Andrade/Volador tonight, Sin Salida PPV, CMLL Best Of

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 12/29/2023 Arena México
1) Diamond, Oro Jr., Robin vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
2) Capitán Suicida, Fuego, Volcano vs Cancerbero, Kráneo, Vegas
3) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black vs Crixus, Difunto, Zandokan Jr.
4) Stephanie Vaquer © vs La Jarochita [CMLL WOMEN]
3rd defense
5) Máscara Dorada, Místico, Titán vs Averno, Euforia, Mephisto
6) Volador Jr. vs Andrade el Idolo

Volador Jr. and La Sombra first wrestled on August 30th, 2010 in Arena Puebla. That match seemed to kick off a new era for CMLL, with those guys on top wrestling super athletic matches. It was the case for the first half of the 2010s, until Sombra became too big to be kept in Arena Mexico (and kept in his mask.) Volador stayed in CMLL, becoming the template and eventually the teacher for many young luchadors. La Sombra became Andrade, with many international adventures but no place that seems as home as the one he left. Tonight, they’ll wrestle a singles match again for the first time in seven years. Maybe Andrade will stick around in 2024 (or beyond) and this will be the first of many more matches. Maybe Andrade will indeed go back to WWE when his AEW deal expires, make a fantastic living, have no need or urge to ever return to Arena Mexico again, and this is the last time we’ll see these two men in a singles match. We only know that it’s going to be special to see them against each other once more, when even that much wasn’t certain to ever happen.

I want to say it’s a pretty good show beyond the main event, but it felt that way last week and it didn’t work out well. On paper, Los Infernales versus Dorada, Mistico and Titan looks great. Vaquer and Jarochita are about as good as title match the CMLL women can have had in a positive year for that division. (The two had a singles match in Sinaloa on Wednesday, a place where I struggle to find info on shows until results or video turns up later. That show, headlined by Mistico, was said to be a sell out) The all-Guadalajara match looks fun and there could be some entertainment in the undercard. It still requires a bit of luck and effort on a holiday week, and there’s no knowing how that’ll go.

The show is on PPV as usual, and back in USD.

Those who bought last week’s Friday PPV, which had multiple issues, were emailed a discount code for the 01/01 show. (It seemed to be slowly sent out over a few hours.) It’s not a refund, but it’s better than nothing. It was noteworthy that the refund came from CMLL itself – not from the PPV company, as has happened during past Boleta and TicketmasterLive issues – and that it means CMLL does get plenty of information on the individuals who buy these shows.

Guadalajara also has their cage match show tonight.

CMLL (SAT) 12/30/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II vs Átomo & Chamuel
2) Andrómeda, La Vaquerita, Magia Azul vs Amapola, Metálica, Tiffany
3) Espíritu Negro, Fuego, Rey Cometa vs El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora
4) Dark Panther, Star Jr., Valiente vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Sagrado
5) Atlantis Jr., Titán, Volador Jr. vs Soberano Jr., Stuka Jr., Templario
6) Máscara Dorada vs Bárbaro Cavernario

Dorada/Cavernario sounds like a fun way to end the CMLL year.

CMLL (MON) 01/01/2024 Arena México
***Sin Salida, 2024***
1) Futuro & Valiente Jr. vs Arlequín & Draego
2) Andrómeda, Reyna Isis, Tessa Blanchard vs Marcela, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
3) Máscara Dorada vs Ángel de Oro [lightning]
4) Atlantis Jr., Flip Gordon, Místico vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Dragón Rojo Jr., Terrible
5) Último Dragóncito vs Pierrothito, Fantasy, Mercurio, Minos, Aéreo, Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Magía, Pequeño Olímpico, Shockercito, Pequeño Violencia, Acero, Angelito, Full Metal, Kaligua, Galaxy [cage, mask, hair]

This is a 149 pesos/9 USD PPV (unless you’ve got one of those discount codes.) That’s a new price point. Guess they didn’t think people would pay for a minis cage match at the highest price. Dorada/Angel de Oro should be good. Tessa is back already. She and Isis are pictured as a pair, so they may be setting up a tag title match.

CMLL (MON) 01/01/2024 Arena Puebla
1) Centella Roja & Hijo de Centella Roja vs Dreyko & Fénix SO
2) Astoreth & Lady Metal vs Hera & Olympia
3) Arkalis & Rey Samuray vs El Malayo & Rey Apocalipsis
4) Esfinge & Star Black vs Hijo de Stuka Jr. & Stuka Jr. and Blue Panther Jr. & Dark Panther and Akuma & Hijo del Villano III
5) Atlantis, Stigma, Titán vs Gran Guerrero, Niebla Roja, Templario

Just a random card.

CMLL (FRI) 01/05/2024 Arena México
1) Astral vs Capitán Suicida
rematch from February 14
2) Pegasso, Rey Samuray, Stigma vs Futuro, Max Star, Vegas
rematch from May 7
3) Espíritu Negro & Rey Cometa vs Akuma & Dark Magic
rematch from July 14
4) Esfinge vs Cavernario
rematch from September 29
5) Soberano Jr. vs Templario
rematch from January 6

These matches were announced at the end of CMLL Informa, along with the official announcement that this Best of 2023 concept would be extended to three weeks. Gotta find a way to fit all the Esfinge matches in. These are all billed as being selected by fans voting for the best match each month on CMLL’s website. Those polls get very few votes – like less than 100 – and even I don’t keep track of who wins them. I think CMLL plays it straight, following the winners, but no one’s checking.

That January Soberano/Templario match is actually their match from last year’s Best Of show so that they could be caught in an infinite loop on this. Likewise, Esfinge/Cavernario happened because Esfinge fans voted him into the Night of Champions show and then voted him again. Match three is a rematch of the hair match.

CMLL also announced Gran Alternativa will return on January 19th and 26th, with a final on February 2nd.

Flyer puts his mask up against Guerrero Negro Jr. in Monclova on New Year’s Day. Guerrero Negro Jr. is ex-CMLL, last wrestling there in 2014. Flyer may be ex-CMLL; he’s wrestled one match there since July. Guerrero Negro Jr. would assume to be losing that sort of match normally. He probably still will, but Flyer’s recent career is too erratic to rule out him losing his mask and vanishing.

Okumura made his annual return to Osaka as part of his goodwill duties.

AAA

AAA on Space has part 2 of the Best of show.

Capital 21 will air a live special on the Lucha X el Barrio competition and contestants at 1 pm on January 6th, the afternoon of AAA’s TV taping. Maybe we haven’t heard who’s the finalists because they’ll be determined and/or revealed. That public broadcasting channel streams live on their website everywhere.

Other News

Cancun luchador El Corsario (Ezquiel Hernandez Dionisio, 63) passed away Thursday due to kidney problems. He wrestled as a rudo in the 80s/90s and had been ill the last few months.

Mil Mascaras, who must’ve done one long interview that El Universal is breaking up into many smaller articles, claimed he was set to go to the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. He says he qualified in both greco-roman and amateur wrestling and would’ve won gold in both. However, the Mexican committee deceived him about not having the money to send him until it was too late to fix it. Later, after he turned professional, he faced the Japanese gold medalist (not said in which style) and easily defeated him. There were five Japanese gold medalists in the 1964 Olympics, all in the lightest weight classes (Mil would’ve been in bigger classes) and none became professional wrestlers. Mexico sent four wrestlers to the 1964 Olympics, so they probably would’ve sent someone who was sure to be a double gold medalist. Mil had already started his professional career by the 1964 Olympics.

Criterio Hidalgo interviews Arquitecto del Mal I about his career.

There’s a new lucha libre movie in Guatemala.