This blog has been running since about 01/01/2003, so today marks seven years of it’s existence. Thanks everyone for reading and contributing; the sort of blog I want to do is one where there’s discussions of opening card match wrestlers on indy shows, so I’m pretty happy with what we’ve got. As always, my hope for the next year is to be useful for more people; I think I actually accomplished that this year, but it’s always a slower pace than I’d like.
Not a lot of current news over this holiday weekend, so I’ve written this post up in advance. Probably two posts up on Sunday again. In place of the news, some older stories:
- Box Y Lucha 3003 (12/06) includes an interview with Mascara Jr. That was the fellow who lost his mask to Dr. Wagner III in Arena Aficion, causing all sort of unhappiness. Brazo de Oro (in an edition of Luchas 2000) strongly complained, feeling Mascara Jr. losing his mask diminished his son La Mascara, and vowed to make sure the building could not get any more CMLL shows. (CMLL, including La Mascara, worked the following week, though they haven’t been back since.) AAA complained that Mascara Jr. was announced as Mascara Sagrada Jr. on the way to the ring, and Mascara Sagrada himself had the same complaint – he’s evidently planning to debut his son under that name soon – and threatened a lawsuitThis interview was a chance for Mascara Jr. to defend himself. He gives the real name Hugo Torres Sapp, 37 years old, 17 years a wrestler, to counter claims he was trying to hide his identity after he lost his mask. Hugo confirms he had previously worked as Mascara Sagrada Jr. for AAA (“for various years” – hmm – but also “the original”) but any advertising or announcing him as Mascara Sagrada Jr. on that show was an error. He left AAA two years ago, and claims to have been using “Mascara Jr.” ever since. Hugo shows off a Mascara Jr. wrestlers license – it’s from the Nuevo Laredo commission, issues 06/01/2009, signed by Francisco Torres Ruiz, license #517. It includes an unmasked photo, and lists the expiration date as 12/31/2009. (Oops!) Hugo claims Sagrada Jr. is owned by AAA so Sagrada Sr. can’t sue him, and his son would only be a clone of him. Hugo says there are plans of him teaming up with Zumbido & Scorpio as new Guapos and gives out his phone number for bookings.I have no record of the name Mascara Jr. being used before or after that show by anyone. Though after wouldn’t make much sense, I guess.
- Box Y Lucha 3003 (12/13) features an interview with Panico. This one was the one titled “El 2010 malo en cuestion economico, pero bueno en lo deportivo.” Some talk about atheltes who had good years, but not much about sports itself.Panico says 2010 was rough because of the economy, but “in the matter of promotion, we were pretty good.” Panico admits Sin Piedad had a bad turnout at the gate, but has an explanation: work on roads around Arena Mexico have caused tremendous traffic and the fans don’t want to deal with it. This might be reasonable if there was road construction around every arena CMLL ran in 2010.Panico feels they did a good job of elevation new talent, specifically Angel de Oro, Delta and Diamante. They’ve got a good group of youngsters who only need to gain experience to get results. Panico thinks Latino will really connect with the fans in 2010. He says Volador gets a lot of reaction from the fans and works very hard on the Sunday shows (???) and hopes to have him work more in 2010.
Panico is disappointed Charly Manson didn’t say thanks before leaving; Charly hasn’t taked to CMLL at all. Panico doesn’t want to be too hard on Charly, because he belives his previous promotion was putting on pressure him to return. (Who knew Perros del Mal were so powerful? Wait, no…) However, in no way will this affect the other Invasors, who all came to the office the next day to express their total surprise Charly would do such a thing and declare they would never make such a move.
Panico says the bodybuilding contest is a good tool to find new talent. No one’s obligated to participate, and it doesn’t affect how they use wrestlers, but it’s a benefit for the luchadors themselves to help them improve their appearance. (Which would seem to directly affect how they use wrestlers.)
Panico ends by saying CMLL is always in talks to bring in new luchadors – in fact, there’s plan to bring quality foreign luchadors, and Paco Alonso is in talks with them.
The one thing I got out of this interview is Panico is plenty creative. Just not in his booking.
- You remember the Japanese anime/robot art exhibit mentioned a few weeks ago, with a bunch of CMLL luchadors and Mr Cacao? That’s apparently setting up a 03/20 Arena Coliseo show where luchadors will be wrestling as those characters. 03/20 is a Sunday, and I hope this is the regular 52MX/FSE taping.
- You ever wonder where the Psycho Clowns came from? I mean, we’ve talked about the idea being a take off of the original Payasos and their winning streak, but the names and the looks are pretty distinctive for post Pena AAA; only really some of the recent Bizarros compare. It’s possible that the ideas might be equivalent of the most recent Michael Jackson album; though Aerostar was originally promoted as Antonio Pena’s final creation, a creative guy like Pena might have had many unfinished or unused ideas still around. Still, where would he have gotten the idea?I might know where the names came from, anyway:
These are parts of Rocket Raccoon #1 (page 18 or thereabouts), a comic published by Marvel in 1985. None of the clowns are specifically named (or Psycho, Zombie’d or as a Monster, though the comic does open with one of the Killer clowns Murders a character) and they don’t closely resemble AAA’s Psycho Circus makeup or stylish tiny hats, though some do have a mohawk quite like Psycho Clown. No mock facepaint though. I don’t know this means much, but the name is a bit dead on to be a total coincidence.
Anyway, what I think I’ve learned is X-Fly might also be a Raccoon, because both have had pretty good luck with these Psycho Clowns.