Volador keeps his title, Casas/Caristico, Tuesday preview

CMLL (SUN) 01/01/2017 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Domingos Familiares]
1) Guerrero de la Muerte & Quca b Avispón Negro Jr. & Micro
Rudos took 2/3.
2) Cosmos, El Alteño, Explosivo b Diplomático, Relámpago, Thunder Boy
Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Mágico, Magnum, Metatrón, Vaquero Jr. b Frezzer, Furia Roja, Mosco X Fly, Sádico
Frezzer is a rudo following his cage match mask loss. Tecnicos took 2/3, the last with Vaquero Jr. beating Frezzer.
4) Gran Kenut b Javier Cruz Jr. [hair]
Kenut took 2/3 to save his mask and take Cruz’s hair. Kenut snuck in a foul to win. Javier was angry about the way he lost, but did get his hair cut.
5) Esfinge & Gallo © b Exterminador & Maléfico [OCCIDENTE TAG]
Tecnicos took 1/3 to defend. Money thrown in. Fourth defense.

An unmasked guy losing a hair versus mask match is nothing new, but Javier Cruz Jr. losing is a bit of a surprise. His father was famous for winning hair matches, but this is the third one his son has lost since 2012.

CMLL (MON) 01/02/2017 Arena Puebla [Culticon, Plantilla Deportiva, Tape Machines Are Rolling (6)]
1) Rey Apocalipsis & Toro Bill Jr. b Asturiano & Zaeta Roja
2) Arkalis, Millenium, Tigre Rojo Jr. b Arkángel de la Muerte, Metálico, Policeman
3) Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa, Stigma b Disturbio, Sam Adonis, Skándalo
4) Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Vangellys b Ángel de Oro, Titán, Valiente
5) Cavernario, Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas b Atlantis, Carístico, Máximo Sexy
Negro snuck in a foul on Caristico for the win. Caristico wanted a rematch.
6) Volador Jr. © b La Máscara [NWA WELTER]
Volador took 2/3. 13th defense

Main event was said to be good; it seemed fine from what I paid attention to, but I’ll watch it later. Attendance seemed strong if maybe not as much as last week.

One feature to like about Puebla feuds is they’re often starting one while another finishes, so there’s not a complete dead show. Tonight’s CMLL show is a complete dead show. CMLL hasn’t had a rivalry since the end of the Ephesto/Maya issue on the 13th. It’s just been (even more) random matches. It doesn’t seem like it’ll change tonight.

Tonight’s main event random match is Volador, Stuka Jr., and Maximo versus Euforia, Rey Bucanero and Negro Casas. All the tecnicos are heading out of town soon, so there probably won’t be a feud there. Johnny Idol, Guerrero Maya Jr. and Drone face Ephesto, Ripper and Hechicero in the semimain; only Ripper isn’t going to Japan, and he seems occupied with Blue Panther Jr. at the moment. The lightning match is Triton versus Sagrado, which could be pretty good. It’s Triton’s first singles match since returning to Mexico, which should be interesting, but now they’re past the point on the card where there’s ever an issue on Tuesdays. Pegasso, Star Jr., Oro Jr. take on Skandalo, Okumura and Virus in the tercera. Reina Isis returns to Arena Mexico in the segunda, teaming with La Seductora, La Metalica versus Estrellita, Sanely and Skadi. That match could be trouble. The opener is Aereo & Acero versus Demus 3:16 & Pequeno Universo. Someone’s getting dropped on their head.

The show will air on 7:30 pm on CMLL’s YouTube channel. I’ve have a recap later this week.

AAA’s tweaked their announced schedule:

• Guerra de Titanes is still the same (01/20, in DF)
• Toluca (01/27) has moved from the Gimnasio Agustin Millan, where they’ve run for decades, to Salon Rojo Club Toluca. This appears to be a concert venue, and a smaller building (though I can’t find a capacity.)
• The Cuautitlan taping is pushed back one day, from Friday to Saturday 02/11.

CMLL talks about Maximo’s title win, slightly hints Maximo might defend his heavyweight title on FantasticaMania. I had not even considered the heavyweight champion might defend the title in Japan, mostly because it’s the heavyweight title. I have no idea who they’d put him with, maybe an exciting battle with Yujiro.

Lucha Underground & Johnny Mundo appear in a new Slim Jim commercial. This is a nice deal for the promotion, especially if it shows up more than just on Twitter. On another Lucha Underground note, no one with the show or with El Rey has said anything more about the 01/11 show being the mid-season finale. That seems like an announcement which should be followed by a press release. They don’t send those things to me, but I haven’t seen them show up elsewhere.

Guerrero Negro Jr., the former CMLL luchador, lost his hair to Chavo Lomeli.

The Gladiatores has interviews with Danny Casas & Veneno talking about their feud and Pirata Morgan Jr. following his mask loss.

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report and this week’s Poster-Mania.

Cross Arm Breaker returns to write about El Dandy vs La Fiera and Mr. Niebla & Dr. Wagner Jr.

Ohtani’s Jacket reviews Trauma I vs Canis Lupus.

Winter Palace reviews Hechicero & Barbaro Cavernario vs Black Terry & Bestia 666.

An article on the Cuernavaca year end local lucha commission party. They feel good about their 2016.

There’s new rules governing lucha libre and boxing in Escobedo, Nuevo Leon.

A wrestler playing with fire got burned. (This is not a metaphor, burn photos inside.)

A video story on Mexican luchadors helping the Cuban revolution.

Lineup

IWRG (SUN) 01/08/2017 Arena Naucalpan
1) Black Dragón vs Araña de Plata
2) Leo, Mike, Rafy, Teelo vs Demonio Infernal, Diablo Jr., Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro
3) Emperador Azteca, Freelance, Hijo del Alebrije vs Hip Hop Man, Pirata Morgan Jr., X-Fly
4) Dragón Fly, Máscara Año 2000 Jr., Pantera vs Herodes Jr., Negro Navarro, Trauma I
5) Imposible © vs Relámpago [IWRG IC MIDDLE]
mistakenly listed as Welterweight on poster. Third defense
6) Mr. Electro vs Pirata Morgan

The big news is X-Fly’s back the title match that was held off for a while. Main event is either a build to a title match, or Pirata Morgan won a hair match because they’re building up a hair match with Mr. Electro. Perhaps both.

No Wednesday show this week.

CMLL (MON) 01/09/2017 Arena Puebla
1) Centella Roja, Meyer, Millenium vs Fuerza Chicana, Guerrero Espacial, King Jaguar
2) Astro, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito vs Espíritu Maligno, Mini Joker, Pequeño Violencia
3) Blue Panther Jr., The Panther, Titán vs Kráneo, Olímpico, Ripper
4) Johnny Idol, Marco Corleone, Valiente vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Vangellys
5) Atlantis, Carístico, Máximo Sexy vs Cavernario, Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas

Main event continues the Caristico/Casas feud. I wonder if Gran Guerrero is filling in for Niebla.