H2L card (four way hair match), Verano de Escandalo, Shocker

CMLL

CMLL (TUE) 02/07/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Mas Lucha]
1) Mercurio, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito b Aéreo, Angelito, Shockercito  
Acero replaced Ultimo Dragoncito
2) Dr. Karonte I, Enfermero Jr., Nitro b Eléctrico, Leono, Oro Jr.  
3) Amapola, Olympia, Tiffany b La Vaquerita, Princesa Sugehit, Skadi  
4) Raider b Akuma [lightning]  
9:22
5) Blue Panther, Dark Panther, Dulce Gardenia DQ Felino, Felino Jr., Hijo del Villano III  
Villano III fouled Dulce Gardenia
6) Atlantis Jr., Panterita del Ring, Panterita del Ring Jr. b Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado  

Raider vs Akuma was really good on what felt like an otherwise normal Tuesday show. Those guys aren’t in situations where they get to go all out often, and did so for about nine minutes on this show. Villano III and Dulce Gardenia may be getting a singles match before they both take off for FantasticaMania.

CMLL (TUE) 02/07/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara]
1) Cosmos, Mágico, Metatrón b Gran Kenut, Jabalí, Minotauro 
2) Obelisk, Raven, Temerario b Brillante Jr. (Laguna), Misterio Blanco, Misterio Negro (Laguna) 
3) Estrella de Jalisco I, Estrella de Jalisco II, Último Ángel b Cachorro, El Hijo De Stuka Jr., Insólito 
4) Maléfico b Misterioso Jr. [lightning] 
added match
5) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico b Arlequín, Bestia Negra, Gallero 
6) Crixus, Rugido, Vegas b Dark Magic, Okumura, Zandokan Jr. 
7) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Principe Daniel DQ Tonalli, Troyano, Último Guerrero 
UG fouled Angel de Oro

The main event finish came off as a DQ to do a DQ, rather than setting up anything.

CMLL (SAT) 02/11/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Acero, Aéreo, Fantasy vs Full Metal, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Polvora
2) Astral, Diamond, Halcón Suriano Jr. vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
3) Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
4) Volcano vs Kráneo [lightning]
5) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black vs El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora
6) Ángel de Oro, Místico, Volador Jr. vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Oráculo, Rocky Romero [Relevos Increíbles]

The main event is a preview of something. Maybe I should fix this sentence after I listen to the H2L press conference.

CMLL (SUN) 02/12/2023 Arena México
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I, Micro Gemelo Diablo II, Micro Sagrado vs Átomo, Chamuel, Micro Ángel
2) Halcón Suriano Jr., Retro, Sangre Imperial vs Disturbio, Dr. Karonte II, Nitro
3) Rey Cometa vs Espanto Jr. [lightning]
4) La Jarochita, La Magnifica, Lluvia vs Hera, Metálica, Reyna Isis
5) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto vs Oráculo, Rey Bucanero, Rocky Romero
6) Místico, Soberano Jr., Templario vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Stuka Jr., Titán [Relevos Increíbles]

The main event has to be like that because Templario & Dragon Rojo can’t be counted to behave. Speaking of people who can’t be counted on, Espanto Jr. once appeared to knock a tooth out of Rey Cometa’s mouth during a title match and now he’s facing Cometa days before he’s heading to Japan. Good luck to all!

CMLL (FRI) 03/17/2023 Arena México
1) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
non-title
2) Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero vs Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto
non-title
3) Titán vs Virus [lightning]
4) 1 vs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 [Copa Irma Gonzalez]
participants to be announced on 02/15. Expected to be a yearly match.
5) Atlantis Jr., Místico, Soberano Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Niebla Roja, Templario
6) Ángel de Oro vs Oráculo, Volador Jr., Rocky Romero [hair]

CMLL can’t just do a normal four way though. The rules of the main event is each wrestler has to win the right to the apuesta match. The first two wrestlers to win advance to the hair match, the other two are just done. That also means any combination of the four could be in the hair match. Volador was particularly unhappy he wasn’t guaranteed to get Rocky Romero. (Romero promised another surprise for Friday.) It’s a less interesting match this way. Oraculo still seems likely to lose his hair, but it might not even be Angel de Oro who does it.

(There’s a general uptick in people following CMLL of late. I don’t want to hector those people who read the blog all the time and have read me go over multiple times, but new people might want to take a few minutes to Google Oraculo and see what he’s about. Here’s what I wrote about Oraculo/Jay Rios last year. I don’t have really happy feelings about building one of their tent pole events around them. Likewise, there’s been a lot of emotion about even thought AAA might use Marty Scurll or Travis Banks and there hasn’t been the same emotion around CMLL)

The show will honor Irma Gonzalez, the first great legend of Mexican women’s wrestling. She got into wrestling right after the Mexico City ban took place, and toured the rest of the country trying to wrestle where she was still allowed. her career took her to the US and to Japan, during the early days of wrestling in that country. She kept going into the 70s and 80s as the bans on wrestling were lifted. She teamed with her daughter as national tag champions and wrestled all the way into the 90s. The Copa Irma Gonzalez is meant to be an annual competition in her honor.

I don’t like the semimain of a major show being an angle match for another show, but it certainly looks like that’s another Dragon Rojo/Templario break up. Titan/Virus could be great and it’s a shame they only have 10 minutes. Both opening trios could be good. Tickets are not on sale.

AAA

Sam Adonis won this year’s Rey de Reyes. Adonis barely made the show; he mentioned on Twitter that he didn’t make it to the arena until the first match was already in the ring due to flight issues.

Verano de Escandalo will reportedly take place in Orizaba in May 2023, though this site has been wrong on these things before. It’s probably will end up a themed TV taping as with Rey de Reyes. Edit: That site is wrong again, according to an AAA source.

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 02/12/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Baby Star vs Súper Boy
2) Kenji vs Águila Roja [IWRG IC Light, #1 Contenders]
3) Jhon Tito, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly vs Legendario, Rey Halcón, Shocko
4) Puma de Oro & Travis Banks vs Hip Hop Man & Karaoui
5) Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool vs Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan Jr., The Monsther
6) Hijo de Canis Lupus & Rey León © vs Hijo del Fishman & Rey Espectro [IWRG IC TAG]
second defense

A lot of stuff following up on the RGR show. Travis Banks is back. Kenji & Aguila Roja were two of the wrestlers who called Jhon Tito out for being overweight.

Other News

Box y Lucha 3537 has Atlantis Jr. and the Torneo Increibles de Parejas.

Shocker hasn’t wrestled since last December; he said then he was taking time off to get his (much delayed) jaw surgery. That surgery still hasn’t happened, and he recently told Mas Lucha he was on a pause from wrestling due to health reasons. This is being played up as a permanent retirement, but there’s no permanent retirements for living luchadors.

Arez & Komander face the East West Epxres in Las Vegas on 02/17 for GCW & VxS.

UFC is opening a performance center in Mexico City later this year. MMA has never taken off as initially expected in Mexico. An impressive training center might pull away a few young adults who would look at lucha libre instead.

GCW’s Gringo Loco’s The Wrld on Lucha announced Negro Casas as appearing, which means he’ll probably also be on other shows that weekend..

Dulce Tormenta opened an OnlyFans. I’m beyond mentioning these as just existing, but an article writing about it mentioned the luchawiki so this one slips through.

Pachuca luchador Sable said he was considering retirement, but Lucha Libre Vangaurdia convinced him that he had more potential and to keep going.