04/02-03 Lucha Times

chart.

I’m going to leave the CMLL main show in the section in the Mexico section. No sense changing anything until the US version inevitable gets lagged behind.

I have no inside info on this, but I believe the reason why CMLL is back on in the US has little to do with CMLL. Galavision is trying to get it’s HD channel carried by cable systems, they need more HD programming to be attractive, and they happened to own the rights to two hours HD hours of TV they could be airing. That it’s CMLL is a happy concidence.

CMLL has not mentioned they’re back on in the US, does not care, but probably only got this slot because they went to HD (and AAA hasn’t, yet.)

I don’t get Galavision HD. If I did, my guess is y’all would still prefer SD downloads, because you’re not watching these downloads on HD screens and all that extra file size (and encoding time) wouldn’t actually be helping anyone. Is that a sound guess?

DST starts this Sunday in Mexico, in the places where it hasn’t already started. This won’t help anyone trying to watch shows on feeds on Saturday, but it will help everyone who records both the Teleformula and Lucha de Vuleta shows since they shouldn’t be overlapping now. (So, just me & Alfredo.) IWRG will also be airing an hour earlier, if TVCDeportes decides to run it’s feed.

AAA-US: last show before Rey de Reyes includes the 4th Metal/Electroshock, Mesias returning from near death pretty much OK (he did return from being set ablaze and drifting out to sea, so we really shouldn’t be surprised), Lucha Libre USA champion Hijo de Lizmark in action.

52MX: Rayo Tapatio I’s war against youngsters rolls, plus a random assortment of people

LATV: reruns? Reruns.

CMLL-GDL: Rey Bucanero vs Maximo, Maximo’s final match in CMLL ever (for about a day.)

————-

AAA-MEX: listed as an hour earlier, beyond the time change. Rey de Reyes 2, so it’s all on the internet already. Not sure which matches aired last week.

CMLL: They definitely promoted Averno vs Mascara Dorada. They did not mention Alvarados vs Doble T at all, so it’s probably getting left off like Aguila/Bucanero did last time around. Probably the Peste Negra vs Sombra/Toscano/Rush match, and maybe either the minis opener or another unaired lightning match.

FOX: Cancerbros vs Oro/Plata/Delta + Atlantis/Casas/Volador vs Mascara/Sombra/Porky

C3: title challenges all around.

CMLL-GDL: swing match is Metal Blanco/Palacio Negro vs Inquisidor/Raziel

Puebla: Niebla vs UG, week 1

ACM: UG vs Espartaco + Felino, Mr. Niebla and Negro Navarro (for real) vs Mascara Dorada, Silencio, Stuka Jr.

Perros: a rerun!

IWRG: the taping that’s going on right now.
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CMLL-TFN: have totally lost track here

CMLL Guadalajara on Teleformula #40 (03/27/2011)

taped @ Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 02/08/2011

file: here
recap: here

Gallo, Sagrado, Sangre Azteca vs Escorpion, Misterioso II, Pólvora: HATED this match. Rudos were a slow, unhurried annoyance to Sangre. There wasn’t anything more to the match, and what they were doing was too passive and too scattered to be interesting. And then wont forever. A dreary GDL match; between this match and the Polvora/Sangre Azteca lightning match, it felt like a really good idea they didn’t do a mask match between then at Dos Leyendas. Sangre’s been improving as a tecnico, but there wasn’t much of that here.

Felino & Rey Bucanero vs Máscara Dorada & Máximo – as action, this feud hasn’t been much, but it’s made up for it with wacky shennangins. This was the oddest conga line ever.

PlayPlay

Gran Alternativa, links

Palacio Negro & Metal Blanco confirm to Fuego en el Ring that they’re heading to Mexico City full time, starting with the Gran Alternativa tournament. They’d like to stay partners, but they’ll be 100% professional if they face off each other in the tournament. Record previews the eight rookies in tomorrow’s Gran Alternativa, and given the absolutely lack of anything to write about today, might as well preview that one now:

Favorites

  • Dragon Lee & Volador Jr. – though moving up the card would intefere with his Rayo Tapatio feud!

Dark Horses

  • Máscara Dorada & Metal Blanco – this team is inevitably going to run into…
  • Averno & Palacio Negro – this one, and one of them would work against Escorpion (though Escorpion would be a favorite)
  • Black Warrior & Lestat – would be more about Black Warrior

Nope

  • Mephisto & Tiger Kid – even with the rudo/rudo finals of late, seems an unlikely final
  • Negro Casas & Puma King – as does this
  • Guerrero Maya Jr. & Máximo – seems here to make up the numbers
  • Hombre Bala Jr. & La Máscara – but not especially important in Gen11 so far

The Gladiatores has video of Tuesday’s night cage match in Arena Aficion. Started with 4 man (Super Crazy, Arenita, Medico, Wagner III), ended up with 8 and a rematch in a couple Tuesdays.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update, this week’s Ras de Lona, and a recap of this week’s CMLL. I should do that.

Links

Lineups

DTU (FRI) 04/08/2011 Arena Lopez Mateos
1) Shitara vs Chica Tormenta, Megan, Lily Figther, Keira [#1 Contenders, Reina De Reinas]
2) Ashley vs Vanely, Yuki Star, Lolita, Vaquerita [#1 Contenders, Reina De Reinas]
3) Aeroboy & Samuray del Sol vs Sadico & Yakuza and Black Fire & Pesadilla and ? & Ciclope
4) Dark Dragon & Fenix (AAA) vs Trauma I & Trauma II
5) Zumbi vs Hormiga, Daga, Flamita
6) Mari Apache vs ?, ??
7) Chessman vs Violento Jack, Paranoiko, Drastik Boy

There’s no 1 on 1 on DTU Erotica, everything is multiperson.  Tag match is listed as “Ultraviolent Fetish Lumberjack”, and they’re not going to explain that ahead of time.

AAA on Televisa #983 (03/26/2011)

no comment

taped @ Gimnasio Miguel Hidalgo de Puebla, 03/04/2011

file: here
recap: here

Fenix, Lolita, Mari Apache vs Billy Boy, Jennifer Blake, Sexy Star: Two matches in, and Lolita still comes off a star. It’s possible she may be someone who can do neat headscissors spots and not a lot more, but then that’d make her “Lita” at worse, and that’s pretty good. Two matches in, and we know Fenix has a really different dive and not a lot else. At least he made it to two matches! The Tirantes angle seems like it may have come to late: he’s facing Apache because he’s a horrible biased referee, except he’s refereed fairly in every match (including this one!) I’m fine with this, less evil refreeing the better.

Charly Manson, Escoria, Nygma vs Espíritu, Joe Lider, Nicho el Millionario: Maybe something like 75% of Nygma’s offense was clipped out, often right as he was going for a move. That’s never a good sign. Other people were fine. Charly being the evil guy in this match and being attacked by Zorro means Zorro’s the good guy, right? I’m willing to go with that.

Heavy Metal vs Electroshock in a street fight: this one was different because they put each other thru more stuff, you see. There was a really loud ding noise when Metal got hit with the bottle, and I hope that means they added it in later and Heavy Metal didn’t really take a glass bottle to the head. Silver Kain really needs to learn how to take no for answer, there’s got to be someone else he can add to his group who won’t be this much trouble.

Carlito vs Jack Evans vs Decnnis vs Ozz in a AAA’s Rey de Rey tournament semifinal match: Carlito was just “Carlito” here. They should probably decide these things and then tell everyone. He was not particularlly interesting and not particuarlly over, but I would’ve tried him here too. Sexy Star, Italian, was at least funny.

So…they gave away Billy was the Bizarro and traitor on TV, and this was still a surprise come next week? Stealing outright from Oscar winning movies is a better idea than being inspired by WWE, let’s go with that.

Cuervo, El Mesías, Extreme Tiger vs LA Park, Silver King, Último Gladiador: Mesias seemed to lose two gallons of blood last week…which just meant he showed up too late to actually get beat up this week and they needed four people to hold him back. Odd they would’ve let Mesias get his pinfall back on LA Park here, when that’s supposed to be one of the driving points of the PPV and they’ve given Extreme Tiger absolutely nothing to do here. Tiger pinning Gladiador wouldn’t do that much for him, but not much is still more than seeming like a completely meaningless guy in this match (which is what they communicated in the post match.)

CMLL Guerreros del Ring on 52MX #279 (03/26/2011)

Magnus' push

taped @ Arena Coliseo, 03/20/2011

Recap: here
File: here

Dragon Lee, Enrique Vera Jr., Magnus vs Inquisidor, Rayo Tapatío I, Rayo Tapatío II: you could not be doing this feud without the Tapatios. The rookies are really raw (nearly running over each other here), Inquisidor isn’t much better (superkick!) and yet this is actually working really well. This might be the best possible use of the Gen2011 guys, because them working each other might be disastrous, and this whole bit has gotten over Dragon Lee as a star. Well, a star to the tiny percentage who see this show, but still.

Hijo del Fantasma, Sagrado, Sangre Azteca vs Ephesto, Shigeo Okumura, Vangelis: I really wish this was 2001-2003, and CMLL TV had weekly vignettes with Sangre Azteca trying to get along with his new tecnico partners. Sagrado, being a nice guy and man of the cloth, clearly would work hard at convincing his fellow tecnicos to trust Sangre now, and maybe they’d all bond over all the times they’d monkey flipped Sangre and how none of them really like Ultimo Guerrero. Payoff would be La Mascara refusing to be friends, getting into a brawl with Sangre, the two having one more title match, and finding some level of mutual respect thru battle. In reality, Sangre’s getting some good routines as a tecnico and seemed completely conformable at it for once.

title challenges galore, Lestat, people who aren’t dead

CMLL

CMLL (TUE) 03/29/2011 Arena Mexico [Record, CMLL]
1) Leono & Trueno b Artillero & Súper Comando
2) Astral, Eléctrico, Mascarita Dorada b Demus 3:16, Pequeño Warrior, Pierrothito
Astral beat Pierrothito, then asked for a shot at Pierrothito’s national lightweight title. That match seemed agreed on for Tuesday.
3) Fuego, Pegasso, Rey Cometa DQ Arkángel de la Muerte, Loco Max, Skándalo
Pegasso was back in action. Tuareg got DQ for putting a fire out: they pressed Fuego over the top rope. Straight falls.
4) Pólvora, Shigeo Okumura, Yoshihashi b Ángel de Oro, Sagrado, Valiente
Polvora cut Valiente down with a dropkick for the third fall. Valiente was stretchered out, and Polvora took the opportunity to challenge for Valiente’s welterweight title. Valiente was too hurt to agree, but it’s a possibility for sometime the future.
5) Blue Panther, La Máscara, La Sombra b Atlantis, Dragón Rojo Jr., Último Guerrero
Mascara and Sombra pinned Guerrero and Dragon Rojo, then challenged for a tag title shot. UG offered a rematch next week, and then maybe they’ll do it the week after. You’d think La Mascara wouldn’t trust any open ended title match promises from Guerrero, seeing as he’s still waiting for his heavyweight title shot.

CMLL (TUE) 03/29/2011 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Fuego en el Ring]
1) Leo b Quca
Quca is a cockroach.
2) Infierno & Malefico b Black Metal & Virgo
Infierno replaced Exterminador
3) Metal Blanco & Palacio Negro b Inquisidor & Raziel
Fuego believes this is the end for Palacio & Metal here.
4) Delta, Metro, Sangre Azteca b Euforia, Misterioso Jr., Virus
Sangre pinned Misterioso
5) Héctor Garza & Volador Jr. b Rush & Toscano
Garza snuck in a foul on Rush to set up the win.

Lestat is excited to be in the Gran Alternativa. His long ago disappearing act in Guapos U is explained as “personal problems” (too dedicated to the Hardy gimmick?) and he’s mentioned as winning a local “torneo de la revelacion”. (???) Lestat hopes to beat a Guadalajara team to prove the Puebla school is as good. Kind of hope he does; I love some of those GDL guys, but CMLL ought to be giving the Puebla locals some more credit.

KBW, a promotion in Tampico, put a note up on it’s Facebook last night that their luchador Aborto had died. Except, he was not dead. He had moved out of town and stopped working for the promotion, but he was still alive and working elsewhere.

Rob’s blog has a music video for CMLL Japan on February 1999.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

Links

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 04/04/2011 Arena Puebla
1) Asturiano & Stigma vs Akron & Sauron
2) Ángel Azteca Jr., Black Tiger, Starman vs Hooligan, Loco Max, Tigre Rojo
3) Blue Panther, Rush, Toscano vs Felino, Negro Casas, Shigeo Okumura
4) La Máscara, Máximo, Strong Man vs Héctor Garza, Hirooki Goto, Volador Jr.
5) Último Guerrero vs Mr. Niebla [CMLL HEAVY]

If Niebla wasn’t prone to disappear on knee injuries, that main event would look like a title change. Eventually, they’re going to need more champions for the Universal tournament, UG has two, and Mr. Niebla is very popular. Probably not going to happen.

Poor Goto.

This is the first time Tigre Rojo has been a rudo, as far back as my records go. (Which may not be far enough.) CMLL’s lineup notes Tigre Rojo is the current Arena Puebla middleweight champion; I also can’t think of when they’ve last mentioned a local’s title on this show. I can’t even find a record of a title match, but again that’s probably bad records.