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AAA
There is plenty of other stuff going on, but how do I start with anything but the Cain Velasquez story?
Cain Velasquez wants to work the 12/03 AAA Tempe show and is asking the court to allow him to travel out of state. The judge is expected to make a decision on Tuesday. Velasquez has to ask the court to permit it because he’s on home detention after being released on bail two weeks ago. AAA would be putting someone who’s actively being charged with attempted murder on their show. AAA is not insane; Velasquez’s attempt at murder came after being told a daycare worker had molested his four-year-old child and other children. (The case around that incident is also ongoing.) Velasquez engaged in a high-speed chase with the alleged perpetrator, then fired a gun into the car repeatedly. The facts of the incident don’t appear to be in much dispute, it’s the context of his acts, and what fair punishment means that seems more open to debate.
AAA has not acknowleged this story. There is no reporting on Velasquez’s chances of being allowed to work this AAA show. That is so far out of my knowledge base that I don’t even want to hazard a guess. We’ll know soon enough.
This news potentially drastically changes the outlook for that Tempe show. Cain Velasquez appearing will be a media circus, for good and for bad, and AAA could use the publicity. Tickets have not moved much, even after the card was announced, and this is at least putting that show back in the news. Velasquez is also an Arizona State graduate, so he has ties to that area beyond this show that make this show meaningful to him and likely to make him a bigger draw in a show that’s happening in Arizona State’s hockey facility. There’s nothing AAA could do or book for this show that would have as big an impact on Velasquez being on this show. I believe AAA would suffer small to zero damage to their reputation if they used Velasquez on this show. It’s obviously something they would’ve needed to run by important business partners like Marvel before trying just to be safe.
Taurus will be moved into whatever match Cain Velasquez is in should Cain Velasquez become available. I don’t know if that means Vikingo/Daga as a 1v1 or whatever else gets moved around. Also, if you’re bringing in “former UFC Heavyweight champion currently charged with attempted murder” Cain Velasquez to work your show, that probably should be a PPV of some sort, not something you file away to air on TV four weeks later. This show is currently not listed on FITE.
AAA TV (SUN) 11/20/2022 Gimnasio Municipal Josué Neri Santos, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua [4 Equinas LL]
1) ?, ??, Samuray VIP vs ???, Ráfaga, Serpiente Blanco 
2) Cobarde b Aéreo, Mini Abismo Negro
Scheduled as Aereo, Cobrade and Microman vs Arez, Mini Abismo and Rey Horus. Horus and Arez moved up as replacements, Microman just didn’t appear. Los Mercenarios attacked the participants after the match. Octagon Jr. confronted Villano 3, with Pentagon Jr. making the save after that didn’t work out.
3) Reina Dorada, Sexy Star, Sussy Love b Flammer, La Hiedra, Maravilla
4) Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf b Jack Cartwheel & Willie Mack
5) Arez, Bandido, Octagón Jr. b Gringo Loco, Rey Horus, Villano III Jr.
Arez replaced Vikingo (injury), Rey Horus replaced Flamita (Japan/GLEAT). Bandido beat Gringo Loco. Hijo del Vikingo appeared before the third match and faced off with Bandido to tease their title match.
6) Rey Escorpión, Sam Adonis, Taurus b Pagano, Pentagón Jr., Psycho Clown
Adonis fouled Psycho and pinned him
This was AAA’s first TV taping in Juarez since pre-pandemic. They had running a yearly November stop in this building since 2015. They may have to go to a bigger building next November. This looks like it drew very well, maybe 7,500 in an 8,000 seat building because you can see a few empties in the corners, but close to being a sell-out. The crowd comes off as hot on video, especially for Pagano’s big entrance in the main event. The local government’s hope about getting a bigger named show seems fair.
No Vikingo (though he did appear) or Flamita (in Japan) or Microman (???), and AAA moved people around instead of sending replacements. Cain Velasquez’s lawyer telling the judge they needed a quick decision for AAA to promote an accurate lineup was a funny thing to say in court. All the matches are up complete on Facebook; I haven’t watched much of them outside of getting the results. I assume this is airing before Acpaulco because they did the Bandido/Vikingo confrontation. Gringo Loco taking a pin if he’s going after Vikingo is odd but it’s AAA. Plates keep spinning on Octagon/V3 and Adonis/Psycho with no clear destination in mind.
The Madero taping that’s been hyped locally for a while has a lineup.
AAA TV (SAT) 12/17/2022 Domo Madero, Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas [BWT Banana]
1) Dark Spíritu, Electroshock, Hijo del Picudo, Nygma vs ?, Avorto, Chaneke, Loco Castillo
2) Aerostar, Reina Dorada, Sexy Star vs Demus, La Hiedra, Maravilla
3) Mr. Iguana & Niño Hamburguesa vs SB Kento & Takuma
4) Arez & Myzteziz Jr. vs Argenis & Parka Negra
5) Aramis, Octagón Jr., Willie Mack vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón © [AAA TRIOS]
2nd defense
6) Sammy Guevara & Tay Melo vs Abismo Negro Jr. & Flammer
7) Dave The Clown, Murder Clown, Pagano vs Cibernético, Gringo Loco, Villano III Jr.
Vampiro guest referee
8) Fénix vs Komander vs Taurus [AAA LA]
first defense
This card was announced locally on Friday and not by AAA, but it’s official. The opener is a dark match, though it adds to the feeling of “why are so many people booked for this random show in Madero?” It’s more than 2 weeks of TV at a point where AAA seems to already have too much TV taped. The main event should be good but feels like a three way just because they need to squeeze people in. Sammy and Tay as defending their titles locally, the poster says it’s non-title. It’s probably not changing hands either way with the title defense in Acapulco (in a match Abismo and Flammer aren’t booked in, though I suppose they could be added.) Octagon and Villano are feuding but not in the same match. Aerostar and Parka Negra are feuding and not in the same match. NGD are facing almost the exact same team in Acapulco. Lady Shani was advertised and didn’t appear on the final lineup. The Iguana/Hamburguesa vs Kento/Takuma match at least resolves that issue. AAA doesn’t take their lineups seriously so all of this may changed around.
AEW announced a seven-match series between Death Triangle and The Elite over the AEW Trios championships. One of the matches is scheduled for December 28th, which may explain why Fenix is not defending either of his championships on the 12/28 Acapulco show. Maybe AEW even allowing FTR, Sammy and Tay to work a Wednesday is part of a tradeoff, or just a helpful coincidence.
Mamba announced on Friday he had quit AAA and would be an independent wrestler going forward. Mamba said he’d consider it for months, talked it over with AAA, they parted on good terms, and he’ll be fulfilling any dates where he’s still advertised. Mamba says both sides are open to working again. Mamba’s vlog, which is often about talking about drama, is in this case making it clear there is no drama – Mamba just wanted to do other things outside of AAA.
Just before the vlog went up, Mamba was announced appearing on the Kaoz/Robles/The Crash combined show in February. Robles & Crash are off-limits to AAA-contracted wrestlers at the moment, so at least part of this decision seems to be taking work with those groups. (It’s a little confusing because Konnan was involved with Kaoz at one point, but I’m guessing he’s no longer going to be if they’re working with The Crash.)
Mamba started in AAA in 2013 and was active until this year. Mamba hadn’t returned to TV after suffering a leg injury a few months, but had been working non-TV AAA shows the last couple of matches. Mamba hasn’t been on any of the TV since recovering and isn’t listed on the upcoming shows. Mamba was mostly a first half of the card wrestler, seemingly either feuding with Pimpinela or teaming with Pimpinela at all times before Pimpinela left the promotion earlier this year. AAA had introduced a couple of Mamba-led stables in the last couple of years that never got followed up on. Mamba had a more vital role behind the scenes, someone who assisted in multiple roles, from things like make up and choreography to just being a person who spoke English who could help out the foreign wrestlers.
Dave the Clown and Mr. Iguana did some publicity with the Arizona Cardinals to promote the 12/03 Tempe show. The Cardinals are in Mexico for a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night. The 49ers include famous Pentagon Jr. (and general wrestling) fan/Tight End George Kittle; there’s a chance this may come up on the broadcast.
I’m supposed to be talking about the AAA TV on Space this week but this section is too long and weird already. The opener was guys who aren’t TV polished and did too much (when the camera is missing diving headscissors from the stage it’s definitely too much) but it was fun and that’s more than I can say about the rest of the taping. You could miss this week and last week and not miss anything important.
CMLL
CMLL (FRI) 11/18/2022 Arena México [CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Kaiser Sports, R de Rudo, The Gladiatores, The Gladiatores (videos), thecubsfan]
1) Hombre Bala Jr. & Oro Jr. DQ Disturbio & Zandokan Jr. 
12:08. Zandokan Jr., making his Arena Mexico debut, unmasked Oro Jr. for the DQ.
2) Amapola, Metálica, Reyna Isis b Avispa Dorada, La Vaquerita, Marcela
14:08
3) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Yota b Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black 
15:20.
4) Soberano Jr. b Vincent
16:09
5) Gran Guerrero, Titán, Último Guerrero b Atlantis Jr., Dragón Rojo Jr., Místico [Relevos Increíbles]
13:35
I liked Vincent/Soberano as a very clear rudo/tecnico dynamic that was different than usual CMLL and Soberano matches. I seemed to be in the minority, though the crowd reacted strongly to the victory.
Zandokan Jr. was presented as if this was the start of more than a one off; you can throw him and Oro Jr. in the list of wrestlers in the cage match, but he seems like he could at least be a regular 2/3 match guy next year if/when he moves to Mexico City full time.
CMLL didn’t show a big arena photo but it seemed like attendance was up over usual. Mil Mascaras is the third Mexican to receive the Order of the Rising Son, after Genaro Estrada (writer, journalist) and Aaron Saenz Garza (lawyer, solider); both were foreign ministers in the 1920s. Mil Mascaras got a good reaction and a nice ceremony. He clearly couldn’t walk without assistance. Mil said he’s not retired and plans like to continue to wrestle as long as his body allows, he simply hurt his right knee in training. It seems like his body is no longer allowing it. Mil Mascaras also told a story about how his mother taught him to be humble at 12 and it was a lesson he’s remembered all his life, so the knee thing is not the biggest lie. He seemed to be in good spirits. Kaiser Sports’ recap has Mil Mascaras talking about earning a black belt in Australia from two Japanese fighters in 1970 outside of pro wrestling, and we’re at the Mil Mascaras point where you just nod and say that sounds cool without thinking about it.
CMLL (SAT) 11/19/2022 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II b Átomo & Periquito Sacaryas
2) La Guerrera, La Magnifica, Princesa Sugehit b Hera, La Seductora, Tiffany
3) Flyer, Fuego, Volcano b Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
tecnicos took 2/3.
4) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa b El Coyote, Felino, Felino Jr.
Dulce AtrapSuenos took 2/3.
5) Místico, Valiente, Volador Jr. DQ Dragón Rojo Jr., Euforia, Niebla Roja
Dragon Rojo tossed his mask to Volador draw a DQ
Flyer and Los Depredadores had an incident on Saturday’s Arena Coliseo show. Flyer appeared to be in no condition to perform, and the Depredadores appear told by photographer/security Alexis Salazar to unmask Flyer to end the match early before something bad happens. It doesn’t go well; Flyer and Magnus fight a bit, with everyone else getting involved. Magnus backs off, only for Flyer to jump up and attack Magnus from behind. All the Depredadores beat against Flyer for that attack and, seemingly at Salazar’s urging, carry Flyer up the ramp and throw him behind the curtain. Salazar goes through the curtain himself briefly, as does security, and that’s the end of Flyer on that night.
Box y Lucha posted clips of the initial incident and Los Depredadores ushering Flyer away. They were deleted off Box y Lucha’s Facebook page sometime on Sunday. There’s a hilarious-in-context post-match interview where she repeatedly asks Los Depredadores if they’d like to add Flyer as a member, and Magnus cracks up his partners by saying they’d rather have Kemonito: “he’s better prepared and more athletic.” You can get the sense something happened from the interview, but it’s not clear what without the video. I suspect CMLL asked Box y Lucha to take the video down, and Box y Lucha had no problem with it, it doesn’t seem like they knew they even had something in the video by the questions they were asked afterward.
Flyer is scheduled Tuesday in Arena Coliseo Guadalajara. He kind of needs to be there for the bit – a family tournament teaming with Volador – but his behavior usually leads to a suspension of some months. I don’t expect Magnus or the rest of Los Depredadores to be in trouble for their actions; I’m not sure they did anything wrong.
CMLL (SUN) 11/20/2022 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Neón & Retro b Bengala & Leono
Retro unmasked Bengala and pinned him.
2) Cholo, Enfermero Jr., Nitro b Cachorro, Robin, Valiente Jr.
straight falls. Cacohrro replaced Oro Jr.
3) Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr. b Diamond, Fuego, Sangre Imperial
Fuego replaced Pegasso, making his first Arena Mexico appearance since pre-pandemic. Ola negra took 2/3.
4) Blue Panther, Dark Panther, Panterita del Ring b Magnus, Pólvora, Rey Bucanero
Kraneo originally announced; Magnus replaced him within hours. Tecnicos took 2/3.
5) Stuka Jr., Valiente, Volador Jr. b Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo I, Sagrado
Tecnicos took 2/3.
Add Retro and Bengala to cage match mix. CMLL always adds more names than they need for that.
CMLL (FRI) 11/25/2022 Arena México
1) Retro & Valiente Jr. vs Inquisidor & Nitro
2) Dark Panther, Panterita del Ring, Panterita del Ring Jr. vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
3) Hijo del Villano III, Rugido, Volador Jr. vs Blue Panther, Felino, Felino Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
4) Atlantis vs Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Euforia, Yota, Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Kráneo, Valiente, El Mesías, Último Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, Sagrado, Rey Bucanero, Volcano, Esfinge [Leyenda de Azul]
Panterita Jr. on a Friday sounds good. Not too excited by the rest of this card. I assume Leyenda de Azul is a cibernetico; it’s a frightening idea otherwise.
BUSHI & Titan lost to Chris Bey & Ace Austin in the first match fo the Super Junior Tag Team tournament. The show aired for free on NJPW World. They’ve got 9 matches total and will do better. Favorites often lose the first match of the tournament and CMLL-related teams often win them. This might be the first time a Mexican team (or at least half Mexican team) is actually the favorite in one of these NJPW competitions.
Mexico senator Ricardo Monreal had a rally at Arena Mexico on Saturday. He’s seemingly running for president in 2024, though he may have not officially declared. This only bubbled to my attention because there was some controversy about attendance. It mirrored the lucha libre debates. There was a carefully framed photo to make it look full, claiming a 12,000 turnout, and others posting photos to prove there weren’t that many people. It doesn’t look like 12,000, it probably doesn’t matter. Friday, Monreal held a meeting with luchadors to promote the event and his policies. They were random indie people instead of CMLL wrestlers, including whom I believe is the non-CMLL Gemelo Diablos. Universo’s article on the event listed all the wrestlers’ names and their real names, which I’m sure very much upset the masked wrestlers involved.
Big Lucha
Big Lucha put up a video introducing the Loco Evans members. The man with the mask that looks like he has a burlap sack for a mask is Iku, the one carrying light tubes is Anarko, the other normal masked one is Vengador, the micro formerly known as Oni is now Dito, and the unmasked member is Aaron Steel. Iku is listed as Scarecrow on the poster. Jack Evans isn’t in the video and wasn’t on Big Lucha World.
Big Lucha World (FRI) 11/18/2022 Bandidos Gym, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal
1) Action Jackson b Potro
2) Anakro & Vengador b Cometa Maya & La Estrella
3) Alex Steel, Dito, Iku DQ Éxtasis
Scheduled as Iku vs Extasis but Dito and Alex Steel added themselves. Anarko & Vengador ran in for the DQ, with Estrella and Cometa Maya trying and failing to make the save
Perhaps the strangest Big Lucha World ever, and only fitting that Mr. Win was this week’s host. Action Jackson and Potro decide to have their WrestleMania main event singles match in front of about 40 people, including ignoring a moment where the referee mistakenly counted a three because they still had a poison rana to the floor spot planned. The second match has no streamed ending. Alex Steel, the muscular unmasked guy who has a very “Gronda 3” vibe, grabbed La Estrella and gave him a move on the floor in front of the announce/production desk. There’s a brief moment where the Mas Lucha crew looks concerned about Steel enough to protect their equipment, and then the stream goes dark the next moment. It stays out for about fifteen minutes, and they blame Los Locos Evans for the issues when they finally resume with the main event. The main is supposed to be Iku against Extassis, and turns into a 1 vs 3 handicap match where the referee is ejected and the ring announcer counts pins and also may be a heel. The idea is to put the Locos Evans guys over super strong before the cage match though it came off as a show careening out of control. Was this a good episode of Big Lucha World? Not really. Was it one I will remember watching? Absolutely.
IWRG
IWRG (SUN) 11/20/2022 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Súper Boy COR Stelaris
Stelaris got hurt taking a dive
2) Keyra b Bengalee [IWRG IC WOMEN, quarterfinal]
3) Cerebro Negro, Cerebro Negro Jr., Dr. Cerebro DQ Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr.
Excessive violence DQ. Black Terry made the save for the Cerebros, challenges followed.
4) Tonalli b Hijo del Alebrije, Jessy Ventura, Máximo, Relámpago, Diva Salvaje, Rocky Casas, Bugambilia, Noisy Boy, Hell Boy, Galeno del Mal, Mr. Leo, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Garra Mortal Jr., Paymon, Spider Fly, Yorvak, Pantera Jr., Legendario, Hijo del Pantera [lumberjack strap, battle royal]
Tonalli beat Jessy Ventura to set up a IWRC IC WELTER title match.
5) Puma de Oro DRAW Aster Boy
Billed as winner faces Tonalli in a mask match, went to a draw.
The match to determine a single winner ended up with no winner and IWRG will have a three-way mask match instead. This is the surprise outcome that’s never much surprising. It looked like Los Terribles Cerebros may be reuniting to challenge La Pandemia instead of the young Cerebro Negro Jr.
Keyra always hits hard, and seemed to go a step or three beyond “stiff” in her match with Bengalee. Diosa Quetzal, Lolita and Keyra have advanced in the women’s tournament, with the winner of Lady Maravilla and Sagittarius scheduled for the fourth semifinal spot; it’s probably Maravilla the way it’s gone so far.
Lucha Libre Evolucion (Costa Rica) announced they’ll be sending wrestlers to IWRG’s 2023 Tryout, which is the first time I’ve seen that competition officially announced. I think we all assumed it was happening.
Segunda Caida wrote about last week’s IWRG Retro.
Other News
Dragon Lee won the 2022 King of Indies on Saturday, the third time in a row (2018, 2019) he’s won that competition. That is the part of the story everyone can agree upon. Everything else is up for debate. It was a strange tournament; an eight-man single-elimination tournament ended up with a three-way final after Jacob Fatu pulled out mid-tournament with an injury. That left Dragon Lee, Dralistico and SB Kento in the final, where Dragon Lee beat Kento.
There are multiple stories about this King of Indies outcome, including one that Dragon Lee forced the promotion into giving him the tournament win. My guess is this confuses a past story with the present. Jack Atlas was originally scheduled to win the 2019 King of Indies, and it changed to Dragon Lee during the day. People involved blamed Dragon Lee for insisting on winning, Dragon Lee’s never talked about it, and no one cares now because Jake Atlas’ personal issues over the last few years. That same story going around for 2022 seemed suspicious. A source with King of Indies says the story about Dragon Lee holding up the promotion is false. The story I’ve been told is Fatu was scheduled to win, did actually get hurt, and Dragon Lee ended up as the winner as the best idea of what was left.
Dralistico and Andrade were scheduled to headline an RGR show on Sunday night. That became Dralistico and Rey Fenix when Andrade pulled out to an unexplained injury. (Andrade is now teasing the end of his career in IG posts; he’s cried wolf too often and it’s not working this time.) In the match, Rey Fenix landed his Fire Driver, which is usually his finish on a show like this. The referee counted one, two and then held up for no particular reason before three. Rey Fenix immediately rolled out of the ring and appears to have walked to the back. A confused referee signaled as if Dralistico was hurt, which doesn’t explain anything of what just happened, and Dralistico makes motions like maybe his left or right shoulder is hurt (He offers both shoulders as answers.) It’s possible Rey Fenix was told the finish and later Dralistico told the referee a different finish. Whatever happened, it makes for some bizarre video.
It was a weekend of celebrations for the most famous lucha libre family of San Luis Potosi. Mil Mascaras was honored on Friday in Arena Mexico. Dos Caras was spotlighted on Saturday in their home town, including the naming of a “Plaza Dos Caras’ in his honor. Alberto and Cinta de Oro ran a free show in the space, which looks very well attended. They’ll add a statue to the square later.
A headline for an upcoming Robles Promotions show in Villahermosa says it’s the “final show of Robles Promotion.” They meant it was the final one in that city for this year.
Black Taurus lost to Trey Miguel in the finals of the Impact X-Divison tournament on Friday. The match was good. Miguel apparently turned heel in the finish, which likely means he’s holding the title for a while and it’s moving away from Taurus’ orbit. It was a nice dream. There doesn’t appear to be publically available spoilers for the upcoming TV episodes.
DTU announced the Skulk (Liam Gray and Adrian Alanis) for their December string of shows. Liam gray and Adrian Alanis are AR Fox trainees who were regulars in the last days of Evolve and have popped up on AEW Dark programming in more recent times. Crazy Boy talked with local paper El Sol de Tulancingo about the company reaching 15 years, says foreign wrestlers are now seeking DTU out to work there. This article also is a good periodic reminder that Ace Austin is still DTU champion.
Los Traumas won the NWA Mexico Tag Team championships from Texano Jr. & Super Nova. Perhaps they’ve crowned a new most problematic NWA champion.
Box y Lucha is now offering issues 879 to 890 for about 500 pesos. Those are 1969 issues that have not been previously available. This was an instant buy for me.
Box y Lucha 3528 has Mil Mascaras on the cover.
Twitter user @ajosephhb went through every available Box y Lucha commission record to find out what the rule is to consider someone a mini. Weirdly, taller minis are allowed in Enseanda than anywhere else in the country.
A profile of Zacatecas’ Angel del Abismo.
