04/21 AAA TV Lineup (Tijuana)

AAA TV (FRI) 04/21/2017 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) ?, ??, Faby Apache vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Soul Rocker
2) La Parka vs Ricky Marvin
3) Aerostar & Drago vs Killshot & Marty The Moth
Lucha Underground match
4) Australian Suicide & Bengala vs El Mesías & Pagano
5) Ayako Hamada © vs Taya [Reina De Reinas]
first defense
6) Hijo del Fantasma vs Kevin Kross [tables]
7) Psycho Clown  vs Dr. Wagner Jr. [EMW HEAVY]

Air Date: 05/06 & 05/13. Here’s the big list. AAA now has three tapings announced at once: Neza on Friday, SLP on the 12th and this one.

Just after AAA turns three belts into one, AAA might be adding another. The EMW championship, as best I can figure, is a new title. EMW is the local promoter of AAA shows (including this one), but hasn’t had their own title belts. It’s possible, even probable, this is a one off appearance for the belt (though it’d be better a Copa or a Trofeo in that case.) It’s also probable this is a title match just to give this matchup something different to do. They’re apparently going to be doing this match a lot in a short stretch:

03/31 Neza: Murder Clown & Psycho Clown vs Dr. Wagner Jr. & Monster Clown
04/12 SLP: Psycho Clown vs Dr. Wagner Jr. main event
04/21 Tijuana: Psycho Clown vs Dr. Wagner Jr. main event
04/29 Tlaxcala: card not announced, maybe not still happening (not listed on TV in upcoming events, with Puebla in it’s place.)
05/16 Pachuca: no card announced but saying they’ll have Psycho Clown vs Dr. Wagner Jr. main event

The same match on 3 out of 4 tapings, at least. These matches are not bad, no matter how much I’m going to complain about it, but they’re also not Dragon Lee versus Kamiatachi. You’ve seen one, you’re probably not getting a lot more out of the next two. An interesting midcard could help a lot.

This midcard is interesting! AAA TV is pushing this being the start of a new, Vampiro-rific, era of AAA. La Parka versus Ricky Marvin in a singles match that’s second on the card is definitely AAA being a new era. Four singles match on the show is definitely new, and much different than usual Mexican wrestling for a normal TV card. Fantasma & Kross is technically a Tijuana Table match, and I liked Tijuana too much to make a joke here. There are rarely gimmick. Taya gets a rematch for what used to be her title, a much quicker follow up on that sort of thing than normal. This is different.

The amount of matches and the stipulations involved overshadow how much less people are booked than their used to be. There are 22 people booked on this card. About one year ago, there was 36 luchadors on a similar show in Leon. There’s 22 here because AAA’s gotten Ayako and Kross and the LU guys to come in; they wouldn’t have much of a card without them.

Marty showing back up here is not a surprise, maybe only unexpected in that it took this long to happen after he impressed late last year. Killshot being on the show is a surprise. His Shane Strickland alter ego was just on The Crash show, and no one’s gone back and forth between the feuding promotions since this year. It’d probably be best for everyone if the promotions could get along and allow guys to work wherever but I don’t think that’s what’s going on here. It’s possible that a thing that is a big issue in Mexico is not something a wrestler who works on the US indies is paying much mind to, and Killshot doesn’t know/care what he’s stepped into. It does help AAA & EMW to have a few outside/different names when The Crash is focusing on doing the same.

It’s notable that Marty & Killshot are being allowed to use their LU personalities here; being the guy in charge of those decision and AAA probably helps. AAA’s ran a Lucha Underground on Netflix commercial on TV each week since it’s aired. It’d be an advantage if they could get more LU guys to work their shows.

The mystery spots in the opener seem set up to be the other Apaches, listed as surprises because AAA might not know if they’re going to be there (and Tijuana’s commission has historically come down harder on no-shows, so it might be wise to be careful.) I think they might end up being Monster & Murder as back up, since they had slight issues with that new unnamed rudo group on the other side.

Following taping is scheduled to be 04/29 in Tlxacala but, again, I suspect that’ll change.