Copa Bicentenario, Electrico/Cavernario/Templario returns, ROH

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 12/09/2022 Arena México [CMLL, CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Kaiser Sports, R de Rudo, The Gladiatores, The Gladiatores (text), thecubsfan]
1) Fuego, Okumura, Panterita del Ring Jr. b Dark Magic, Disturbio, Guerrero Maya Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
14:20
2) Dalys & Lluvia b La Jarochita & Reyna Isis [Copa Bicentenario Femenil, seeding battle royal]
3) Ivelisse & La Jarochita b Avispa Dorada & Reyna Isis [Copa Bicentenario Femenil, semifinal]
7:04
4) Dalys & Lady Frost b Alex Gracia & Lluvia [Copa Bicentenario Femenil, semifinal]
6:55
5) Dalys & Lady Frost b Ivelisse & La Jarochita [Copa Bicentenario Femenil, final]
5:53.
6) Gran Guerrero DQ Atlantis Jr.
15:09. Atlantis grabbed Edgar to stop a three count, which Edgar ruled was a disqualification. Atlantis Jr. argued the call and shoved the commissioner when he came in the ring tp back up the call.
7) Místico & Último Guerrero b Hechicero & Volador Jr. [Copa Bicentenario Varonil, seeding battle royal]
8) Lince Dorado & Volador Jr. b Hechicero & Matt Taven [Copa Bicentenario Varonil, semifinal]
9:27. Hechicero and Taven fought post match (in something CMLL didn’t seem to expect to see)
9) Místico & Rocky Romero b Kenny King & Último Guerrero [Copa Bicentenario Varonil, semifinal]
8:45.
10) Místico & Rocky Romero b Lince Dorado & Volador Jr. [Copa Bicentenario Varonil, final]
9:43. Romero demanded a NWA WELTER title from Volador after beating him; Volador refused. Both the men’s and women’s winners got their trophies and shook hands with Mexico and US diplomats to end the show.

The diplomats on hand were Stephanie Syptak-Ramnath (US Deputy Chief of Mission in Mexico), Erik del Angel (Mexico Coordinator of the council of sports diplomacy and cooperation) and Miguel Malfavon (recent former Mexico ambassador to Ireland, and seems to be a general member of Mexico foreign relations at the moment.) This tournament was explicitly said to be organized by CMLL, the US Embassy, and the Mexico foreign relations department. It’s nice that CMLL got to be part of it, it’s notable that it was important to hold a lucha libre tournament to honor 200 years of Mexico and USA relations. I don’t know if that’d happen with Japan and the USA, for instance.

This was not the Gran Prix. It wasn’t the fault of the wrestlers really and other was a decent amount of ceremony. The fans just saw this yet another random CMLL tournament and it was no different than any other show. Maybe they were even less excited because they saw the same people quite a few times. CMLL saw this tournament as a big deal – they gave the wins to the most important teams instead of spreading out the winners as normal – probably because the diplomatic agencies they were working with seemed happy with the presentation. It was a success on that count, and also nothing you’ll feel too bad about having missed.

On Informa, Rocky Romero challenged CMLL to offer him a one-year contract if he won this tournament. He won this tournament and was still demanding that one-year contract (though it appeared he forgot about the challenge until the press reminded him.) He’s surely coming back in CMLL’s orbit again to do that title match with Volador, either in Arena Mexico or next February on FantasticaMania. Lince Dorado also seems to be coming back, perhaps when/if Mascara Dorada is ever allowed to travel between the US and Mexico.

Hechicero and Taven fight felt like one or both came off their own angle. Don’t know that for a fact, but that was the feel. Avispa Dorada had a bad night, including the second failed tope con giro in a short time. The first spot of that match went wrong and it didn’t get a lot better. Dorada was a fun luchadora in her previous runs but this tour has been a disappointment, with more disappointing than good. Lady Frost looked like a standout on this show again, but Ivelisse and Alex Gracia were doing better than Avispa as well, despite less CMLL experience. She may have finished up this weekend with the other foreigners, hope she can regroup and come back better if she’s back next year.

The Atlantis Jr./Gran Guerrero finish was different. Grabbing the referee’s hand to stop him from making a three count was a signature Rush spot, though others may have done it first. Others definitely have done it after. It’s not as blatant as pulling the referee out of the ring to prevent a count, but it’s still something outside the rules that’s been allowed to happen because it’s seen as making for better dramatics. This ending seemed to be a planned attempt to undo that finish and re-write it as a disqualification. It also gave Gran Guerrero a win over Atlantis Jr. without ‘actually’ beating him. It was too chaotic to be clear it was a planned finish, but the commissioner jumping in the ring immediately led me to believe it was the planned ending. Atlantis Jr. shoved the commissioner, which often leds to a minor suspension. Gran Guerrero challenged Atlantis Jr. to a mask match; this is the first time of what may be dozens of times I write that line.

CMLL (SAT) 12/10/2022 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Full Metal, Mercurio, Pierrothito b Angelito, Fantasy, Último Dragóncito
Rudos took 1/3.
2) Difunto, Nitro, Zandokan Jr. b Bengala, Oro Jr., Retro
Straight falls. Usual feuding towards the cage match
3) Alex Gracia, Avispa Dorada, Marcela b Hera, La Seductora, Reyna Isis
Tecnicos took 1/3.
4) El Coyote, Felino Jr., Rey Bucanero b Magnus, Pólvora, Rugido
Team Bucanero took 1/3.
5) Euforia, Kenny King, Yota b Ángel de Oro, Lince Dorado, Niebla Roja [Relevos Increíbles]
Team Euforia took 1/3. Niebla Roja picked up a right knee injury in what turned out to be late in the match

Niebla Roja needed help to limp to the back, so he might need some time to recover.

CMLL (SUN) 12/11/2022 Arena México [CMLL, The Gladiatores]
1) Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Violencia b Kaligua & Shockercito
2) Bengala, Neón, Oro Jr. DQ Apocalipsis, Difunto, Zandokan Jr.
straight falls, Apocalipsis unmasking Neon
3) Amapola, Olympia, Stephanie Vaquer b Alex Gracia, La Jarochita, La Maligna
4) Negro Casas, Panterita del Ring, Valiente b Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
5) Atlantis, Lince Dorado, Stuka Jr. b Gran Guerrero, Kenny King, Último Guerrero

That’s it for the foreigners for this run. Kenny King also filmed a promo to appear on an Impact TV episode while in Mexico; not sure if he did it while at a CMLL show or not.

CMLL (TUE) 12/13/2022 Arena México
1) Angelito, Fantasy, Kaligua vs Full Metal, Minos, Pequeño Olímpico
2) La Guerrera, La Magnifica, Marcela vs Hera, Metálica, Olympia
3) Astral, Eléctrico, Magia Blanca vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
4) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
5) Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero vs Negro Casas, Rey Bucanero, Valiente [Relevos Increíbles]

That’s a very old main event for the new talent show. Electrico has been out with injury since June and he’s right back teaming with his pal Astral.

CMLL (FRI) 12/16/2022 Arena México
1) Hombre Bala Jr. vs Disturbio [lightning]
2) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Magnus, Okumura, Rugido
3) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Yota vs Cavernario, Dragón Rojo Jr., Templario
4) Arkalis & Atlantis vs Panterita del Ring Jr. & Volador Jr. and El Suicida & Titán and Halcón Suriano Jr. & Soberano Jr. and Valiente & Valiente Jr. and Blue Panther & Cachorro and Neón & Stuka Jr. and Gran Guerrero & Raider [Gran Alternativa, battle royal]
5) ? & ?? vs ???? & ???? [Gran Alternativa, quarterfinal]
6) ? & ?? vs ???? & ???? [Gran Alternativa, quarterfinal]
7) ? & ?? vs ???? & ???? [Gran Alternativa, quarterfinal]
8) ? & ?? vs ???? & ???? [Gran Alternativa, quarterfinal]
9) ? & ?? vs ???? & ???? [Gran Alternativa, semifinal]
10) ? & ?? vs ???? & ???? [Gran Alternativa, semifinal]

Nothing new on the tournament, just a reminder the final is on the 12/23 show. I hate ending a show with an unfinished tournament, it’s an underwhelming goodbye rather than something that gets people to come back the next week. The tercera should be the main event instead.

Cavernario and Templario make surprising returns in that tercera. The caveman is back early; his injury timeline suggested he wouldn’t be around until January. Templario was the other way, taking longer to return from his shoulder injury than originally announced. (Also, as much as I fantasy-booked Templario to rejoin Los Guerreros last week, it’s probably worth remembering that it was Ultimo Guerrero who put Templario out of action and cost him a spot on Aniversario.) The second match has a slight chance of setting up a trios title match. Opener is a lightning match for numbers reasons.

According to an interview with EFE, the CMLL programming department is officially

Juan Manuel Mar (aka Panico) – head of department
Edgar Noriega (aka referee Edgar)
Jose Luis Feliciano (aka Guerrero del Futuro)
Julio Cesar Rivera

This is the first time I can recall announcer Julio Cesar Rivera officially listed as officially part of the programming committee, though he (and others) has been talked about as sharing ideas with that department. This should not be trusted to be a definitive list. CMLL would never reveal if an active wrestler as part of the programming department, so we can’t be sure if they left names or if this is a definite list.

Cesar Rivera says lineups are worked 1.5 to 2 months ahead of time, though there are always last-minute changes. Salvador Lutteroth Jr. reviews all the decisions. JCR, in taking about the weekly shows, says the Saturday Arena Coliseo crowd is the toughest audience because it’s mostly fans who’ve watched lucha libre all their life. The Arena Mexico cards are put together with the idea there are a lot of foreign fans who don’t know the rivalries and need to see more spectacular performances. Or, it seems, more tournaments.

Guadalajara’s La Mafia (Vaquero Jr., Omar Brunetti and Leo) will appear on the 12/26 Arena Puebla card. That’s another unusual Guadalajara/Puebla cross over.

Lio Rush & YOH defeated Titan & BUSHI in both team’s final league match in the Super Juniors Tag Team tournament. That meant Rush & YOH went to the final and Titan & BUSHI were done. By my count, that’s 25 NJPW junior tournaments (singles and tag) where a CMLL wrestler has participated and failed to reach the final. (Dr. Wagner Jr. reached the finals of the BOSJ in 1998.) They’ll likely get another chance in May. This should probably be a story in these tournaments by now, but it also makes CMLL look rather poor, so perhaps there’s a reason it’s not talked about.

Mistico beat (NJPW) Misterioso on the NJPW Strong tapings.

AAA

AAA on Space aired the main event and a couple of other matches from the Ciudad Juarez taping, with the rest next week. All the matches were fine and there’s not much to say about them. This was one of those tapings which really suffered from the way AAA produced their TV. The Juarez crowd looked like they were hot for the show, especially for hometown boy Pagano in the main event. It barely came through on TV, with the crowd reactions lost deep in the mix behind the announcers. A hot crowd can turn some average matches into something special, they had a hot crowd and some average matches, and it just didn’t come through. AAA wants to sell vibes more than matches, but you can’t get those vibes if all you’re hearing is the announcers.

On his podcast, Konnan mentioned Lady Shani was visiting a doctor to get her knee examined this past week and there was fear it was a serious injury. Shani missed a show in Guadalajara on Sunday but hasn’t indicated her status otherwise. Konnan also mentioned the plan for the Luchatitlan show is two shows daily each in the afternoon, and AAA had been auditioning actors and wrestlers (for different roles) in recent days.

Hijo del Vikingo was added to the 2023 Battle of Los Angeles as the 17th participant. There are usually 16, and 17 probably means there’s a three-way first-round match. First round match ups will be announced Thursday and tickets will go on sale then.

Gringo Loco defends the Dreamwave Alternative Title against Hijo del Vikingo, Black Taurus, and Rey Hours on 02/11 in LaSalle. That’s great news for me, the show is about an hour down the road from me. It’s great for Dreamwave, which went dormant from a couple of years and is now trying to get attention for its relaunch. It is a significantly smaller size promotion than I thought Vikingo would be wrestling in the US on these shows.

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 12/11/2022 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) John Tito b Kenji
2) Diosa Quetzal b Sagitarius [IWRG IC WOMEN, semifinal]
3) Hell Boy & Sick Boy DQ Cerebro Negro & Cerebro Negro Jr.
4) Keyra DQ Lolita [IWRG IC WOMEN, semifinal]
5) Galeno del Mal b Hijo De Canis Lupus
Galeno del mal after the referee slow counted Canis Lupus, then Galeno del Mal used the ropes to win.l
6) Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Mamba b Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr.
Mamba got the win, then announced he woulnd’t be around for Friday’s title match and Paymon was actually the one who’d team with Las Shotas.

I was going to write “ah, IWRG kinda makes more sense, they just had to announce the full card before the trios title feud caught up with it”, but then Mamba announcing Paymon was replacing him put it back into nonsense land. . Why book Mamba and have Mamba win if Mamba isn’t in the title match? Who knows. Galeno del Mal apparently won in a very screwy fashion because he and his brother are (likely) losing in a very screwy fashion next week. Keyra/Lolita had so many problems that even IWRG’s recap acknowledged the accidents.

This show drew horribly for a Sunday show. Some of that is probably people passing on this one when they know a bigger show is just right around the corner. Next Friday is the 60th Anniversary and there’s no doubt they’ll sell out for the mask match and for the anniversary aspect. I think this week’s show is more indicative of where IWRG is at than Friday, but that’s just one person’s opinion.

ROH/AEW

Mascara Dorada lost to Jeff Cobb on the ROH Final Battle preshow, and Dralistico & Rush lost to AR Fox and Blake Christian on the PPV opener. Dralistico appeared to kick out before 3 from AR Fox’s pin in that match. Rush & Dralistico attacked their opponents post-match. I’m out of the business of speculating on Munoz family finishes after getting the Dragon Lee one very wrong, so all I can write here is the finish was confusing to viewers. Whatever happened will likely be reported out soon or later. Dralistico was neither terrible but nor particularly impressive. There are conservatively 50 Mexican wrestlers I believe would do better in an AEW or ROH ring than Dralistico, but there are only three Munoz brothers and Rush already betrayed Dragon Lee (in something yet to be followed up on) so Dralistico had to be in that spot.

Also of note on the show, FTR lost their ROH Tag Team Championships to the Briscoes. It appears FTR will be losing AEW, ROH, AAA and IWGP title tag matches all within the course of a few weeks. FTR wore gear with dates indicating the start of their ROH title reign and the end of it, which seemed to telegraph the result. It may have been meant to correspond only to their feud with the Briscoes (the exact same dates) and absolutely didn’t affect most people’s great enjoyment of the match. I would recommend AAA ask them to go a different wardrobe direction for Noche de Campeones.

The biggest news going forward was the reveal of Tony Khan’s plans for ROH. Khan had stated there’d be news on ROH’s TV deal around Final Battle. The broadcast ended with no TV news, which seemed a Very Bad Sign. I had expected no more than a streaming network deal, given the negative current climate for wrestling shows on TV, and it turned out to be less than that. ROH TV apparently will be just a weekly TV show airing as part of a redesigned $10/month Honor Club. Live PPVs will remain separate purchases through Bleacher Report and will go up on Honor Club on a 90-day delay. The start date for ROH TV is not set; Khan pushed those would come after AEW’s bigger January events and NJPW’s 01/04 Tokyo Dome event. Khan also framed the new ROH TV as a home for both AEW wrestlers and international wrestlers, including NJPW and “our lucha libre partners.” Khan noted this show included both AAA (Dralistico) and CMLL (Mascara Dorada) wrestlers; Dorada’s shown more willingness to work alongside of AAA wrestlers as his residency situation continues to prolong indefinitely.

In 2021, Ring of Honor TV was available both for free on a variety of streaming sites (including Honor Club) and on various Sinclair Broadcasting Group TV stations. I liked that Ring of Honor, but that wasn’t strong enough to keep that version of Ring of Honor going. In 2023, Ring of Honor’s visibility will be only behind a $10/month subscriber wall. The 2022 ROH PPVs have reportedly done the best of any ROH PPVs ever, but those were vastly built via promotion on AEW’s TNT and TBS shows, and Khan indicated that would no longer be happening. I presume ROH TV is going behind a paywall because the ROH brand needs some income to survive (and “make it free on YouTube” would provide far far less revenue), but it’s hard to imagine this version of ROH growing to any great extent.

The best comparison for 2023 ROH is NJPW’s Strong show. That one started as something to do when NJPW’s previous plans for US travel had to be scuttled due to the pandemic, and “monthly taping of a few weeks of TV” was the simplest solution to keep going. It has eventually built up a fanbase, but it’s also a brand that generally does a few hundred of fans to most of its events and is definitely looked at as a developmental territory. Khan has pushed that Ring of Honor wouldn’t be a developmental territory, but it’s going to be tough to shake that impression if AEW is on national TV and ROH is lives behind a paywall to a fraction of the audience. NJPW Strong is also unlikely to be profitable on it’s own; it does as well as it does because the Japan side is keeping it afloat. It’s seen where as much as it’s seen because it’s an additional part of the NJPW World subscription, nothing something standing alone.

If you’re just looking as a fan, news of a ROH TV is plain good news. It’s something to check out if it’s good enough to get your $10, and it’s one of the million other things to skip and not worry about if it doesn’t go well. Khan’s description of the show sounds like it has some Mad Scientist/I Can’t Believe That Person Showed Up Here vibes, and that’s right in my wheelhouse. There’s a good chance I’ll sign up for it. A lot more people will probably sign up for Honor Club than the last version, even if it’s a lesser deal.

If you’re looking at this announcement as what it means for the bigger picture, this ROH TV is a very bad sign. A real TV deal for ROH would’ve likely meant the addition of permanent wrestling jobs, both in front of and behind the camera. A ROH existing on subscriber fees may mean more people are visible for a show at a time, but isn’t going to open up a full-time ROH-excluisve job for a Dragon Lee. This is the lucha libre content to this whole digression: it truly didn’t matter how well Dralistico fit because anyone in his spot seems to have a max upside of once-in-a-while tapings appearances. I take Khan at his word that this ROH project will include lucha libre appearances, but Flamita and Rey Horus aren’t exactly going to be getting their jobs back. And the next Flamita and Rey Horus aren’t either. They all may appear from time to time, but ROH in this form can’t be that sort of promotion, not unless they’re just going to pay people to pay people. (It also means a crowded AEW roster is going to stay crowded; there’s no moving someone over to a full time ROH spot if there is no full-time ROH work.)

ROH itself seems to be in about the same spot it was in 2021, existing as a short-term money loser in hopes of cashing in big via sale or TV contract down the line. Tony Khan’s love of Ring of Honor is going to cause him to stick with it a lot longer than Sinclair, but it’s fair to ask if running a second wrestling brand is the best use of his time when the primary one is going to have a very important year getting a TV deal. And no 2023 TV deal for ROH is a concerning sign for AEW’s own TV future; it clarifies that AEW’s success so far hasn’t convinced TV/streaming networks that anything Khan produces is immediately worth jumping on, and they could be similarly less enthused than expected when AEW’s own TV rights go on the market.

(AAA, which will likely be Spanish-focused, is probably dealing with a whole different selection of stations, and AEW/ROH’s ability or inability may not related directly to AAA’s hope of getting their own deal. Still, the overall environment for wrestling on US TV seems negative. If AAA has a chance at real AAA TV, as Dorian Roldan suggested a week ago, this news would make me more willing to take a ‘worse’ deal on paper rather than a wait for another offer that may not be out there)

The worst case is this lack of ROH TV deal is a turning point, a first disappointment signaling bigger ones to come. The best case is ROH TV on Honor Club keep some momentum to the product, and it does well enough to get bundled into that next AEW deal or spun out into its own deal sometime in the next 6-18 months. I’m more negative than I’m positive about this situation now, but then I’m almost always that.

Other news

Tamaulipas area luchador Sexy Fly (no name given, “about 30” years old) passed away Friday following a car accident. That name doesn’t show up in many posters, but he was listed as wrestling as recently as September.

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