09/03: Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey, Mexico

AAA (SUN) 08/31 Parque de Beisbol La Junta, Nuevo Laredo [CHUI @ DVDVR, RFC, El Manana: column, matches]
1) Black Fenix, Principe Diamante, Street Boy b Black Mamba, Penumbra, Violento
2) Fabi Apache & Sexy Star b Cinthia Moreno & La Diabólica
3) Aerostar, Baby Rap, Súper Fly b Rio Bravo, Tigre Cota, Tito Santana II
4) El Elegido, Hombre Sin Miedo, Silver King DQ Antifaz del Norte, Escoria, Ozz
5) Jack Evans & Teddy Hart DQ Joe Lider & Nicho el Millionario and Extreme Tiger & Halloween
6) Cibernetico & Mesias b Konnan & Vampiro [ri]
7) Chessman b Electro Shock [hair]

Go read Chui’s recap. Cibernetico was scheduled to be Chessman’s second, but Chessman’s not that dumb and had him removed and won the match. Konnan replaced Zorro.

El Manana says “a game of jacks would be more interesting than the semifinal.” The Observer implies the problem there was the two teams didn’t not want to work with each – not internally, but there’s a Cibernetico/Chessman/Octagon/Parka/kinda Mesias faction that’s causing problems for everyone else (Vamp and Konnan would be representing the forces of good here, which makes it tough to swallow.)

indy (SUN) 08/31 Arena Monterrey [RFC]
1) ? & Gardenia Azteca b Certero & Chica de Arabia
2) Angel o Demonio b Diabolic, Soldado Diabolico, Dance Boy
3) Alejandro Fernandez & Valente Fernandez b Centurion Negro & Karonte
4) Mr. Texas b Sicodélico Jr.
5) Texas Men L Hator, Aventurero, Estrella Dorado Jr., Golden Boy, Angel Dorado Jr., Simbolo, Sergio Romo Jr., Sangre Chicana, Sangre Chicana [cage, hair]

indy (SUN) 09/07 Arena Coliseo Monterrey [rfc]
1) Bella Rubi & Rey Demonio Jr. vs Dulce Paola & Momia Egipcica
2) Amgel Dorado & Mercurio vs Diablo I & Diablo II
3) Estrella Dorado Jr., Golden Boy, Sangre Chicana Jr. vs Pancho Tequila, Sergio Romo Jr., Simbolo
4) Aventurero, Humberto Garza Jr., Tigre Universitario vs Butcher, Hator, Sangre Chicana
5) Mr. Texas vs Sicodélico Jr.

Main event is nation on nation violence, with Mr. Texas representing the USA. That makes sense, but is pretty funny on other levels unless this is a new Mr. Texas. (But then, Konnan was doing the same thing sooner.)

CMLL (TUE) 09/02 Arena Mexico [CMLL, MT]
1) Molotov & Trueno b Apocalipsis & Inquisidor
2) Hooligan, Loco Max, Nitro b Ángel Azteca Jr., Angel de Oro, Hijo del Faraon
3) Euforia, Nosferatu, Satánico b Axel, Felino, Máscara Púrpura
4) Lizmark Jr., Olímpico, Rey Bucanero b Damián 666, Mr. Águila, Texano Jr. [torneo, semifinal]
5) Blue Panther, La Sombra, Marco Corelone b Heavy Metal, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas [torneo, sf]
6) Blue Panther, La Sombra, Marco Corelone b Lizmark Jr., Olímpico, Rey Bucanero [torneo, fina

Of course the tecnicos win on fan appreciation day. Felino wait until after the tecnicos lose the first fall to turn on his partners (and Axel, in particular.) That would’ve been a huge angle if he had not shown up as a rudo on Friday. Hooligan replaced Halcon Negro, so whatever was going on there seems to be off.

Oddly, no Sunday results. The page is just blank.

Box Y Lucha posted interviews with Head Hunter and Toxico about their departures from AAA. Unlike other recent departures, they both have nothing bad to say about AAA and just talk about wanting more oppurtinties elsewhere. Both make sure to talk about going to IWRG, which seems to be a pattern with these jumps. I don’t think it can be classified as tampering because I don’t think any one’s under contract, but you do get the feeling these AAA guys are getting approached with promises of more dates on the indie scene by outside promoters or they wouldn’t be rushing out of the door.

Blue Panther thinks CMLL won’t change the anniversary main event, because tickets are already on sale for it as a singles match. I wouldn’t be so sure. Meanwhile, Mr. Niebla says that whoever joins Pesta Negra (Felino or anyone else), the idea is to make more noise. “Win or lose, we want to put on a good show.” That’s not very rudo. Niebla says he’d be fine facing Wagner in a mask match but it’s all in the hands of the programming department.

(Reforma via Jazzo) Incognito says he lived with Panico and his family around 2002, just before he started wrestling as Mistico. So, Panico was obviously aware of the gimmick (including the theology training), and sure appears to have ripped it off for CMLL’s character. Incognito says Panico denies all of this, but loses me when he challenges Mistico to a mask vs mask or name vs name match.

AAA’s website has details on Verano de Escandalo…, or, actually, a content on how you can win a trip and tickets to the show? Isn’t kinda of late to do this sort of thing? I mean, judging from all the info they want, it’s part contest, part data collection and you’d like to have as many people as possible sign up so you can collect all their data. But, since it’s a 3 day/2 night package, they really have to have this winner announced quick to alert the winner and fly them out before the show.

SuperLuchas says WWE will be on Televisa and TV Azteca after all. SmackDown will be on TV Azteca on Fridays starting on October 3rd, RAW will are live on TVC Deportes on Mondays starting October 6th and will be repeated on Televisa Channel 5 on a day of the week TBA. Sounds like the US PPV will become PPVs in Mexico; they were free TV specials to this point. Channel 5 mostly runs translated US programs (seemingly aimed at young adults) and lots of moves on weekends, so they surely could find a spot for it.

Ovaciones has a few different noteworthy stories:
– there will be an indy benefit show for Scorpio Jr. on 09/20, in Arena Lopez Mateos (Al Filo del Ring has photos of the 08/29 show in the building, which sets up a match for this show.)
– IWRG’s Sunday main event is a triangle apuesta match – Fuerza’s IWRG welterweight title vs Black Terry’s hair vs Multifacetico’s mask
– Okumura is having more surgery on his collarbone tommorow and will be out six weeks. Fabian el Gitano should never do the Asai moonsault again.

SuperLuchas has postmatch video’s from Arena Mexico show. The Gladiatores has video interviews of Incognito, Negro Navarro, Rambo, Adam Pearce and Brent Albright from the NWA Mexico show. Hablando de Catch has photos from that show, including the best shot of the Navarro/Solar championship I’ve seen.

Over at Luchaworld, Robert raves about ’89 EMLL, and writes about one two three editions of CMLL on 52MX.

WrestlingObserver has it’s FSE recap.

ISW’s Count Dante’s newspaper article driven book tour makes the Chicago Reader today.

A documentary named Lucha Libre premires on Discovery en Espanol next Sunday.

09/19 Arena Mexico Lineup (75th Anniversary)

CMLL (FRI) 09/19 Arena Mexico
1) Alex Koslov, La Sombra, Volador Jr. vs Damián 666, Mr. Águila, Texano Jr.
2) Héctor Garza, Hijo del Fantasma, La Máscara vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto
3) Dos Caras Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr., Marco Corelone vs Heavy Metal, Lizmark Jr., Mr. Niebla
4) Rey Bucanero vs X-Pac [CMLL LH]
5) Atlantis, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero vs Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt [CMLL TRIOS]
6) Blue Panther vs Villano V [mask]

X-PAC. X-Pac. Next time I need a job, I’m going to Marco Corelone, the man gets it done.

If people believe in the main event, it’d make this work as an event. There’s nothing much special – foreigners getting title shots is unusual, but I don’t if it draws – and everything else is about getting people on the card. But unless they were willing to do Wagner/Niebla, this may be as good as they were going to do with what they have at the moment. (Too bad no one believes in Panther/V5 and V5’s not capable of changing their minds in his shape.) That’s not to doing as good as they should – there should be some sort of hot feud in the place of Rey Bucanero vs X-Pac – but since you can’t fix what didn’t work so far, I’d rather this than trying to stunt book something.

It doesn’t matter much, but as far as these things goes, the undercard trio teams make far more sense than usual. If Felino replaced Lizmark Jr., it’d be perfect, but Lizmark is surely there to counter Dos and Marco.

game theory question: gotta this feeling the main event is going the tecnico way, so does that mean one of the foreigners is winning a title, or will they go with the all home team finishes for the anniversary show?

I’m too fascinated by Rey Bucanero vs X-Pac to be down on this show. (And I can’t believe there’s questions about what I like in the comments when I say things like that.) Plus, the ex-champs vs the unbreakable Triad should be fun, right? And having limited time will only help the Perros focus, surely? Give me 3 more minutes and I can talk myself into the whole card.

At the same time, I’m setting the opening line at 12,000. It can appeal to me all it wants, I ain’t the one buying tickets.

UPDATE: Paco Alonso gets into the HOF. Must’ve been the exceptional job he did in building up a card featurning one guy being brought in completely out of blue, one feud only occuring due to heavy encouragement by another promotion, and a main event of an old guy looking for one last big payday. (Or perhaps it was the vision of the Felino turn?) The power of paying people what they were supposed to get in the wrestling business can never be underestimated.

If anyone from CMLL was going to get vote inflation for slightly questionable reasons, wouldn’t you figure it would’ve been Blue Panther? The man’s about to headline the biggest show of the year of his promotion for two straight years after a good long career. He went DOWN.