top six stories of the last two weeks

* El Brazo and indy referee el Chocolate passed away

1. La Parka was the biggest winner at Heroes Inmortales, winning the Copa Pena for the first time. He defeated Chessman, Fenix and new Consejo arrival Hijo del Fantasma in the finals of the tournament. Texano Jr. kept the AAA Mega Heavyweight Championship over Psycho Clown in what sounds to be the best match on the show. Angelico & Jack Evans won the tag team titles when Juvi turned on the Mexican Powers to cost them the belts. The show drew few hundred less than a sell out.
2. Rey Escorpion took Brazo de Plata’s hair in the first ever Super Libre Plus match last Friday. Escorpion won by DQ when Maximo rushed into stop the one sided beating. (After seeing clips of this, it looks like they set up Maximo/Escorpion and not issues between Maximo and Plata.) This match, though the semimain, was the drawing point for a show which drew better than expected.
3. The actual main event of the CMLL show was a moderate disaster. The promoted Rey Bucanero & Tama Tonga title defense versus La Mascara & Rush did not happen due to a Bucanero knee injury. Mascara & Rush won the belts by forfeit, then immediately lost to replacement team Terrible & Tonga in a non-title match. This was announced as setting up a title match this following Friday, but no title match is on the card. CMLL clearly knew about Bucanero’s injury ahead of time and did not stop promoting the match. CMLL is frequently reluctant to mention when luchadors are out with injuries or for other reasons and this was taking that policy to a new level. (In what might be a coincidence, CMLL late announced many changes to this week’s cards – for injuries and other absences – instead of the usual practice of simply not saying anything.)
4. WWE’s first tour of Mexico in two years had mixed success. They drew a good crowd of 12,500 in Mexico City on Friday, but poor crowds of 5,000 in Queretaro, 3,000 in Guadalajara and 6,000 in Monterrey, though the building looked a lot more full for the final one. (All numbers from this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter) Rey Misterio Jr. did a run in on the first show, was talked into wrestling for two nights of the tour, but was reduced back to a run in on the final day. No return date was announced.
5. On the latest (free) MLW Radio podcast, Konnan talked about how AAA US continues to move forward, but wouldn’t be on US TV until March at the earliest. He mentioned plans of introducing the luchadors – maybe a reality show – and the possibility they could change the names.
6. AAA also taped a show in Tlahuelilpan, which aired after Heroes Inmortales was taped but before it aired (no PPV of any kind.) A post main event fight seemed to set up a Psycho Circus/La Secta match, though La Secta were back to feuding with Cibernetico & Perro Aguayo on Heroes Inmortales.

• CMLL and the Mexico City department tourism announced a new tourist bus program. It’ll run every Friday, starting to pick up tourists around 6pm, driving around the historic area for site-seeing (and picking more people up) and taking them them to the 8:30pm show (fare includes a seat around the 8th row) and dropping them back at hotel areas after the show. Similiar tourist buses have done well elsewhere in the city (though they’re not always there when you want to find them.) Tickets are 500 pesos/$38.50 USD.
• AAA’s announced lineup for their next TV taping (11/03, this weekend is off) included the unusual team of Cibernetico, Perro, and Fenix taking on Chessman, Texano and a mystery person (figures to be Hijo del Fantasma.) Juvi teams with Eterno & Steve Pain, whom he says will be his new partners to feud with the Mexican Powers. Old Antonio Pena creations Ludxor and Venum return in the undercard to team with Aerostar. They’re probably new looks for Lucky Boy & Nino de Ebano, as part of a storyline where Aerostar would mentor the young team and bring back old Pena characters.
• Dr. Wagner Jr. is back in the ring after his deep gash on his wrist. Wagner told the press he would be out of a month, then returned a week later a sort of soft cast protecting the wrist.
• RCH announced a LA Park & Terrible vs Atlantis & Dr. Wagner Jr. match for Arena Lopez Mateos on 10/23. It’s the first show for the promotion outside of Arena Naucalpan, and it’s the first time Park (and Wagner) will team with CMLL luchadors after Park has taken shots at the promotion (“won’t go back becuase they have no money to pay me”) and La Sombra (“to scared to face me to let me avenge Volador”) on Twitter. In an odd situation, current AAA wrestlers Carta Brava & Eterno are listed in the undercard – someone’s going to end up pulling out.
• Valiente is headed to NJPW as part of their Best of the Super Juniors Tag Team tournament. He’ll team with BUSHI.
• CMLL’s bodybuilding contest is 11/20, and you can tell it’s happening soon based on a lot of body shapes changing.
• The Neza vs Naucalpan feud continues in IWRG, leading to 11/02 hair match between Tony Rivera & Bombero Infernal.
• A fake Monster Clown is on the loose.
• People who kept their titles: Marcela (over Dalys), Estetas del Aire (over Los Revolucionarios)