Box y Lucha 242A-246A (November 1956)

These issues are part of Box y Lucha’s Coleccion Diamante.

Box y Lucha 242A (November 9th, 1956)

EMLL (FRI) 11/02/1956 Arena Coliseo [Box y Lucha 241A, Box y Lucha 242A]
1) Ángel Negro b Mar Allah
2) Rudy García vs Juan Diaz
3) Frankenstein b Dr. Castro
4) Murciélago DRAW Mario Tello
5) El Caballero b Canelo Segura
rated 7.
6) Huracán Ramírez b Enfermero
7) Espectro & Santo b Cavernario Galindo & Gorilita Flores

Young Espectro and El Santo are said to be an unbeatable combo. The Huracan Ramirez win victory over Enfermreo a big one but also sort of a fluke: they collided head first and Huracan ended up getting his arm on top.

Nothing much on Sunday.

Jack O’Brien, under the direction of CMLL, is working at restarting shows in Veracruz. They had issues with buildings in the past. O’Brien was a EMLL wrestler, seemed to switch to the Televicentero group, and has been working for non-EMLL groups in previous mentions. There’s also a mention of EMLL trying to get shows into El Salvador.

Box y Lucha 243A (November 16th, 1956)

EMLL (FRI) 11/09/1956 Arena Coliseo [Box y Lucha 242A, Box y Lucha 243A]
1) Pery Lopez b El Coyote
“superestrella” actually took place after the main event. Lopez rated a 5, Coyote a 6
2) Erick Bouloff b Memo Rubio
3) Pepe Mendieta DRAW Frankenstein
4) Gladiador b Blue Demon
5) Espanto b Rolando Vera
rated a 7 of 10.
6) Enfermero & Santo b Huracán Ramírez & Joe Marín

The top eight names on this show are part of an eight man battle royal. This is a usual gimmick format for EMLL. There’s a battle royal midway through the show and the last four matches are set by order of elimination: 1 faces 2, 3 faces 4, 5 faces 6, and the last two left face each other in the main event. (They still do this in 2023.) The final two this time turned out to be El Santo & El Enfermero, who are allies and wanted not part of wrestling each other. Joe Marin & Huracan Ramirez were the final two thrown out of the ring and, when they started their singles match, Enfermero and Santo interrupted to request it be changed to a tag match. The commission (Manuel Munoz) agreed, which is not really like him at this point.

The ‘final two people don’t want to fight’ bit has been done a few other times in history; it’s famously the sequence of events that sets up Black Shadow and Blue Demon ‘revealing’ that they’re secretly brothers.

Sunday’s show, with Cavernario Galindo & El Mongol defeating Blue Demon & Henry Pilusso, is said to have a strong turnout.

Box y Lucha 244A (November 23rd, 1956)

EMLL (FRI) 11/16/1956 Arena Coliseo [Box y Lucha 243A, Box y Lucha 244A]
1) Seki Moto b Jaibo García
2) Akio Yoshihara b Carlos Segura
3) Frankenstein b Mario Tello
4) Orquídea DQ Giuliano
return of Giulano, wrestling a more rudo style
5) Jalisco González TLDRAW Jorge Allende
6) Huracán Ramírez b El Espectro
straight falls
7) Black Shadow b El Gladiador
rated a 7.5

This is a lower star power Friday but somehow ends up getting more detailed coverage than past ones. Box y Lucha may have an indication Shado defeating Gladiador is about to be meaningful.

Sunday’s show is the first two rounds of another tag team tournament. Masahiko Kimura & Teizo Watanabe win one semifinal, while Blue Demon & Henry Pilusso win the other.

Jose Macias is suspended (presumably by EMLL) for missing an 11/12 show in Pachuca. Jose Macias is one of the Gorila Macias brothers, and there’s a unrelated interview explaining who is who:

• Gorila Macias I is Antonio Macias, who has already passed away
• Gorila Macias II is Jose Macias
• Gorila Macias III is Jacobo Macias

It’s said they grew to fame in the Televicentro promotion.

Box y Lucha 245A (November 30th, 1956)

EMLL (FRI) 11/23/1956 Arena Coliseo [Box y Lucha 244A, Box y Lucha 245A]
1) Rudy García b Seki Moto
2) Memo Rubio b Fantomas
3) Gorila Macías III b Kiko Torres
4) Chale Romero b Pepe Mendieta
5) Jalisco González b Joe Marín
rated 7. Marin is leaving Mexico City
6) Gladiador & Gorilita Flores b Black Shadow & Huracán Ramírez
7) Rolando Vera b Espectro
rated 7.5

El Gladiador gets his win back over Black Shadow in the semimain, which leads Black Shadow to immediately challenge him to a hair match.

Blue Demon & Henry Pilusso won the Sunday tag team tournament, earning 10,000 pesos and trophies.

A notes column includes Guadalajara promoter Elias Simon talking up his new great prospect: Raul Reyes! Reyes will become a relevant names in the 60s or 70s but something seems off here; we have his debut as in the year 1960, and this is well earlier than that.

Gori Guerrero, Sugi Sito and Dark Bufalo are mentioned as coming to CMLL in December. Bufalo is a Mexican wrestler who’s been successful in Venezuela lately.

Box y Lucha 246A (December 7th, 1956)

EMLL (FRI) 11/30/1956 Arena Coliseo [Box y Lucha 245A, Box y Lucha 246A]
1) Fantomas b Juan Diaz
2) Memo Rubio b Akio Yoshihara
3) Giuliano b Chivo García
4) El Verdugo TLDRAW Manuel Robles
Verdugo return. 20 minute draw. Rated a 7.
5) Tarzán López b Gorilita Flores
6) Masahiko Kimura & Teizo Watanabe b Carlos Moreno & Jorge Allende
Japanese took ⅔. Rated a 7.
7) Black Shadow b El Gladiador [hair]
Shadow took ⅓. Rated a 7.5.

Shadow defeating Gladiador drew a 50,000 gate. Gladiador’s lost both his mask and his hair within a year and a half.

The 12/02 Sunday show includes Blue Demon defeating El Espectro by DQ in the main event. Bobby Bonales returns after some time away.

[Previous October 1956. Next December 1956. Full index]