TripleMania CDMX final card, Tessa/Lluvia tag champs, LB

CMLL

CMLL (MON) 08/05/2024 Arena Puebla [CMLL, E Line Noticias, Fuego en el Ring, Grada, Mano a Mano]
1) Espíritu Maligno, King Jaguar, Sombra Diabólika b Astro, Asturiano, Black Tiger 
2) Hera, Lady Amazona, Olympia b Astoreth, Kira, Skadi 
straight falls, setting up Olympia & Hera vs Kira & Skadi for the national tag titles
3) Dark Magic, Espanto Jr., Raider b Capitán Suicida, El Audaz, Meyer
4) Flip Gordon, Pegasso, Stigma b Hijo del Villano III, Sagrado, Villano III Jr. 
5) Star Black © b Último Guerrero [MEX HEAVY] 
fourth defense
6) Místico b Magnus

I was sure Ultimo Guerrero was losing to Star Black but it still makes me sad to see. (It’s perhaps how other people feel about a certain G1 participant.) This looked close to a sell out, though maybe full not there.

CMLL (TUE) 08/06/2024 Arena México [CMLL, thecubsfan]
1) Full Metal, Mercurio, Pequeño Polvora b Acero, Aéreo, Fantasy 
10:04
2) Astral, Dragón de Fuego, Robin b Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio 
16:03
3) Guerrero Maya Jr., Pelon Encapuchado, Xelhua b Felino, Felino Jr., Rey Bucanero 
13:43.
4) Neón b Valiente [lightning]  
9:04
5) Bárbaro Cavernario, Difunto, Terrible b Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black  
18:43
6) Lluvia & Tessa Blanchard b Persephone & Zeuxis [CMLL WOMEN TAG, final]  
9:34. vacant title (Vaquer to WWE), Lluvia & Tessa become second champions

It was almost notable how unotable it was for a women’s match to headline a CMLL show. It’s still uncommon, but it’s unusual. Any women’s title match would’ve been fifth or fourth on this card a few years ago. It’s too bad the match itself wasn’t great. They were very ambitious and just couldn’t make a lot of what they tried look as good as hoped. Tessa quiet nearly landed on her head on a doomsday device type dropkick spot; that was one where I’m not sure how they though it ever was going to go well.

Valiente looked better wrestling his old trainee Neon than he has in other matches, helped by them basically starting the match doing what must’ve been their old drills. Pelon Encapuchado is Fuego once again under his sponsored character (and the sponsor is back with CMLL again for a while.)

CMLL (TUE) 08/06/2024 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) Rav, Shezmu, Temerario b Ángel Oriental, Prince Dragó, Último Ángel
2) Adira, Dulce Kitty, Náutica, Zorha b Candela, Hatanna, Nexy, Valkiria
3) Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. b Arlequín, Draego, Persa
4) Volador Jr. DQ Stuka Jr. [lightning]
split off from a scheduled trios match, hair match challenges followed
5) Barboza b Hijo del Villano III [lightning]
6) Atlantis & Panterita del Ring DQ Nitro & Satánico
Satanico fouled Atlantis
7) Máscara Dorada & Titán DQ Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero

Not sure why they split the main event, though my guess is someone needed to be on early flight.

About a month ago, the Villanos fought pirate friends Barboza & Zandokan here. Both teams did post-match interviews, and got asked by the (non-CMLL) press if Barboza would be part of La Escudra with Zandokan and Los Villanos. The Villanos stated that Barboza could join the team only if he beat all of them in 1v1 matches. They were clearly just riffing, as luchadors often do in these press segments. Someone decided to run with the idea, at least for this week, and Barboza’s now got just two more wins to collect.

Last week’s Guadalajara show, with a whole bunch of guests from Torreon, was really good. I liked match three in particular, maybe because it was much better than I thought it’d be. I had not seen Lady Shadow since she was in Mexico City last year. Shadow in 2023 looked like she really needed more time before being on such a big stage. In 2024, Shadow looks great, like she’d be in the top half of the regular roster. One match is one match, but I hope she’s around again in October.

There is no CMLL Informa talent list. CMLL (accidentally?) revealed an episode a couple of weeks ago was taped and not live. Maybe they’re doing that for every episode, and they’ve decided to wait to announce who’s on the show until they’ve taped it (and made sure no one was missed it.)

This is a long shot, but if CMLL is doing the Night of Champions format as they’ve done the last few years (an all-title match show in September where the fans vote on the challengers), it probably needs to be announced soon—maybe tonight.

Lucha Tour announced they’ll have a meet and greet with Mansoor, Rocky Romero and Kyle Fletcher on 08/23.

Box y Lucha 3615 has the Aniversario on the top.

The CMLL summer camp for children is underway. The kids will have a presentation on the 08/18 (Sunday) Arena Mexico show.

AAA

AAA held their follow up TripleMania press conference today. There were quite a few blank spaces left on the 08/17 card. Only one was really filled in; others were shuffled around. The final card update:

AAA TV (SAT) 08/17/2024 Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Azcapotzalco, Distrito Federal
1) 1 vs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 [Copa Bardahl]
2) Flammer © vs Faby Apache [Reina De Reinas]
first defense (after a full year.) Sexy Star will second Faby Apache, Dalys will second Flammer.
3) Laredo Kid vs Matt Riddle, Komander [AAA CRUISER]
Komander added on 08/07. Second defense, first on TV.
4) Negro Casas & Psycho Clown © vs Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno del Mal and Raj Dhesi & Satnam Singh [AAA TAG]
5) Vampiro Canadiense vs ? [casket]
6) Nic Nemeth © vs El Patrón Alberto [AAA MEGA]
7) Dark Cuervo vs Dark Ozz, Cibernético, El Fiscal, Abismo Negro Jr., Psicosis II, Panic Clown, Dave The Clown, Murder Clown [dome cage, hair, mask, cage]

The TripleMania main events for every Arena Ciudad de Mexico show

• 2012: Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Mascara 2000 Jr., mask vs mask
• 2013: Hijo del Perro Aguayo vs Cibernetico, hair vs hair
• 2014: Perro Aguayo vs Myzteziz vs Cibernetico vs Dr. Wagner (copa)
• 2015: Rey Mysterio vs Myzteziz (Mistico) (no stip)
• 2016: Psycho Clown vs Pagano, mask vs hair
• 2017: Psycho Clown vs Dr. Wagner Jr., mask vs mask
• 2018: Hijo del Fantasma vs Psycho Clown vs LA Park vs Pentagon Jr., mask vs mask vs mask vs mask
• 2019: Blue Demon Jr. vs Dr. Wagner Jr., mask vs hair
• 2020: Pagano vs Chessman, hair vs hair
• 2021: Psycho Clown vs Rey Escorpion, mask vs hair
• 2022: Pentagon Jr. vs Villano IV, mask vs mask
• 2023: Sam Adonis vs Psycho Clown vs LA Park vs Rush, mask/hair on the line
• 2024: Dark Cuervo, Dark Ozz, Cibernetico, Fiscal, Abismo Negro Jr., Psicosis II, Panic Clown, Dave the Clown and Murder Clown in a domed cage match

This year’s TripleMania is easily the weakest main event since AAA has started running this building. It’s really great personally for El Fiscal to be in the main event of TripleMania just months after debuting in the company, but it’s a real sign of weakness that AAA has to put him in the main event so quickly. Cibernetico’s the biggest name, and he’s lost his hair on this show prior. If Murder Clown loses his mask, I guess that’s bigger as Mascara 2000 Jr. losing his mask, but there won’t be the build behind it. Everyone else are guys who aren’t people who would come close to a TripleMania event at this point in their careers outside of desperation. AAA is just trying to bluff their way through a show by using the dome cage as the draw, and it’s entirely that gimmick that should get credit if they pull it off. This is a main event AAA would’ve done for one of the lesser TripleMania shows (or the Verano de Escandalo tier shows) in years past, and everything is getting bumped down a notch in 2024.

No one seemed to ask about Murder Clown’s partners saying he had a fractured arm.

That TripleMania main event was originally announced as twelve people. AAA didn’t acknowledge there were now only nine people in it. The Copa Bardahl opener was originally announced as twelve people as well. Now it’s fifteen. Perhaps AAA figured out some legends would have difficulties climbing out of that cage and made an adjustment. A normal wrestling company would acknowledged they changed the main event of their biggest show of the year.

The press conference was conducted unusually, where most of it was Dorian Roldan and Latin Lover interviewing the wrestlers (and putting them over a lot.) Roldan explained that no opponent will be announced for Vampiro’s match. He’ll instead face multiple opponents who won’t be revealed until we see them. The match will also be sponsored by funeral home Funerarias J. Garcia Lopez. This sounds less like a match in any traditional since and more like a Vampiro mini-movie. That’s probably for the best, and not just because a Vampiro match in 2024 is likely to be poor. “We’re going to let Vampiro do whatever he wants for about 15 minutes” is a better drawing card for curious onlookers than anything else they’ve got on this card. AAA was clearer this time out that this is Vampiro’s retirement specifically in Arena Ciudad de Mexico. It’ll also be his only second ever match in the building; he was in the 2019 Copa TripleMania.

Dorian Roldan spent some time explaining a “Dave Meltzer five star match”, and pushing the idea that they are very rare and they put together a match they think can get it. According to cagematches’ record keeping, Dave Meltzer has rated 15 matches five stars or higher this year. He rated 27 matches that highly last year. Two a month seems uncommon but not rare. Certaintly, getting a five star match used to mean huge things for a promotion and a wrestler, and it no longer has that same impact. In AAA’s case, one five star match will certainly help their image, but it’s not going to turn around their poor social media profile (and social media is the only place where people are really going to care about this.)

Two of this year 5+ star matches are in CMLL (Mascara Dorada/Templario and Hechicero/ZSJ), which may have been the insighting action. AAA has had 3 five stars matches this decade; two of them have involved Laredo Kid (versus Vikingo, w/Vikingo against the Lucha Brothers.) Getting Dave Meltzer to give a match an excellent rating has obviously been the idea of this match since it was just Riddle/Laredo. I’m not sure adding Komander actually brings AAA closer to that goal; it’s much rarer for a three way match to get that number. Meltzer did rate the fourway title match from last year’s TripleMania 4.5 stars, but I’d challenge you to remember who was actually in it without looking it up.

Komander appearing was a surprise. Komander won the Cruiserweight championship 11 months ago has never defended it on AAA TV, and rarely appears in AAA at all. This seems certain to be the end of his reign, though it leaves the winner of Riddle competing for a cruiserweight title while obviously not being a cruiserweight. It also suggests Laredo’s actually winning this, because he’s the only one of the three AAA can seem to get dates on. Konnan, on his podcast, had mentioned instructing Matt Riddle to sent in a video and a promo; none was shown during this press conference. Maybe they’ll turn up on social media later, but I’d have to assume they were meant for this show and didn’t get done.

Faby and Flammer were brought on to talk about their title match. AAA later stated that Tirantes wouldn’t be the referee for the match, in trying to portray that AAA was taking their only women’s title match of the year seriously. Dalys seconding Flammer while feuding with Faby Apache suggests she’ll either cost Faby the title or set up their title program right after. Roldan announced Psicosis I/Nicho el Millonario will go in the AAA Hall of Fame on the show. My hunch still is Psicosis II as the loser of the cage match, and it’d be interesting to have both those things on the same show. The press conference skipped over the three way tag match and the Alberto/Nemeth title match. There was also no hints about the Eye bit.

The show proper start at 8 pm Mexico City time. AAA said there’s a pre-show starting at 7 pm (without matches.) In Tijuana, FITE started to stream a pre-show an hour ahead of time but AAA didn’t seem to have any idea they were live for quite a while before doing the anthem, so I wouldn’t suggest you have to be there at 7. AAA solely focused on tickets sales and made little to no mention of the show airing on FITE or Space or any other TV outlet. I’m not even yet sure if it’s airing on Azteca this year. The FITE listing is up, though they haven’t updated the lineup.

In the Q&A segment, Latin Lover mentioned wrestlers for another promotion were told they could no longer go on his podcast. He seemed surprised at this, and he should not be. It was generally hard to hear the questionnaires, and so I didn’t get much out of the questions here, but there was a lot of discussion about how AAA’s definitely listening to all the comments people leave on social media. I wonder what they think of the mean memes. Maybe I’ll get more out of the individual interviews.

Notable missing names: Sam Adonis, Parker Boudreaux and QT Marshall, who’ve been treated as super important figures on the last two TripleManias this year. Mesias, Dark Espiritu and Dark Escoria are also nowhere to be seen. Konnan responded to criticism of the TripleMania Monterrey show in part by saying this was a three act story, they were building to Mexico City. Nemeth/Alberto is a two TripleMania story, starting in Monterrey, skipping Tijuana and finishing in Mexico City. There’s nothing else on that Monterrey show that had anything to do with this card. It was just the usual blah blah blah.

AAA wrestlers will appear at the Mexico City stop of the Gamergy video game festival on August 25th and August 26th. They’re running three match shows on Saturday and Sunday and some autograph signings before and during those days. The only thing that struck me as notable is Sunday’s show, which has a rare sighting of Kento without Takuma. He’s teaming up with Kuuaki and Nobu San instead.

Lucha Brothers

Fightul Select had an update on Fenix & Penta’s contract situation. The AEW story is they wanted to and were trying to re-sign the Lucha Brothers, but the Lucha Brothers kept putting off actually doing it. AEW eventually got the impression that Fenix and Penta had no interest in signing with AEW, and Konnan tweeting “what comes around goes around 2” seemed to confirm it. The first iteration of that Konnan post seemed to be out Stephanie Vaquer going to WWE, so these are two posts of Konnan publically taking credit for getting people away from AEW and to WWE. That obviously works out for Konnan, I’m not sure if it is good news for AAA.

Fightful does not say the Lucha Brothers have signed with WWE – and for good reason, they’re still under contract to AEW. WWE can’t legally sign them right now. Anyone in WWE saying they plan to do so would invite a lawsuit.

I did have some people reach out to me after Tuesday’s post and independently relay stories of Penta being cagey about fulfilling bookings he had agreed to later the year. These are ones that hadn’t been yet announced, and ones he’d would have normally no problems – unless he thought he might be going to WWE. That matches the behavior Fightful is reporting, and makes sense if he believes he’s going to WWE.

In true luchador fashion, Fenix did a very generic post about it.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 08/08/2024 Arena Naucalpan
1) Dracula Ng vs Hysteriosis
2) Tornado & Willy Banderas vs Fly Star & Ovett Jr.
3) ?, ??, ??? vs ????, ?????, ??????
Random Match
4) Gravity, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly vs Águila Roja, Rey Halcón, Tonalli
5) Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. vs Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool

The Pandemonium dad comes out of partial retirement to team with his sons.

Last Thursday’s show was a Lucha Libre Boom show. Originally, the main event was the Octagons, Caneks, Guerreras, and a mystery team. They changed the card before the show to Caneks, Guerreras, and LA Parks, with the promoter saying it was for reasons out of control. If CMLL blocked Ciclon Ramirez Jr. from working with their guys because he’s working Todo x el Todo shows, it would stand to reason CMLL encouraged Octagon to drop that booking if he wanted to keep working with them. The rest of the family teams have someone working on the first Todo x el Todo show. This may be a prominent issue for the next few months because – as we’ve seen with wrestlers getting pulled from Tijuana shows – wrestlers are often the last to figure out the rules and the first to be loudly upset about them.

Other News

Violent People picks their best lucha libre matches of June.