CMLL
CMLL (MON) 07/29/2024 Arena Puebla [CMLL, DeporPuebla, El Sol de Puebla, Grada]
1) Black Tiger & Meyer b Centella Roja & Hijo de Centella Roja
2) Espíritu Maligno & Rencor b Millenium & Rayo Metálico
3) Multy, Perverso, Prayer b Dr. Karonte I, Enfermero Jr., Grako
4) Hijo del Villano III, Sagrado, Villano III Jr. b Flip Gordon, Pegasso, Stigma
Sagrado snuck in a foul on Flip Gordon. Flip demanded a rematch and got fouled again.
5) Último Guerrero b Star Black
UG demanded a MEX HEAVY title match
6) Hechicero, Místico, Valiente DQ Atlantis Jr., Euforia, Magnus [Relevos Increíbles]
Magnus fouled Mistico
This was another full house for Arena Puebla; they’ve packed the house the last three weeks. There’s one great feud carrying over all the shows, it’s just general excitement for CMLL.
CMLL wrestlers usually don’t win singles matches two weeks in a row, but I can’t grasp the idea of Ultimo Guerrero losing a title match to Star Black. Ultimo loses most every big match nowadays but at least it’s against bigger stars than Star Black. And yet I know the only way Star Black becomes a bigger star is getting a win like over an Ultimo Guerrero.
CMLL (TUE) 07/30/2024 Arena México [CMLL, thecubsfan]
1) Valiente Jr. b Inquisidor [lightning]
9:13
2) Arkalis, Pegasso, Stigma b Dark Magic, Espanto Jr., Raider
17:08. Okumura replaced Espanto Jr. on Tuesday afternoon
3) Gran Guerrero & Valiente b Hechicero & Terrible
13:21. Listed as rudos versus rudos (so Valiente is officially a rudo). Valiente challenged Hechicero to put his mask on the line on the Aniversario show; Hechicero unmasked Valiente.
4) Lluvia & Metálica b Kira, La Catalina, Náutica, Olympia, Valkiria, Zeuxis [CMLL WOMEN TAG, battle royal]
5) Persephone & Zeuxis b Hera & Olympia [CMLL WOMEN TAG, quarterfinal]
7:50
6) La Catalina & Princesa Sugehit b Náutica & Sanely [CMLL WOMEN TAG, quarterfinal]
8:45. Sugehit return from neck surgery.
7) Kira & Skadi b Dark Silueta & Valkiria [CMLL WOMEN TAG, quarterfinal]
5:09. Silueta back from a few months in Japan.
8) Lluvia & Tessa Blanchard b Metálica & Reyna Isis [CMLL WOMEN TAG, quarterfinal]
5:18.
9) Persephone & Zeuxis b La Catalina & Princesa Sugehit [CMLL WOMEN TAG, semifinal]
5:21. They advance to the final on 08/06.
10) Lluvia & Tessa Blanchard b Kira & Skadi [CMLL WOMEN TAG, semifinal]
4:12. They advance to the final on 08/06.
The women’s tag team tournament got more time than most of the Leyenda de Plata matches, though it didn’t seem all that well organized. The first two matches went long, and then they were clearly rushing to get through everything else. Multiple matches with a running start is a tell the timing got crunched. (Not sure why the second match went so long either.) Dark Silueta seemed annoyed after her match, and didn’t seem all her selling the loss – she barely got anything in.
Lluvia & Tessa are the heavy favorites to win the tag titles next week. They have new matching gear, they’re always featured, and Persephone is still just a rookie in CMLL’s eyes. If that disappoints you, think about it as meaning Zeuxis will be the most logical next CMLL challenger for the CMLL Women’s Championship – she’ll be the most featured luchadora who doesn’t have a title belt.
Hera is currently an entertaining bad wrestler. She and her sister have a lot of big ideas and can do a lot of things fun things, but she also blew five spots in her one match. Kira is a better flyer than Hera at this point, but Kira also has a better idea of what she can do well. Hera’s doing a lot of stuff she can’t pull off consistently. The finishing combo flipping splash is a perfect example, something they’ve done in a few matches now and she’s never landed without spiking someone with a knee. Either she’ll figure out how to do those sports or hopefully she’ll figure out to drop them, but there will be some wildly inconsistent performances until then.
CMLL (TUE) 07/30/2024 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL, Fuego en el Ring]
1) Avispón Negro Jr., Fúnebre, Logan, Makara, Mortis, Ponzoña Jr. b Ángel Azteca Jr., Arariel (Laguna), Buffon (Laguna), Kingperio, Shaky (Laguna), Zonik (Laguna) [cibernetico]
Makara got the win for team GDL over team LAGUNA
2) Diosa Roja (Laguna), Emperatriz, Llamarada, Quetzal b Atenea, Dulce Kitty, Estrella Maldad, Zorah
3) Alondra, Lady Shadow, Miss Guerrera b Adira, Hatanna, Nexy
4) Gallo Jr., Ráfaga, Rafaga Jr. b Blue Panther Jr., Dark Panther, Hijo de Blue Panther
5) Brillante Jr., Dragón Rojo Jr., Dulce Gardenia, Magia Blanca b Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono
6) Arlequín, Esfinge, Star Black DQ Euforia, Hijo del Soberano, Soberano Jr.
Euforia unmasked Esfinge
I caught the first two of this show so far, and they were both good; there’s clearly a lot more thought being put into these matches than the similar ones on the Mexico City versus Guadalajara show.
CMLL (FRI) 08/02/2024 Arena México
1) Infarto & Retro vs Hunter & Xelhua [Relevos Increíbles]
2) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
3) Hechicero, Magnus, Rugido vs Averno, Euforia, Soberano Jr.
4) Esfinge © vs Valiente [MEX LH]
5th defense
5) Máscara Dorada & Volador Jr. vs PAC & Rocky Romero
6) MJF © vs Templario [AEW AMERICAN]
I’m all confused; if PAC was back, why didn’t they let him talk last Friday? Maybe plans changed? PAC working a program with Voaldor or Dorada to set up a match next Friday would be a big deal, and would also address most of the concerns I had on Monday.
Everything else is about as expected. If MJF watches his entrance, he may end up best friends with Soberano Jr. CMLL’s announcing the Aniversario main event either this Wednesday or next, and match 3 and 4 will play into it.
CMLL (SUN) 08/04/2024 Arena Coliseo
1) Galaxy, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito vs Full Metal, Mercurio, Pequeño Polvora
2) Kira, La Vaquerita, Skadi vs Amapola, Hera, Metálica
3) Futuro, Hombre Bala Jr., Max Star vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
4) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring vs Felino, Felino Jr., Rey Bucanero
5) Valiente vs Hechicero [lightning]
6) Templario, Titán, Volador Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr.
Rare to get a Saturday lineup before Informa. Valiente/Hechicero is this show’s version of that match. The national trios champs are together in match 3; CMLL seems to be booking them as a team consistently.
CMLL Informa today has:
- they still haven’t announced anything
- I’ve had this post waiting to go up for like three hours
- and then I’ve given up
- but maybe it’ll be an Aniversario announcement?
AAA
This is not news. It is gossip, almost certainly underinformed gossip, and one in which one of the participants seems to be making fun of it by passing it along. Clearing it up is the only reason I’m addressing it.
There’s been a persistent rumor for about a week around Mexican wrestling social media that AAA may be about to introduce either a new Pentagon or a new Pentagon Jr. No one’s taken credit for this story or cited anyone as reporting it, it’s very clearly something being whispered from person to person and so is incredibly suspect. Penta Jr. using the name “Lucha Brother” fueled the idea that AAA was protecting the name for their name for themselves. This rumor mutated on Monday, to supposedly Oni el Bendito being the pick for the new Pentagon. Oni, on his Instagram account, started to tease ideas in his Instagram Stories. Maybe this paragraph will be very dumb later, but my instincts are he’s just having fun with the idea and with people speculating on it. AAA usually wants their wrestlers to stay quiet about their character changes until they happen, and that’d be doubly sure with a Pentagon gimmick. Oni is also getting a lot of international bookings as Oni el Bendito, and no Mexican luchador in that situation wants or likes to make a name change (or to have AAA suddenly be involved in their booking.) This doesn’t make much sense as a ‘story,’ and more makes sense as Mexican wrestling social media fans already unhappy with AAA latching out to the flimsiest story possible as another reason to dunk on them.
I don’t believe Oni el Bendito is going to be a new Pentagon or a new Pentagon Jr. It would not be a surprise if AAA did eventually recast the role. There are trademark reasons why they might need to keep the name in circulation somehow, and maybe eventual lawsuit ones. (Octagon Jr. and Octagoncito have existed at times primarily, so AAA could say images of them were of that character and not the one they’re forever suing back and forth about.) AAA had successful stars using the name Pentagon before the Cero Miedo guy:
- Pentagon I was an excellent wrestler before drugs and an in-ring accident ended his career.
- Pentagon II had a long solid career, including touring internationally as Pentagon Black
- Pentagon III at least lost his mask to Octagon, and it’s near impossible to get an Octagon feud to actually get to the mask match
I think older Mexican wrestling fans would understand a new Pentagon. Newer fans and international fans would reject the new character strongly. It’d be one of those ideas helping AAA slightly with casual fans and sponsors at a large cost to their wider audience. AAA seems willing to make that sort of tradeoff often, so it should not be a shock if/when they do it again.
So that’s where I’m leaving it: AAA may re-introduce a new Pentagon character at some point in the future. It’s unlikely to be Oni el Bendito right now.
Todo x el Todo
There is a lineup!
TXT (SUN) 09/22/2024 Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Azcapotzalco, Distrito Federal
1) Heddi Karaoui vs Cerebro Negro
2) Lady Apache, Shamila, Therius vs Hija de Fuerza Guerrera, Keyra, Vanilla Vargas
3) Misterioso Jr. (Laguna) vs Cinta de Oro, LA Park, El Hijo Del Santo, Fuerza Guerrera, Dr. Wagner Jr., Bobby Lee Jr., Ciclón Ramírez Jr., Súper Nova, Máscara Sagrada Ng, Rayman, Solar I, Texano Jr., Cien Caras Jr., Hijo del Fishman, Canek Jr. [ruleta de la muerte]
They’ve gone from having nothing announced to having a full card in less than a week. It’s also not a card that feels big enough for Arena Ciudad de Mexico; this is a Gimansio de la Barrera lineup hoping the Santo retirement is going to draw some massive extra interest.
Rayman is unmasked nowadays and is fairly unrecognizable unless you follow the Guadalajara Indies. Cien Caras Jr. is also unknown outside of that scene, and both would be reasonable candidates to lose. There are probably numbers where guys Misterioso and Bobby Lee Jr. would make sense as well, though I don’t know if this will draw those sorts of numbers. A direct Santo versus whomever the loser is going to be would seem to be a better draw than a loser’s advance tournament, which I assume means it’s not going to be Santo in the end. Teams have not been announced for the tournament.
Therius hasn’t been on a show since last August. She was a person posting photos of herself on Instagram actively and has gone quiet since this announcement. I was surprised she was originally announced for this show.
(There’s been no mention of streaming/recording of this show or any of the Todo x el Todo shows.)
El Hijo del Santo, in San Diego this past weekend for their Comic Con, said he’s considering adding Tijuana to the retirement tour list. And Japan. And Ciudad Juarez, Acapulco, Houston, San Antonio and Los Angeles. I’m increasingly skeptical, but I guess we’ll have all the answers we need when that first show happens in two months.
Site Note
I’ve got scheduling issues for the next week and a half, and these posts may come out on different times or days entirely for a while.
Other Notes
Tamaulipas luchador Capitan Misterio Sr. (Gerado Garcia) passed away Monday. He was active in the 70s and 80s and part of a family of luchadors.
If you are someone else who runs a wrestling database, Terremoto (Negro) showed up for the MexaWrestling throwback atomicos match this past weekend in his Pig Pool gear, so that confirms he’s switched to that gimmick. I’ve assumed the former Terremoto, Corsario Negro Jr., and Drako are the three of the pigs, but haven’t been sure which one is which. I have put in minimal energy to figure this out, so maybe this is something else everyone else already knew.