurus X-Division tournament match is up on YouTube. You can tell they’re actually trying to push Black Taurus now because they’re giving Crazy Steve more mic time; such is the strange way US promotions work. Taurus’ next match should air in two weeks.
As of Thursday, the person in charge of the San Luis Potosi Box, Lucha and MMA commission is Blanca Rodriguez, better known as Princesa Blanca.
An AAA/DTU show in Ciudad Victoria on Thursday seems to have drawn well.