CMLL
Tonight’s show:
CMLL (FRI) 08/16/2024 Arena México
1) Astro Boy Jr., Eléctrico, Leono vs Grako, Nitro, Sangre Imperial
2) La Catalina, Princesa Sugehit, Sanely vs Dark Silueta, Persephone, Zeuxis
3) Dulce Gardenia, Pelon Encapuchado, Volcano vs Akuma, Difunto, Zandokan Jr.
4) Neón vs Robbie X [lightning]
5) Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs Mansoor & Rocky Romero
6) Atlantis Jr., Esfinge, Místico vs Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero, Valiente
More Valiente/Esfinge preview in the main event, a week before they’re all supposed to team. Mansoor debuts in the semi-main. Robbie X does the same against Neon, though that one might have more meaning. The foreigners usually start with a win, and that works well for RevPro. Neon’s the RevPro cruiserweight champion. There’s still a space left in RevPro’s six-way cruiserweight scramble on 08/24, and Robbie X getting the would set up him being added to the match. Match 3 looks like good dumb fun, the women’s match should be fine, and the opener gets some people work.
This is where I’d usually put the Saturday, Sunday, and Monday lineups, but they’ve already been announced.
CMLL (TUE) 08/20/2024 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Átomo, Mije, Tengu vs Chamuel, KeMalito, Periquito Sacaryas
2) Adira, Magia Azul, Náutica vs Dulce Kitty, Valkiria, Zorah
3) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs Crixus, Difunto, Raider
4) Esfinge, Máscara Dorada, Templario vs Bestia Negra, Euforia, Gallero
5) Barboza, Dulce Gardenia, El Elemental, Furia Roja, Hijo del Villano III, Místico, Soberano Jr., Star Black, Villano III Jr., Zandokan Jr. vs Akira, Dark Magic, Flip Gordon, Ikuro Kwon, Kyle Fletcher, Mansoor, Okumura, Robbie X, Rocky Romero, Yutani
Guadalajara gets its annual “Liga de Nacions” show, with a preview of the Gran Prix. There are fewer people in the actual Gran Prix compared ot prior years. Claudio, Yota, and Davey Boy Smith are all missing from the World team; they may all be in only for that Friday. Mistico is working on this match and the Friday one. Match 3 was possibly meant to be a trios title match show here, but the rudos accidentally won last time; I still can’t make sense of it. They’ll probably fix that here.
CMLL Informa had almost no news. Mistico challenged Chris Jericho to make their Aniversario match a mask versus hair match (as he did the night before in Guadalajara). It’s not happening, and it wasn’t treated as if it were happening. In passing and with no details, Julio Cesar Rivera mentioned CMLL would be running a Dia de Luchador show (usually 09/23) and that there were yet to be announced international plans for Mistico this year. Everything else was people confirming they’re excited for their previously announced matches and Vegas getting his official Depredador mask. There was no explanation about the missing names from the women’s match on the Gran Prix show. I keep waiting for some big reveal and maybe it’s just “La Catalina may or not be available, we’re waiting to find out first.)
In a stunning tribute to persistence, I’ve finally located the other airing of CMLL on the AMX show. The Friday night airing is now Thursdays, the same time as before (11 pm Mexico City time.) It’s now the first airing of the show, so we got matches 3, 5, 6 from 08/04. (We’re getting the show one day earlier and not against another CMLL show; that’s a win.) This all might have been easier if the promotion had just told us what was airing, but I guess maniacly recording every moment the channel was on the air for days was the way to go.
Akira and Ikuro Kwon appeared on Informa and did media interviews earlier in the day. Both mentioned they’d wrestled in Mexico prior; Akira is exceptionally detailed about wrestling in Monterrey, but I can’t find anything about either show. (It has to be NGX or OLX or something like that for AKIRA, and I just don’t have the right name.) Akira felt his hardcore style would add to Team World in the Gran Prix. Kwon says he’s worked on his cardio to prepare for Mexico City’s altitude.
Euforia says the other three guys in the mask match are all scared of him.
MLW did announce TJP as a replacement in their Opera Cup tournament, but not for Mistico or Atlantis Jr. He’s stepping in for an ‘injured’ Davey Boy Smith. The video promo for the change makes it clear it’s an angle, and it won’t impact Smith’s appearance in Mexico. (I think he’s off the MLW show due to a date conflict with AJPW.)
Stardom’s Mina Shirakawa will fill the spot left by Stephanie Vaquer on 08/24 RevPro show. That’s a positive replacement for that fanbase. It was implausible for another CMLL luchadora to take that spot; none of them are much known or over to fans outside of CMLL in the way, Vaquer had become (except for Tessa, and she’s a particular case.) Vaquer got over internationally because she was good, because NJPW US believed she was good enough to pick her and put her in huge spots, and because NJPW US had huge spots to put her in. CMLL has luchadoras who can be good at wrestling, but the other parts of the equation aren’t there. October is going to be interesting because that equation may come together. I don’t know if Mercedes Mone is coming to wrestle in Arena Mexico, but if she does, whoever CMLL puts in front of her will say a lot about who they do and do not believe in. NJPW US and AEW will probably have a voice on that pick, so will Mone.
Infobae has an article on CMLL Japan announcer Miki Motoi. It’s just adding social media posts to form an easy story with nothing new.
AAA
TripleMania Mexico City is tomorrow, Saturday. It starts at 10:00 pm US ET on Triller and streams in English and Spanish. You can buy it for 25 USD. The show’s back half will also air on Space, Claro Sports, and MAX in Mexico. No, you can not watch it on MAX in the US. AAA’s put Mutli-hour “Best of” cuts of these shows within a day or two of the event and put the whole show on YouTube about a week later. I estimate TripleMania City will start airing in the US on Unimas on 09/07, but AAA hasn’t advertised a date.
AAA said they have a pre-show for a half hour before the show, but Triller lists it as an hour-long show. Either way, no matches are scheduled, and the other shows’ pre-shows have been thoroughly useless. It’ll probably be the anthem and some sponsor work, maybe a video package or two. You will probably be fine-tuning in a half hour early.
The lineup:
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]
I wrote a preview of TripleMania for Voices of Wrestling, and I’m being lightly ribbed for being too positive about AAA. There’s a first time for everything.
My issue is I see a light at the end of the tunnel. For one, this is the last time any of us must endure a four-hour TripleMania event for the next six months; AAA’s schedule is bizarre in bunching all these shows together, but it gives a big break on the backside. This is also the best TripleMania AAA’s run in a while, totally helped by the last few being among the worst TripleManias AAA’s ever produced. (If Monterrey was a 1 out of 10, Tijuana was a 2, which could be a 3 or a 4.) Mostly, I feel like there’s is a light at the end of the tunnel because AAA’s booked themselves into corners and have to do either positive or at least interesting things. Adding Komander and Cruiserweight title to the Riddle/Laredo match means AAA has to put Laredo Kid over, and that’s good. Vikingo is going to be back soon, and that’s good. The Vampiro match will probably be too long and self-indulgent, but letting him do whatever he wants is superior to pretending he can wrestle a standard match. At the same time, he struggles to move around, and everyone is scared of hitting him. The big ideas AAA’s been slow walking all year – the Eye guys, the Latin Lover/Konnan split, even the Alberto title reign – are things AAA is going to commit to on this show. Seeing how they work (or not) is interesting; getting away from the “time wasting” that AAA pretends is built for these events is even better. I’ve been asking AAA to pick a direction and get on with it all year, and they’ve forced themselves to do it on this show. I know it’s AAA; that light at the end of the tunnel may be a train about to crush me, but I will take that risk over what they’ve done the last eight months. TripleMania Monterrey was all about setting up stories that were dead on arrival. TripleMania Tijuana was screwing around with an intra-city feud that didn’t appear to be much over. TripleMania Mexico is about getting on with it, whatever it is, and that’s a positive change.
The other bit concerns the slightest pressure for TripleMania Mexico City to deliver to expectations in a long time. The expectations for this show are sky-low. This is not supposed to lead to some big charge in the US (because they’re not even bothering to advertise the show in the US). It’s a show built around nostalgia; it’s a show about bringing back old fans instead of making new fans, people who are going to be happy to see these people again and not be all that bothered about what they’re doing. There are some apparent issues with being in this situation, but it adds up to an event that should not be hard to please its intended audience. There may be some behind-the-scenes business pressures for it to deliver, but we won’t get accurate details.
Superboletos showed a decent amount of tickets left, which doesn’t fit the idea that this is one of the highest ticket-selling TripleManias ever, as Dorian Roldan and Konnan have each stated. I don’t think Konnan lies about attendance often; he prefers to shape the narrative by avoiding talking about something if it’s bad news. (They’ll never mention the terrible number they did in Tijuana and never address the “transitory period” left in a previous podcast.) Konnan isn’t going on Superboletos to look up tickets, he’s 100% relying on what Dorian and other AAA people are telling him, and what it looks like the day of the show. We’ll find out what the turnout is on Saturday. It doesn’t matter what people think of it on Friday, but there’s a definite disconnect between what they’re saying and what Superboletos is saying, and I’m not sure what it is. Are they cutting off fewer tickets for the stage? Do they mean they gate instead of attendance? (Ticket prices are in last year’s record high number.) Is it a projection for the top 2, and they figure the unsold will be sold in 24 hours? Is the Superboletos map just wrong? I have no idea.
The frustrating part of this story is that I firmly believe there’s just some piece I’m not getting or misunderstanding. I would like to understand it – but posting about this on Twitter just leads to the textual version of people grabbing me by the shoulders and loudly telling me, “They’re lying; you need to understand it’s just a lie; there’s nothing there to learn.” And, kind of yes, they’re wrestling people, and games are being played with the truth of the situation. Still, I also feel like it’s too weirdly specific (not a good turnout, not the best turnout, but specifically the top 2 ever) that there’s something in that’s true and worth knowing. I am probably a fool.
Konnan posted a podcast with Hugo to preview TripleMania. Konnan’s podcasts are as disorganized as his storylines, with a general idea of topics they need to cover but no planning to see if they’ve accomplished the task. They remember to mention three of the seven matches before Hugo decides he would rather hear Konnan repeat his favorite stories from the Latin Lover podcast. Hugo talks up Alberto/Nemeth; he’s always a big believer in Alberto and treats if like the biggest and best match on the show. There are mentions of surprises in Copa Baradahl. Konnan mentions most of the surprise people on the show are Mexican but reveals there will be one American. He says it in a way where he’s confident the podcast audience won’t care about the Mexicans, but getting that one American is vital. The other match is the main event, though no names are mentioned. Hugo tells a story about how he got Mesias a job with WWE, but then he wrestled in the dome cage match, hurt his shoulder, and couldn’t pass medical testing. (That looks to be the 2009 match.) It was weird how they were trying to sell this match around how much it cost Mesias a job and how dangerous it is to wrestlers; it may be accurate, but it doesn’t make the match more appealing. Konnan explains that “this year,” they’re putting weapons and a ladder in the cage so people can climb out. They put a ladder in the dome most times and weapons in the cage every time – the wrestlers cannot keep the fan’s interest in the pre-escape portion of the cage match without the weapon spots.
There’s an amusing bit where Hugo keeps talking about TripleMania being on FITE and Konnan asks if it’s also on Triller. Neither of them (or the other voices on the show) realize that FITE changed its name to Triller about a year ago.
AAA held its annual pilgrimage on Wednesday. There are some roster photos; Kento and Takuma made the trip again.
Sam Adonis signaled he’ll be on TripleMania. No offense to Adonis, who seems to be doing precisely what AAA wants of him to the best of his ability, but AAA sure focused a lot on the foreign legion team to have them not being advertised on AAA’s biggest show of the year. If AAA believes what they were doing with them was working, then they’ve screwed up by not including their most pushed rudos of the year. If AAA believes it wasn’t working, their big idea for the first two TripleManias was a flop, and maybe they need to stop using that angle. Nothing will probably change.
People are making up their storylines because they’ve got nothing to talk about department: Abismo Negro Jr. talked to TV Azteca, and said he might give his (theoretical ally) El Fiscal a martinete during the cage match. Both guys want to do their feud, but AAA is slow in playing the angle. Maybe they’ll end up on opposite sides of whatever’s going on tomorrow, and they’ll be able to get on with it. A Flammer interview about big ideas that are not happening. “Maybe I’ll have a hair/mask match with Faby Apache. Maybe I’ll defend my belt in TNA.”
AEW
AEW announced their All In show would take place in Dallas, Texas, on July 12th. This was a late August show in London’s Wembley Stadium last year and will be again next weekend. The show will take place in Globe Life Stadium, home of the Texas Rangers. There has been frequent Mexican wrestling participation through AEW’s stay in nearby Arlington this summer, and I’d expect to see the same on this show. The AEW Forbidden Door (with a lot of CMLL participation) show took place June 30th this year and is almost certainly moving to another spot in the calendar.
A big show in a Texas market should include an intense feud for some Latino wrestlers to draw in their fanbase. That would likely mean a Lucha Brothers tag run at another time, but that certainly doesn’t seem like it will happen in AEW in 2025. AEW has featured Thunder Rosa, Hologram, and The Beast Mortos on Collision while taping in Arlington, but that is the B-show. They’ve featured Atlantis Jr. on ROH, but that’s the D-Show. Rush is part of storylines but maybe the 12th most important one in the promotion. Komander’s around. Bandido will get cleared someday. CMLL wrestlers are in occasionally. There’s probably someone I’m forgetting that I’m going to slap my head after realizing. None of them would be considered among the top dozen or so most essential wrestlers in AEW. If AEW wants a luchador to draw and draw significantly, they can’t just start getting behind someone four weeks before the PPV. That’s not going to take, that’s not going to convince anyone. It has to be months of convincing the people that they’re taking that person (or people, probably better if it was plural) seriously and as a serious player. Picking a non-star and consistently behind them for months has proven to be a problem for AEW. They want to do it, but they always want to do it with about thirty people at once while also featuring all the people they’ve already been featuring, and there’s just not enough space to operate like that. Again, I think AEW would’ve usually just defaulted back to the Lucha Brothers because it would’ve been far less effort to convince the fans they’re top guys – the fans already wanted to believe that – and now they’ve got a more significant task ahead of them. AEW’s some time to chart a course, but they do eventually have to pick someone.
A funny story on the April Elite show was – after Rush and LA Park had their usual match and their usual silliness as a finish – was Rush’s usual demand for a hair versus mask match with LA Park. Rush would’ve talked about them in Arena Mexico, but they’re long gone. Rush talked about how a promoter should put on in the gigantic Estadio Azteca prior, but no one believes ELITE can put on a show that big. Rush’s big idea was suggesting the match happen at All In in Wembley. The fans laughed pretty because there’s no chance those would ever get to do in London. That bit came back to mind with All In 2025 since Dallas is a place where they could do that match and make it mean something. I’m confident Rush will bring up the idea before long. I’m unsure the last time Tony Khan and Dorian Roldan chatted, but the AEW boss would be wise to have a chat with the AAA one about the pros and cons of handing over your biggest show of the year to those two men. An LA Park/Rush apuesta match would draw in Dallas, and getting it to happen would be an absolute nightmare. I don’t have to deal with that part; I just have to write about it, so I’m not against the idea.
To close a loop: Penta did wrestle in Saltillo on Wednesday and in Torreon on Thursday, as advertised. Like with the TripleMania attendance, I would like to know what actually happened to cause that story to come out, but it would probably be easier if I just accepted “someone lied.”
ELITE
The identity of the mystery person at the end of this weekend’s ELITE show has been revealed. It’s “Rey Aztlan” – because ELITE is running a pair of shows at the Aztlan theme park in Mexico City on September 8th and 9th, and the wrestler is now the official spokes-luchador of the park. Shows will start at 5 pm each day. When Rey Aztlan invited people to where he was from, he meant the theme park. (Rey Aztlan appears to be Magno from Ciudad Juarez. They are not invited to Ciudad Juarez.) Admission to the shows is free with park entry.
ELITE’s other big idea is bringing back their title belts. The shows will include a tournament for their welterweight title belt (last held by Bandido in 2017.) Argenis, Brazo de Oro Jr., Alas de Oro, and Dios del Infrmaundo are among eight people competing in the tournament. Rey Aztlan, Demonio Infernal, and two wrestlers to be named will fight for the heavyweight title (last held by Cibernetico in 2016.) I would bet on the guy named after the theme park winning the novelty title belt. Tonalli, Fuerza Guerrera, Negro Casas, Verdugo, Gravity, Rey Horus, Octagon Jr., Vangellys, and Texano were also either pictured or mentioned as appearing.
Todo x el Todo
These lineups, which are released on Bobo Producciones’ Instagram and not mentioned elsewhere, are generally so sleepy that I’m forgetting to include them.
TXT (SUN) 10/06/2024 Palenque de León, León, Guanajuato
1) Lady Apache & Therius vs Hijo De Fuerza Guerrera & Keyra
2) Bobby Lee Ng, Hijo del Solar, Ultramán Jr. vs Brazo Celestial, Brazo Cibernetico Jr., Herodes Jr.
3) Ciclón Ramírez Jr., Hijo de Máscara Sagrada, Misterioso Jr. vs Hijo del Fishman, Súpernova, Texano Jr.
4) Cinta de Oro, El Hijo Del Santo, Huracán Ramírez vs Bobby Lee Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr., Fuerza Guerrera
The poster’s quality control isn’t great. The main event is listed as a Relevos Atomicos (4v4), and match 2 is listed as match 3.
TXT (SUN) 10/13/2024 Arena Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo León
1) Julissa, Lady Apache, Valentina vs Hija de Fuerza Guerrera, Keyra, Vanilla Vargas
2) Desalmado Ibarra, Hijo del Fishman, LA Park Jr. vs Ciclón Ramírez Jr., Halcón Suriano Jr., Máscara Sagrada Jr.
3) ? & El Hijo Del Santo vs Dr. Wagner Jr. & Silver King Jr. and Hijo de LA Park & LA Park and Dralistico & La Bestia Del Ring and Fuerza Guerrera & Juventud Guerrera and Súpernova & Texano Jr. and Bobby Lee Jr. & Bobby Lee Ng and Huracán Ramírez & Huracán Ramírez Jr. [torneo]
There are many names on this show who haven’t popped up on the previous ones, which may have consequences later. (Wrestlers working these shows can’t work with CMLL wrestlers and aren’t going to be used by AAA.) It is amazing that LA Park is up to getting three family members booked with him on these shows; he’s a legend.
But the real story is that tournament. There are seven teams of relatives, and El Hijo del Santo is listed with no partner. The obvious conclusion is that El Hijo del Santo has convinced his son Santo Jr. to wrestle at least one more match, and that needs a bigger announcement than a random Instagram post.
IWRG
IWRG (THU) 08/15/2024 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG]
1) Sacro b Rock Power 
2) Halcón Suriano Jr., Tornado, Willy Banderas b Fly Star, Histeriosis, Ovett Jr.
3) Águila Roja & Puma de Oro b Noisy Boy & Spider Fly
win via unseen foul
4) Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. DDQ Arez, Látigo, Toxin
Fouls both ways and they kept brawling after.
5) Flamita & Galeno del Mal b Hell Boy & Hijo de Canis Lupus
La Pandemia should’ve got the win, Latigo fouled on of them first, but the bit is La Pandemia keep going to draws.
IWRG (SUN) 08/18/2024 Arena Naucalpan
1) Felino Boy & Sacro vs Fauno & Rock Power
2) Halcón Suriano Jr., Iron Kid, Willy Banderas vs Alan Extreme, Histeriosis, Mr. Mike
3) Spider Fly vs Águila Roja
4) Veneno & Vudu Max vs Cerebro Negro & Cerebro Negro Jr.
5) Hell Boy vs Vangellys, Hijo Del Silver King
6) DMT Azul & Hijo de Canis Lupus vs Dr. Wagner Jr. & Galeno del Mal
Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno del Mal have two tag matches of nearly equal importance this week. I feel bad for Halcon Suriano Jr. leaving CMLL because he was stuck in match 2s, and ending up in match 2s in IWRG.
Other Notes
I spent far too long – maybe a whole hour? – on Thursday night, I was trying to figure out the tape dates of some videos Mas Lucha uploaded earlier this year. It’s a show called Yeric Fest, the announcers say it is from Cancun or Rivieria Maya, Cancun’s TWS is credited as the promtoion, and the full show went up back in June. The main event was Brazo de Oro Jr. & Hijo del Octagon against locals Principe Cometa and Angeluz. I can’t find a mention of “Yeric Fest” outside these videos, so my hunch is it was a private show that was nevertheless sent to Mas Lucha, edited, and uploaded (likely for a fee.)
I searched a lot through Facebook for Facebook pages that might have information on this show. I didn’t have much luck, and I’m giving up for the moment, but I did stumble upon some stuff. I didn’t realize Mistico and crew are in Merida on Saturday. And I definitely didn’t realize Sabu is advertised for a show in Cancun in October. That show is connected to a comic-con/geek culture autograph event, so perhaps Sabu will show up just to get the free vacation and sign some autographs – but chances are slim.
Notus has a story on an Irapuato luchador turned firefighter; he seems to have found the fire fighting more exciting.