CMLL women’s Gran Prix tonight, Castillo de Terror

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CMLL

Tonight’s show

CMLL (FRI) 10/25/2024 Arena México
1) Dulce Gardenia vs Difunto [lightning]
2) Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs Magnus & Rugido
non-title match
3) Averno © vs Zandokan Jr. [CMLL LH]
2nd defense
4) Máscara Dorada, Místico, Templario vs Cavernario, Euforia, Soberano Jr.
5) Amapola, Dark Silueta, Hera, Kira, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit, Reyna Isis, Sanely, Skadi, Zeuxis vs Alex Windsor, La Catalina, Persephone, Red Velvet, Samantha Black, Sayaka Unagi, Sumika Yanagawa, Tessa Blanchard, Viva Van, Willow Nightingale [Grand Prix de Amazonas]

I typically have a strong take about the person who will win these Grand Prixs, or at least the people in the mix. I’m not always correct, but there’s usually an obvious direction. I had no strong idea who would win when this field was announced and I still have no strong idea on the day of the show. I still presume it’ll be someone on Team Mexico, but the rise of Persephone is a reminder CMLL is more unpredictable than ever. There are a lot of people who could win and match itself should be pretty good, but I can’t tell you how it’s going to turn out.

CMLL revealed AEW’s Aubrey Edwards would be a special referee for this match. I presume, perhaps incorrectly, that La Vaquerita will still be the main referee. These Grand Prixs both do and do not need extra referees. There are typically three of them: one in the ring doing typical referee things, and two outside of the ring who are supposed to be keeping the teams in order (and then utterly fail to do so as the match turns into a riot once or twice.) I presume the real job of those outside referees is to pass messages back and forth should something go wrong and the elimination need to be reworked, and having an extra English speaker may help with that.

CMLL probably won’t have too many big angles the rest of the way. Next Friday will be the Dia del Muertos shows, so there’s no place to follow up. The rest of this show is just good matches to have good matches. Dorada & Templario have been an outstanding team in the past and have good opponents in match 4. I really liked Averno/Zandokan last time though I think this one is liable to be less cheating and more moves. Match 2 is the reliable world tag team champs against the reliable national tag team champions. Difunto’s been really good of late and the opener with Dulce should get over well. This should be a pleasant show.

CMLL pushed out a lot of ads for the Grand Prix meet and greet in the last day or so, including offering YouTube subscribers 50% off on the day of the show. That seems to indicate they didn’t come close to selling out all 50 tickets (and video footage seemed to confirm that.) Tickets for tonight’s show seem to be moving better; there were just scattered single tickets left on the floor when I checked Friday morning. CMLL was pushing the idea that the floor was pretty much sold out, the balcon was sold out, and gradas were mostly sold. CMLL seemed to think they’d sell this one out. It’s not a lock but it’s definitely plasuisble, and it’ll be a big number either way. I don’t really feel the buzz for this show, but it is still working strong as a ticket-selling concept.

CMLL (MON) 10/28/2024 Arena Puebla
1) Amnesia & Black Tiger vs King Jaguar & Sombra Diabólika
2) Meyer & Valiente Jr. vs Enfermero Jr. & Prayer
3) India Sioux vs Persephone [lightning]
4) Kira, La Catalina, Skadi vs Samantha Black, Sayaka Unagi, Sumika Yanagawa
5) Rey Samuray vs Arkalis, Pegasso, Stigma, Xelhua, Multy, Perverso, Guerrero Maya Jr. [Rey del Inframundo, semifinal]
6) Atlantis Jr., Místico, Star Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Soberano Jr.

This is the start of the Dia del Muertos week. CMLL is still honoring their concept of two women’s matches on every show even with other theme coming in. Match 5 is the first Guerrero Maya Jr. appearance since joining the rudo side. He seems the easy favorite in the match.

Lady Shadow was listed as a CMLL Amazona again this week on the Guadalajara broadcast, so she’s meant to be part of the CMLL roster even though she only works on Guadalajara shows and rarely even those. I wonder if the Andrade family connection has anything to do with it. That Guadalajara show aired for free even though the men’s equivalent show before the Grand Prix was definitely behind a paywall. CMLL never says what they’re actually doing half the time and I try to assume they’ll follow what they did last time, but that’s not always correct.

Bengalee, of the 2 show CMLL run, announced Friday she was quitting lucha libre immediately. I don’t know what’s going on but I assume she’s not had her last match – that perhaps the CMLL failure was a professional/emotional set back but she’ll be back around soon enough. I wonder what the knockoff effect of Bengalee and the other “independent luchadors” having that terrible Arena Coliseo match and eventually being pulled from all lineups has had on CMLL’s plans. India Sioux will have at least 13 matches this month, and probably a few of them would’ve gone to others. Maybe the original plan had Bengalee and others wrestling in Arena Mexico next Tuesday, freeing up more people to strength Guadalajara’s card.

Amapola is the guest on this week’s CMLL podcast.

Mistico also visited with the F1 drivers this week.

AAA

AAA is taping the next three Sundays, which is odd for them, so nothing this week. They do have a Vampiro retirement show in Ensenada, which seems to be promoted by the same “Lucha Libre AAA Border” group that ran that Tijuana show (and appears to be AAA itself presenting itself as a local promoter for whatever reason.)

On video this week

  • Unimas will have part 1 of Heroes Inmortales
    • This show is (currently) listed as a 2 pm ET start time.
  • Space will have part 2 of Monterrey
  • AAA on YouTube will have part 1 of Monterrey

Latin Lover says he’s talked to AAA about bringing in Shocker for some non-wrestling appearances. Latin also mentions he’s bringing Shocker on his podcast soon.

JBL teased a return to the ring on Twitter, following stem cell therapy. It has never made sense for AAA to bring in JBL to be a third evil owner character associated with Alberto, but they keep putting him on TV anyway. (It’s hard to find an indication that’s actually helped AAA in any way, but AAA’s most important metric is how much heel heat they can get a promo, and JBL is willing to be racist in promos to get the desired heat.) Maybe AAA’s belief is they’ll get him in the ring to wrestle at one of the TripleManias next year. AAA’s main event strategy seems focused on either bringing people out of retirement or sending people to retirement.

IWRG

There was no show on Thursday. They announced it earlier in the week.

IWRG (SUN) 10/27/2024 Arena Naucalpan
1) Fauno vs Águila Oriental
2) Multifacetico Jr., Shamla, Tornado vs Demonia, Príncipe Centauro, Rey Halcón
3) Luka vs Abigor
4) Diva Salvaje, Mamba, Spider Fly vs Arez, Látigo, Toxin
5) Hell Boy, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Máscara Sagrada vs Águila Roja, Hijo del Fishman, Vengador
6) Jessy Ventura vs Vangellys © [IWRG Rey del Ring]

The full Mala Fama are back here after a few weeks.

IWRG (THU) 10/31/2024 Arena Naucalpan
***Castillo del Terror, 2024***
1) Príncipe Centauro, Rey Astaroth, Rey Halcón vs Caballero de Plata, Felino Boy, Sky Man
2) Gravity vs Águila Roja ©, Águila Oriental, Cerebro Negro Jr., Iron Kid [IWRG IC Light]
3rd defense
3) Keyra & Shamila vs Julissa & Valentina
4) Pig Decapitador, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool vs Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. © [EdM Trios, lumberjack]
2nd defense
5) ?, Látigo, Toxin vs Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Mamba [IWRG IC TRIOS]
2nd defense. Arez is part of the champions but maybe not part of the defense?
6) Aquiles, Galeno del Mal, Hell Boy, Hijo de Canis Lupus vs Abismo Negro Jr., Colmillo de Plata (AAA), Garra De Oro (AAA), Octagón Jr. (AAA)
7) Pig Destroyer vs Bendito, Multifacetico Jr., Abigor, Villano V Jr., Tornado, Luka, Rock Power, Máscara Sagrada NG, Brazo De Oro Jr., Pandemónium, Spider Fly [cage, mask]

Rock Power and Spider Fly have had issues for months and seem most likely to settle the match. Abigor and Luka have feuded more recently and have a shot. Anyone else losing would be a surprise.

Match 6 features guest AAA appearances from people who were IWRG regulars in past lives. Though everyone wrestled in IWRG in a past life.

I’m unsure what Arez is up to on Thursday that he’s not making this show.

This show usually would be behind a paywall, especially if Mas Lucha were still airing it. I wonder if the IWRG channel has reached a viewership level where that’s an option.

Site News

I’ve added more than 500 new events to the luchadb from magazines Rob picked up during his trip to Mexico last month. I haven’t done a big compilation of just those ones, but today’s post doesn’t have much to it so I’ll point out the additions to more significant venues:

There were no new AAA tapings, though I was able to correct a date or two and find some missing venue names. The (impossible) dream remains to one day have a full list of every Friday night EMLL/CMLL show, and we’re at least 10 more closer.

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