Gran Prix tonight, Fuerza Guerrera’s kids, MLW, IWRG

 

AAA , IWRG (THU) 10/04/2018 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, Estrellas del Ring, The Gladiatores]
1) Shadow Boy b Toto 
2) Death Metal & Demonio Infernal b Black Shadow II & Mexica 
Demonio Infernal suffered an injury.
3) Cerebro Negro, Dr. Cerebro, Dragón Bane DQ Aramis, Freelance, Relámpago 
Aramis accidentally hit the referee for the DQ. He challenged Dragon Bane to a title match anyway.
4) Estrella Divina, Goya Kong, Imposible b La Hiedra, Mamba, Ovett 
Ovett replaced X-Fly
5) Dave The Clown, Monsther Clown, Murder Clown DQ El Hijo del Medico Asesino, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Hijo De Dos Caras 
lots of fouls, with Dos being disqualified for fouling Murder Clown. Recap notes the TV storyline breakup here was ignored.
6) Mr. Electro b Texano Jr., Pagano 
Brawl around the room. Mr. Electro won via martinete on Pagano.

The most important thing that happened here might be in the segunda. Demonio Infernal seems like he’s either losing his hair or winning Freelance’s hair on Sunday, but neither is going to happen if he’s too hurt to wrestle. It doesn’t read as severe, so he’ll probably still show up on Sunday, and maybe they’ll use this for that match.

The 11/01 IWRG show will include Joe Jackson, a Michael Jackson impersonator.

Tonight is the CMLL’s Gran Prix. It’s probably going to be a really good match and a better atmosphere. I can’t think of anything to say about it. There’s no long preview for this show because I couldn’t come up with a deeper angle on it. It’s just going to be a lot of people and a lot of action and then a dramatic finish. Sometimes, that’s plenty.

This show is an iPPV, starting at 8:30pm CT as usual. You can get on internet.tv and through ROH’s Honor Club for $10. The ROH’s Honor Club service is a subscription, which means you’ll get this show for free if you used them for the Aniversario, but you will have to cancel or you’ll continue to get charged. It is not airing free, I will not be streaming it, it will not go up on CMLL’s YouTube. It will air on TV, in edited form, around October 13th.

Most wrestlers in a single matches
(CMLL matches held in Arena Mexico or Arena Coliseo)
18 Reyes del Aire 2012
18 Torneo Dr. X (2012 Arkangel show)
18 2018 Gran Prix

I’ve got some matches listed as 20+ in the 80s, but they’re either seeding battle royals (where not everyone might have actually been involved) or just lists of talent on the show.

This is the third Gran Prix since CMLL has brought it back and ramped up the attention on the concept. The Mexico team has won the last the last two. It seems time for the World team to win one, to make sure people see the outcome as something in doubt going forward. Gilbert el Boricua has not looked impressive since coming back from double knee surgery (something which sounds tough to come back from!), but CMLL is clearly very high on him. Getting a win here would be a strong way to springboard him into a top position if he’s going to be around CMLL a lot.

The rest of the card is a little bit better than average. The Cl4n match will be better than usual because Cavernario is in for Scharly Rockstar. That’s about as big an upgrade as you can have. They face the LA Parks & Mistico, which should produce some action. Valiente and Gran Guerrero meet in the lightning match. A strange opener has Robin, Hijo del Signo, and Yago versus Akuma, Star Jr., and Camorra in a relevos incriebles match. That looks like it should set up something, but it’s an opening match on CMLL so it almost certainly means nothing.

The women’s match has a usual ruda crew of Dalys, Reyna Isis and Metalica against Marcela, La Jarochita and the debuting Avispa Dorada. Dorada is from the Pacific Northwest, was training in lucha libre there, and moved to Mexico City to get a shot a few months ago. The one definite good thing about CMLL’s women division is they’ve brought in a lot of new people for chances. None of have really made a huge impression, but they’re not going to get out of this rut by trying the same matches over and over again. I hope Avispa does well and I’m happy they’re giving her the chance.

Lucha Central has a preview of the show.

The foreigners who were in town and some of the Mexico team win on a tourist trip Wednesday. David Finlay and Flip Gordon arrived last night. I think only the Briscoes and Taven haven’t been accounted for.

Carsitico says he had all his energy focused on his title defense, but now he’s going to give 2000% – or maybe 3000%! – to win for Mexico.

 

Today is elimination day on Exatlon. Dragon Lee seems to have done better this week, but who knows with those shows. On the opposing reality show, Lady Flammer escaped elimination barely.

CMLL’s crammed in the winners of the 2008 Gran Prix (Alex Shelley), the 2016 Gran Prix (Volador Jr.) and the 2017 Gran Prix (Volador Jr.) yesterday seemingly because they didn’t have time to put those up for a few days. I need to teach CMLL how to do scheduled posts. Shelley has mentioned how he’d like to come back to CMLL and face Mexican wrestlers again, though it appears he’s retired from wrestling for at least the moment. He would’ve been very good as a CMLL regular. It reminds me that Colt Cabana’s podcast had Matt Taven and the Kingdom on as guests this week, with Matt Taven mentioning he was on an original list of ROH wrestlers CMLL was interested in, and Cabana saying he made it clear he wanted to be in that list but hasn’t been asked to go to CMLL so far. Both ROH & CMLL could benefit from explaining how their relationship works, or why it’s not, a bit more publiclly.

The Crash announced their 7th Anniversario show will take place 11/03. I’m sure it’ll be a loaded show, but I’m not sure of anything they’re particularly building to that show. Daga versus Penta would work, but it’s possible Saturday is Daga’s last The Crash show.  The positive news for The Crash is the Guerreros appear to be working their show Saturday. That’s what it says on the poster, but they were also listed on a show in Neza – a show that’s no longer mentioning anything beyond the main event.

I was wrong about the new Fuerza Guerrera kids. They are actually his kids, as mentioned in the El Planchitas lucha libre column and confirmed by Juventud Guerrera in his own reaction video. They looked too old to be new wrestlers debuting, but there’s a reason for that: they’re too old to be new wrestlers debuting. The daughter is 35, the son is 45, and they’ve both been only training for a few months. Juventud pointed out that there’s no way they could be licensed with that little training, so Fantasma had to wave that to allow them on the show.

Antonio Pena passed away 12 years ago. AAA will hold their annual mass in Mexico City.

Murder Clown talked to MedioTiempo about looking for new challenges now that he’s on his own. He won in his Impact debut last night, with the story playing out as if he’ll be back for more. He seems to think that’s happening too.

Hijo del Santo’s column today is about criticism he made towards AAA & CMLL in the upcoming documentary. He repeats it here, saying those two promotions pay the wrestlers as little as possible while keeping 70% of the gate. I think 70% might be low.

Segunda Caida has made it to Lucha Underground season 4, episode 6. There’s a character who gets written out shortly after this episode and I’d still like to know what happened there. I really need to make a list of “what was the deal with [X]?” questions and then heavily bribe the MMM Show guys to ask them next they have a writer or producer on.

How did Daga’s MLW title match go? Daga nearly got his ear ripped off. That doesn’t seem good. Puma King appeared as a surprise, and the LA Parks both won. MLW also announced Rush was coming in soon. The WON had mentioned that months ago. No date was announced.

AAA has put up a Yo Soy La Mascara video.

LuchaWorld has the latest news update.

Casandro and El Santo films will be part of a film festival in Monterrey.