Jarochita & Lluvia new champs, Euforia & UG break up?, AAA TV show gets moved

CMLL (FRI) 10/16/2020 Arena México [CMLL, Furia de Titanes, Lucha Central, Mas Lucha, SuperLuchas, SuperLuchas (Title), thecubsfan]
1) Chamuel & Gallito b Microman & Perico Zakarías [Relevos Increíbles] 
11:55. Team Chamuel won clean. Chamuel invited Gallito to join the rudo side full time if he’d like. Announcers said Microman & Gallito had been feuding, though this was the first known appearance for Gallito since the shut down.
2) Akuma & El Coyote b Diamond & Súper Astro Jr. 
13:14. Rudos took 1/3.
3) La Jarochita & Lluvia b Amapola & Metálica [MEX WOMEN TAG, final] 
18:11. Moved down a spot. Tecnicas took 2/3 to win the vacant titles in the first women’s national tag team title match in Arena Mexico.
4) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón b Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero 
13:55. NGD took 2/3, the last when Euforia & Ultimo Guerrero started fighting. Ultimo Guerrero wrestled the entire match in his mask. Both Sanson and Euforia challenged UG to a heavyweight title match, with Euforia blaming Guerrero for costing him his Aniversario match by contracting COVID. Guerrero accepted Euforia’s challenge.
5) Titán & Volador Jr. b Carístico & Místico 
19:36. Los Mistico took 2/3, the last by DQ when Caristico’s mask came off during a destroyer. Mistico claimed Volador caused it, Volador & Titan called it an unfair DQ and demanded a tag title shot.

CMLL didn’t really deliver in match quality on this show. The main event was Good and the best match on the show. They tried to make it up with big angles instead.

Titan & Volador unclassed the tag-team champions by a large degree, even while working rudo in the match. The problem Caristico & Mistico have is the same issue for Los Guerreros and NGD. Their offenses sequences are on rails like a freight train. You know exactly the sequence of events happening because they’ve slavishly devoted to doing the same spots in the same order in the same way time after time. Mistico’s Operacion Dragon is a spectacular spot that everyone knows is coming three minutes before and losses excitement because of the lack of spontaneity. Titan & Volador, either by ability or choice, were not limited in the same way. They showed a great deal of tag team chemistry and general creativeness not to be found in any of the other three teams in the final matches. Volador & Titan were interesting and good at it when everyone felt like they were just working on an assembly line.

The finish of the main event aggravated me because this was a more expensive show. It’s a fine way to build a match on a free show or a cheaper show to have the return match on a big show, but CMLL’s own pricing scheme made designed this as that bigger show. Perhaps this will work out with a rematch on 10/30; most people who bought this show probably already bought that as part of a package and so this is fine episodical booking. It’s hard to know with CMLL.

The Euforia/Ultimo Guerrero bit came out of nowhere. Euforia’s vaguely talked about wanting a shot in the heavyweight championship, in the way every CMLL luchadors throws out five ideas that never happen. There was no build to it during the match, just the two started arguing, chopping, and breaking up each other’s attempts to win. Euforia bringing up COVID in a promo was unexpected to say the least. He was acting like this was the end of him in the group, while Ultimo Guerrero wanted to still be friends.

Ultimo Guerrero wore his mask through his match. It wasn’t for safety reasons, it didn’t cover his mouth at all, he just wanted to and no one’s going to stop him from doing that. I suspect that’s the same explanation for why the women’s match and his match switched places. UG did later film a promo unmasked.

These are two big angles for a promotion that hardly has angles at all. It’s not hard evidence, but the volume of users talking in CMLL’s chat room before the show has seemed way down in October. There was also almost no one talking about having issues getting their link for the show. I’d like to believe there are fewer problems, but I wonder if this is all an indication a lot of people who bought these shows in September have given up in October. Those angles felt like CMLL concerned they’re not getting enough pick up for these shows and needing to do something to get people invested.

The women’s tag title match was fine but no better than that. The women tried. It might have a memorable match with an invested crowd but feel flat in this environment. There was no glaring moment where things went wrong, but smaller moments where things didn’t just look right. Amapola pulled up Lluvia on a pin right before the finish. It made no sense in the context of the match, and only signaled she was right about to lose. It was clear earlier; Lluvia & Jarochita came out in new matching outfits and merged masks, while Amapola & Metalica seemed to use some vaguely color-coordinated regular gear. The team that looked like stars won.

Coyote was said to be part of Ola Negra, but anyone who teams with Akuma or Espanto seems to become part of Ola Negra and it never goes anywhere. Perhaps it indicates Espiritu Negro won’t be rejoining Akuma & Espanto immediately, but it’s not like those three teamed up much.

The announcers talking about Microman and Gallito feuding made no sense from what we’ve seen. Perhaps it’s airing on the CMLL Megacable show that no one seems to get or talk about it, or maybe it’s happened in a match that’s been taped but just hasn’t aired yet. It’s the same three announcers calling all of CMLL’s matches. (Leobardo Magadan, Miguel Linares, and Miguel Linares Jr. have not returned since the pandemic.) It’s possible and even understandable if the announcers don’t know or have lost track of which matches not yet aired, though it’s also far from ideal.

A CMLL show is listed as airing on Azteca America starting this Saturday, under the “Lucha Azteca” name the channel has used for previous shows. It airs at 3 & 8 pm CT and is such a late edition that it may not show in your channel guide.

CMLL has said nothing about the TV show, as per normal. There might be a reason for it. The header graphic used for the show is the same as a lucha libre show available on Amazon Prime Video Mexico, which turns out to be the Fox Sports Deportes “Lucha Libre Retro” show airing 2016-2017. This was the one with all matches from Arena Coliseo with Brazo de Plata announcing and using an outside production team. We’ll know more when/if this airs, but my working theory is CMLL sold the rights to the shows to the outside production company, who is now getting Azteca to pay for years old matches. Probably not paying much, but more than CMLL is getting from Azteca. The Azteca Prime Video Mexico says the show has 26 episodes. We only saw about that many episodes on Fox Sports Deportes, so this would include “unaired” matches if current, but nothing current.

CMLL has Dia de Muertos themed loteria stickers. (Loteria is a bingo like game.) I presumed this was something CMLL was selling, but it turns out they’re just expecting people to print out their own copies from the website. CMLL’s Guadalajara branch did a bit with the loteria game recently too.

AAA’s TV show on Azteca will no longer air at 4 pm on Fridays. It will instead air after Azteca Boxing, usually around midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. It aired in that slot last week as well, but it was explained as a one week move. It is now permanent. The time slot had been 90 minutes long; it was 60 minutes last week and is listed as 30 minutes this week. It’s possible this isn’t meant to be a demotion, just an idea that boxing and lucha libre fit better together, but putting AAA on at midnight seems terrible. AAA also has TV on Space and Multimedios in better timeslots, as well as a big social media presence, though the majority of their viewers would still seem to come from Azteca. I’m not certain how much more time is left on AAA & Azteca’s deal; it’s possible it could be ending in January.

Octagoncito, Laredo Boy, Argenis, and Australian Suicide all make their Autoluchas debuts this weekend. Myzteziz is back, so whatever injury he suffered two weeks ago hasn’t kept him out. The Saturday early show includes a Dinastia title match. The Sunday early show has a #1 contenders match for the AAA Reina de Reinas championship with Faby Apache, La Hiedra, and Lady Shani. Taya is still the most recent champion.

AAA held a flash sale for their tickets for the remaining AutoLuchas shows. It’s wasn’t a  permanent price change, but it does indicate some softness in sales. It seems a safe bet the 11/01 show will be the last chance to see Autoluchas in Mexico City for a while.

PRI’s The World has a radio story on AAA’s AutoLuchas show, with Mr. Iguana and Jose Manuel Guillen making appearances.

A site called “WCN Television” has a commercial up for a The Crash TV show. (It’s behind a sign up screen and about 30 seconds long; you’re not missing much if you don’t sound up.) It was posted about a month, there’s no sign of the TV show airing, the footage includes scenes clearly shot by Mas Lucha, so maybe this a repurposed demo reel and there is no actual show. The Crash itself hasn’t said anything since March; it’s possible the promotion still exists but it’s hard to tell at the moment. There’s also a commercial for a show airing Sunday Guadalajara matches, which don’t exist at the moment.

Last night’s Chinamapaluchas show wasn’t advertised much – Mas Lucha aired and even they didn’t post results – but they did bring back the MexaBoys match everyone was very excited about a year ago. The rematch is said to be just as good.

Indie show of note this weekend

• AULL has a show heavy on title matches on Saturday
• MexaWrestling has Villano III Jr.’s return to the indies among a cast of a thousand on Saturday. That’s Mas Lucha Premium, no air date yet.
• IWRG continues their tag team tournament Sunday. That’s Mas Lucha Free.
• Chicago indie Lucha Libre Total has an actual IWRG tag title match on their show, which will air as a PPV.
• Coliseo Coacalco celebrates its anniversary on Sunday. Highlights of those have been showing up on Mas Lucha lately and the anniversary show typically makes it on the channel with some full matches.
• Drako & Scoria have a hair match on Lucha Libre Real‘s show on Sunday. Scoria is the obvious favorite. This is a Mas Lucha Premium show.
• Tijuana’s Evolucion Lucha Libre is scheduled to have a show Sunday in Mexico City. Hasn’t been much promotion for this one but Facebook indicates it’s still on and may turn up on Mas Lucha later.

Chik Tormenta will return on the 11/01 LEGEND show/expo. She’s been on maternity leave for about a year.

Lucha Memes posted a teaser for a Jonathan Gresham pure wrestling show on 11/29 at Coliseo Coacalco. This is apparently what the Foundation videos have been building towards.

Fearing a relapse in COVID-19 cases, Nuevo Leon has prohibited many activities including specifically wrestling matches. Lucha Time and KAOZ have been taping empty arena shows. KAOZ is airing one match a week in a long single elimination tournament; it’s likely that was all taped months ago. I’m uncertain how often Lucha Time is taping.

NBC San Diego has a story on Espantito, who passed away due to COVID-19. There’s a GoFundMe page up for funeral expenses.

Segunda Caida reviews a Sinaloa Negro Casas/Santo trios match.