Since Cubs won’t be covering Velocity this week, here’s you Josh and Cat exchange of the week:

Josh: [talking about Kurt Angle’s neck surgery]
Cat: When are we going to hear about your surgery?
Josh: What are you talking about, Cat?
Cat: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

I’ve missed the last 2 weeks of CMLL since my source is out of town. Bastard.

Funny tidbit from this week’s Figure 4: Some fans in Mexico are quite unhappy about Mr. Niebla beating Universo for the world heavyweight title, because they feel he’s too young and didn’t deserve the belt. Could Mexican fans be any different from Americans?

CMLL.com news:

– There’s a kids day show on 04/30 – with GdI still out of town, it doesn’t look that great. They’re bringing back Mil Mascaras for another main event trios, teaming with Vamp and Atlantis agianst Pierroth, Black Tiger and (no longer fired?) Tarzan Boy. Ignoring a wretched looking semi-final, there’s a minis mask vs mask match third from the top, as Mini Violencia takes on Mini Olimpico. They ran an angle at the last Mexico show to set that one up, and while from TV presence, you’d think Violencito would win the battle, it IS a kids day show after all. Then again, I hadn’t noticed Olimpicito showing up on a lot of cards as of late, so maybe he’s taking his money and going home? Hard to tell. Probably not tremendously important, either.

– Remember last year, where they said “Jushin Liger will be coming this summer”? The new story is that Ultimo Dragon will be coming back in May, and bringing some Toryumon guys with him. The plan is to have a Junior Grand Prix show on 5/9 (obviously, an early birthday celebration for me, and don’t think I don’t apperciate it), as mexico takes on Japan. At this time, the announced Japan side is Ultimo, CIMA, SUWA, FUJI, TARU (someone there probably got caps who really shouldn’t but better uppercase than sorry) and the CMLL based Japanesse Legion…but Masada and Nosawa may also be booked for MLW that day, so who knows.

We also don’t know if it’s a one fall matches, and if they’re of any length, and if any of it will make it to air and blah blah blah. I do know that it’ll be pretty cool if it does happen and I’ll tremendously overrate matches.

Lucha Times is up. The GALA preview seems to indicate that they’ll be skipping an episode. Actually, the most effective way to catch up to the old delay would be airing ‘new’ episodes on both Saturday and Sunday for the time being, and they could be doing that, but there’s no assurances of that. If your’e a person who absolutely must see ever show, I’d check that Saturday show just to be sure.

Hey Joe, how was last week’s TV? Still haven’t watched it…

I keep forgetting to mention this:

Over on CRZ’s Wienerboard, poster HomerJFong has put up two really nice lucha related posts. There’s a list of his most favorite 10/11 matches of all time, and a review of a CMLL show, circa 9/13/97.

It’s really good, if you’re like me and want to get a little bit of an idea of what to start with with the older stuff you know little about. The first thread is closed (time), but the second one should still be open for comments.

In a time of 11 minutes flat, Ultimo Guerrero and Rey Bucanero d. Jado and Gedo via Ulitmo’s Guerrero Speical (I think – that’s what it sounds like anyway), notching their first NJPW win. Good for them.

For humor’s sake, here is the recap of the match, via babelfish:
—

< Referee: Black * cat >
Mecca ƒ‹ƒ`ƒƒƒ^ƒbƒO first victory.
Bu gold Ro and the ƒQƒŒ?[ƒ? which from opening make the meeting place grow with skillful connection skill and continuation of dogfight. But it is the original IWGP tag champion and either the noted wicked road * outside road has not been defeated as the tag team whose T 2000 is black. It manages freely from submission to rough shooting method and hurt attaches the ƒ‹ƒ`ƒƒƒ`?[ƒ€. But outside it tries to acquire conclusion with the super fly the ƒQƒŒ?[ƒ? raised the road and the sword mountain of the ƒqƒU became opportunity, end decided ƒQ ray Ro, the proud skill avalanche type reverse bus tar (the ƒQƒŒƒ?ƒXƒyƒVƒƒƒ‹) with at a stroke. The Mexican tag team became first victory since new day mat participating.

—

Bu gold Ro is “Rey Bucanero’s name does not translate well – but not as bad as box guy over there”.

(Super Crazy lost, but such is life.)

– New CMLL World Heavyweight Champion – Mr. Niebla! He beat Universo 2000 for the title, which had held since 1999, on the 4/18 Arena Mexico show. That might have been the longest running heavyweight title reign, though it wasn’t as if Universo was defending more than once every 3 months for as long as I’ve been waching. No more double titles for Universo.
– Rayo de Jalisco Jr. probably returns in Tijuana on 4/25.
– The match Rayo was injuried in was a WWA Title defense vs Mascara Ano 2000, who is pointing out that Rayo was certiantly out of the ring for 20 seconds and HE should be the new champion. Rematch to come, surely.
– The first two matches of Nueveo Guapos have been loses, with the last one causing an angry Shocker to leave alone. Would they spend all this time finding a third member to break them up within a month? Eh.
– It didn’t work out any better for Rey and Ultimo individually, as they both ended up taking the losses for their teams on NJPW 4/22 show:

3. Koji Kanemoto, Jado & Gedo beat Heat, Tiger Mask 4 & Ultimo Guerrero (13:45) when Jado used the Crossface of JADO on Guerrero.
4. AKIRA, Azteca & Super Crazy beat Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru Fujita & Rey Bucanero (10:38) when AKIRA used a musasabi body press on Bucanero.

Stuart (who, again, is my source for all of this and you should be checking out his site already) mentioned some comments on GdI’s lack of wins and if it may be turning around soon. They face Jado and Gedo tonight, while Super Crazy will team with Dan Devine against Takashi Iizuka and Masahito Kakihara. I’m guessing an 0-3 for CMLL guys.

Anyone got some access to a good lucha results archive (older than the 3 months that KrisZ’s latest version has going) – like perhaps Robert Bihari posted all those results someplace that didn’t get deleted? I’m working on something dumb and it’d help…

I posted something Friday, but I think it got ate. Oh well, I’ll try again:

– Ray Mendoza, long time luchador and father of the Villanos, died this past week. La Arena has a detailed obit.
– Last Sunday, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. severely hurt himself on a botched tope (his feet got caught in the ropes, and he went down head first. Inital reports sounded bad, but the last word as that he was doing better. He did check out of the hopsital, but is out of action for at least two weeks and maybe more.
– CMLL.com is pushing an Infenales/Japanesse Legion fued.
– Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero and Super Crazy are currently on the previously aluded to NJPW tour. Their results, via Strong Style Spirit:

4/18 (taped):
– AKIRA, Heat, Tiger Mask 4 & Super Crazy beat El Samurai, Minoru Fujita , Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero (12:58) when Tiger used a flying back cradle on Fujita.
4/19 (taped):
– El Samurai & Minoru Fujita beat Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero (11:48) when Samurai used a chickenwing armlock on Bucanero.
– Masahiro Chono & Hiroyoshi Tenzan beat Mike Barton & Super Crazy (12:54) when Chono used a Yakuza kick on Crazy.
4/21
– Masahito Kakihara & Super Crazy beat Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero (9:42) when Crazy used an inside cradle on Guerrero.

Upcoming schedule:
4/22
– Koji Kanemoto, Jado & Gedo vs. Heat, Tiger Mask 4 & Ultimo Guerrero
– Jushin Thunder Liger, Minoru Fujita & Rey Bucanero vs. AKIRA, Azteca & Super Crazy
4/23 (tape)
– Jado & Gedo vs. Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero

I should note that I mean the show is taped – I don’t know enough to say that those matches will ever be aired. Looks like GdI are being used as enhancement talent, which does seem about part for the course for new people into the promotion.

You know what would be cool? This tour wraps on 4/29. NJPW is doing a pair of shows on 5/1 and 5/2 at the Tokyo Dome. The 5/2 show is already booked, but with a lot of people who wouldn’t normally be on NJ shows, leaving a lot of talent moved to the 5/1 show instead. The 5/1 show hasn’t been booked yet (or the bookings haven’t been announced), but they’ve done a little bit where some American trainees of Inoki want to be on the show. One of those trainees is American Dragon. At the same time, it’s only a couple extra days, so there’s no real reason they couldn’t have the guys from the tour stick around…

Basically I’m hoping that magically, we get Rey/Ultimo vs American Dragon/ANYONE. Because I’d really like to pay to watch that one.