Day: January 14, 2008

CMLL CAN52 GdR #109

thecubsfan 1 Comment

CMLL CAN52 GdR #110, taped 12/14 and 12/26/07, aired 12/22

The minis match was good, but not as good as I’d hope it’d be by now. There still seemed to be unfamiliarity and lack of chemistry between the ex-AAA guys on both sides working with the CMLL minis. Atomo seems like a work in progress, and the huge size difference between the two teams is occasionally too much to swallow. Despite that, this definitely had it’s moments and I’m glad we’ll be seeing more of the minis, because they’ll keep working together better.

01/13: Coliseo, SLP, El Paso

thecubsfan 3 Comments

CMLL (SUN) 01/13 Arena Coliseo [CMLL, El Reforma via Jazzo]
1) Fire & Mini Skandalo b Bracito de Oro & Shockercito
2) Dr. X, Pólvora, Vaquero b Sensei, Tigre Blanco, Trueno
3) Fabián el Gitano, Flash, Metálico b Arkangel de la Muerte, Nitro, Skandalo
4) Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto DQ Felino, La Sombra, Máximo
5) Damián 666, el Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Mr. Águila b Dos Caras Jr., Marco Corelone, Volador Jr.

Main was all about Perro feuding with…Volador. Mistico had been listed in Marco Corelone’s spot earlier this week. Perro once again snuck in a low blow on a tecnico and covered him for the finish. Volador challenged Perro to a singles match next week, and it looks like it may happen.

Averno, Ephesto and Mephisto destroyed the tecnicos in the semimain, winning all three falls but getting DQed for excessive violence in the second.

Before the tercera, Loco Max, Hooligan, Dr. X, Nitro, Skandalo and Arkangel announced they’re dropping the Guerrero Pandilla name and are now Los Rebeldes. So I guess Hooligan is no longer the final one. Anyway, they announced the group and promptly lost. Way to go!

Tigre Blanco was taken to a hospital after getting hurt in his match, complaining about a headache, loss of memory and dizziness.

Mini Skandalo took Sombrita place. Since Sombrita is doing the gimmick of a former Sombra (and not the current one), it’d make since for him to switch gimmicks, but this looks like the same deal as the Mini Starman a while back: they were short a mini, and grabbed a guy and a spare mask to be a gimmick for a night.

The announced card for next week:

CMLL (SUN) 01/20 Arena Coliseo
1) Estallido & Relampago Azul vs Muerte Roja & Zargon
2) Molotov & Sensei vs Calígula & Méssala
3) Luna Magica, Marcela, Princesa Blanca vs Amapola, Hiroka, Rosa Negra
4) Felino, Máximo, Neutrón vs Ohara, Satánico, Shigeo Okumura
5) Alex Koslov, Marco Corelone, Rey Bucanero vs Héctor Garza, Mr. Águila, Texano Jr.

Volador/Perro will get added as a main event later in the week.

Note they’re back at Coliseo. I dunno. Things I also don’t know about: Rosa Negra’s a ruda again. Maybe they’re going to do a turn this time instead of having her just show up on the other side. Does Satanico ever team with his new pupils anymore?

(RFC) Super Fly will be out a month, after surgery to his right knee. Inevitable.

MBLW (SUN) 01/13 Arena Coliseo San Luis Potosi
1) Black Ventura & Sangre Guerrera vs Gemelo del Averno I & Gemelo del Averno II
2) Aranita, Bat Boy, Gacelak vs Alma Roja, Cuervo (SLP), Gavilan Jr.
3) Coscao Loco vs Apolo Star
4) Bogar, Imperial Jr., Warrior Star vs Cachorro, Demencia, Maligno

Coscao Loco is the SLP Cruiserweight Champion, and Apolo Star is the Welterweight champion, though neither is on the line.

Rayo de Plata (SUN) 01/13 Arena Mexico San Luis Potosi
1) Genesis, Saeta del Ring, Salome, Vision vs Dr. Satan, Leopardo, Tamahawk, Venom
2) Black Fantasy, Fuerza Maligna, Sabu Jr., Tiger boy vs Anticristo, Gato Salvaje, Poder Rojo, Turbo X
3) Cat Mortal, Dragon, Rayo de Plata Jr., Super Boy, Super Light vs Brujo Cosmico Jr., Futuro 2000, Lover Boy, Piscis, Sombra del Miserio

And they have two more matches! I think, if you are a luchadore in SLP on Sunday and you weren’t booked, life must suck.

AAA’s Dos de Tres Magazine #2 has La Parka Jr.

DELGADO (SUN) 01/13 El Paso, TX [Albert Cerda]
1) Reo II b Flash (El Paso)
2) Peluchin II & Punisher b Firebird & Fuego
3) Baby Juicy & Scorpio 2000 b Blue Man & El Guerrero
4) Epidemia, Galactico, Scorpio Jr. b Imposter Jr., NASCAR, Sexy Francis
5) Magno & Mystico DQ Cinta de Oro & Rey Escorpion

300 people at the show. Rey Escorpion yanked Mystico’s mask in the main event. Galactico pinned NASCAR in the semimain to set up a title match.

Black Warrior and Toscano gone from CMLL?

thecubsfan 8 Comments

RFC of lomejordelucha has heard Black Warrior and Toscano (formerly Tarzan Boy) have left CMLL.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Toscano’s been suspended from CMLL since his no-shows right before the end of the year double hair match. I believe the WON has been saying Toscano’s gone for six months, which seemed to me to be a stiff penalty. No-shows aren’t unusual in CMLL, but perhaps it was the proximity to a major show, or other things also going on. I have very limited knowledge of CMLL contracts, but I presume they’re just per date pay, and you’re get $0 from the company when you’re not being booked. If that’s accurate, Toscano really has no choice but to leave CMLL to get his own bookings; you can’t sit at home unpaid for six months. Toscano was already booked on the FMLL shows in LA and Chicago this weekend, and I’d guess he’d do more of these independent events and eventually head back to CMLL once this all blows over.

Black Warrior went AWOL for part of 2007, taking an unannounced vacation for a few months in the summer. There was never a big explanation when he came back; Warrior just apologized, thanked CMLL for giving him another shot, and pretty much immediately got his spot back (and got a mini.) I think (so I’m guessing from here on out) that actually might have been the problem; Warrior was stuck in one of those near top spots where you’re always around the main event, but always just rehashing the same feuds and never getting a new (money drawing) feud. For a guy whose put in a lot of effort to look important after the Mistico feud, it’s gotta be disappointing for the company not to match that effort. Maybe it’s just similar to Dr. Wagner, from the rudo side.

Assuming this isn’t a Park/Wagner thing, where people leave CMLL seemingly just to get a better spot back in CMLL a few months down the line, and Warrior is interested in going to AAA, AAA should rush to pick him up. I can’t immediately fantasy book where to put Warrior, but this is the perfect time for them to add a fresh top star and Warrior would fit. Warrior’s established his look enough that he probably would be fine getting by as Jesus Toral if CMLL owns the “Black Warrior” name (and I’m guessing they do.) I’d be less excited for Toscano going to AAA – though obviously the name issues aren’t there – but that’s mostly because I’m sure he’ll end back up in CMLL for some reason.

CMLL’s a little shorter on the rudo side now. The Guerreros del Atlantida are the smallest they’ve been in years, with only Atlantis, Ultimo, Olimpico and (maybe) Sangre around to carry the name. If only there was a former member hanging around with nothing to do. (No, not Mascara Magica.)

2007 Tapatia Award Information

thecubsfan

Hi!

This is the fourth Tapatia awards, designed to honor the best in lucha libre over the past year. We encourage all fans to vote, and let their voice be heard on the previous twelve months of Mexican lucha libre. This voting covers the calendar year 2007. Matches are eligible if they were TAPED in 2007, regardless of when they aired.

We’re using the same ballot as last year.

Voting will be held from January 13th to January 27th, subject to change. One ballot per person. Send completed ballots to (and only to) awards@thecubsfan.com. Ballots sent to other addresses or posted may not be counted – please make it easy for me and send the ballots to that address.

Scoring: Categories with first thru third voting will give 5 points for first, 3 points for second, 2 points for third. Categories with first thru sixth voting will give 17 points for first, 12 points for second, 8 points for third, 5 points for fourth, 3 points for fifth and 2 points for second. TIE VOTES ARE NOT ALLOWED. There will be a quiz on this later.

Any match in any location using the Mexican lucha libre style are eligible to be included. Shows in the US and elsewhere using this style are included. Japanese lucha libre promotions such as Michinoku Pro are not included, but Japanese tours by Mexican lucha libre promotions are included. Female and mini wrestlers are eligible for all categories, unless otherwise specified.

Quick descriptions of the awards:
1) Best Wrestler – top wrestler over the last year.
2) Best Match – please include dates, location where possible
3) Best Tecnico – greatest good guy
4) Best Rudo – for the entertaining evil-doers
5) Best Female – women only. Sorry, no exoticos.
6) Best Unit – tags, trios, atomicos, other groups – must’ve been a team in 2006
7) Best Promotion/Territory – CMLL, AAA, IWRG, AULL, “the group that runs Arena Coliseo Monterrey” or other – specific enough so we can identify a group
8) Best Rivalry – most interesting/exciting/entertaining feud. Can be person vs person, or people vs people.
9) Most Improved – wrestler who stepped up their game the highest from 2006
10) Most Underutilized – wrestler who’s deserving of more attention from both the promotion and the fans

I (thecubsfan) am the sole dictator of the awards, and my decisions will be final.

Please cut and paste the ballot to awards@thecubsfan.com. Do not post your ballot in this thread.