Month: February 2014

great match roundup, week of 2014-01-11

thecubsfan

Great/Excellent Matches
CMLL on Fox Sports (Mexico): 2014-01-11
taped 2014-01-03 @ Arena Mexico
Titán vs Negro Casas in CMLL’s Leyenda de Plata Tournament final match – excellent

Shows Watched But Nothing Made The List
CMLL Guerreros del Ring on 52MX: 2014-01-11
CMLL on CadenaTres: 2014-01-11

Matches To Watch Later

IWRG Zona XXI: 2014-01-12
taped 2014-01-05 @ Arena Naucalpan
Electro Boy & Emperador Azteca vs Fulgor I & Fulgor II
Alan Extreme, Astro Rey Jr., Dragón Celestial vs Araña de Plata, Douki, Imposible

CMLL Puebla: 2014-01-13
Stigma vs Camorra for the mask

Pesta Negra challenge for trios titles, Camorra/Stgima, Octagon/Fuerza, Young Bucks

thecubsfan

CMLL (TUE) 02/11/2014 Arena Mexico [CMLL]
1) Leono & Magnus b Akuma & Zayco
Zayco was stretchered out after a Magnus move. Recap suggests this could start a Zayco/Magnus feud!
2) Canelo Casas, Guerrero Negro Jr., Herodes Jr. b Dragon Lee, Flyer, Robin
Flyer wore his aquamarine Volador outfit for the first time here.
3) Dark Angel, Estrellita, Goya Kong b Amapola, Princesa Blanca, Princesa Sugheit
Sexy Team got the win.
4) Sagrado b Virus [lightning]
5) Averno, Mephisto, Rey Bucanero b Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr.
Tiger & Terrible were originally announced, but replaced by Averno & Mephisto on Friday. Rudos took 1/3.
6) Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas b La Máscara, Rush, Titán
Peste Negra took falls 1/3, then challenged for the trios titles. Rush said NO, but Mascara eventually said yes – as long as it gets him a mask match versus Niebla. (They’re just doing the title match.)

Trios match as expected, even as much as Rush tried to fight it. That reads as Rush being annoying to the rudos and not any tecnico dissension. It would be peciluar for the original Peste Negra – one of the oldest possible trios in the promotion who just got two new members not in this promotion – to win the national trios titles on the Nuevo Valores show.

CMLL (TUE) 02/11/2014 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [@acogdl]
1) Leo & Sky Kid b Mr. Trueno & Rey Trueno
Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Dalys, La Seductora, Zeuxis b Lady Afrodita, Lluvia, Marcela
Lluvia’s first match since August. Rudas took 2/3, Dalys beating Marcela.
3) Boby Zavala, Camorra, Sangre Azteca b Stigma, Stuka Jr., Tritón
Rudos took 1/3, Camorra sneaking a foul on Stigma. They’ll come back in a singles match next week.
4) Volador Jr. b Mr. Águila
Volador took 2/3.
5) Euforia, Shocker, Último Guerrero DQ Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, Valiente
Rudos took 1/3, Euforia tossing his mask to Marco to draw the DQ.

The increased amount of singles matches trend seems to be coming to Guadalajara as well. (I need to work up some numbers on this.) Camorra getting into a mask match and losing has been the best decision of that type since Rey Cometa.

Octagon announced he’s starting on the road to a mask match with Fuerza Guerrera on 03/02. (Tweet part 2; Octagon easily goes past 160.) What exactly has the last two decades been? The roads to the road to the mask match? It’s a good thing a lot of people who follow lucha libre in Mexico are in it for the nostalgia and not actually quality of the match, because any Fuerza Guerrera/Octagon match will have a lot of one of those things and not much of the other.

Matt Jackson mentioned on Twitter that he he broke his hand in a recent NJPW match (a IWGP Junior Tag Team championship earlier this week.) The injury may cause him to miss the ChilangaMask show. The promotion has already said that if the Young Bucks can’t make it, they have a two other of the same level ready and they’ll try to bring in Matt & Nick at some other time. Of all the many promotions in Mexico (little and big), ChilangaMask seems like the one most likely to bring in equal replacements given lead time, and also keep everyone updated about what’s going on in advance. It’s a bit harder when people get pulled on the day of the show, but otherwise I’m sure they’ll figure something out. The same update on that mentions they have three more surprises planned, one of which will be announced on Tercera Caida (listed as airing at 11pm CT night, usually up on YouTube before then.)

SuperLuchas #518 has coverage of the last two AAA tapings (before this past one) and the Sin Cara Gym show.

Angel o Demonio & Ovett won the main event of the 02/02 DTU show in Tulancingo, which seemed to set up a Crazy Boy/Angel o Demonio match.

The three known members of the Gimanso Juan de la Barrera Rey de Rey block talk about the pages.

CMLL Gaceta has a story about Silueta’s latest trip to Japan.

DJ Spectro has the second part of his look back at Angel Blanco.

Lineups

CMLL (MON) 02/17/2014 Arena Puebla
1) Paris, Tigre Rojo, Tigre Rojo Jr. vs Artillero, Disturbio, Súper Comando
2) Metálico, Metatrón, Robin vs Espíritu Maligno, Siki Ozama Jr., Toro Bill Jr.
3) Fuego, Rey Cometa, Sagrado vs Kamaitachi, Sangre Azteca, Shigeo Okumura
4) Rush vs Vangellys
5) Máscara Dorada, Mistico, Valiente vs Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas

Estetas vs Peste Negra. Fuego & Rey Cometa will be fighting the Japanese forever.

CMLL (TUE) 02/18/2014 Arena Mexico
1) Flyer & Metatrón vs Cholo & Inquisidor
2) Angelito, Fantasy, Shockercito vs Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Warrior, Pierrothito
3) Hombre Bala Jr., Súper Halcón Jr., Tritón vs Cancerbero, Espiritu Negro, Raziel
4) Stuka Jr. vs Puma [lightning]
5) Black Panther, Blue Panther, Cachorro vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Misterioso Jr., Pierroth
6) La Máscara, Rush, Titán vs Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas [MEX TRIOS]
Rush, La Mascara & Titan are champions. Second defense.

The rudos could win if they’re looking for a way to get Rush vs Negro Casas going again. The tecnicos all have other titles, they don’t need these trios titles – but neither do the rudos. I think the champs retain but I’m less sure the more I think about it.

If Cachorro and Black Panther have a good match with that group of rudos, then they’re really good. (They can be really good and not have a good match with those guys.)

There’s a mini Angelito who wrestled in 2012 and 2013 in Arena Azteca Budokan; I’d bet this is that guy. Poor Pequeno Valiente.

top six stories of the last two weeks

thecubsfan
  • Mini Chessman passed away
  1. Sin Cara threw a party for himself, a Sin Cara Gym first anniversary show to announce his return to lucha libre. Cara managed to get AAA (his brothers, Drago, Aerostar) & CMLL luchadors (Sombra in the main event, and unofficially Magnus masquerading as an Astro Boy in the semimain event) in the same matches, something CMLL has otherwise prohibited. The show was a free show and seemed to draw well. 1,000 and 1,500 were estimated, but it was more accurately the most amount of people who could comfortable stand near the ring. Cara, who had a new mask, seemed much more open to changing his name and suggested he might try running occasional shows similar to the Perros del Mal promotion (which is actually no longer running shows.) He’s still expected by everyone to go to AAA, but on a contract that allows him to work indy shows.
  2. AAA held tapings in Toluca and Ecatepec. Both buildings are in the 3000 rang and AAA was able to sell out both. They’ve sold out all four tapings they’ve run (though one was a free taping), but their upcoming Gimnasio Juan de la Barrera taping will be the biggest building by far.
  3. La Parka and Perro Aguayo Jr. advanced in the Rey de Reyes tournament, joining Zorro. The final member of the group will be determined at a Gimansio Juan de la Barrera. That’s the only match which has been announced at Rey de Reyes. Other matches have been vaguely hinted, but it remains tough figuring out which of the hinted matches which actually occur. AAA did announce Rey de Reyes would take place on 03/16 in Monterrey, and Konnan mentioned they were trying to get it on iPPV.
  4. speaking of vague builds to major cards, Rush and Shocker continue to feud in CMLL and seem like the best guess at a Dos Leyendas main event. Nothing’s actually been confirmed – not even the second Legend to be honored! – and the show is about a month away.
  5. Soberano Jr. (and Volador Jr.) and Barbaro Cavernario (and Mr. Niebla) advanced to the final to Gran Alternativa. Barbaro Cavernario seems to be the favorite based on getting one vignette (which is one more than almost everyone), but it’s could go either way.
  6. El Elegido will appear on a celebrity high diving competition. For some reason.
  • NJPW trainee Kamataichi joined the wave of new luchadors who’ve started in CMLL since the begining of the year.
  • El Dandy defeated Satanico in Monterrey in Dandy’s Monterrey retirement match
  • Electro Boy (& Super Nova) won IWRG’s El Protector tournament, their version of the Gran Alternativa. Electro Boy’s prize appears to be nothing at all. Maybe the journey is the prize?
  • Diamante Azul won the Occidente Heavyweight championship from Olimpico in Guadalajara.
  • Titan beat Virus in a great title match to kepe his welterweight title, and Delta & Guerrero Maya Jr. kept the Arena Coliseo tag titles over Tiger and Puma (who was hurt in the match.)
  • various TV Azteca programs continue to do features on CMLL. It’s as if they’re vignettes teasing the impending debut of the promotion on the network, but nothing proceeding that orderly should ever be assumed.

Todo x El Todo: 2013-08-04/2013-08-11

thecubsfan
halfway between a backdrop and a flapjack is no place to be

taped 2013-07-27 @ Gimnasio Juan De La Barrera
Centvrión vs Imposible: I like both of these guys, but I didn’t like this match at all. The first half of the match was highly annoying, with guys doing big moves at random in no particular order, as if they were shuffled in a card deck. It only got better later because they switched to your move/my move kickouts, and at least the big moves fit in better there. It still wasn’t good and stuff didn’t go right. The match felt longer that it needed to be or what they were ready for. I don’t know if the one fall format threw them off, but this wasn’t up to their capabilities. The dark arena really didn’t do much to hide the emptiness (especially the seats right across from the hard camera) but did obscure one of the bigger dives.

 

win via airplane spin!

Rossy Moreno vs Esther Moreno and Lady Apache: Essentially two matches in one. The first ten minutes of this match felt like the best women’s match on a TxT show yet. It was good action, the three way fight worked well and the crowd got into both Lady Apache winning and the Moreno sisters costing each other the match. This was much better than the opener. It was a good build to Moreno vs Moreno on another show – except they just did it here for some reason, and it wasn’t much good. They changed the tone a punching submission fight. There were some people loudly chanting for them (mostly Rossy, who seemed to be the ruda), but most of the crowd seemed to check out until the very last couple of near falls. The your move/my move stuff bugged me here, but more because I was done with this and really wanted them to go home. I guess this was essentially what they had planned to do for the hair match (though maybe with a different winner), but there didn’t seem any point to do it here.

 

backbreaker->face first side slam

El Hijo del Medico Asesino vs Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.: A slow, but more solid match than I figured. I don’t have high expectation levels for a singles match with these two guys, but they kept it together better than I would’ve guessed. It was again way too long; they don’t have 15 minutes of stuff to do and were moving at a snails pace by the end, but they didn’t fall on their face either. Nothing you need to watch but somewhat promising. Strange finish of Medico Asesino clearly fouling Wagner, referee Terry watching the foul and seeing the foul but counting the three count anyway. You’re not really protecting Wagner by having him lose to a foul if the referee sees it, you’re just making the match look dumb. (And you really shouldn’t need to protect Wagner at this point.)

 

brainbusted

Brian Cage, Heddi Karaoui, Oliver John, Zumbi vs Angel Blanco Jr., Blue Demon Jr., El Hijo del Solitario, Rayman:  A half hour half long match, so everyone did everything they do just to stretch it out even farther. Three straight hot tags was the funniest instance of this. It didn’t hold my attention for that long and it didn’t seem to hold the crowd. They’d still cheer for the técnicos but were totally uninterested in anything the rudos had to do in the second half of the match. John beating Solitario seemed really weird in that context, but the finish did look killer. Cage did some good goofy selling but was totally unmemorable; they probably should’ve given him some strong guys spots somewhere in here.

 

why do they hit each other?

Cien Caras Jr., Máscara Año 2000, Universo 2000 vs Canek, LA Park, Rayo de Jalisco Jr.: I was really hoping there would be a good gif to prove I actually watched this match and didn’t just fake it. This’ll have to do. It seemed unlikely this lineup would produce a match I’d like, and the unlikely did not happen. Strangely the only three fall match on the show (though the other matches weren’t worked much different.) So many chops as comedy, with the rudos being less the Dinamitas and more the three stooges. I didn’t get much into it and neither did the crowd, by little how they were reacting to the late stages of the match. A really long way to go for a mask pull DQ finish, and a weird show where the rudos win all the meaningful matches.

2013 watch later catchup, part 7

thecubsfan
Namajague spear

08-12 Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa vs Boby Zavala, Namajague, Shigeo Okumura

GREAT. Definitely one where other people would have matches which don’t make the final list higher than this one, but I enjoy this guys work and they were working hard here. Not any new ground but one where everything were trying went off well and they were going full effort despite ‘only’ being in Arena Puebla. Rey Cometa really only tried the running Spanish Fly with Namajague and this was the best one they pulled off, plus there was some good Delta/Guerrero Maya tag team work (and hoping for more of that in 2014.) Surprised the finish happened when it did; not used to seeing Namajague successful!

08-19 Rey Escorpión vs Último Guerrero for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship

inverted mecedora? some other name?

The longest first fall in an Ultimo Guerrero singles match in years! (The second fall lasted under a minute.) And then a third fall much like any other. The other Escorpion/UG worked because it Escorpion was super aggressive and threw Ultimo Guerrero off his predictable match. This was the opposite, Ultimo Guerrero having his Ultimo Guerrero match, with the bonus of Tirantes going all Tirantes in the last few minutes. This was better than most UG matches have been of a late but nothing worth seeking them out.

 

Maya’s devestated

08-25 Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Black Terry

GREAT. Black Terry really brings out the hate in Guerrero Maya. Maya was so different here than his CMLL appearances, almost the rudo (though maybe it’s just both guys were the rudos.) Straight brawl from before the bell which finds it’s way back into the ring but always feels a bit of control. This was a fight and a good one. There was was some technical oddness (like Maya pulling Terry off the mat while covering him after the Tormenta Maya to stop his own count), but the match flew by and the finish was neat.

08-25 Valiente & Virus vs Trauma I & Trauma II

counter dropkick

GREAT. The Traumas trying tricks and cheap shots, only they try it against the wrong two guys and are lucky to keep it even. This match was already great in the first couple minutes when Valiente met Truma II eye gouge for eye gouge and Virus was taking down Trauma I when he tried a cheap slap. Everything was very solid and it was a very close match. Crowd was super into this match the entire way. It did seem out of order early, with Trauma II and Valiente attempting to rip out each other’s eyeballs leading into more sedate mat wrestling from Virus & Trauma I and then just a normal match for a while, but they picked the intensity back in up in the last third of the match. Finish was well down for what it was, but will still a let down after all that had let up to it. If that sort of finish is the trade off to get the match to happen, then it’d take it 10 times out of time, but obviously the match would’ve been better with something even slightly conclusive.

bulldozer tope

09-08 Dinamic Black vs Golden Magic for the IWRG Intercontinental Welterweight Championship

Asai tornillo moonsault

Another IWRG finish missed by LAS camera work – they were in replay and had no idea a double countout was coming so they would’ve missed the ref counting 20 anyway. The little we did see included both guys standing right next to the ring staring at each other instead of going in, so I’m not sure this would’ve been a finish to help the match. This became Dinamic Black’s last match, which was also the end of the very short lived Golden Magic & Centviron rudo turn. (You wouldn’t have known they were meant to be rudos until after the match. Centviron’s towel as scarf was hilarious.) It’s obvious there were issues about Dinamic Black around this time just by the way everything changed after it. (I believe the story is this wasn’t the finish they were originally supposed to have, but I’d guess there was more that led up to that.) Different issues than Fenix/Dinamic, or at least a different type of match as a result – this one was missing a spark or some energy. There was a good match here but not a great one, not what you’d hope for when two long time partners finally face each other. Enough spots for highlights but not a complete match. That said, crowd was into (and ref was way into it!) so I may be just be thinking too much and not just seeing things. This match just seemed less fun than it should’ve been.

Atlantis submits Navarro!

09-30 Atlantis, Blue Panther, Shocker vs Black Terry, Negro Navarro, Solar I

I got completely derailed by the sound not matching up at all with the video; it took me a while to attempt to fix that, and longer to get back to watching it. (It still didn’t fix; I should’ve broken it down to individual falls.) This was a very good match, worked intensely for a maesto match and breaking down into more of a normal style match with different spots by the third fall. The finishes in the first fall and third fall seemed very sudden; all the CMLL 2013 maestros matches have felt like they could’ve gone longer but just abruptly end. It was weird for Blue Panther to be downplayed (and eliminated) in his own anniversary celebration – it was Shocker and Terry feuding which actually came off strongest.

Dandy beats Satanico in Monterrey, Puma injury

thecubsfan 2 Comments

ERLL (SUN) 02/09/2014 Arena Coliseo Monterrey [Arena Coliseo Monterrey, RFC]
1) Mr. Vega & Poseidón vs Bochido & Misionero
2) Chik Tormenta & La Hiedra b Hija de Karonte & Lady Puma
3) Mitsunoko & Potro Jr. b Lemus Jr. & Perseus
4) Bengali, Difunto I, Ejecutor b Memo Valles, Pantera I, Pee Wee
5) Black Spider & Pedro Navajas b Flamita & Rocky Lobo and Impulso & Mike Segura and Aeroboy & Violento Jack
Aeroboy & Violento Jack were eliminated when Kaientai got involved. Impulso & Segura were second otu, and the locals upset the Millennial duo for the win.
6) Caifan & Tigre Universitario Silver Star DCOR Alberto Dos Rios & Hijo Del Centurion Negro
Everyone was counted out out of the ring.
7) El Dandy b Satánico
Dandy got the win in his last match here.

Arena Coliseo Monterrey has four minutes of videos and interviews from Sunday’s show, with Satanico vs Dandy and the other top matches. This show MAY air on Noches de Coliseo next week.

Puma says he tore his bicep on Sunday. It seemed to happen on his dive in the opening fall of the tag title match; he’s grabbing his arm after he lands. El Popular lists Puma as winning with a powerbomb over Triton last night in Puebla, so either it wasn’t as bad as it sounds or luchadors are crazy. Probably a little bit of both.

Volador beat Mr. Aguila in the Puebla main event. The semimain set up Vangellys versus Rush for next week.

Today’s CMLL main event has Peste Negra versus the Mexican trios champions in the main event. It seems like they’ll be running a trios title match next week, but CMLL set up the similar Sunday feud the same way and ended up in a different final match so it’s not certain. Reyes del Atlantida face Hijos del Averno in the semimain, and Sagrado and Virus face on a good lightning match (which probably won’t air.)

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update and Postermania, where there’s so many posters that Alfredo can’t type all the lineups!

Black Terry Jr. has video of a drunk fan jumping the rail in Toluca. Piero has a great way of getting him back into the seats.

CMLL video teaser for this Friday and for Dos Leyendas.

Guerrero Maya Jr. talks about his 10th Anniversary to el Popular. I know there’s another interview in SuperLuchas, and I’d bet there are ones in recent Luchas 2000 and Box Y Lucha too. He’s pretty much done an interview with every possible outlet outside of LuchaWorld (and I’d bet he’d do it if I asked.) It’s kind of hilarious, but it’s also impressive – if you’re the slightest bit of a wrestling fan in Mexico, you know Guerrero Maya Jr. is a lucahdor in CMLL who had a 10th anniversary and seems kind of important. Everyone else should be asking Maya how he pulled this off so they can do it themselves.

Rambo feels modern luchadors do not know their history well enough, are not humble enough, and there’s too much of a (literal) barrier between the luchadors and the people. He also talks about the first time he met Santo.

Tormento & Epitafio cheated to keep the AULL Tag Team championship.

Porra Fresa reprints nice black and white photos from an outdoor Puebla show.

DJ Spectro looks back at Angel Blanco.

Lineup

indy (THU) 02/13/2014 Arena Olimpico Laguna de Gomez Palacio
1) Dany Fantom & Imperio Negro vs Caballero Negro & Camorra Jr.
2) Lady Star & Princesa Quetzal vs Agatha & Princesa Guerrera
3) Brillante & Eterno (Laguna) vs Camorra (Laguna) & Detector Jr.
4) Conflictus, El Árabe, La Sombra vs Baby Olmos, El Dorado, V-57

Going home to visit family means working AOL if you’re a Laguna luchador.

CMLL (SUN) 02/16/2014 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Meteoro vs Relampago Azul
2) Javier Cruz & William Rock vs El Yaqui & Évola
3) Halcón de Plata, Leo, Sky Kid vs Espectrum, Infierno, Ráfaga
4) Smaker vs El Cavernario
5) Blue Panther & Solar I vs Negro Casas & Negro Navarro
6) Titán vs Mephisto

A pretty good card; Titan vs Mephisto should be great, the maestros match is back (with mixed sides) and Smaker/Cavernario should be good too.

indy (SUN) 02/23/2014 Arena Neza
1) ? vs ??
2) ? vs ??
3) Arkángel de la Muerte, Hooligan, Nitro vs Carta Brava Jr. (IWL), Dr. Cerebro, Fantasma de la Ópera
4) Guerrero Maya Jr., Solar I, Valiente vs Hectaombe, Maremoto, Terremoto
5) Black Terry, El Indómito, Puma King, Shu el Guerrero vs Danny Boy, Gallego, Rocky Santana, Skayde
6) Brazo de Oro, Brazo de Plata, Brazo de Platino vs Coco Amarillo Jr., Coco Verde, Cocolores
7) La Máscara, Máscara Dorada, Máscara Sagrada, Máximo vs El Dandy, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas, Scorpio Jr.

Loaded show, honoring Coco Blanco.

AAA (SUN) 03/30/2014 Arena Fusion, Jardines de Morelos, Estado de México
1) ? vs ??
2) ? vs ??
3) Fénix vs Belial [AAA FUSION]
Fenix is champion. Number ???? defense
4) Arez vs Pentagón Jr. [? STRONG STYLE]
Arez is some Strong Style champion. Might be the old NWA Mexico Aereo championship
5) Monsther Clown, Murder Clown, Psycho Clown vs Demon Rocker, Machine Rocker, Soul Rocker [AAA TRIOS]
Psycho Circus are champions.

Three title matches for Arena Fusion’s third anniversary show.