CMLL
CMLL (MON) 01/30/2023 Arena Puebla [Porra Fresa]
1) Astro, Black Tiger, Hijo de Centella Roja b Dark Soul, Espíritu Maligno, Sombra Diabólika 
2) El Perverso, Hijo del Perverso, Prayer b Hombre Bala Jr., Neón, Robin
Rudos got the win – and then Prayer & Perverso demanded a shot at the Arena Coliseo tag team titles held by Bala & Robin. Champs accepted.
3) Amapola, Hera, Olympia b La Jarochita, Lluvia, Marcela
Tecnicas wan a rematch
4) Atlantis Jr. b Gran Guerrero
moved down a spot. Atlantis took 2/3, then challenged Gran Guerrero to one more fall for the masks. Gran Guerrero made like he accepted, but fled after he was quickly pinned
5) Ángel de Oro, Panterita del Ring Jr., Soberano Jr., Titán b Dragón Rojo Jr., Oráculo, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
moved up a spot. Orcaulo used the ropes to beat Angel de Oro.
Locals challenging for CMLL titles is usually fun. Unclear if the women’s match was meant to be setting up a tag title match, and maybe the vagueness is intentional given Friday’s title match. The fourth match bit is a usual Arena Puebla trope that hasn’t been done in a while. Attendance here is back to normal levels after being up following the time switch.
CMLL (TUE) 01/31/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Full Metal, Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia b Acero, Aéreo, Fantasy 
7:37
2) Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Inquisidor b Astral, Cachorro, Sangre Imperial
10:32
3) Disturbio, Enfermero Jr., Raider b Fuego, Oro Jr., Valiente Jr.
12:27
4) Virus b Stigma [lightning]
7:02
5) Ángel de Oro, Dark Panther, Guerrero Maya Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr. b Hijo del Villano III, Misterioso Jr., Oráculo, Rey Bucanero
12:08. Angel de Oro snuck in a foul on Oraculo
6) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto © b Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black [CMLL TRIOS]
13:12. 1st defense
The main event felt shorter than that; Fuerza Tapatia never really got that one big moment where they could win the title. The match just didn’t progress that far along. It was fine to that point. This show went long for a Tuesday show (2h12m), longer than Friday’s show, and it still felt like a couple matches got shorted on time. It may just be like this with the lightning match back.
You know, I never really thought much about “Raider” as a name. Maybe a pirate name, maybe he just saw a NFL game, didn’t seem to matter. It was a lot clearer Tuesday night: Raider is probably Raider because the Monterrey-born luchador is a big fan of the local soccer team nicknamed Rayados.
CMLL (TUE) 01/31/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara]
1) Avispón Negro Jr., Celeste, Johnny Dinamo b Infierno, Ponzoña Jr., Temerario 
2) Exterminador, Javier Cruz Jr., Maléfico b Atilus, Maximus, Rey Urano
3) Cosmos, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito b Mercurio, Pierrothito, Raven
4) Gallero b Crixus
5) Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. b Barboza, Draego, Persa
6) Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono DQ Diamond, Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
Depredadores unmasked Halcon Negro (returning from injury) for the DQ
7) Espíritu Negro, Explosivo, Rey Cometa b Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado
Explosivo replaced Dulce Gardenia
The arena had lots of streaming problems all night – the show was broken up into three files, and the finishes in the top two matches were lost due to buffering issues. They have reuploaded shows that had issues in the past, but this didn’t seem like one you needed to see anyway.
CMLL (SAT) 02/04/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Bengala & Retro vs Dr. Karonte II & Príncipe Odín Jr.
2) Eléctrico, Leono, Robin vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Nitro
3) Hombre Bala Jr. vs Arkalis [lightning]
4) Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus vs El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora
5) Titán, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Dragón Rojo Jr., Niebla Roja
Volador replaced Mistico (double booked) a few hours after the lineup was posted
6) Stuka Jr. © vs Atlantis Jr. [NWA LH]
7th defense, first in over a year
I was waiting for that title match to happen all last year and it never did. Maybe Atlantis wins the title now, maybe Stuka gets a win back (and Atlantis still aims for the Gran Guerrero heavyweight title.) Like all Arena Coliseo shows, this match appears to be taped but isn’t aired anywhere I can record.
CMLL (SUN) 02/05/2023 Arena México
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I, Micro Gemelo Diablo II, Micro Sagrado vs Átomo, Chamuel, Micro Ángel
2) Shockercito vs Mercurio [lightning]
3) La Magnifica, La Vaquerita, Skadi vs La Seductora, Reyna Isis, Tiffany
4) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
5) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado
6) Atlantis Jr., Titán, Volador Jr. vs Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
Match 4 is a rematch from last week.
CMLL (SUN) 02/05/2023 Arena Puebla
1) Asturiano, Black Tiger, Hijo de Centella Roja vs Dark Soul, Hijo del Perverso, Sombra Diabólika
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit vs Amapola, Hera, Olympia
3) Hombre Bala Jr. & Robin © vs Perverso & Prayer [Arena Coliseo TAG]
4th defense
4) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
5) Guerrero Maya Jr., Místico, Stigma vs Averno, Euforia, Hechicero
This is the special Sunday show, moved a day early due to a holiday on Monday, with a 5 pm start. It’s billed as a one time thing, though I’m sure they’ll be watching to see how it does on a different day. Arena Puebla shows during the LLI/EMLL era were on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays and settled on Mondays only in the mid-90s after the LLI went away (and fans said they preferred Monday shows.)
CMLL revealed the eight teams for the Torneo Increidble de Parejas during Tuesday’s Arena Mexico stream:
- Volador Jr. & Rocky Romero
- Mistico & Averno
- Titan & Dragon Rojo Jr.
- Soberano Jr. & Templario
- Atlantis Jr. & Gran Guerrero
- Angel de Oro & Oraculo
- Atlantis & Ultimo Guerrero
- Kraneo & Volcano
Quarterfinals and semifinals on 02/10, finals on 02/17. Recent booking heavily suggests the final will be Volador Jr. & Rocky Romero vs Angel de Oro & Orcaulo, though CMLL’s thrown a couple of curveballs this year.
CMLL Informa has Satanico & Blue Panther (Torneo de Escuelas), Volcano & Kraneo (Torneo Increidble de Parejas), Angel de Oro (Oraculo), Atlantis Jr. (Stuka Jr.), Guerrero Maya Jr. and Stigma (not sure.)
CMLL Informa will also announce the full 24 person field for the Torneo de Escuelas. I will write about it more on Friday. Black Tiger was interviewed by Heraldo de Puebla regarding this tournament and was asked why more Puebla wrestlers didn’t make it to Mexico City. He believes the big factors were Puebla wrestlers needed to adjust to wrestling in Mexico City, and many struggled or are unwilling to do so. He also feels the local Puebla scene has declined because there are people teaching wrestling who don’t have the knowledge to do so, saying 60-65% who tried out for last November’s wrestling exam weren’t prepared to do the basics.
AAA
AAA posted a preview of their Space show, mentioning the Negro Casas debut will air this Saturday.
No sign of Rey del Reyes on FITE. AAA hasn’t officially said anything, leaving fans confused and asking with no reply as always.
The taping after Rey de Reyes is the military base show on 02/11. No tickets will be sold, it’s just a giveaway for the military.
AAA TV (SAT) 02/11/2023 Ejercito Fuerza y Aerea, Naucalpan, Estado de México
1) Centinela, Drago, Drago Kid vs Chessman, Emperador Azteca, Reina Dorada
2) Dave The Clown & Murder Clown vs Kuuaki & Nishikawa
3) Aerostar & Aramis vs Antifaz del Norte & Parka Negra
4) Dalys & Taya vs Flammer & Maravilla
5) Vampiro & Willie Mack vs Puma King & Toscano
6) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón vs La Bestia Del Ring, Rey Escorpión, Rush
Drago’s back on TV for the first time in a year, and Antifaz, Toscano and Puma haven’t used much. AAA started a Willie Mack/Toscano feud on the Showcenter events and never followed up on it; they may want to just start that one from the beginning. Not sure who Centinela is and it’s weird to see Chessman working an opener. Maybe that’s connected and he (she?) is a Chessman trainee. Third match looks like the best hope for a good match but it’s a weak in-ring lineup.
Tickets went on sale for 03/19 Lucha Libre World Cup on Tuesday. Ticket prices are right in line with what AAA’s charging for TripleMania in Monterrey. Tijuana prices haven’t been announced but I’d figure the same.
Other Notes
LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.
Arena Aficion celebrated the 71st anniversary of it’s opening on Tuesday night. Rayo Jalisco Jr. and Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Blue Demon Jr. & Cibernetico by DQ. Results are from Criterio Hidalgo. Local reports have it as sell out, which would be around 2,500 fans.
Cassandro star Gael Garcia Bernal talked about his lucha libre training with Collider. Garcia Bernal talks about wrestling El Hijo del Santo, in what I assume is the wrestling climax of the movie. From the description, Santo decided to do some subtle stuff to prove lucha libre could really hurt if done purposefully. He was still protecting the business, even in a movie. Garcia Bernal talks Santo and his ability up in a way that he believed it and came out with a lot of respect for lucha libre. I am not a film critic or a movie knower, but the write-ups for this movie suggest it and Garcia Bernal are going to be in awards discussion this entire year. That may motivate Amazon to hold off releasing the movie until late in the year, the usual window for award-bait movies.
Hometown paper Criterio Hidalgo wrote about the 72 year history of Arena Aficion.
03/31 GCW Joey Janela’s Spring Break will have Speedball Mike Bailey vs HIjo del Vikingo. Tickets for that show have already sold out.
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