(the end of 2023 Tapatia awards voting is closing in a few days, vote now)
This post is the annual summary of hundreds of hours of work building and maintaining a database of every known Mexico and lucha libre event in the past year. You can see the complete win/loss records and other data on this Google Sheet. As always, these numbers will change slightly due to corrections, duplications, and video channels posting of shows six months after they take place.
Shows for each year, over the last ten. (Number in parenthesis indicates the change since I ran these numbers a year ago – ‘new’ shows discovered or duplicates removed.)
Year Count (last ten years)
2014 5591 (+2)
2015 6424
2016 7117
2017 6108
2018 6344
2019 6922
2020 2161
2021 4001 (+1)
2022 6162 (+24)
2023 6135
It’s good to run the numbers. If you had asked me, I would’ve said for sure I had significantly fewer posters from 2023 compared to 2022. Alfredo moved on from LuchaWorld and there were always at least a dozen posters he’d find a week that I wouldn’t. I did enough tracking during the year where I could identify which venues went missing and tracked down some of them. Some of the increase was also just more shows running the farther we’re out from COVID; January 2022 was a quiet month due to outbreaks and there wasn’t anything similar in 2023. At any rate, it’s about the same.
Events Actually Added To LuchaDB In During The Year (No Matter What Year They Happened)
2015: 11,525
2016: 9,771
2017: 8,628
2018: 9,678
2019: 7,692
2020: 5,899
2021: 12,306
2022: 10,361
2023: 9,331
That number is down and probably will be going farther down. I had bigger numbers in the years where I was mowing through newspaper archives for old results, and I haven’t been able to find new sources. I am getting a few from the old Box y Luchas as they get posted, but I don’t expect I’ll have a full 3000 extra.
Most Matches
2008: Ultimo Guerrero (228)
2009: La Parka Jr. (211)
2010: Mistico (204)
2011: Último Guerrero & La Mascara (188)
2012: Último Guerrero (189)
2013: Último Guerrero (205)
2014: Atlantis (215)
2015: Atlantis (207)
2016: Atlantis (217)
2017: Último Guerrero & Psycho Clown (204)
2018: Último Guerrero (205)
2019: Caristico (223)
2020: Joe Lider (67)
2021: Psycho Clown (138)
2022: Psycho Clown (158)
2023: Mistico (195)
195 matches is a lot of matches. Again, all these stats are dependent on shows I notice enough to add to the database, and even not all shows have listed matches. It’s also dependent on what shows I decide are lucha libre mexicana, a semi-arbitrary and flawed process. Mistico returning to top is about how much he’s working, and Psycho Clown taking a little more time off.
There were 50 wrestlers were recorded as having at least 100 matches. (Stephanie Vaquer and Blue Rocket Jr. from Torreon came in at exactly 100 matches.) That’s up from 42 last year. 10 wrestlers had 150 or more matches:
196 Mistico
171 Jessy Ventura
165 Panterita/Mascara Dorada
162 Pig Destroyer
161 Volador Jr.
159 Ultimo Guerrero
158 Pig Destructor
158 Diva Salvaje
157 Atlantis Jr.
153 La Fashion
I’ve never connected the Pigs to their non-Pig gimmicks, so those numbers would be slightly higher.
Looking through all of this, my big realization is I need to automate the “Primary Name” field on this database, because I’m not really doing a great job of fixing them myself. (Hombre Bala Jr. is still Drone.)
Most Wins
2008: Blue Panther (97)
2009: Mistico (110)
2010: Mistico (128)
2011: Último Guerrero (90)
2012: Atlantis (93)
2013: La Mascara (102)
2014: Atlantis (99)
2015: Volador Jr. (113)
2016: Volador Jr. (120)
2017: Volador Jr. (120)
2018: Caristico (115)
2019: Caristico (126)
2020: Caristico (37)
2021: Mistico/Carisico (68)
2022: Mistico (83)
2023: Mistico (113)
This is where I annually note the “most” categories are usually CMLL names because CMLL runs a lot and reports six shows of results a week. Some indie shows around Mexico City turn up with results, but it’s rare we get much of any information on other shows.
Diva Salvaje, between AAA and the indies, had 48 known wins. Psycho Clown, who usually leads this among AAA wrestlers had 38.
Most Losses
2008: Averno (84)
2009: Negro Casas (86)
2010: Negro Casas (75)
2011: La Mascara (72)
2012: Último Guerrero (79)
2013: Último Guerrero (84)
2014: Último Guerrero (82)
2015: Último Guerrero (80)
2016: Último Guerrero (91)
2017: Último Guerrero (92)
2018: Último Guerrero (99)
2019: Mephisto (91)
2020: Stuka (29)
2021: Toxin (38)
2022: Volador Jr. (58)
2023: Volador Jr. (65)
Back to back “wins” for Volador Jr. is unprecedented for someone wrestling as a tecnico. He had a normal win percentage (56%), so it’s an effect of just wrestling a lot. The first non-CMLL person on the list is Hellboy, coming in at 59 losses. Jessy Ventura had 34 losses, Abismo Negro Jr. at 32.
I’ve noted here that Demonio Infernal and Fresero Jr. have had a lot of draws in the last couple of years. I may need to make a category, because it’s a hotly competed award:
Most Draws/Non-Finishes in 2023
12 Pig Destroyer
12 Pig Destructor
11 Fresero Jr.
10 Pig Pool
10 Demonio Infernal
Best Win % (with at least 10 known results)
2008: Psycho Clown & Zombie Clown (100%)
2009: Psycho Circus (100%)
2010: Tondar (GDL) (100%)
2011: Mini Monster Clown (90%)
2012: Rayo de Oro (Guatemala) (97%)
2013: Tinieblas Jr. (90%)
2014: William Rock/Pequeno Violencia (92%)
2015: Súper Muñeco (93%)
2016: Huracán Ramírez (85%)
2017: Huracán Ramírez (90%)
2018: Tinieblas Jr. (91%)
2019: Microman (87%)
2020: Muerte Extrema (90%)
2021: Estrella de Jalisco I (2021) (90%)
2022: Octagón (88%)
2023: Tinieblas Jr. (93%)
Tinieblas Jr. went 14-1, plus 26 matches where he was announced but no results was recorded. Alberto el Patron is right behind with 11-2 (and 19 unknowns.) Guadalajara’s Adrenalina went 29-6 (6 unknowns), most of that in his home arena. Micro Gemelo Diablo II went 32-9 among those full time on the CMLL roster.
This is a good point for a list of names I typed in lineups many times and almost never found out how they did:
most matches without recorded results
130: La Fashion (+23 matches w/a results)
129: Zonik of Torreon (+4)
112: Cronos of Veracruz (0 results)
106: Hellboy of Veracruz (0 results)
99: Blue Rocket of Torreon (1 result; he lost!)
Worst loss % (with at least 10 known results)
2008: Carrona (0%)
2009: Espectrito (0%)
2010: Metailk II (GDL) (11%)
2011: Akron (13%)
2012: Mini Talisman (8%)
2013: Estrella De Fuego (5%)
2014: Psicosis I/Nicho el Millionario (0%)
2015: Lady Shani (5%)
2016: Nahual (Morelos) (10.53%)
2017: Pitbull I (Jalisco) & Flayer Boy (9%)
2018: Rey Muerte (Guerrero) (0%)
2019: Mije (0%)
2020: La Guerrera (CMLL) (0%)
2021: Quca (0%)
2022: Guapito (0%)
2023: Zuzu Divine, el Jabali, Gran Kenut (0%),
Zuzu Divine (0-10) is a Hidalgo-based luchadora who wrestles in Mexico City a bit and traveled internationally in 2023. She had 34 unknown matches so she surely won at some point. Jabali & Kenut are Arena Coliseo Guadalajara locals, though more the types that appear more often on the bonus Sunday shows.
Fuerza Guerrera went 2-19 (19 unknown) among people who spent any time on the main CMLL roster. Zacarias went 4-18 among those who are regulars. WilliemMack went 3-10 and Parka Negra went 6-18, not sure which of them better counts as an AAA regular.
top 10 states with the most events
738 Estado de México
604 Coahuila
521 Distrito Federal
519 Jalisco
509 Puebla
484 Veracruz
347 Chihuahua
316 Tamaulipas
290 Hidalgo
272 Nuevo León
About the same as 2022. Jalisco and CDMX change spots from last year. Veracruz & Puebla the same. Chihuahua is way up, Nuevo Leon returned to it’s pre-COVID numbers and Texas is way down. I think that might mean more Texas as a personal blind spot more than the scene changing.
Events by arena
159 Arena México
98 Arena Naucalpan
84 Arena México Rayos de Plata, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
74 Arena Roberto Paz, Guadalajara, Jalisco
68 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
67 Arena Olimpico Laguna, Gomez Palacio, Durango
62 Arena Aficion
59 Arena San Francisco, Tultepec, Estado de México
58 Arena Mezquital, Apodaca, Nuevo Leon
56 Deportivo 11 de Julio, Pachuca, Hidalgo
Arena Rayos de Plata was one of those arenas that Alfredo was usually finding. I tracked down their Facebook in the fall and discovered they’d actually started running twice a week. The Monterrey Commission has backed off some of its control of lucha libre in that city, but many shows that might have been at Arena Femenil or elsewhere seem to have migrated to Arena Mezquital.
Most Matches on AAA TV Tapings
15 Sam Adonis
15 Octagon Jr.
14 Hijo del Vikingo
14 Negro Casas
14 Psycho Clown
AAA is running fewer TV tapings, so there are fewer TV matches to be had. Taurus wrestled 21 matches in 2022 (the most), and 11 in 2023.
Most Matches in CMLL-owned buildings (Arena Mexico/Coliseo/Guadalajara/Puebla)
135 Volador Jr.
124 Mistico
119 Panterita del Ring Jr./Mascara Dorada
109 Titan
109 Angel de Oro
Titan getting that high even with some Japanese work is a busy man. La Jarochita looks to be top woman this year at 68 matches. Pierrothito had 50 matches among the minis. Micro Gemelo Diablo is top Micro at 38 matches. All are missing a few matches from unadvertised private shows.
The difference in exposure between these two major promotions is immense.
Most Arena Naucalpan matches
80 Hellboy
65 Spider Fly
59 Hijo de Canis Lupus
56 Aguila Roja
55 Noisy Boy
Tonalli is right behind at 51 despite going to CMLL for a moment. Puma de Oro is behind him at 46 despite quitting for a while
Most Friday night Arena Mexico appearances
39 Místico
38 Volador Jr.
31 Templario
31 Ángel de Oro
30 Titán
La Jarochita appeared to most of the women at 24. Pierrothito had 13 appearances. None of the micros made more than 2 appearances wrestling. Mije and Zacarias probably made the most Friday night appearances if you count standing in the corner.