Panteirita/Raider Gran Alternativa final tonight, Marvel Lucha Libre MIA, Christmas

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 12/23/2022 Arena México
1) Pequeño Magía vs Full Metal [lightning]
2) Oro Jr. vs Neón, Bengala, Retro, Valiente Jr., Milenium (Puebla), Zandokan Jr., Apocalipsis, Difunto, Nitro, Inquisidor, Príncipe Odín Jr. [cibernetico]
3) Dalys, Faby, Princesa Sugehit vs Marcela, Reyna Isis, Stephanie Vaquer [Relevos Increíbles]
4) Místico Negro Casas, Soberano Jr., Titán vs Averno, Templario, Yota
5) Panterita del Ring Jr. & Volador Jr. Mistico vs Gran Guerrero & Raider [Gran Alternativa, final]

CMLL is still regularly testing their wrestlers for COVID. Volador Jr. came up positive in the most recent test and will sit on tonight’s show. Mistico will move up to the main event to team with Panterita, while Negro Casas is added to the semi-main.

The main event should still be the crowning moment for Panterita del Ring Jr., a boost to a career that’s expected to join the list of the more famous winners of this tournament. Tonight’s match might be a little bit better with Volador instead of Mistico, but Mistico might make it feel bigger if he uses his spotlight to defer to his junior partner at the end of the match. Anyway, I’ve written incessantly about Panterita Jr. being the next big star for CMLL the last few months, today’s just mostly about making that case to the more causal CMLL viewer.

This is a good looking card otherwise. Faby and Marcela is a big deal to a certain audience. The ciberentico should have some good energy going into the cage match. Both the opener and the trios could be fun. If you are willing to dip into TicketmasterLive CMLL shows for cards beyond the big shows, this looks like one worth the 99 pesos.

CMLL (MON) 12/26/2022 Arena Puebla
1) Black Tiger & Hijo de Centella Roja vs Dark Soul & Espíritu Maligno
2) Centella Roja & Millenium vs Rey Apocalipsis & Siky Ozama
3) Astral, El Suicida, Fuego, Valiente Jr. vs Disturbio, El Perverso, Prayer, Raider
4) Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso, Stigma vs Leo (Jalisco), Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. (Jalisco)
5) Atlantis Jr., Místico, Negro Casas vs Titán, Valiente, Volador Jr.

Mistico and Volador keep messing with each other in the main. Arena Coliseo Guadalajara’s La Mafia debuts in Puebla to face Fuerza Poblana. CMLL needed to make up the numbers with a lot of people on holiday break, but there’s probably a reason they were used instead of more prelim guys or local wrestlers.

CMLL (TUE) 12/27/2022 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Bello Antuan, Logan, Tigre Blanco vs Destello, Destructor, Minotauro
2) Estrella de Jalisco I, Estrella de Jalisco II, Omega vs Carlo Roggi, Raven, Temerario
3) Cachorro, Hijo De Stuka Jr., Rey Insólito (Laguna) vs Barboza, Difunto, Persa
4) El Mafioso, El Rey, Epydemius vs Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga
5) Bárbaro Cavernario, Demonio Maya, Principe Daniel © vs Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico [OCCIDENTE TRIOS]
2nd defense, first since January
6) Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. vs Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero and Blue Panther & Dark Panther and Bestia Negra & Satánico

The Laguna guys wrestling in Guadalajara and not Mexico City is strange. The Monterrey (Lucha Time) guys coming in is strange. Someday we’re going to find out what’s actually going on with this venue and CMLL and perhaps things will make more sense.

El Rey is the wrestler most recently known as Rey Espectro. A Jalisco wrestler claims ownership of the name Espectro so maybe that’s the reason for the change. Yet, they have someone on the show named “Sexy Sol” and they didn’t ask a woman named “Sol” to change her name.  I presume this is the Rey Insólito from Torreon who just won a mask match.

Nitro, who’s career started in 1984, believes he’s going to catch his second wind in 2023 and go up to the main events. I haven’t had Nitro down for losing his mask in the cage match but that kind of magical thinking shoots him higher on my list.

Averno & Templario threw out a half dozen ideas in a media session. Facing each other, facing their rivals, teaming with Cavernario, and more things that aren’t likely to happen.

CMLL’s Televisa on Televisa moves to 10:30 AM on Saturday due to holiday programming. This is a rare bit of CMLL acknowledging they have TV. This week’s episode should be the Gran Alternativa 1st/2nd round.

CMLL posted an announcement I didn’t really understand, urging people to pick up their tickets from Ticketmaster at least one day in advance or they may be canceled. In Mexico, it’s still common to print tickets at stores, and maybe the warning is “don’t wait until Christmas to get your ticket printed because the store may be closed.”

AAA

Back at TripleMania Mexico City, AAA and Marvel announced that “Marvel Lucha Libre Edition: El Origen de la Máscara” would debut on Disney+ would debut on December 21st. Marvel made their announcement and posted the trailer a few days later. There’s been no news about the series since that time. December 21st came and went, and the show did not go up on Disney+ as scheduled. Neither Disney nor AAA has talked about the situation. Franco Escamilla, a comedian and the only actor promoted by name for the series in his role as narrator, hasn’t talked about the situation on social media as far as I can find. (He also does have a podcast and I’ve drawn the line at listening to all of them to figure this out.) Whatever happened was probably not just a last-minute decision – everyone knew enough to stop promoting it after their trailer came out. I have no idea what happened. I’d guess this is a Disney/Marvel issue and not an AAA one but beyond that, who knows.

The Marvel Lucha Libre title match on next Wednesday’s Noche de Campeoens was supposed to be the lead out from that series. That is still on. FITE lists Arcano, El Enganosa, Gran Mazo, Leyenda America, and Picadura Letal. Back at TripleMania, Terror Purpura was also a winner in the elimination and should’ve advanced. I believe FITE grabs the AAA lineups from one of the (German) wrestling databases – that’d explain why the spelling “Vakant” appears instead of “Vacante” or “Vacant” – and so it may just be the database if off.

Larry Dallas is going to rehab and is of off the Night of Champions show, according to the WON. No mention of a replacement.

It sure looked like Defy was recording the Hijo del Vikingo and Nick Wayne match this past weekend. Sure enough, it’s on the Defy OnDemand service and went live Thursday. (The service is $17/month and has a free 7 day trial.) There’s a clip here.

Still no idea if AAA is airing a new episode tomorrow.

Taya retained the MLW Women’s Featherweight Championship over Flammer on MLW Fusion last night. This is the second promotion that’s run the Taya/Flammer match since AAA announced (and never got around to) running their own title match between them.

Other News 

At the moment, I have 41 Mexico shows in the database for Christmas Day. (Also, 2 in Guatemala.)  I need to look up the numbers, but I guess that’s actually low for a Sunday Christmas; there are a bunch of smaller venues taking the day off. CMLL and AAA/Big Lucha have special shows, but neither has been mentioned as airing live. IWRG’s ruleta de la muerte is airing live.

Black Taurus will rematch with Trey Miguel for the Impact X Division Championship on their Hard to Kill PPV, on January 13th. This is a $40 PPV, not one of the cheaper YouTube shows. A Kenny King promo from Arena Mexico aired on today’s CMLL show, and King made a point of showing he was in CMLL for it. It probably doesn’t mean anything bigger than that; CMLL ignored it.

An interview with Sexy Violeta.