Tanahashi is Universal Champion, CMLL on GalaTV canceled?

photo by CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 09/06/2013 Arena Mexico [Black Terry Jr. (flickr), CMLL]
1) Astral, Eléctrico, Último Dragoncito b Mercurio, Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Olímpico
Ultimo Dragoncito replaced Bam Bam. Tecnicos took 2/3. Mercurio was strechered out after taking double team moves from Astral & Electrico for the finish.
2) Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr., Tritón b Misterioso Jr., Sangre Azteca, Shigeo Okumura
Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Marco Corleone, Máximo, Super Porky DQ Terrible, Tiger, Vangellys
Tecnicos took straight falls in a comedy match. Tiger was initially listed but replaced by Rey Escorpion early in the week. Escorpion appears to be feuding with Porky, and fouled him here for the DQ.
4) Diamante Azul, La Máscara, Shocker b Felino, Mr. Niebla, Pólvora
Polvora replaced Negro Casas, who appeared but was announced as out with an injury. Tecnicos took 1/3 in a normal match.
5) Último Guerrero & Volador Jr. b Atlantis & La Sombra
Rudos took 1/3, UG and Volador working together to beat Atlantis & Sombra with their big moves clean. Most of the match was the feuding guys facing off and ignoring the partners. Rudos taunted the tecnicos post match, though they had a strong difference of opinions about who which tecnico was losing his mask next week.
6) Hiroshi Tanahashi b Rush [CMLL Universal, final]
Seconds were Sombra & Okumura. Rush won the first with a suplex. Tanahashi won the second in with a german suplex after a very botched blocked suplex spot. Match finally picked up a couple minutes into the third and was good for most of that fall. Lots of near falls, with Rush surviving a German suplex and avoiding a High Fly Flow. Rush landed the hard corner dropkick, but Tanahashi blocked the Rush Driver, dropped Rush with a Sling Blade, and landed the High Fly Flow to win the tournament. No angle after – Rush walked off while Tanahashi got the belt.

Attendance was nothing special, which is no surprise going up a Mexican national team game. Crowd seemed more into the mask match than the main event. Terra feed was fine all night.

Leo Riano responded to a fan on Twitter that CMLL is off of Televisa (on Terra instead) permanently. He didn’t seem much heartbroken about it. CMLL, as they do, has said absolutely nothing about their TV situation. (The only acknowledgement is both Friday and Sunday shows are listed as “taped for Terra Mexico” and not any TV network.) There was no mention of a change during tonight’s broadcast, though the announcers included Leo Magadan and Miguel Linares who would’ve been normally at the Televisa booth. In theory, CMLL is less hurt by losing Televisa than AAA, because CMLL’s TV is of poor quality and they have a billion other hours of TV. In reality, losing an over the air show when your marketing yourself as low cost entertainment is a very big issue.

At least for this week, that hour that would’ve been on Galavision has turned on 52MX. That might only be because there was no Sunday taping, but so we’ll see what they do next week.

No CMLL on GalaTV in Mexico means no CMLL coming back to GalaTV in the United States, of course. They would be able to shop the additional hour of footage around, but CMLL produced TV hasn’t found great network homes in the US.

The last CMLL on GalaTV episode was the one with the Blue Panther Anniversary match and Volador/Sombra. Not a bad show to go out on.

Dinastia, Mini Abismo Negro, Argenis and Aerostar visited children in the hospital before Thursday’s show.

LuchaMania Monterrey has an interview with Hugo Savinovich.

Terra video report on the Anniversary mask match.

Porra Fresa previews Monday’s card.

Lineup

IWRG (THU) 09/12/2013 Arena Naucalpan
1) Sky Ángel vs Fulgor I
2) Aliado de Dios & Freyser vs Acero & Alan Extreme
3) Astro Rey Jr., Centvrión, Golden Magic vs Canis Lupus, Imposible, Rayan
4) Ciclon Black, Guerrero Mixtico, Tony Rivera vs Black Terry, Dragón Celestial, Fulgore II
Neza (Gym Tony Rivera) va Naucalpan (FILL)
5) Trauma I, Trauma II, Veneno vs Fuerza Guerrera, Hijo de Máscara Año 2000, Oficial 911

Ciclon Black was on Team Tony on the last FILL show. Lupus hasn’t been around in a while.