truth: alls I got today is lame source versus source arguing not more than than 10 (diez) people in the world care about. You should know that by that title alone. That also means I can plug some other stuff because it’s not like I’m delaying some important news. I’m delaying some really pointless news.
About a week ago, I got the cool art work you see on the page. It was sent by Sam from Counting The Lights and I thank him for it. They’ve got more on their wrestling blog, which is worth checking out if you’re okay with seeing random naked people on the main page.
I’m heading out to an indy show this weekend. Not a lucha show, since they all seem to be on Sundays when I have too much going on, but the debut show for School of Roc out in Indiana. I’ve enjoyed the last year of their web series and I’m a fan of the people behind it (in part because of their other YouTube channel.) It’s not just the YouTube stuff has been good; their match at the CHIKARA show in Lafayette was fun too. It’s worth the trip if any of the matches Saturday are at that level, and looks like it’s going to be an amusing night even if they don’t.
If I can tie this back in to lucha somehow – Social of Roc is a weekly series on unknown or barely known Indiana area wrestlers. They spent a few months running an in-show tournament and storylines around it, took a few months off, and came back for a few months of shorter bits building up this debut show. They’ve built the personalities strong enough to get you to care about them. It’s not a show of **** 3/4 matches, but it’s a show of matches to easily get interested in. I don’t want that sound like they’re untalented, because there’s some genuine talent here, but the characters are much better defined because of the way they’re treated and it’s easier to invest in them.
That doesn’t happen with the guys in the main lucha promotions. Fuego has been around CMLL for six years, and the only time he’s had a chance to say something revealing or interesting was the comment about how hard it is to make it in CMLL if you’re not related to anyone, and that was on a show no one saw. AAA genuinely believes Fenix is a young future star for them, and the 10 seconds generic promo he talked on last week’s Fusion show is the first time he’s spoken in months. There’s no way the average person watching the show has the slightest idea who that man is.
(Meanwhile, there’s plenty of time for multiple vignettes where it’s made clear Konnan is involved with both Sexi Star and Jennifer Blake and they’re both too stupid to figure it out, because that’s a critical storyline to AAA’s future and certainly not a booker making himself the center of attention. Or CMLL announcers profiling edecanes, who come and go without much notice or change to CMLL’s business.)
Don’t misunderstand my point. I don’t know how many people will be at the School of Roc show, though I don’t expect it to be a lot, and I’m sure they’d like to have a lot more people checking out their web series than actually do. Whenever AAA posts tonight’s video interview with Silver King and Chessman, I have no doubt they’ll easily beat those numbers. It’s not about the end numbers, it’s about how far you’ve come. School of Roc started out from scratch with few resources and made something compelling. CMLL and AAA start out with huge advantages and great pools of talent, and make the least of them – or at least a lot less than the should be. (Check out the first story if you feel like arguing.)
Anyway, if you don’t care my Saturday plans or random digressions on social media usage, please realize this means I’m spending Saturday crossing back and forth time zones, while at the same time daylight savings time hits the US Saturday night but not in Mexico until next week. I will be so confused, I’ll be looking at the clock on my phone every five minutes, even more useless than normal
illustration via Counting the Light
the news?: This week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports the AAA taping at Arena Lopez Mateos sold 305 tickets ($3,600 gate, so $11 tickets, kind of pricey for lucha in DF.) There’s also a listing of recent Arena Lopez Mateos attendances, which I can’t recall seeing prior
460 09/30 LEGEND (Psycho Circus vs Koslov/Romero/Masters)
800 10/06 LMV (Mil/Solitario, cage match)
320 10/07 AULL (Epitafio, Negro Navarro, Trauma I, Trauma II vs Chucho el Roto, Iron Love, Mr. Potro, Rocky Santana)
1200 10/14 UWE (Wagners vs Caneks)
305 10/21 AAA Fusion (Mesias, Fenix, Vampiro vs Chessman, Silver King, Ultimo Gladiador)
WON: “We were told the show was poorly advertised locally. Also, some people went to the box office thinking it was a TV taping and when they found out it was for TVC and not Televisa, they decided against buying tickets.” I guess it’s possible some people actually did that. I’d believe 10. It’d have to be 500 for it to make difference. None of the other shows were TV tapings for any network, and Perros del Mal and DTU had no problems drawing when they were ‘only’ on TVC Deportes. I’d guess the price of the tickets and it being the 5th show in that 4 weeks were bigger factors, but I’d also suggest people didn’t go because they weren’t interested in the matches. The same paragraph mentions how over Vampiro is; doesn’t seem like anyone in that main event is over when it comes to selling tickets. Vampiro sure seems like a guy who gets a big reaction from people who are already going to the shows, but isn’t convincing many people to go and see him. I’d say he’s like Canek in that regard but look at those numbers, AAA wishes he was Canek. The only ongoing feud on the card was Chessman vs Vampiro (if Vampiro beating Chessman repeatedly counts as feud) , and no one cared enough about that feud to buy a ticket.
Elsewhere, at a nothing happening Arena Coliseo show, CMLL drew 2,700. One of their bigger turnouts of the year. Cheaper prices there, I believe.
The WON also mentions the TNA guys held a tryout camp with AAA and indy guys when they were there.
In follow up to Kaiser Sports stopping it’s CMLL coverage, Los Colisenos says CMLL has a new policy that limits ringside photographers. Only a [unknown number] are allowed to be ringside, the rest are forced to go to a farther away media zone (where TerceraCaida shoots, I believe) to not block the ringside fan’s views. This is not the first time this issue has come up, and it’s seemed to a big deal for a moment and then ignored over time. I counted 9 people at ringside for the Volador & Diamante Azul match, but most of those people were working on the TV show or the promotion. Rationing out the spots will only have limited chance of fixing the problem, and there’s not a lot of photographer spots going around. It’s not clear this is actually Kaiser Sports’ problem (and it’s worth noting the message previously displayed on KaiserSports’ website has now been removed, so perhaps there is no longer a problem.) Anyway, If CMLL really wanted to stop cameras from blocking fans views, maybe they should direct their video cameramen to stop insistently turning around and putting their cameras in the fan’s faces. If this complaint exists, it’s peculiar CMLL would act on only it, and not the many other complaints people have with the promotion.
The Box Y Lucha Commission of Puebla is now on Twitter and Facebook. They’ve been busy, already saying they haven’t actually received a poster from AAA for their taping next month. AAA’s been unhappy with people releasing lineups early, perhaps they just decided to wait to announce the show themselves before handing out posters.
LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update, PosterMania and Alfredo on CMLL on Galavision.
Rob has highlights of 09/16/12 AAA and the top 10 spots of the week.
Links
- DJ Spectro looks at Angel Blanco vs Dr. Wagner, Dr. Wagner beating Canek in a title match, and the story of why Dr. Wagner’s first stint in EMLL DF did not last long.
- Tercera Caida posted last night’s AAA Fusion show and last night’s Tercera Caida. Factor needs to mellow out a bit.
- Crazy Boy says he’s a couple months from returning.
- The time Voltron unmasked Ultimo Guerrero. (Different Ultimo Guerrero.)
- R de Rudo looks at famous mask loses in AAA.
Lineups
CMLL (TUE) 10/30/2012 Arena Mexico
1) Freesbe & Oro Jr. vs Akuma & Camorra
2) Ángel Azteca Jr., Pegasso, Sensei vs Artillero, Hooligan, Súper Comando
3) Fuego, Sagrado, Triton vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Cancerbero, Raziel
4) Rey Cometa vs Sangre Azteca [lightning]
5) Diamante Azul, Mistico, Stuka Jr. vs Euforia, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero
6) Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Black Warrior, Mr. Águila, Volador Jr. [MEX TRIOS]
Volador, Mr. Aguila, and Black Warrior are champs.
CMLL Gaceta hypes the title match. CMLL doesn’t usually change titles back and forth between the same two teams, but these titles haven’t been important either way.
Stuka gets a prime spot to give Niebla Roja someone to work against. Tiger must be jealous.
AAA (SUN) 11/04/2012 Arena Coliseo Monterrey
1) Lobo Rojo & Viernes 13 vs Principe Guerrero I & Principe Guerrero II
2) Atomo & Demonio del Caribe vs Dr. Tormenta & Norteno Jr.
3) Gardenia Azteca & Pee Wee vs Mortifero & Norteno
4) Gato Fantasma, Orquídea Negra, Principe de Oro vs Androide, Iron (Monterrey), Memo Valles
5) Fenix, Silver Star, Súper Fly vs The Shadow, Tigre Universitario, Vaquero Romo
6) Drago, Electroshock, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Diluvio Negro I, Texano Jr., Toscano
Hype as the return of AAA to Monterrey with Multimedios and TVC Deportes logos. It’s the third straight week where AAA wrestlers are main eventing Arena Coliseo Monterrey, so not quite. Different lucah promoter for sure, the LUM guys are on the card and the LyC ones are nowhere to be seen.
SACCOMATS (SAT) 11/17/2012 Arena Neza
1) Mr. Leo, Saruman, Turbo vs Black Thunder, Súper Colt, Vampiro Metálico
2) Dr. Cerebro, Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Mike Segura vs Henry, Neza Kid, Rey Lobo
3) Comando Negro vs Guerrero Mixtico
4) El Hijo de Aníbal, Ray Mendoza Jr., Solar I vs Black Terry, Negro Navarro, Pirata Morgan
5) El Hijo Del Santo & Villano IV vs Blue Demon Jr. & Fuerza Guerrera
Another one of the occasional bigger shows here, which also includes the ongoing local feuds (Comando/Mixtico, Segura/Neza.)
@luchablog I could be crazy (because Sask doesn’t have DST), but isn’t the US DST changeover 10 days from now rather than 3?
Thanks for the plug. There aren’t always naked dudes on the site, I swear…