CMLL
Aniversario is on Saturday. Not today. Saturday. There is nothing today. If you try to watch the show today, you will just see a waiting screen, because the show is Saturday.
This bit of not having a show on Friday is rarer than a blue moon. Not really sure what to do with myself. It feels like I should post this update tomorrow, actually. I’m not sure what CMLL will do the next few years, when Independence day is elsewhere in the week. It’ll probably be a Saturday show in 2028 when that falls on September 16th again. September 16th next falls on a Friday in 2033, which happens to be the 100th year of CMLL’s founding. Seems safe CMLL would run that day.
It seemed less safe CMLL would definitely make it that far a few years ago, and especially during the pandemic, but the promotion seems on pretty solid ground. Attendance is very good on Fridays. It’s not nearly as strong on Tuesdays and Sundays, but it is better than the end of 2010s shows. The tourism linkup should continue to help the company, even if other revenue streams haven’t really grown. There are big changes in ownership elsewhere in the wrestling world this week, but the “serious and stable” promotion seems to be in the handle of stable and serious owners. Salvador Lutteroth II and Salvador Lutteroth III appeared on Informa this week, to talk about the Aniversario, and seemed invested and interested in keeping things going. It’s impossible to know clearly what the next ten years will bring, but CMLL seems as safe a bet to make it through the next 10 years (and to that 100th-anniversary show) as any promotion in the world.
I wrote a preview over at Voices of Wrestling. Aniversario is good to be good, and it’ll probably be great – but that’s mostly because it’s the Aniversario and the atmosphere will make it that way. CMLL could’ve booked a stronger or more important mask match for this show. Instead, it feels like CMLL stumbled upon unmasking Dragon Rojo almost by accident when he was added to last year’s match, and then backed away from doing it in a more interesting way. I’m not convinced about Dragon Rojo coming through and I think that makes me slightly less excited than most. The rest of the card is good; it’s just missing something that feels as exciting as the big Romero/Volador or Mistico matches earlier this year. It’s going to easily be worth the (higher than usual) PPV price, but the bar should be higher for something they spent the year hyping up.
(It’s also still a shame there’s no live English or Japanese commentary. This show will eventually turn up regionlocked on NJPW World or their YouTube channel with Japanese commentary, but fans should get to hear Miki Motoi and others live. It’s an 8 AM start in Tokyo, would’ve been a great starting time.)
There are lots of preview interviews. I’m skipping the “what is lucha libre” explainers, because there are plenty of those too.
- Dragon Rojo Jr. wants to leave a legacy of returning from injury and needs to win to complete it. His strategy is to tire Templario out by making him run from corner to corner so he’s too tired to defend from Dragon Rojo’s big moves. I’m not sure that’s a great strategy for Dragon Rojo
- Templario says last year was a dark year for him to miss the Aniversario show, but now it’s come full circle with him being in the main event this year.
- Angel de Oro feels a win on Saturday would be his consecration as a top star.
- Volador Jr. explains he feels out the crowd before deciding if he’s going to fight a more tecnico or rudo style
- Averno says Ultimo Guerrero is capable of beating all three opponents by himself, and may try rather than work with Averno.
- Mistico says many people tell him that a Friday without him in Arena Mexico doesn’t feel the same as when he’s there
- Atlantis credits Alfonso Morales for coming up with the El Idolos de los Ninos nickname. Atlantis also gave a new reason for not planning to retire: everyone who says they’re retiring from wrestling end up wrestling more anyway.
- Stephanie Vaquer is confident she and Zeuxis are going to win.
- The US ambassador to Mexico appeared in a commercial for the show.
- Tony Salazar and CMLL historian talk about how visiting Arena Mexico has become a mandatory stop for tourists; Salazar throws out “40-45% of fans are tourists”, which may be a touch high.
the rest of CMLL
CMLL (SUN) 09/17/2023 Arena México
1) Flyer & Hombre Bala Jr. vs Nitro & Sangre Imperial
2) Blue Panther Jr. vs Magnus [lightning]
3) El Audaz, Magia Blanca, Volcano vs Kráneo, Misterioso Jr., Okumura
4) Pegasso, Rey Samuray, Stigma vs Felino, Felino Jr., Rey Bucanero
5) Lince Dorado, Samuray del Sol, Valiente vs Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP
6) Templario, Último Guerrero, Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Averno, Dragón Rojo Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
The main event is all the big Gran Alternativa names. The outsiders seem to be sticking around the week. CMLL posted many of the Gran Prix wrestler matches as bonuses, so maybe that’ll happen again.
CMLL continues to put KeMonito on their Sunday posters, despite KeMonito not appearing on any CMLL show in months. This Sunday, KeMonito will actually appear on a show on Poza Rica, Veracruz. This is another one where I don’t know what’s gone on, or if it’s temporary or permanent, but clearly something happened if KeMonito is taking indie bookings.
CMLL (MON) 09/18/2023 Arena Puebla
1) El Novato & Xelhua vs Espíritu Maligno & King Jaguar
2) El Perverso & Prayer vs Rey Apocalipsis & Siky Ozama
3) La Magnifica, La Maligna, Skadi vs Hera, Olympia, Reyna Isis
4) Hijo del Villano III & Villano III Jr. vs Lince Doradao & Samuray del Sol
5) Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma vs Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP
6) Atlantis Jr., Star Jr., Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Dragón Rojo Jr., Niebla Roja [CMLL TRIOS]
first defense
The tecnicos are so forgettable champions that any defense they have feels like it could be a title change.
CMLL (TUE) 09/19/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Obek, Rav, Temerario vs Fúnebre, Infierno, Mortis
2) Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono vs Cris Skin, Demonio Maya, Omega, Principe Daniel
3) Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio, Virus vs Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga, Satánico
4) Reyna Isis & Sanely vs La Catalina & La Maligna
5) Dulce Gardenia & La Fashion vs Bestia Negra & Vaquero Jr.
6) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs Dark Magic, Lince Dorado, Samuray del Sol
7) Arlequín, Averno, Místico vs Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP
Guadalajara really likes Arelquin (though I’m not sure who else you’d put there.)
AAA
Space lists this week’s episode as “LUCHA LIBRE AAA EN SHOWCENTER” (yes in all caps.) Perhaps they’ll only be spending one week on this taping and just airing the matches with regular roster members:
- Delta, Niño Hamburguesa, The Mummy vs Mafioso, Medico Brujo, Toscano
- Mr. Iguana vs Epydemius vs Belcegor
- Sexy Star vs Centella vs Lady Maravilla
- Pagano & Vampiro vs Antifaz & Chessman
That’s Belcegor last AAA match for the moment due to injury. Vampiro’s too, although I’m less certain of that. The more I think about it, the more I believe Vampiro’s “retirement from Mexico” was more a sign about him believing he’s in strong enough with the NWA to give up this gig. This show will air against the second half of the Aniversario show; I don’t think I’ll be monitoring the Space feeds closely.
Hijo del Vikingo ranked #5 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated annual top 500 list. The list is kayabe focused and heavily weighted towards active heavyweight champions in major promotions. Vikingo was heavyweight champion, and defended the title against Fenix and Omega among many others. Appearing in AEW, GCW and other promotions certainly helped where he finished in the top 10, but he’s probably going to be somewhere in the top 10 as long as he remains champion and keeps defending the title. (This led to some AAA fans on social media noting AAA is definitely going to keep Vikingo champion for another year just to make sure he keeps staying in the top 10.)
The best example of how this list is seen differently in the US and Mexico is IWRG proudly posting about how Vito Fratelli – who won their World Cup tournament but didn’t wrestle much there – was ranked 362. As it turns out, someone ‘fulltime’ IWRG wrestlers also made the list, and I believe IWRG praised only Fratelli because the full PWI list gets far less attention in Mexico. They wouldn’t have known even Fratelli i he didn’t post it himself. Similarly, AAA only praised Vikingo probably because they saw the one social media post with the top 10 and may not know that, for instance, Psycho Clown finished one spot ahead of Rey Mysterio. (I put together a Mexico list here, probably missing a name or something.)
IWRG
IWRG announced their annual Castillo del Terror cage match show will be on 11/02. It’s usually within a day or two of that date.
They were off on Thursday and back Sunday with a previously announced card:
IWRG , RGR (SUN) 09/17/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Noisy Boy & Spider Fly vs León Dorado & Mr. Leo
2) Legado & Ryu vs Águila Roja & Histeriosys
3) Hijo de Canis Lupus vs Vito Fratelli [IWRG Rey del Ring]
4) Satania & Zyra vs J-Rod & Keyra
5) Diva Salvaje & Mamba vs Hijo del Fishman & Rey Espectro
6) Galeno del Mal vs Coronel VIP, Hell Boy, Cerebro Negro, Tonalli, Dr. Cerebro, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Jessy Ventura [cage, mask, hair]
7) Diamante Azul (Indie) vs Forastero [RGR SUPREMO]
DMT Azul and Forastero are teaming in Arena Lopez Mateos (in a show going up against the Aniversario) and facing off here. There may be news coming out of those matches, given what else is going on with DMT Azul:
Four Wrestlers Suspended in Tijuana For Outside Brawling
DMT Azul & local wrestler Hereje fought Halloween Jr. & Hijo de Fishman in the main event of the IWT show Sunday in one of the smaller Tijuana arenas. Fought is the operative word; they fought into the crowd, Fishman grabbed a bottle to use, the commission stopped the match for getting out of control, and the participants decided they’d just take their fight outside the building where the commission couldn’t stop it. That was technically correct, though now the commission has suspended both all four wrestlers for six months. The justification is the wrestlers put the fans in danger with their actions.
Out of control brawls are DMT Azul’s gimmick now. He did the same out of control brawl to until the commission stopped with Forastero in Arena Lopez Mateos, he’s done the brawl outside the building on at least one other show. It’s a way to get attention, and it’s a way to get out of anyone having to lose a match in the ring. (Can’t be pinned if you’re far away from the referee.) Every promoter using DMT Azul now has to understand there’s a good chance he’ll do the same in one of their shows and takes a risk it escalates into something that’ll get them all in hot water. A fan got involved in the Lopez Mateos bit, and there likely will be some fan incident if Azul keeps doing impromptu outside-the-building brawls. DMT Azul is going to keep doing this to get attention, and the suspension is more a sign to him that it’s working than a punishment.
This style of match also feels increasingly common. There always have been these kinds of brawling matches on indie shows, even back when “indies” meant “Lucha Libre Independente”/UWA. It feels like there’s been a bigger shift in the last year or so, where the Mexico State buildings have gone heavily towards bar fight lucha libre – lots of crowd brawling, lots of weapons, and a lots of talking post match. Part of it is because the top indie names are the Parks, the Pigs, and the Trauamados, and that’s the style they all feel comfortable working. If you’re into them, it may be great times, and these shows are still drawing well enough that plenty of people are into them. It just seems like there’s an overabundance of that to the exclusion of anything else, and it’s not something that interests me all that much. DMT Azul fighting outside a building is just the latest extension of that, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it outside other buildings soon.
It’s kind of wild that the one guy El Hijo del Santo seems to trust the most to wrestle nowadays (Hijo de Fishman) is also someone who’s always doing these sorts of brawls. I don’t know what to make of that. Maybe it’s just Hijo del Santo is mostly out of the business, many of the people he’d work with are even more done, and so has a small luchador friend circle at this point.
Other News
The Crash announced Bandido for their 11/03 show, which is his first announced booking in Mexico. He’s announced as wrestling the 10/30 Republic of Lucha show. Based on previous timelines, I presumed he was returning well before those shows. I was wrong. I’m told end of October is actually to his return date.
“Cassandro” has been playing in a few movie theatres this week. Reviews are generally very positive. It still seems to have some award buzz. The movie is scheduled to debut on Amazon Prime next week and will probably be the leading the lucha libre subject. If that the movie is the success it appears it’s going to be, I wonder if it’s going to change how strongly exoticos are booked in Mexico. (Example: I presume the QT title run in AAA is scheduled to end with Penta getting revenge, but if “Cassandro” becomes a hit, maybe Dulce Kanela might be the better move? Or at least running a title match to tease the idea?)
Flamita and Torito Negro’s grandmother passed away.
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