Hechicero & Mistico in Leyenda de Azul final, Panther/UG, Pagano/AAA

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 11/22/2024 Arena México [AS, CMLL, Kaiser Sports, thecubsfan]
1) Full Metal, Pequeño Polvora, Rostro De Acero DQ Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito  
9:52. Excessive violence DQ against the Pierroth team as they beat up Rostro de Acero. Challenges continue to follow.
2) Capitán Suicida, Futuro, Max Star b Dark Magic, Espanto Jr., Raider  
13:25.
3) Persephone b Tessa Blanchard  
10:30.
4) Bárbaro Cavernario, Stuka Jr., Terrible b Dragón Rojo Jr., Templario, Volador Jr.  
6:50. Straight falls, with Volador and Templario friendly fire leading to the loss. Both argued post match, neither seemed to be the rudo.
5) Hechicero & Místico b Soberano Jr., Esfinge, Blue Panther, Euforia, Star Black, Averno, Ángel de Oro, Gran Guerrero [Leyenda de Azul, semifinal]  
Star Black (via Hechicero, 16:02), Angel de Oro (via Mistico, 19:44), Averno (via Blue Panther, 21:13), Blue Panther (via Hechicero, 22:26), Euforia (via DQ for unmasking Hechicero, 24:13), Esfinge (via Gran Guerrero, 26:41), Gran Guerrero (via Mistico, 28:13), Soberano Jr. (via Hechicero, 33:28) leaving Hechicero and Mistico to advance to next week’s final. They fought more post match.

The cibernetico was good, if not spectacular. It’s more challenging for those to stand out with CMLL running them at least monthly. This one drifted into the nonsensical three-way fighting near the end (Soberano and Mistico were left on the same team but tried pinning each other). There was a fun rollup sequence if you’re willing to ignore that. Hechicero deciding to betray Soberano before Soberano could do the same was a surprising way to end it. Hechicero is last year’s Leyenda de Azul winner and the only story CMLL’s told about this match is how Mistico hasn’t won’t it yet. Check that one off on Friday.

The semi-main was barely a match. Volador and Templario were arguing about who would start the match (it ended up being Dragon Rojo.) I don’t know that having Volador do a singles match before the Pac match is a great idea; he’s not moving so great. It’s not so obvious that everyone’s noticed, but he’s not 100% (and Templario would probably be the better pick for a match with Pac right now.)

Persephone/Tessa wasn’t quite as exciting as the previous match between them, but it was a surprise how good Persephone did. This was a win and a definite win. I’m still doubtful Persephone is winning that tournament on 12/13 but it would be foolish to totally rule it out. CMLL’s positioning Persephone as the Stephanie Vaquer replacement with these wins, and getting her international exposure would help with that. That still is more NJPW’s decision than CMLL and it’s less certain what they’re looking for in a CMLL luchadora.

(NJPW put up a card update this weekend for the 01/05 show, which had some mild annoyance from CMLL fans about the lack of CMLL wrestlers announced so far. Mistico will eventually be on that car and possibly others, but they were always going to be later additions – NJPW doesn’t put CMLL wrestlers in big matches on their big shows.)

Capitan Suicida did the flying and was pretty great at it, but Raider was as good as or better at it working with him. Everyone who watches all these CMLL shows knows he’s good, and yet he still feels underrated because he’s down in match 2 teaming with Ola Negra. If NJPW gives him an opening on FantasticaMania, he will turn heads.

The opener was status quo on the minis. Wednesday is the bodybuilding contest – streaming probably around noon for free on YouTube – which means this week’s Informa will probably be heavy on the results for that show. Maybe they’ll sneak in the remaining 12/13 matches (perhaps those two things will be linked.) There probably won’t be room for a minis match announcement until the following week, and this hold pattern should continue.

CMLL (SAT) 11/23/2024 Arena Coliseo [CMLL, thecubsfan]
1) Leono b Sangre Imperial [lightning]
8:32
2) Draego, Hunter, Infarto b Astral, Diamond, Legendario
13:35
3) Lluvia & Princesa Sugehit b Reyna Isis & Zeuxis
13:23
4) Felino Jr., Hijo de Stuka Jr., Hijo del Villano III b Brillante Jr., Hijo de Blue Panther, Hijo del Pantera
18:10
5) Villano III Jr. b Star Jr.
11:02
6) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Octagón DQ Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
16:40. UG fouled Panther, who wanted a singles match next week. UG praised Blue Panther as the best wrestler from the area, but wanted a hair match.

Blue Panther and Ultimo Guerrero have both been in CMLL for the last two decades, have largely been healthy, have largely been on opposite sides, and rarely actually wrestle. They’ve been in the same match four times this year, and three of them were teaming. (One was Homenaje a Dos Leyendas.) They had a run of singles match in 2004 and another 2008, and they haven’t had a singles match in CMLL since then. Neither of them are wrestling many singles matches at this point.

Star Jr./Villano III Jr. didn’t have the big Villano III crowd support he did in Arena Mexico, so that just seems like an inconsistent thing. The more normal crowd made it all the more shocking when he actually won. It did not get the ovation it would’ve gotten against Flip Gordon. It’s his biggest singles victory he’s had since coming to CMLL. The match itself was a little less than hoped; it really picked up in the third fall but that tells you about the first two. A criticism I had of Star Jr. was it felt like all his big moves were other people’s moves he was also doing. That springboard code red he’s using as a finish now feels like his own thing.

The tercera was a lot of fast moving action, and pretty fun for that. Hijo del Pantera continues to do different fun things than the guys who’ve come up just through CMLL, and Stuka and Villano were a good duo. I recommend that one stronger than the V3/Star match if you’ve only got time for one.

Not much else to it. The women’s match was not a great effort, especially in fall 3. Octagon is listed in CMLL’s graphic as “Luchador profesional”, same as Hijo del Pantera.

CMLL (SUN) 11/24/2024 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Grako b Inquisidor [lightning]
2) Eléctrico, Principe Daniel, Retro b Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
3) Crixus, Kráneo, Vegas b Fuego, Valiente Jr., Volcano
4) Hera, Sanely, Zeuxis b Kira, La Catalina, Princesa Sugehit
5) Titán b Magia Blanca
said to be a great match
6) Ángel de Oro, Hechicero, Soberano Jr. b Flip Gordon, Máscara Dorada, Volador Jr.

Titan/Magia Blanca will air on 12/05, if it airs.

11/10 CMLL matches:

• Dragon de Fuego & Legendario vs Los Calaveras
• Reyna Isis vs Persephone
• Atlantis Jr., Star Jr., Templario vs Gran Guerrero, Hechicero, Stuka Jr.

That first match is notable because fall 2 ends with the tecnicos getting DQed for throwing one Calavera out of the ring onto the other one. It’s been years since I’ve seen that as a DQ and it didn’t seem like anyone in the match knew that rule existed except Olimpico. I would’ve guess they quietly dropped it.

CMLL (TUE) 11/26/2024 Arena México
1) Aéreo vs Acero [lightning]
2) El Audaz, Eléctrico, Robin vs Disturbio, Enfermero Jr., Nitro
3) India Sioux, Kira, Skadi vs Metálica, Reyna Isis, Zeuxis
4) Xelhua vs Guerrero Maya Jr.
5) Explosivo, Fugaz, Star Black vs Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
6) Dragón Rojo Jr., Máscara Dorada, Templario vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Soberano Jr., Terrible

Xelhua/Cavernario is the draw here. Unlike the title match, it’s a three-fall match. Asking Fugaz, among others, to wrestle a half-day before the big bodybuilding contest is rough. (That’ll stream at noon on Wednesday. I probably won’t put up a post until afterwards.)

Acero/Aereo is a first-time singles match between long-time tag partners. They’ve also been left out of the minis feud so far, along with Fantasy and Mercurio. The result might indicate if those four are getting added or if this is strictly a four-team trios feud.

Zeuxis told La Aficon there’s still misogyny in lucha libre, though is happy with the progress CMLL women have made.

Gran Guerrero mentions he’s currently working on getting his US work visa. He’s seen his brother wrestle in the US for years and wants to do some of that too.

MLW announced Okumura & Kojima versus Minoru Suzuki & Ikuro Kwon for the MLW Tag Team championship on their 12/05 show. They’ve also added Hechicero and Averno to 01/11 near Dallas show. There are now 10 CMLL wrestlers announced for that show.

AAA

In the version of Guerra de Titanes that AAA aired in Mexico, Pagano didn’t show up in front of the crowd until his title match. Unimas aired a Pagano/Dorian Roldan in-ring worked shoot segment from earlier in the night. I guess they couldn’t fit in live and it wouldn’t make sense to air after, but it was also a pretty big promo. Roldan started the segment, talking about how he was “giving” Pagano a mega championship match against Alberto tonight. AAA cut to Pagano interrupting, berating Roldan for lying to the Juarez people. Pagano said he was only getting this shot because someone else got hurt. Pagano said this was not a storyline – using those words and more – and that he’d been asking Roldan for a title match and singles matches for years, and Roldan has refused. Pagano quoted Roldan as telling Pagano that both he and Psycho Clown were the new La Parkas, good for drawing children but not for anything beyond that, and the title matches were for other people. Pagano clearly sees that as immensely frustrating and feels disrespected by the idea Roldan was ‘giving’ him anything – he’s worked hard on every house, he sacrificed time with his family, he’s earned all that he’s got. Roldan tried to respond, but his microphone was off – I think the idea was the loyal Juarez production crew turned off his mic, but it’s AAA, so it’s hard to be sure it wasn’t just a gaffe. Pagano did a great job of conveying his genuine emotions, though obviously, this was part of a storyline since it turned up on AAA TV. I’m glad it turned up on Unimas; it’s a miss; AAA didn’t tack it on to YouTube upload.

The Pagano/Alberto match and the Tokyo Bad Boy/Hermindad match aired. That was in for week 1. AAA seems to be squeezing out three weeks of Guerra de Titanes. They can easily get two more weeks out of the five matches left to air and Vampiro’s retirement match.

Space had part of one of the Dia del Muertos-themed Showcenter events. It’s weird to see that scenery turn up in late November, but AAA’s focus was trying to draw a crowd for that show and not how out-of-date it would look on TV. These Showcenter cards tend to offer nothing notable in match quality or plot development. This episode was no different, and next week’s episode seems the same.

• La Fashion & Sexy Andre beating Rey Sultan & Valdez Jr. (name missing from the results) wasn’t much. La Fashion didn’t stand out as much in this match.
  • La Fashion later told Mas Lucha Jr. that he was hoping to pick up more AAA dates, but had not heard back from them. He also noted that he was now banned from working CMLL shows, which always seems to catch luchadors by surprise when they work these Showcenter cards – I guess they don’t consider it real AAA TV work either.
• Drago won a three way match. There was a fun match to be had with him and Epyidemus Jr., who looked the best so far on these shows. It appears as if AAA has to book Antifaz del Norte on every one of these shows. He was assigned to this match and not a positive inclusion.
• Psycho Circus versus Galeno del Mal, Pierroth Jr. and new Taurus was a low effort house show match.

The Showcenter has added risers to the seats on the stage, which surely helps the view for the people paying prices to sit up there.

Other News

AEW announced The Beast Mortos for the Blue block of their Continental Classic. There were no CMLL (or NJPW or any outside) wrestlers included, as expected. Mortos is there to have good matches, lose most of the time, and upset someone to make the math work.

Mortos is in a block with Kazuchika Okada, which will be a talking point for Mexican wrestling fans who talk about it on the internet once they figure it out. A big pain point for Mexican fans of CMLL is how the top NJPW wrestlers (the heavyweights) never come to Mexico to face the Mexicans. Tanahashi did, but Okada didn’t, Ospreay didn’t, Omega didn’t, Jay White didn’t – and if they do show up, they generally face the CMLL wrestlers in trios matches. (This gets blamed on CMLL booking, though it is consistent with how NJPW views and books CMLL wrestlers – look against at Wrestle Dynasty.) Okada’s not a NJPW wrestler, he’s an AEW wrestler now – same as Mortos. Still, seeing Mortos get the singles match the CMLL wrestlers have not gotten will frustrate some people.

Rey Fenix will do a lucha libre seminar on Thursday at Penta’s Arena del Valle. He hasn’t been seen around wrestling since AEW stopped booking the Lucha Brothers, though he’s believed to still be under contract with AEW. I’ve presumed that Penta’s AEW’s contract has expired – that seems right based on the timeline from when Lucha Brothers going to WWE originally came up – but it hasn’t officially been reported anywhere. (Maybe that’s what Fightful is teasing today.)

Segunda Caida writes about a 2009 GALLI show. I think I have that DVD around here somewhere.

A profile of Oaxaca’s Aguila Negra, who’s trying to wrestle in Mexico City.