Eterno loses mohawk, AAA back in DF, CMLL Universal tournament, Sombra/Volador

AAA RCH (THU) 08/01/2013 Arena Naucalpan [@terceracaida, Black Terry Jr. (flickr), R de Rudo, The Gladiatores]
1) Freelance & Seiya b Alan Extreme & Fulgor I
Said to be very good.
2) Faby Apache, Fénix, Miss Gaviota b Bugambilia, Pentagón Jr., Taya Valkyrie
3) Lolita DQ Sexy Lady [bull terrier]
Bugambilia interfered and attacked Lolita, which allowed Sexy Lady to touch all the corners. Crowd convinced the ref to call the very rare DQ in a bull terrier match.
4) Dinamic Black b Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Hijo de Máscara Año 2000, Decnnis, Veneno, Danny Casas, Saruman, Apolo Estrada Jr., Extreme Tiger, Golden Magic, Picudo Jr., Centvrión [Copa High Power]
Teams were tecnicos (Dinamic Black, Golden Magic, Xtreme Tiger, Veneno, Hijo de Mascara Ano 2000 (??) and Centviron) versus rudos (Decnnis, Danny Casas, Hijo de Dr. Wagner, Saruman, Apolo Estrada Jr., Picudo Jr.) Final two were Wagner and Black, with Veneno karate chopping Wagner from outside to set up the Black win.
5) Eterno L Texano Jr., Villano IV, Chessman, Daga, Súper Nova, Trauma I, Trauma II, Cien Caras Jr., Hijo de Pirata Morgan [cage, hair, mask]
Order of escape was Trauma II, Villano IV, Pirata, Eterno, Chessman, Texano, Trauma I, Daga, leaving Super Nova and Cien Caras Junior. Cien was winning, so Eterno came back in to help and Pirata came back in (to help Cien? For no apparent reason?) Cien left, Texano Jr. helped his brother escape (and was out himself), so they were now down to Pirata vs Eterno. Pirata escaped, Eterno lost his hair. Fifth hair match loss (and one mask loss) for Eterno, second in a cage match in Naucalpan this year.

Crowd seemed up for this show over a normal Thursday, but it was a much bigger show than usual.

AAA’s held three tapings since TripleMania, as well as the Leon taping actually taped before their show, but their first big post TripleMania show will take place tonight in Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera. The main event, fittingly enough, is another Cibernetico versus Perro Aguayo Jr. match. It should be the same weapons and interference brawl, maybe more so since La Secta are all on the show this time. Cibernetico figures to get a (disputed) victory to balance the scales a bit, much like Blue Demon Jr. got his win back over Texano.

AAA is about two months away from their next major card, Heroes Inmortales in October, and this should be where they start to set up matches for that show. The main event may clue is in if there will be another Perro vs Cibernetico match to come. The semimain doesn’t seem to have any particular purpose, so maybe there’s a surprise involved there. Billy el Malo debuting his mystery man to get revenge on Fenix fits. Perros del Mal and Mexican Powers have a tag team title match, and are already set to keep fighting on the next taping. It really doesn’t matter which team is champion, but it seems set up for the Mexican Powers to hold on for the moment. Los Mirreyes make their debut on a Mexico City taping in the tercera, the segunda is a good match with the young wrestlers, and the show opens with a mixed trios.

We were expected CMLL to run some extra special show tonight to counter AAA’s DF appearance. Instead, the plan sure seems to have been steal the press attention by announcing the Anniversary main event. An important bit of cleanup from yesterday’s press conference: I had the Universal tournament final on 09/13 (and other people seemed to say the same), but the CMLL Universal tournament final will actually take place on 09/06 according to CMLL.com. That means blocks start on 08/23 and 08/30. (I may also be wrong about Tanahashi’s end date; we’ll see NJPW says.) The Universal final being on a different day than the mask match is for the best as far as match quality – both should get all the time they need, which wouldn’t be possible if they were on the same show. It does make the Anniversary show a bit less attractive.

Reaction to the announcement of Sombra/Volador vs Ultimo Guerrero/Atlantis from people on the internet generally seems to be negative, as noted yesterday. CMLL seems to be surprised by this (though not so much that they’ll change the match) – they feel like the fans are getting a big deal mask match either way, and important tag match on top of it.

I’m personally more interested in the match as announced now than just Ultimo Guerrero/Atlantis. Those two would be a more historical importance if they lost their mask, but they’ve also been doing the same match against each other for a couple years now. I’m sure it’ll be longer and a little mixed up for the mask match, but I’m also sure I’d be calling a lot of moves about 10 seconds before they happen. It’d be a good match made great by the environment, but not a very challenging one. I’d be sad to see either Volador or Sombra lose their mask but, if it comes to that, it’s probably going to be the lucha libre match of the year. They did a great job of building on their previous matches last time out, and I’m sure they’d keep doing it. Plus, whichever final mask match we’re getting, the tag match to set up should be really hot.

The problem for others is they’ve set their minds on Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero all year, and now they have to take it on faith that CMLL will either give them Atlantis vs Ultimo Guerrero this September, or will remember to get around to doing it later. It doesn’t have much to do with Sombra and Volador. It’s as if you were  kid and a parent told you wall week that you were going to get ice cream on Saturday, you got all excited for ice cream, and then Friday you were told you might get ice cream or you might go to the zoo. A kid is going to be disappointed their ice cream dreams are melting away and it’ll take a while for them to even start thinking about how great the zoo could be.

Tonight’s job is for Sombra and Volador to show the disappointed that the zoo is a pretty awesome alternative. Marco returns in the main event, Rush is Rush, but tonight’s main event is all about making Sombra versus Volador seem like a giant deal. CMLL knows they’ve got to do work here; it’s no coincidence the Ultimo Guerrero versus Atlantis feud is only the semifinal. The big angle we thought Sombra might be rushing back for turns out to be “having a really exciting match and a compelling feud with Volador Jr.” No pressure!

CMLL’s posted their own video of the  contract signing. The plan is for the losing team to have their apuesta match “in a future important function.” My guess at the calender is Negro Casas vs Rush takes place later in September, Averno vs Blue Panther sometime in the fall, Shocker vs Rush for the year end show and the other mask match at Dos Leyendas. (I’ve also talked myself into believing they might actually do Atlantis & Ultimo Guerrero after all.)

A new AAA Fusion aired this week and is up on YouTube. It’s got two missing matches from recent tapings – the weird Dizzy/Electroshock vs Silver King/Mascara match from way back in Leon and anticipated Angelico/Jack vs Chessman/Eterno match from Tehuacan.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update, including news on a Diamante Azul vs Pierroth title match.

Make A Wish kids visited the AAA offices.

Shocker & Rey Bucanero are headed to Queens, New York on 08/24.

Lineups

IWRG (SUN) 08/04/2013 Arena Naucalpan
1) Sky Ángel vs Seiya
2) Freelance & Golden Magic vs Imposible & Saruman
3) Bugambilia, Diva Salvaje, Miss Gaviota vs Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro
4) Trauma I, Trauma II, Veneno vs Cien Caras Jr., El Hijo del Diablo, Súper Nova
5) Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan Jr. vs Emo Extreme, Eterno, X-Fly [EdM Trios]
first defense for Piratas?

I feel like the Piratas have defended trios titles in northern Mexico, but it might have been the IWRG ones.

Diablo goes from being an announcer a month ago to being in the semimain this week.

Second match is good if it airs. It’s good if it doesn’t air too, but we’d prefer it airs.