IWRG (THU) 02/18 Arena Naucalpan [The Gladiatores]
1) Dinamic Black b Keshin Black
2) Guizmo & Héros b Alan Extreme & Carta Brava Jr.
3) Avisman, Gringo Loco, Trauma II b Brazo Metalico, Chico Che, Fishman Jr.
4) Angelico, el Ángel, Freelance b Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro
5) Hijo del Pantera, Pantera, Zatura b Black Terry, Dr. Cerebro, Trauma I [super libre]
Missed these results. Hijo del Signo missed his main event spot due to injury. Pantera surprised Terry with a roll up to take the final fall. Semimain win by the tecnicos led to a trios title challenge.
CMLL (MON) 02/22 Arena Puebla [Fuego en el Ring]
1) Ares & Toro Bill Sr. b King Jaguar & SWAT
2) Pequeño Damian 666, Pequeño Violencia, Pequeño Warrior b Astral, Bam Bam, Eléctrico
3) Euforia, Pólvora, Virus b Ángel de Oro, Ángel de Plata, Rush
4) Brazo de Plata, La Máscara, Máscara Dorada b Averno, Terrible, Texano Jr.
5) Shocker, Strong Man, Volador Jr. DQ Atlantis, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero
Ultimo Guerrero fouled Strong Man. Strong Man demanded a singles match, and UG accepted.
Violencia pinned Bam Bam with an arm on the ropes. That’s two weeks in a row where Violencia has defeated Bam Bam.
SuperLuchas confirms AAA & TNA have agreed on some sort of alliance. On AAA TV this weekend, the main event of Rey de Reyes was hyped as a four way match (Mesias/Latin/Electro/???.) TNA’s Hernandez coming in has been discussed for a few months, so he makes as much sense as anyway. Also, Eric Bischoff’s facebook account has hinted at cruiserweight/lucha involvement on TNA’s debut of their 03/08 move to Monday show, so maybe that’s AAA wrestlers going the other way.
Box Y Lucha posted their interview with Dr. Wagner Jr. from a couple weeks ago. In one breath, Wagner says there’s no need for him to sign a contract and also that he has a signed a contract, so I really have no idea. Wagner does not care that Mesias got his title back – Wagner says it was his plan to lose so Mesias would stop bugging him, but now Wagner wants a hair match, since Mesias clearly cares about his hair a lot. Dr. Wagner Jr. says Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. has a responsibility to uphold his name, and Dr. Wagner Jr. has been watching his son’s matches incognito and being his toughest critic. I like the idea of Dr. Wagner Jr. hiding in the crowd, wearing a disguise, but still wearing his mask underneath.
Both Fuego en el Ring and Record have interviews from CMLL’s Misterioso II, who only found out there was another person from Satillo using his name when that Misterioso Jr. made Monterrey TV (which CMLL’s Misterioso saw.) CMLL’s one feels the other guy is ripping him off, and vows an angry phone call and action.
I believe half of all Fuego en el Ring interviews are “[Wrestler X] is unhappy no one is responding to his challenges.” This interview with Pequeno Damian 666 fits that half. He was supposed to go Japan in March, but will not because of economic issues. Guessing that was the 03/30 Dradition show.
Box Y Lucha has an interview with the Zorras (talking about being a great team, despite only teaming up once every two months) and Angel Azteca Jr. & Arkangel, still on the road to the mask match (in 2013.) In that last one, the Angeles Rebeldes are randomly mentioned as including Hector, Fantasma, Mascara, Metro, Angel de Oro, Angel de Plata and Angel Azteca Jr. This probably holds as much weight as all the other random listings of team members for this group. Also, Villano III shares his memories of El Rebelde.
This week’s Box Y Lucha (2962) has Olimpico hoping to return to Arena Mexico.
With Ray Mendoza being named as one of the Dos Leyandas next month, Fuego en el Ring. Ovaciones suggests the main event may be a cage match, which would be a disappointment.
AAA looks back at the in ring accomplishments of Latin Lover.
The Gladiatores has video interviews from the latest Perros show with Heavyweight Champion X-Fly, LA Park and Hijo del Perro Aguayo, as well as one with IWRG’s Gringos.
R de Rudo has Sepulcro introducing Sepulcro Jr.
CMLL (SUN) 02/28 Arena Coliseo
1) Rayo Tapatío I & Rayo Tapatío II vs Apolo Estrada Jr. & Disturbio
2) Ángel Azteca Jr., Ángel de Oro, Ángel de Plata vs Cancerbero, Nosferatu, Raziel
3) Hijo del Fantasma, Sagrado, Stuka Jr. vs Sangre Azteca, Vangelis, Virus
4) Blue Panther, La Máscara, Strong Man vs Atlantis, Rey Bucanero, Taichi
5) Shocker vs Último Guerrero [CMLL HEAVY]
Lineup changed due to the sudden title match. First time Taichi will be wrestling without Naito or Okumura on his team.
So does this mean TNA and CMLL no longer have their little talent exchange agreement? That’d be a shame if so, because I was so hoping one day to see the technical wrestling clinic of Strong Man vs. Hulk Hogan.
They should have a camera filming backstage on March 8th when Bishoff goes to tell the AAA guys what they are doing and sees Jack Evans, Alex Koslov, Rocky Romero and Joe Lider sitting there. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE MEXICANS!??!?!?!!?!?!?
I’m just wondering how long it’ll take for Konnan to get himself back into TNA since you know that’s the only purpose of any sort of talent trade.
I think it would be a disappointment for Hernandez to be sent. They should send Pope De’Angelo so that it at least looks like a main eventer was being sent to AAA. It would raise Pope’s profile along with show that AAA isn’t getting the short end of this deal. But it’s gonna be Hernandez.
It wont happen but here is what i’d like to see in TNA
Abyss vs Chessman vs Mick Foley
One guy will Die should be the sub title of the PPV.
@Rob: Are we sure that konnan thought isnt a bad thing?
@Rob: I think that the AAA/TNA is (for Konnan) a power-play. By that, I mean that Konnan has run AAA into the ground, if not by his own hand, then by letting Dorian Roldan make a ton of bad decisions.
I see the carrot of being a star in the US and the next “Rey Misterio” as something Konnan can hold out there.
For all of his faults, you have to admit that Konnan has always been a guy that could get others booked where he went. He got a lot of guys to jump ship with him from CMLL to AAA, and then later to Promo Azteca. He got guys booked into ECW with him, and then brought them over to WCW. TNA is where that seemed to stop, because there were a plethora of high-flying US indy workers. Now with the WCW braintrust in charge of TNA, I totally just see this as them going back to their old hookup for Mexican talent. And, when you think about it, who else would you go to for luchadors if you were TNA? CMLL isnt going to book out anyone of value to them. Konnan is there in AAA, and can use US bookings as a way to hold his position down in the company.
I would love to see the Dark Family or Billy Boy/Fabi end up in TNA, honestly.
Konan to TNA would be god sent. Let him get lost in the shuffle and become a mid card guy. Please, please, please.. TNA take this guy off AAA’s hands.
@Nikita: I don’t disagree. Konnan has always held down positions in companies (WCW, ECW, TNA) b/c of who he could bring in. He’s got the luck of having talented friends.
He’s also good at manipulation because a lot of guys left for Promo Azteca based on his promise that they’d get into WCW and be making good *guaranteed* money. That didn’t come true for many of them.
Well I just watched WWE NXT. What’s interesting is that it was a 2 camera shoot, with Cam1 being a crane camera that kept moving and changing focus. In other words, it was like watching AAA. Never thought I’d see the day when WWE might be getting concepts from AAA.
Meltzer and Alvarez kept saying “Vince probably saw something on MTV he liked” but maybe he just passed by AAA one Saturday afternoon?
@Nikita: Great post.
CMLL does not play well with others. TNA probably tried to work with them, but couldn’t get anything done. In Mexico, CMLL’s TJ promoter runs on a Thursday, not Friday, because it’s impossible to get top guys or a commitment from “the office”. They’re isolationist.
You and others may think Konnan has run AAA into the ground, but I don’t think it’s that simple. Let’s see what tomorrow’s ratings say. Let’s see how attendance holds up. I don’t like certain things I see, but it’s not like the company is on life support either.
@Rob: MTV? That’s crazy. It’s should be obvious that WWE got it from a ring sport, whether it be MMA, boxing, Lucha Libre, or possibly their video library of old footage.
To me, it kind of looked like they were trying to give the up close feel of the old territorial studio tapings.
@LLL: I haven’t seen it or their developmental tv, but I read that it was similar to how FCW is shot. LLL, I’m assuming you’ve seen both, what do you think?
@LLL: Just to be clear… Meltzer/Alvarez said that BEFORE they would have seen the show. They were just assuming Vince saw something on MTV.
@Alan: @Alan: If you’ve seen the youtube clips of Dos Caras Jr wrestling without a mask, you’ve seen FCW developmental.
Well the crane moves around a lot, so it can be dizzying, but it can also bring you close to the action. I think it needs work.
I forgot to ask you what you think about Scott Brown winning Kennedy’s seat? I’m dying to know. Sorry, but politics have been awesome since 2008, and Obama is the biggest star ever.
I think it’s doubtful Vince is watching AAA.
But I think it’s more likely the production crew came up were tasked to come up with some ways they could make the show look different, and this was one of the ways. Maybe someone there came up with AAA. Maybe someone there came up with it from someplace else – AAA’s never quite on the bleeding edge of production.
@LLL: I haven’t ever watched any of the Dos stuff there, but how bad has he been to not be included in NXT? Are they saving him for the next “season”?
re: Scott Brown, I think that the Dems put up a crappy candidate and thought they would still win since it was Mass. This is a bad time for either party to take anyplace for granted.
Random follow up to Sunday’s conversation. I’m pretty sure that 3ra Caida referred to the guy with Felino at the beginning of the last match as Puma King.
@Alan: I think Dos Caras will be done soon. Just an opinion. I didn’t even see him in Plant City, and most of the roster that was not wrestling was sitting in the crowd.
Scott Brown was helped b/c Obama got involved in the Prof Gates thing last year, and his approval numbers never recovered. When Obama took sides, it energized a base in Mass that was going to vote anti-Dem no matter what.
@thecubsfan: I agree that someone was tasked to come up with something new, and the first place to look would be other feds, old footage, or other ring sports. Someone in WWE must watch AAA. More so now to get a heads-up on what talent TNA will have access to. I’m probably wrong, but it should did feel like Triplemania’s crane cam was there tonight.
@Rob: Thanks.
@LLL: @LLL: I do not think it so much as “run into the ground” as Konnan (and probably Dorian) have tried to copy the WWE style of “sports entertainment”, and gotten away from lucha libre.
What made ECW great was that, when it was hitting its stride, it was providing an alternative to the “sports entertainment” offered up by WWF & WCW. What ECW was not, however, was a totally different way of doing business that had never been done before.
AAA is essentially trying to change what it is. Pena started AAA (essentially) as an alternative to CMLL. AAA became hot and successful because it was different than the stiff and traditional CMLL. Pena took AAA national while CMLL was still essentially a booking office for territories.
Towards the end of the Pena Era, AAA came back to the pack somewhat. Pena was obviously trying to evolve AAA’s product to be more like WWE, since he saw WWE competing in the Mexican market. The difference between what Konnan is doing and what Pena was trying to do, seems to be that Konnan is just trying to turn AAA into a US-style “sports entertainment” company, while Pena was trying to add sports entertainment elements to a lucha libre company.
I think it is almost unarguable at this point that AAA’s gates are down, and that the product isn’t as good as it was even a year ago, let alone at the time of Pena’s death. It still might be garnering decent ratings on TV, but it isnt beating CMLL by that much – and it is obvious that CMLL doesn’t care about TV at all. AAA, however, as a touring promotion, needs TV to be successful.
X-Fly is the big interview on 3ra Caida. I’ll confess I didn’t pay much of any attention to what he was saying, but it did make me think of a question. Who owns the National Heavyweight Title? Does the Commission still claim some authority over the National Titles? Since it was basically retired by AAA, does Charly’s possession of it=ownership? If so, did he sell it to the Perros, or will X-Fly be dropping it back to him at some point before the hair match?
Cubs did you ever find out if that was really Dos Caras Jr. that did the MMA fight a couple weeks ago?
I don’t think he’s done. I mean he’s in a number 1 contender’s match this week on FCW.
@Tim: I won’t repeat the result. I was at that taping and got the feeling that Dos Caras Jr. was being phased out.
@Tim: I never heard anything else about it.
If you look at how AAA tapes television, it’s still the same format they’ve been using since 1994. A house show, on the road, featuring the top matches, usually in order. Pretty simple and boring.
When AAA does “Sin Limite” at an arena without announcing matches, just names on the card, then they are truly copying the Americans.
@LLL:
If they were phasing him out, why didn’t he take the pin instead of Barretta? I guess they could be phasing him out or maybe bringing him to Smackdown to help Rey?
@Tim: Dos Caras Jr., taps out to an arm bar applied by Kaval. It airs this weekend. Kaval advances to wrestle Justin Gabriel tomorrow for the title, and I would not be surprised to see a title change during the 3 weeks taped tomorrow.
Due to the snow up north, my travel plans have changed, so I should be at FCW tv tomorrow.
Missed one
@Alan: I think the commission still claims ownership of the belt, but the situation with Vangelis’ light heavyweight title (and whatever’s gone on with the minis belt) seemed to suggest otherwise.
I think the commission has shown the power to act as an arbitrator for disputes and owns the physical belt, but has no power in deciding the champions. The champions may not actually own the belts, but they don’t have to lose to anyone and may request some extra inducement to drop the titles.
I bet it becomes irrelevant and they’ve already agreed to give Charly the title win back (in addition to whatever is the agreement with the hair match), but things can change..