idea for making CMLL work better

You think the recaps are backlogged? I’ve had most of this article sitting around waiting to post for near four months now…

This is not exceedingly thought out well, but some of it’s been tossing in my head for a while and I might as well get it out. It’s not really a Push X and stop Pushing Y deal, or yet another iteration of “hey, it’s 2009, sell your stuff on the internet, you goofballs”, it’s more general scheduling ideas.

* Change the name of Reyes de Aire. It’s kind of generic, “Rey” is an AAA term and it should be put on the same level as the other annual tournaments if it’s going to be annual event. Someone can be Rey de Aires if they win, but I’ve got a better idea for the name of the match. CMLL has a Leyenda de Plata for Santo, a Leyenda de Azul for Demon, why not a Leyenda de Sombra for Black Shadow? It’s that three man feud which made mask matches in Mexico; Black Shadow losing his mask to El Santo is the most important match in lucha libre history, but Shadow’s contribution gets overlooked because he lost and Demon was the one forever looking for revenge. It doesn’t happen if Shadow doesn’t lose his mask.

Shadow’s name isn’t being forced on here either; he’s considered the father of high flying lucha libre. He didn’t create the tope, but he made them famous, and the guys on TV are doing the same. Thanks to TV coming at around the same time, Shadow got popular after his mask loss due to his spectacular style, which is what the current Reyes de Aire tournament is about. It’s a perfect fit.

* Bring more than just the discounted tickets to Puebla and GDL. One of the few interesting part of lucha libre at this time of year during late December is reading about all the Lagureno guys who go back home and wrestle on local cards during the holidays. The intermixing between big TV stars and local heroes must be fun to watch and, in the long run, it doesn’t hurt the national guy if he loses a match to a local guy. El Tackle beating Misterioso in a cibernetico at AOL doesn’t really hurt Misterioso in DF, but it makes Tackle seem a bigger star in Gomez Palacio.

To some extent, they do intermix talent in Guadalajara and even the lesser CMLL guys may end up facing the Puebla guys, but the message is always that the best of the locals are not stars and can not beat even lowly DF regulars. Why not change the message for a couple nights a year by importing some Mexico City concepts? CMLL could run local variants of Gran Prixes (Guadalajara vs the World, with CMLL GDL wrestlers going home to represent their city) and Gran Alternativas (CMLL DF wrestler paired with a local wrestler; maybe the winning local gets a DF match) to give the fans different looking matches a couple times a year.

* Focus various championships on different days: CMLL, at last count, has 17 18 different championships in play. Yet, between the erratic patterns of defenses and number of regular locations, the same audience is going long stretches between seeming defended, making them seem even more interchangeable and meaningless.

If CMLL can’t get rid of one, two, or a dozen (and apparently they can’t), maybe they can be more effective by tying them them a regular location or date of the week. Assign all the titles a base show where they’re defended (say, NWA Light Heavyweight belongs to Sunday Guadalajara shows, or the Mexican Middleweight title is for Tuesday Mexico City shows); they don’t have to only be defended on those shows, and you can do whatever title matches you want for Fridays because that’s the show that matters, but the attempt is to do 3-4 different title defenses on the show. Over time, those title defenses would start to mean something more than the 2-3 week build for them, because the previous defenses would be more real than reading a line about in the paper, more meaningful than a random fact tossed off during commentary.

04/17 AAA TV Lineup (Tepic)

Updated 04/14

AAA TV (FRI) 04/17 Tepic Nayarit [mariotepicense @ el Martinete]
1) Gato Eveready, Pimpinela Escarlata, Ultimo Gladiador vs Killer Clown, Psycho Clown, Zombie Clown
2) Super Fly vs Laredo Kid [AAA CRUISER, torneo]
3) Alex Koslov vs Rocky Romero [AAA CRUISER, torneo]
4) Kenzo Suzuki, Oriental, Zorro vs Charly Manson, El Elegido, X-Pac
5) La Parka Jr. & Marco Corleone vs Electro Shock & Silver King
6) Mesias & Vampiro vs Joe Lider & Nicho el Millionario

2009 AAA TV Chart
Projected Air Date (#886) – note, this bumps Aguascalientes back one
Mexico: 05/03
US: 05/23

Huh. AAA did not mention a taping here, but 20 days is a long way to between tapings. Though they have the taped shows to last that. This seems pretty correct, anyway, though it does change a couple of things.

Dr. Wagner’s first AAA appearance will be with a Parka, and against Silver King. This will quickly answer any questions about how those relationships are supposed to work in AAA. Early guess is it’s a recipe for a long, painful night for Parka,

Oriental in the fourth match! AAA is just so much different since Rey de Reyes. Actually, if the Guapos were still feuding with Elegido, you’d figure to see one of them there, so…

Rocky’s in Juvi’s spot, which is no big surprise. Looking back at it now – how did Chris Stone not get in Escoria’s spot? They held back from doing the fakest random draw ever, that must’ve been tough. Both this matches should be interesting.

There was a line in a recent Observer about AAA liking this trio of Gato/Pimpi/Gladiador after their match in Monterrey and maybe doing more stuff with them. I guess this is more stuff!

04/03: SL brought back, Mexico,

Remind me never to lose to Honduras.

Ovaciones not only previews tonight’s show, but mentions next Tueday’s Fan Appreciation show is two championship night. Not only will CMLL have the tag titles on the line (Volador/Sombra vs Atlantis/Rey), but the Super Light title – last seen in Arena Mexico in 2004 – will back in play. Ovaciones lists the former champion as “Ricky Romero”. The new champion will be determined in a “Reyes de Aires style torneo”, and we’ve even got the participants:

– Angel de Oro
– Polvora
– Angel de Plata
– Inquisidor
– Rey Cometa
– Super Comando
– Pegasso
– Tiger Kid
– Masacara Dorada
– Angel Azteca Jr.

That’s 10, which is a little bit less than you’d expect for this time. I also wonder this might be a ‘two finalist meet next week’ deal; it’s not said, but that’s the usual for these type of things. It’s also a whole bunch of match 1/2 guys, with Mascara Dorada sticking out as being above the level and an obvious favorite. Kinda hope he doesn’t win; it’d be fun to have a Rey de Novatos title, to go along with the Arena Coliseo Tag Titles, and Dorada would be feuding with Virus and Felino instead (which wouldn’t be so bad either.) All I know is next weekend’s Cadena3 is the most interesting TV of the month.

Moving back to things that are happening today:

CMLL (FRI) 04/03 Arena Mexico
1) Angel Azteca Jr. & Starman vs Apocalipsis & Ramstein
2) Lady Apache, Marcela, Sahori vs Amapola, Hiroka, Princesa Blanca
3) Valiente vs Virus [lightning]
4) La Sombra, Sagrado, Volador Jr. vs Ephesto, Lizmark Jr., Mephisto
5) Hector Garza, Hijo del Fantasma, La Mascara vs Dragon Rojo Jr., Misterioso II, Sangre Azteca [CMLL TRIOS]
6) Blue Panther, Dos Caras Jr., Shocker vs Averno, Terrible, Texano Jr.

Other previews: Notimex, ESTO

Regardless of the order, the trios title match is the main event here. It’d be strange to have two guys be trios champions with two different partners, but I don’t know if CMLL is really concerned about such things. Or, they could always have Poder Mexica just use a win here as an excuse to get out of being partners with Warrior if that’s a concern. The champs are the favorites, but not total ones.

The former trios champs are teaming in the fourth match, which could be a fun exhibition of spots. Valiente hasn’t been highlights in Mexico City much lately, so I hope this works out well for him. It’s Virus, it should be. The main event seems like a main event just to do a main event, which gives 50% chance of setting up a random angle.

Meanwhile, another portion of the CMLL crew is in Guadalajara for another Coliseo anniversary celebration. Big matches are rematches from Dos Leyendas: Mistico vs Negro (non-title), and Atlantis/UG vs V4/V5, plus a women’s cibernetico with the loser losing their masks. Sujei is really the only regular involved, so no one may know the difference.

The special CMLL GDL show is happening because, just like every time CMLL runs a special show in GDL, the Perros are running elsewhere in Guadalajara (at the University.) Main event is Santo/Rayo vs Wagner/Perro, which sounds like it should draw pretty well. There’s also the Pierroth benefit show in Arena Azteca Budokan, which has gotten decent press.

SuperLuchas will have a raffle to pay Kato Kung Lee’s medical bills. First prize gets you dinner with Santo & Demon and masks, plus lots more. Tickets are expected to be 1000 Mexican pesos ($72.63 US)

The Gladiatores has a interview with Psicosis and Histeria about leaving AAA and working for EAW (and a bunch other places.) Sounds like they, like others, blame the foriegn guys for taking their spots.

Mike Lano has an article on Slam about the San Jose AAA show.. No results from last night’s Las Vegas taping yet, but AAA has announced the Aguascalientes will be on April 30th, Kid’s Day. I can only imagine what AAA would plan for Kid’s Day in 2009. Between the Kid’s Day stuff and the Lucha Libre Expo, that’s going to be a busy stretch of time.

AAA looks back TripleMania III.

DJ Spectro defends Mil Mascaras.

Ohtnai’s Jacket raves about Valiente vs Rey Hechicero.

LuchaWorld has Robert on Arena Coliseo Monterry 05/13, 05/15/07 and CMLL TV 11/10/07, as well as KrisZ’s news.

Did SoloLuchas give up posting?

Lucha Listen-In Podcast #9

Cubs and I talk all the lucha news and results from Rey de Reyes, Dos Leyendas, Juvy’s record setting tenure in AAA and the Abismo Negro Death.

You can download the show here, find it more formats, or subscribe to our RSS feed for iTunes and other MP3 players. (Getting the show proper into iTunes store is my project for the weekend.)