Verano de Escandalo doesn’t seem near the level of TripleMania. It’s not that they’re holding matches back for the Pena show; they’re probably doing more here, because we didn’t have an apuesta match at the last show. Of course, there’s not the (seeming) culmination of a multiyear storyline here. I guess that does take it down a step. Still, the main event is a just a tweak on the last one, and much of the rest of the card doesn’t look too must-see.
As far as we know, this show is supposed to air on television like normal, over two weeks. There’s been no mention of a PPV this time around, and I doubt they’ll do much the way of live coverage.
Match by match
1) Psycho Clowns and TWO CLOWNS TO BE DETERMINED vs Kenzo Suzuki, Oriental, Sugi
I was working on this preview earlier this week, before the official lineup came out, and even then I was thinking this was a match where the Psycho Circus could finally lose. Losing in the opener in an irrelevant match is not quite a dramatic climax to 21 months of winning, but we’ve given up that on a while ago. Yakzua is at least a new team with upward potential – AAA can push them in singles feuds, so they fufill AAA’s purpose for a trio – and could get a long term benefit from this feud.
If Zombie & Killer have left, obviously the replacement team loses (maybe Psycho sticks around as a random midcard guy while everyone else fades away?) Even if they’re all there, this is probably as a good a place to pull the plug on this as ever. I’m taking Yakuza.
2) Extreme Tiger vs Jack Evans, Rocky Romero, Teddy Hart, Alex Koslov [AAA CRUISER]
This title really doesn’t mean anything yet. Someone’s got to successfully defend it, for a start. Everyone’s on about the same level. There person who holds the belt is just the person who happened to win that day, but doesn’t seem to prove they’re the best at their size. Having a five way match doesn’t help the situation, but presumably they wanted to do only 7 matches and so these singles feuds had to be bundled here.
My guess is the long term plan here remains Sugi getting the next title shot. He did pick up that pin on Tiger, so the easy thing is to set up that match with Tiger winning here. The two sets of rivals can negate each other, and perhaps we’ll get a clue on who’s leaving at the end of the month based on who takes the loss here.
3) Joe Lider & Nicho el Millionario vs El Elegido & Gronda II [hardcore]
Really maddening for this not to be a title match. In storyline, what more do Elegido & Gronda have to do to get a chance? You’d think beating them twice in a row would be pretty good proof Hermandad Extreme might not be the best tag team in the world. In reality, this not being a title match means they’re either ending it here, or we’ve got yet another match down the road that’s actually for the title – maybe at the Pena show? Which would mean a couple more months of this?
It’s very strange to be picking Joe Lider & Nicho as a vote for sanity.
4) La Parka Jr., Marco Corleone, Octagon vs Electro Shock, Silver King, Ultimo Gladiador
I sure hope I’m pleasantly surprised when I watch the pre-Verano TV episodes, and find out they’ve explained the Gladiador turn in the background somewhere, but it just hasn’t made it to luchalibreaaa.com. It still won’t make this match much good. Someone find Marco some better partners!
Wagner’s team of Electro, Silver and UG ought to get this win, just to give them some momentum as a new faction. I’m not too sure of it, though.
5) Charly Manson vs Chessman [street]
AKA Chessman falls from a high place and everyone bleeds a bunch. I guess the tag match is hardcore stuff around the ring, this match is hardcore stuff in the crowd, and apuesta match might be hardcore stuff inside of a cage (or at least a lot of blood.) A stunt show is probably going to be more entertaining then these two having a straight match (thought Charly has looked better than when he first returned.) If Chessman’s going to fall, for the first time in a while, Charly would presumably take the win.
Remember how this feud started? When Charly stopped Chessman from winning the title (due to Chessman not actually being in the match)? Why haven’t they just been showing a video clip each week? Same really could be applied to Teddy/Jack – AAA puts a lot of effort into the bits where the heel destroys face, but then stops showing it after one week, and things become just a generic tecnico/rudo feud.
6) Aerostar vs Fabi Apache, Billy Boy, Sexy Star [mask, hair, cage]
lock of the show: Aerostar dives off the top of cage.
almost as strong lock of the show: Fabi Apache is not losing her hair. That’d be too dumb.
Which leaves
1) Aerostar comes back in the cage to save Fabi, ends up paying for it with his mask
2) Billy stays in with Fabi to finish it for all times, and Fabi surprises him for the win
3) Sexi stays in with Fabi, and Fabi kills her good
3 looks right to me. They’re selling Sexi on her looks, and her looks aren’t going to be hurt by losing the mask. If they want the feud to keep going, Fabi’s Reina de Reinas title did just make a reappearance, and Sexi could win that back somehow. Billy losing his hair only makes sense if this feud is going to end (and it never will), and Aerostar losing his mask makes no sense at all.
7) Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Cibernético, El Mesías [cage, AAA HEAVY]
The big question: does AAA believe Dr. Wagner will be willing to take a pinfall loss to lose the title at some point? If you do, that’s the better way to go – have Cibernetico & Mesias cost each other the match and Wagner climbs out to fight another day. Wagner did take the pinfall loss to Cibernetico at the Lucha Libre Expo – which looks like the only TV pinfall he’s taken since coming in – so he’s not completely adverse to being beat. Mesias getting the win back at Pena Memorial is better than winning it back here without actually beating Wagner this way.
If Wagner doesn’t want to take a loss, then obviously this is the easy way to get it off of him without setting yourself up trouble down the line. The question then is which guy is better holding the title coming out of this show. Cibernetico probably sets up more things to do, since he’s the lone wolf feuding with rudos and tecnicos, but may cause more internal strife. Mesias has nothing new to do as champion, but he is the central guy they’re building the company around, so he might as well have the title.
This may be hopefully naive, but I’m thinking Wagner still comes out of this with the title, and they leave everything else in the air for the time being.
