CMLL
CMLL (FRI) 04/28/2023 Arena México [AS, CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Excelsior, Kaiser Sports, R de Rudo, The Gladiatores, thecubsfan]
***Arena Mexico 67th Anniversary***
1) Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito b Galaxy, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito 
8:35. Firpo Segura’s family was honored after the match.
2) Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido b Capitán Suicida, Neón, Valiente Jr.
11:08. Capitan Suicida, Neon and Valiente Jr. had matching gear, may be a new trio.
3) Princesa Sugehit © b Zeuxis [CMLL WOMEN] 
9:38. 8th defense
4) Averno, Mephisto, Satánico b Atlantis, Blue Panther, Soberano Jr.
10:43. Satanico pinned Atlantis (in the ropes) after Averno unmasked Soberano. The latter two set up a singles match for next week. Copa Bobby Bonales was awarded to Lluvia, La Jarochita, Mephisto and Titan after the match.
5) Místico, Titán, Volador Jr. b Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
13:05.
6) Templario b Atlantis Jr., Dragón Rojo Jr. [CMLL Universal, final]
10:43. Templario beat Atlantis Jr. (5:33), then Dragon Rojo defeated Templario cleanly to win the tournament. Dragon Rojo unmasked Templario afterward.
Dragon Rojo versus Templario looks like it’s the CMLL 90th Anniversary. It’s May, that show is in September, there’s still plenty of time to throw in curveballs. If it happens, and some other matches and a lot of excitement for a round number, it’ll draw really well. It just doesn’t look like it’ll be a great match. 2023 Dragon Rojo peaks at “alright.” He did not get hurt this week, but he also wasn’t asked to do much. This was a short tournament final where Atlantis Jr. took most of the action before being eliminated. Dragon Rojo got the impressive belt but didn’t get an impressive victory. CML and Dragon Rojo followed the formula well in the post-match, got the visual off Dragon Rojo holding both Templario’s and the belt in the post-match. It just feels like a formula rather than something important.
This was a show of rushed and shorter matches. They had multiple outside-the-ring bits (Copa Bobby Bonales, MLB players being acknowledged, Firpo Segura’s family being there) and probably cut time to prevent it from going long. They ended up going shorter than usual for a Friday.
I found the first half of this card more satisfying than the first. Sugehit/Zeuxis was short but it didn’t feel short-changed. Depredadors/Flyers similarly just got out at the right time at the right pace, with guys who were more motivated than those in the semi-main.
In “trying to figure out who is running things here” news, it seemed notable that Salvador Lutteroth was joined by Hector Ascan Lutteroth in representing the promotion for the Copa Bobby Bonales. Not sure what his role is with CMLL.
CMLL (SAT) 04/29/2023 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Acero & Aéreo b Full Metal & Pequeño Polvora
2) Leono & Oro Jr. b Apocalipsis & Cholo
3) Diamond b Max Star [lightning]
4) El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora b Dark Panther, El Audaz, Flyer
5) Dragón Rojo Jr., Misterioso Jr., Rey Bucanero b Panterita del Ring, Panterita del Ring Jr., Valiente
6) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto DQ Atlantis, Titán, Volador Jr.
Euforia fouled Volador, faked his own foul, and got the DQ win. Challenges followed.
Max Star looked cool in the one highlight I saw.
CMLL (SUN) 04/30/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía b Full Metal, Mercurio, Pequeño Polvora
2) La Magnifica, La Vaquerita, Skadi b Amapola, Hera, Olympia
Amapola replaced Metalica
3) Dark Magic, Espanto Jr., Okumura b Brillante Jr., Misterio Blanco, Misterio Negro
4) Titán b Averno [lightning]
5) Atlantis Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Soberano Jr. b Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Templario
6) Volcano b Volador Jr., Satánico, Akuma, Capitán Suicida, Raider [Torneo Embajador De Los Niños, cibernetico]
Cibernetico match. Elimination order: Raider, Suicida (Satanico), Satanico (Volador), Volador, Akuma (Volcano) leaving Volcano as the champion of the children.
Volcano, on the surface, is a weird choice to win this. However, CMLL’s wanted him to be a kid’s hero since introducing him, this is the kid’s day championship, it makes a lot of sense that way. (And he did it by beating the most villainous-looking guy in the group.) Seemed like CMLL got a good children’s turn out for this show.
Titan/Averno went close to 10 minutes. Half this show will turn up on May 12th. It would be nice if that was part of the half that showed up.
CMLL (SUN) 04/30/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara]
1) Mandala & Último Vaquero b Celeste & Pantera Azul [lightning] 
2) Calavera I, Hijo del Calavera, Rumbero b Eclipse, Fantasia, Panda [lightning]
3) Avispón Negro Jr., Bello Antuan, Thunder Boy b Mortis, Ponzoña Jr., Yaky Boy
fifteen-minute time limit
4) Astro Oriental, Black Boy, Quka b Bobby Black, Jabalí, Mágico
5) Luna & Sexy Sol b Atenea & Valkiria
6) Obelius, Raven, Temerario b Estrella Del Jalisco I, Estrella Del Jalisco Ii, Último Ángel
7) Barboza, Draego, Persa b Bestia Negra, Cris Skin, Gallo
8) Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga b Exterminador, Javier Cruz Jr., Maléfico
9) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico b Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr.
This was a free show and a heavily attended one. They also probably ran too many matches for the time they were going; they were rushing through the last few.
There were many well-attended Kid’s Day shows all over the place. Some are documented, most are not, and some of the reportingis just a mention of a few names on the show. (See this one or this one.) Most of these shows were either free entirely or free to just children, with government or local businesses paying the bills. There are similar shows today; May 1st is Labor Day in Mexico.
Ocotlan’s Arena Dinastia Cordero was named as the official “headquarters of Arena Coliseo Guadalajara.” I think they mean affiliate. Arena Dinastia Cordero is in Ocotlan, Jalisco, where the Romanos (Maximus, Atilius, Rey Urano) are from, they’ve been bringing in other wrestlers from that arena and will continue to do so. Codero I seems to be the one managing the arena, and says they’re looking for a new/bigger venue to bring in Mexico City names.
CMLL (SUN) 04/30/2023 Arena Puebla [Arena Puebla, Porra Fresa]
1) Meyer & Rayo Metálico b Espíritu Maligno & King Jaguar 
2) Astro, Galaxy, Shockercito b Minos, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito
3) El Perverso, Fuego, Prayer b Pólvora, Siki Osama Jr., Valiente Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
4) Espíritu Negro, Millenium, Rey Cometa b Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
Scheduled as a MEX TRIOS title match (fifth defense) but Dulce Gardenia didn’t appear and switched to a non-title match. Espiritu beat Rugido
5) Atlantis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Místico, Stigma DQ Bárbaro Cavernario, Dragón Rojo Jr., Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr.
Cavernario unmasked Mistico, Gran Guerrero fouled Atlantis for the DQ. Set up a rematch. Challenges followed.
They humiliated the children’s heroes on Kid’s Day, how dare they.
CMLL (TUE) 05/02/2023 Arena México
1) Fantasy, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia
2) Oro Jr. & Sangre Imperial vs Dr. Karonte I & Dr. Karonte II
3) La Magnifica, La Vaquerita, Sanely vs Hera, Olympia, Zeuxis
4) Fuego vs Felino Jr. [lightning]
5) El Audaz, Panterita del Ring, Volcano vs Felino, Hijo del Villano III, Rey Bucanero
6) Titán, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Mephisto, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero
The main event could be fun if everyone’s in the right mood. Felino Jr. hasn’t been around for about a month.
CMLL (FRI) 05/05/2023 Arena México
1) Astral, Neón, Valiente Jr. vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
2) Hombre Bala Jr. vs Zandokan Jr. [lightning]
3) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
4) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black vs Ángel de Oro, Bárbaro Cavernario, Yota
5) Soberano Jr. vs Averno
6) Atlantis Jr., Místico, Templario vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Titán
The main event continues the Templario/Dragon Rojo feud (and they’ve got to kill a Friday before the next tournament kicks in.) Soberano/Averno could be great. Zandokan gets another chance in a lightning match.
AAA
AAA on Space aired Lucha Libre World Cup part 2. They still have more matches, so part 3 will air next week. It’s a stretch of five weeks of pure PPV repeats, which followed two weeks of shows featuring NWA wrestlers. They should start to air the normal TV taping on May 13th.
AAA held a press event for Luchatitlan this weekend. It’s now been open a month, though this was treated like the official opening, with a ribbon cutting including government officials. Ventura Entertainment expects to turn a profile on their investment after two years. All the article stalking about this project have suggested a next venue, though it seems like the location changes each time. This time the idea is another Luchatitlan in Cozumel “very soon.”
Karis La Momia Jr. is one of the Luchatitltan performers. Basically, if someone around AAA has just vanished off the face of the earth in the last few months, there’s a good chance they ended up as part of Luchatitlan.
Konnan was asked on his podcast about a moment from Vampiro/Chessman TripleMania match where Vampiro seemed to give up on wrestling. Konnan explained he had passed a message (via the referee) to tell Chessman to be more aggressive. Chessman hit Vampiro with a stiff shot to the head in trying to follow that message, and Vampiro got upset enough to leave the match for a moment, telling Chessman not to touch him. Konnan confronted Vampiro about it after the match, Vampiro said his hands were trembling after the shot, and he lost it. Konnan says he told Vampiro never to do that again. Vampiro’s version of events is he told Chessman not to hit him in the head due to his Alzheimer’s, Chessman did so anyway, and Vampiro got a concussion. Whatever happened, Vampiro’s Facebook post teasing retirement came later that night, then he wrestled later that weekend (though not sure how much he actually did.)
Vampiro wrestled on Sunday in Guadalajara. On Instagram Live the day prior, Vampiro said that Guadalajara match was the final show of a three-year contract – but he’s still talking to AAA about a new contract. It’s hard to figure why “soon to be retiring” Vampiro would be looking for a new contract but maybe he’s looking for something out of the ring.
ESTO asked Toscano about Adrian Marcelo’s claim that his licensing test was fixed again him. Toscano, who seemed to be part of those training Marcelo, said he wasn’t at the test and only heard what Marcelo said second hand, but believed the tests were always done hard and with merit.
IWRG
IWRG (SUN) 04/30/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG]
1) Kenji & X-Devil b Baby Star & Ei Bi Ci
2) Águila Roja b Spider Fly
Aguila Roja still wants the IWRG IC LIGHT title shot
3) Puma de Oro © b Cerebro Negro Jr. [IWRG IC MIDDLE]
4) Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. DQ Coco Rojo, Coco Verde, Cocolores
controversial finish
5) Aramis b Tonalli
6) Asterboy, Hell Boy, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Luka, Noisy Boy, Súper Mario 47 b Cerebro Negro, Gianna Valetta, Heavy Metal, Nozaki, Rocky Casas, Shocko
AAA beats CMLL in the semi-main, though IWRG was careful not to play those connections. The idea might be to set up a third match for Tonalli’s Welterweight title where he gets the win to even the score. IWRG’s self reports results always have less details on what actually happened than Mas Lucha and the video won’t turn up until later, so I may have missed an angle or three.
Yahoo! Deportes has an interview with space alien Luka.
Big Lucha
Big Lucha (SAT) 04/29/2023 Arena Big Lucha, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal [Big Lucha, La Tijera Lucha Libre, Mas Lucha]
1) Andrómeda b Metal Shadow
2) La Brava b Aero Queen, Diosa Nix
3) Elipse & Iku b Steel Dragón & Vórtice
Vortice attacked partner Steel Dragon after the match
4) Forneo b Black Skayde
5) Viajero b Orbita, Mr. Win, Tirano
Viajero won, was attacked by Brujo de Iztapalapa
6) Limbo, Sol, Torito Negro b Cometa Maya, Morfosis, Radioactivo
Morfosis (ex-Andy Panda Jr.) replaced Ekko, is the new third member of Delta Force (replacing Extasis.)
7) Atomic Star, Demonio Infernal, Fresero Jr., Trauma I, Trauma II b Bendito, El Bandido, El Potro de Oro, Emperador Azteca, Galeno del Mal
Negocio Traumado showed up in beach wear, declared they were on vacation. Bandido beat Fresero Jr.; ref counted fast after Fresero had knocked him down.
The stream went out during the main event. That happens to everyone. It didn’t come back until after the main event. The announcers, who had to know the stream was out, just wrapped up the show without ever explaining what had happened. It was not a great end to not a great show. Foreno/Black Skayde only match worth your time. The main event had two teams that didn’t mix; Negocio Traumado struggled doing Big Lucha’s move-heavy style (in what we saw before the stream cut out) and the Big Lucha team generally doesn’t look as impressive doing crowd brawls. Potro de Oro became the star of the match because he bled and was best at communicating the emotion of the match. I don’t watch much Negocio Traumado matches, so I was caught off guard at how out of shape Fresero Jr. has gotten. He was critical of Adrian Marcelo for not being able to finish the lucha libre licensing exam and wanting to wrestle. It’s also hard to believe Fresero Jr. could finish something like that in his current condition. (The same is true about a lot of active wrestlers.) Fresero’s lack of cardio seems like it’s more of an issue in the go-go-go style of Big Lucha than when brawling around the arena, but I think he’d probably be happier just a bit lighter.
The show wasn’t much good. The semi-main had lots of big ideas and were 50/50 on pulling them all off. (The wrestlers seemed disappointed/frustrated post match, while the fans were throwing money in. This is why you shouldn’t take money being thrown in seriously.) Forneo/Black Skayde was the only one on one match, which meant it was the only one that didn’t feel like a scramble. It was also the best match, Black Skayde doing a lot better than he has in past matches. That was “good for these guys” more than “you have to go see it good”; you can skip this show and it’s fine.
There is a current “Morphosis”, who’s billed as Histeria’s son (don’t know for sure) and I think the ex-Andy Panda Jr. is a different guy. It’ll get confusing quick.
AAA , Big Lucha (SAT) 05/27/2023 Centro Civico Nueva Aragon, Ecatepec, Estado de México
1) Atómico Jr. vs Steel Dragón, Metal Shadow, Mr. Win
2) Aero Queen & Skayde vs Forneo & La Brava
3) Niño Hamburguesa, Tirano, Viajero vs Abismo Negro Jr., Argenis, Limbo
4) Elipse, Iku, Orbita vs Cometa Maya, Ekko, Radioactivo
Ekko will probably be replaced by Morfosis
5) El Potro de Oro, Galeno del Mal, Gravity, Negro Casas vs Bendito, Emperador Azteca, Flamita, Hijo De Wagner
6) Alberto el Patrón, Bandido, Psycho Clown vs Sam Adonis, Súper Nova, Texano Jr.
Commentary was pushing this as the next Big Lucha show. I was, uh, less than enthused about the direction of Big Lucha when the announcers were talking about Alberto coming in, but it turns out it was for one of these psuedo-AAA spots shows out in Mexico State. The Big Lucha guys are just in place of the local talent. Not sure Bandido is actually appearing; this is AEW Double or Nothing weekend, so it’s possible the day is free but AEW typically doesn’t want people flying back and forth that time. (This was an issue with Chavo Guerrero Jr. in the past.)
Other News
Segunda Caida reviews some 2005 WIRG.
Long time Monterrey area luchador Androide (Carlos Bribiesca Vargas, 42) passed away on Sunday. Androide, his wife, and fellow wrestlers Instinto and Angel del Futuro were returning to Monterrey after wrestling in Laredo when their car got a flat tire. Androide pulled over, started to fix it, and was hit by a truck. The driver fled the scene.
Androide was a regular on the old Noches de Coliseo show and was a well-regarded wrestler during periods of his career. He also appeared as a background character on the variety-style Multimedios shows, like many Monterreyluchadors. Word about his passing spread quickly; moments of remembrance were held on shows in Coahuila later that night.
Mas Lucha (SUN) 04/30/2023 Arena 2 de Junio, Col. Benito Juárez, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México [Mas Lucha]
1) Pili La Ametralladora b Nix, Dayami, Zira
2) Atómico, King Lobo, Radioactivo b Cometa Maya, Éxtasis, Viajero
3) Kauris b Yorvak
4) Mr. Leo & Reina Dorada b Camaleón & India Sioux
Leo beat Camaleon via mask pull
5) Dante b Saruman [ruleta de la suicida, semifinal]
Dante cheated to beat Saruman
6) Dinastía b Último Legendario [ruleta de la suicida, semifinal]
7) Action Jackson, Dinamic Black, Elemental b Belial, Groon XXX, Kundra
Elemento snuck in a foul on Gronda XXX.
Ultimo Legendario (big lead) and Saruman (close) led when I checked in the voting for the Mas Lucha Ruleta de Suicida final. Those are the ones who lost their match, for what it’s worth.
There was an unusually high amount of MLB/lucha libre cross overs this weekend. The San Diego Padres/San Francisco Giants series in Mexico City included the Giants attending Friday’s CMLL show and the Padres showing off masks gifted to them by Rey Mysterio Jr. Back in the US, Tampa Bay Rays’ Isaac Pareds and Randy Arozarena wore Mistico themed Rays mask given to them by fans. Arozarena was the same player who wore a souvenir Mistico mask during the World Baseball Classic, so someone must’ve gotten the idea to given them a better-quality one. The MLB Mexico series seems to have been a success, except what the altitude is doing to the fly balls.
Netflix will debut a documentary on La Mataviejitas this summer. I get asked about La Mataviejitas every few months in DMs, seemingly by people working on true crime content. Every one of them wants her story to be a famous luchador who turned out to be a serial killer, maybe working in something about the masks for a double identity. Maybe that’s what Netflix will go with instead. Everything I know about this story is La Mataviejitas was a obscure low-level wrestler as La Dama del Silencio, one of the thousands of people who wrestled a few matches for little to no pay, who would have no proof they were a wrestler if not for one or two photos. That’s not as exciting.
(The number one thing I get DMed about are “things that I’ve talked about on Twitter or written here and could just be asked publically, but the person DM-ing can’t be bothered to check any place else and is treating me as their personal lucha libre concierge.”)
Hijo del Santo wrestled in Costa Rica this weekend.
The latest revival of Argentina’s Titanes en el Ring will start airing on local channel America Sports on May 7th. The first two episodes have already been taped.
Fuerza Guerrera Jr. got attention for helping a kid deal with bullying through lucha libre. Fuerza Guerrera Jr. had a high profile in 2020, wrestled once last year, and not all this year.
A profile of Xalapa’s Diamante Rojo.
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