CMLL’s Friday night show has unusually gone thru three lineups this week. This appears to be the final version. It’s a rare show with seven matches and two different singles matches, with ideas being obviously added at the last minute.
The match CMLL is promoting hardest for tonight is the one they added last. Dulce Gardenia faces Disturbio in a CMLL LBGT+ celebration. There will also be a dance number. This is in partnership with the Mexico Tourism Department. CMLL’s posted hype promos with Dulce Gardenia & Disturbio, something CMLL doesn’t often do. CMLL throws themselves into these cross-promotions whenever they come up, so that’s part of it. The other part is Dulce Gardenia seemingly showed whatever CMLL needed to see from him in his debut and they’re getting strongly behind him. Gardenia is being programmed middle of the card to start and likely will be moving up from there; this is CMLL trying to make him a star in the first moment most people will see him. Disturbio was picked to be a good opponent for him in a match CMLL wants to work.
I think it probably will. I have a lot more hope for that match than the other matches CMLL desperately wants to happen, Guerreros versus CL4N. I don’t know how CMLL expects it to work; it didn’t much last week, it hasn’t in the past, and Sharly Rockstar replacing Gilbert is not an upgrade. This is all to set up a Ciber/Ultimo Guerrero match, which was not good when they did it two years ago. Neither guy is better now. Ciber is also not nearly as big a deal as he was even two years ago. And on it goes.
The actual main event is Caristico, Valiente, and Volador versus the Peste Negra union of Cavernario, Negro Casas and Mr. Niebla. There’s a 50/50 chance Caristico declares the tecnicos should form a team going forward. Stuka and Mephisto meet in a lightning match that should be fine, though fills out of place with the other singles match being added. NGD take on Los OneAtos Style, a match which has produced good results in other occasions. Lluvia, Avispa Dorada, and La Maligna are an unusual tecnicas trio for a Friday night who have little chance to defeat Amapola, La Comandante, and Tiffany. Electrico & Oro Jr. face Inquisidor & Nitro in an opener which may suggest tuning in late.
This show starts at 8:30 pm CT. Marca will stream this show on their YouTube channel and their webpage. I intend to stream this on my YouTube channel but I’m taking a break from watching a wrestling show on a screen by watching a wrestling show in real life. Things may not work as well this week.
Lucha Central has a preview of the show.
The Chavez Brothers mentioned that the Gran Prix was coming up on Informa. That would make sense as August’s big CMLL show. Lyger in July, Gran Prix in August, Aniversario in September, Dia de Muerte in October sounds about right.
Tiffany took Diva Salvaje’s hair back on the 16th in Tihuatlan, Veracruz. It was the final of a relevos suicidas.
ROH has their Best of the World show tonight. The show starts at 7:30 pm CT (one how before CMLL) and it’ll start with Rush versus Flip Gordon as a match free for all on Facebook and other platforms. A lot of people were/are upset about Rush/Gordon being moved to what is essentially the pre-show. WWE’s stigmatized the free portion of a PPV as unimportant matches with people who aren’t stars and Rush seems like one of the guys ROH who actually could be a star if positioned well. My guess is ROH sees the pre-show differently: they see Rush & Gordon as people who might at least get different fanbases to check out the free stream in a moment where they’re struggling to get any attention at all.
Dragon Lee versus Dalton Castle and Bandido challenging Shane Taylor for the ROH TV title are on the PPV itself. Rush will probably win his match to remain undefeated. The other two luchadors don’t seem likely to fare as well. Taylor has been doing promos setting him up as a long term champion, and it would kill his character if he lost in the first defense. (It has been generally disappointing that, after a hot star, Bandido has mostly been used in ROH as the b-side to other people’s stories.) This is Castle’s first match since his heel turn and ROH’s still pointing towards a rematch between him and Rush. Dragon Lee isn’t likely to win unless they’ve diverted from that plan.
Laredo Kid pops up on Impact tonight in a trios match teaming with LAX against the Rascalz. This was taped a bit back. It sounded like it went pretty well. We’re going to know a lot more about Laredo Kid’s future in US promotions after the Saturday trios match. I suspect though, that since Flamita has been talked about coming into Impact, that means Laredo Kid might be in as a one and done again. There shouldn’t be one spot for talent Mexicans but that’s often the case.
There’s promo art listing a TripleMania press event this coming Tuesday. AAA hasn’t announced it themselves – that seems to be the pattern – but that would fit as the card announcement that was mentioned a couple of days ago. No time is listed.
Lady Shani is confident she’ll win the Reina de Reinas title back. One of the reasons I thought she’d keep the title at Verano de Escandalo is AAA had Taya & Shani talk about how they were going to face each in another title match on multiple occasions. It never quite happened.
Demasiado talks about his career in wrestling as an exotico. He feels the luchadors themselves are less prejudiced than they were when he started but the promoters themselves see the exoticos as something that can be an opening act only, never in main events.
AAA has a cartoon explaining how Chessman got into lucha libre.
A July 28th Arena Coliseo show – with the weird main event of Fenix & Penta vs Cibernetico & Zorro – lists Diamante Azul in the semi-main. That’s the first mention of him returning from his injury/surgery.
RIOT’s La Riña En El Cerro de La Silla (08/23 & 08/24) participants:
- Douki
- Latigo
- Erik Ortiz
- Aramis
- Belial
- Madness
- Iron Kid
- Arez
- Tony Rodriguez
- Demonio del Aire
- Fuego del Sol
- TBA
- 08/23 non-tournament match: UnMexicans (Byron & Kaientai) vs El Cartel de Los Culichis (Mr. Iguana & Fresero Jr.)
- 08/23 non-tournament match: Los Mismos de Siempre (Kamikaze & Kratoz vs Los Guanatos Brothers (Willy Banderas & Bryan Villa)
True story: We were prepared to do a podcast last Wednesday. And then we had the bright idea that we should just wait until #12 in this tournament was announced so we could talk about it in full and figure it out. And then it’s 10 days later and the #12 hasn’t been announced. I don’t know who #12 is but I do know something came up with whoever it was supposed to be and now it is not clear if they’ll be #12.
Bestia 666 makes his MLW debut on July 6th against Mance Warner in Cicero, Illinois.
Ice Killer is being celebrated this weekend with a show.
An interview with DTU’s Hard Boy reveals his trainers Paranoiko and Hormiga gave him that name.
There will be a lucha libre shows at a Cancun restaurant on Thursday nights as a plan to appeal to tourists.
Quadratin has a profile of Rayo de Plata.
LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.
Lineups
CMLL (MON) 07/01/2019 Arena Puebla
1) Rey Samuray, Robin, Sonic vs Espíritu Maligno, Joker, Rey Apocalipsis
2) Arkalis, King Jaguar, Tigre Rojo Jr. vs El Malayo, El Perverso, Toro Bill Jr.
3) Drone, Dulce Gardenia, Stigma vs Tyson La Bestia, Universo 2000 Jr., Virus
4) Místico, Soberano Jr., Titán vs Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas
5) La Bestia Del Ring, Mr. Niebla, Terrible vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
There were no Volador/Sanson challenges because the whole thing was being dropped, it seems. That is for the best for Volador. The fourth match might be good but the rest of the card is not promising.
CMLL (TUE) 07/02/2019 Arena México
1) Retro & Sangre Imperial vs Akuma & Rider
2) La Jarochita, Marcela, Sanely vs Dalys, Metálica, Reyna Isis
3) Misterioso Jr. vs Universo 2000 Jr. [lightning]
4) Audaz, Blue Panther, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Hechicero, Kawato San, Vangellys
5) Atlantis, Flyer, Stuka Jr. vs Felino, Mephisto, Templario
6) Ángel de Oro, Dragón Lee, Niebla Roja vs Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas
Nothing special here. Main event falls in the “could be good” range. Audaz & Kawato are matched up again after the title match. Dalys & Marcela working the second match on a Tuesday show is something they probably should be upset with but also makes the most sense given this card. It is heavy on the midcard men.
Rider is a debut. Rider turns up a bit in Tinieblas’ FULL shows; he’s got a Ghost Rider mask. There are TV matches from 2012 and 2015, which I point out not to get you to watch them but to point out he’s been around for a while. I wonder how many of those years have included training (and paying for training) in CMLL’s school to get to this one match in Arena Mexico – where he faces two of the least impressive tecnicos.
(Camorra has barely appeared this year; perhaps this is his spot.)
IWRG (SUN) 07/07/2019 Arena Naucalpan
1) Auzter vs Neza Kid
2) Atomic Star & Brazo De Oro Jr. vs Canibal Jr. & Death Metal
3) Black Dragón, Dinamic Black, Hijo del Alebrije vs Dragón Fly, La Mosca, Marado
4) Fulgor I & Fulgor II vs Cerebro Negro & Dr. Cerebro and Centurion & Fly Warrior
5) Herodes Jr., Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Sangre Chicana Jr. vs Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatik Xtreme
6) Óscar El Hermoso vs Miss Gaviota, Demasiado, Soy Raymunda, Lolita, Diva Salvaje, Pasion Kristal, Lilith Dark, Diosa Atenea, Jessy Ventura [cage, hair, mask]
This is the annual Jaula Los Locas cage match, usually an exoticos betting their hair or mask. They’ve included some women this year. The match has, at times, included people who no one’s ever heard of who end up losing their mask and hair and then are never heard of again. This one is all known people – except Diva Salvaje just lost her hair two weeks ago, so either is growing it back very quick or being replaced by who knows.
The Herodes side on the semi-main is the Los Masters Juniors unit that’s been popping up on Lucha en mi Barrio and other places.
AAA , EMW (FRI) 07/12/2019 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) Adrian Quest, Drake, Fantastik vs Griff, Kamikaze, Xcalibur
2) Big Mami, Rayo Star, Tony Casanova vs Genio del Aire, Keyra, Lady Maravilla
3) Hijo Del Vikingo & Laredo Kid vs Arkángel Divino & Black Boy and Douglas James & Jake Atlas
4) Mamba, Máximo, Niño Hamburguesa, Willie Mack vs Eddie Edwards, El Hijo del Medico Asesino, Gringo Loco (Illinois), Jonathan
5) Pagano vs Joe Lider, Psicosis I, Nick Gage
6) Drago, Lady Shani, Puma King vs La Hiedra, Rey Escorpión, Texano Jr.
7) Psycho Clown vs Michael Elgin, Murder Clown, Taurus [EMW HEAVY]
The full lineup with a lot of outside people in. Mil Muertes was the EMW Heavyweight Champion but is long gone.
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