This was a running topic in the comments yesterday, but it’d be easier to find it. It’s a little info and a lot of guessing based off it.
AAA will start taping shows for Fox Sports International (Mexico) this week. The shows will be an hour long, and take the place of the CMLL episodes on the same channel. Early reports said they’d be on Fox Sports Espanol (the US version of the same channel). Neither channel’s website listings do not list any lucha libre show, but they were never much accurate a week out when I was paying attention to them.
Techinically, the shows are being promoted as “Lucha Libre Premiere”. These shows are going to feature AAA wrestlers and presumably run by the same AAA people. AAA claims they own the AAA name on their website, but something must be up – like Televisa still owning the rights to use it on TV – for them not to be using the name here. AAA tried this same ‘promoting under a different name’ years ago with LLL, and it didn’t seem to last long, but perhaps they’ve figured out some things in the meantime.
(Maybe the name issue is why AAA’s mentioned none of this on their website?)
The first 2 shows will be taped at Foro Scotiabank this Friday and Saturday, part of 8 tapings. Each taping looks to be 4 matches and runs 2 hours, which should last TV for two weeks. The show is expected to start on 08/22, so these shows will take them thru 09/12, far past Verano de Escandalo.
Lineups
AAA LLP (FRI) 08/14 Foro Scotiabank [ticketmaster]
1) El Elegido, Octagoncito, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Decnnis, Mini Abismo Negro, Polvo de Esterllas
2) ? & Fabi Apache vs ?? & Sexy Star
3) Dr. Wagner Jr., Jack Evans, Rocky Romero vs Alex Koslov, Electro Shock, Teddy Hart
4) El Mesías & Marco Corleone vs Cibernético & Kenzo Suzuki
The opener is actually listed as “Relevos Atomicos”, which would probably mean two women added to the match. Which would mean practically the entire women’s division would make TV.
AAA LLP (SAT) 08/15 Foro Scotiabank [ticketmaster]
2) Fabi Apache & Octagoncito vs Mini Abismo Negro & Sexy Star
3) Jack Evans, Marco Corleone, Zorro vs Alex Koslov, Chessman, Electro Shock
4) Dr. Wagner Jr., El Mesías, Rocky Romero vs Cibernético, Kenzo Suzuki, Sugi San
Wagner appears to have been booked as a rudo as of the last TV taping, but he’s a tecnico on these tapings. Zorro hasn’t appeared as a tecnico at all, so no clue one what is supposed to be going on there.
Notable omissions: Latin (exclusive to Televisa?), Parka, Octagon. Billy and Aerostar seem to be removed from their feud.
Sexi and Fabi’s Saturday’s match (and possible the Friday one) will air after Verano de Escandalo takes place, where one of them could’ve lost their mask or hair. Sexi losing her mask seems like the most likely outcome in that match, so perhaps she’ll be appearing with it still on for a while after.
In the PR work AAA wrestlers did to hype this on Monday, and in the description of the event, there’s a mention of a championsihp to be decided in league format. The cards do not seem to reflect that, but they’ve been so certain of it, I’m sure it’ll pop up somehow and not make any sense. If it wasn’t for the mention of accumulating points, I’d figure it be like the CMLL Record show, where someone just gets handed belts randomly.
Given about a week to turn post-produce this, the next set of episodes would be around 09/05.
Foro Scotiabank is a 4,000 seat building. Tickets range from 200 to 700 Pesos ($15.40 to $53.90.) Between those prices and the building, it seems much closer to the club shows AAA was doing earlier in the year then their normal TV taping or even their normal spot show.
Not sure if they’ll keep taping here, but sticking around Mexico City seems a safe bet. It’s not clear who’s actually producing the shows (FSE? some third party?), but it’s easier to tape it if they don’t have to leave the metro area. Doing two tapings one a month makes the most sense; it’s an easy fit on any week they’re not running TV on the weekend. Like with the MVS shows, expect for this shows to reflect the main storylines but not actually progress them, and maybe do smaller midcard feuds.
Of course this has to turn into something about CMLL: The current CMLL shows who were produced by MVS and sold to Fox Sports, so MVS could presumably sell them to another network, add an hour to the current MVS show, or just drop that hour. No hint of a decision there, but I’d presume they’ll just be dropped for the time being.
@thecubsfan: “and top guys are unhappy “about the company direction.””
Did Meltzer go into any extra detail?
Can’t see why anyone has the right to be unhappy about what is going on up top. Ciber, Mesias and Parka are still headliners with the occasional appearence by Zorro, Konnan when he needs an ego boost and Vampiro when he isn’t busy jumping out of 10 story buildings to save babies from burning to death while snatching a stray cat from a tree on the way down and then immediatly helping an old lady cross the street as he keeps an eye out for the police trying to hunt him down.
The only difference is now Wagner is around who will never job to anyone ever again b/c he did his one loss for this run with AAA. Oh, and his brother who has never been able to ever headline on his own and who’s name means nothing to the point he has to dress like his bro gets to beat everyone too.
It’d be more fun if Meltzer’s source would spell out the specific complaints.
I was thinking the other day how surprising it is that La Secta still get on TV. They’ve done nothing since turning on Mesias at the end of last year. It seems they only show up to get killed by a new team like the Clowns, the Japanese trio or DX. Can’t imagine they are too happy.
@Rob: Not that anyone just confirmed this, no, that didn’t happen, but my theory is everyone’s super angry about the Cibernetico return
He quit on the company, and not only isn’t paying any price, but is immediately back in the top program, jumping past guys who’ve been working hard in the meantime and they even let him bring in the Bizarros (at least for one show), to prove Cibernetico can do whatever he wants. AAA had a chance to cut him down to size, and seems to have bent over backwards for him.
Plus, if you go under the belief that this was a semi-planned break, that means AAA’s office lied when they told the wrestlers he was legit gone. Everything’s looked like it was planned out – Cibernetico vows not to return until Konnan is gone, is back as soon as Konnan is gone – that the office would have a hard time denying it even if they weren’t lying.
@thecubsfan: Okay, one more question though…
It was you who threw the beer, right?
@Rob: theCubsfan would never throw a beer! Water, yes, but not a beer! How much is beer at a Cubs game going for?
“and top guys are unhappy “about the company direction.””
A note from 1993 slipped by and Metzy thought it was new… that’s it. Same thing we’ve heard for 17 years.