thoughs on the anniversary lineup

I’m so disappointed: if they put Lady Apache in there instead of Luna Magica, it could’ve been really great. That’s crushing.

ALSO, I’d love the opener if they swapped Loco Max and Virus. Viva Nuevo Infernales/Stuka fued.

Actually, I know I’m supposed to be so disappointed by the show being a one match card, and not even a GOOD match at that, but I’m neither disappointed nor surprised. Once they went from three way match to eight way cage match, whatever expectations I had for this show divebombed. Throwing all the feuds CMLL was doing in one match meant they didn’t really have to do any other match of meaning to continue feuds. If CMLL was feeling like it, maybe they’d throw in a new feud or a possible really good match as a token, but CMLL hasn’t felt like doing any more than minimally necessary all year and I guess now wasn’t the time to change that.

CMLL’s obviously thinking they’ll draw the same amount with a random, Sunday Coliseo-ish undercard as they would without – it’s all on Mistico and Perro being in a cage meaning something. It probably will, but I don’t think it helps down the road, when fans are giving a pointless undercard and a probable unsatisfying finish (they’re not paying to see Villano V, Blue Panther, or probably Lizmark Jr. lose his mask, unless it’s to Mistico and even then it’s a maybe.)

This Anniversary show, and Verano de Escandlo, are hyped as special shows because they’re supposed to be SPECIAL – and the promotion is going to charge special prices as a result. If they don’t deliver on that (and the shows could still surprise us), then they’re killing their own concept. I don’t think either lineup is very special – CMLL for lack of effort, AAA for repetitiveness.

AAA bugs me more, because they try new and interesting ideas at times, but when it really counts, they prefer to stay with a pat hand as long as possible. They have the potential to do more, so it’s frustrating when they don’t. CMLL’s worn me down with a year of inactivity and little effort, so I’ve long given up on being frustrated.

(The lack of depression might also be because my baseball team got utterly crushed about 30 minutes before I found out the lineup, and I now lack the ability to feel any emotion. But that’s another post somewhere else.)

I’m more interested in the 09/16 card than either ‘major show’. I figure a Dark Family member – not Ozz, probably Espiritu – will lose his hair at VdE, and nothing much will be actually settled. (There’s actually be more suspense if it was an Atomicos Title match, and then the new title match could be the main event – that’s also another poster.) I figure someone anticlimactic will lose their mask at Anniversary and nothing much that matters will be settled. Maybe Mascara Purpura will break out for the pack in his (probable) hair/mask match. Maybe there will be a trios match and we’ll get to see something crazy.

It at least still has a chance of being an interesting lineup. This one’s DOA.

edit:

One last thing, and then I don’t want to think about this card for 3 weeks.

Without subbing a guy, I can change the lineup to this

CMLL (FRI) 09/28 Arena Mexico [cmll.com]
1) Metalico, Stuka Jr., Valiente vs Euforia, Loco Max, Nosferatu
2) Dark Angel, Luna Magica, Marcela vs Amapola, Hiroka, Princesa Sujei
3) La Sombra, Sagrado, Volador Jr. vs Misterioso Jr., Texano Jr., Virus [non-title?]
4) Negro Casas, Dos Caras Jr., Ultimo Dragon vs GdA (Olimpico, Sangre Azteca, Toscano)
5) High Society (Marco Corelone, Alex Koslov, Rey Bucanero) vs Triad of Terror (Averno, Mephisto, Ephesto)
6) Mistico vs Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Villano V, Dr. Wagner Jr., Ultimo Guerrero, Hijo de Lizmark, Blue Panther, Atlantis [cage, hair, mask]

The only guy with tenure who gets moved down is Negro, and I’m willing to forget that, or just swap 4 and 5. (Or maybe swap the rudos.) I don’t think my lineup is great; there’s still nothing going on, but at least you could get the idea that they might be using this show as a launching pad for stuff down the road because of all the units teamed up.

What does the original card have that’s better than this? Why didn’t they choose to go this way?