08/09-10 lucha times

box – actually uploaded this week.

== AAA ==

AAA-Televisa: Listed as starting 15 minutes early this week. Should air the remainder of Ecatepec: Psycho Circus vs Consejo/Zorro, grab bag midcarder match and mixed opener. The Thursday replay appears to be off the schedule next week. The show’s already up on YouTube.

== CMLL ==

FOX2: En Tu Tele lists the show as a 30 minutes, but Dish is saying it’s actually 90 minutes, from 3:30 to 5pm. That would easily allow three matches in or maybe four slightly edited four. They had four which would make sense to air: Rush/Casas, Volador/Sombra, women’s tag, and UG/Atlantis announcement (which was a short match), so four seems more likely.

This schedule means AAA and Fox overlap, so it’s impossible to get both.

Edit: Fox Sports 2’s listings actually say the show is on at 9AM, while another listing has it at just an hour. I hope it’s just the Dish TV schedule but it’s very confusing this week.

52MX: Maybe the Blanca/Sugehit lightning match, but it’s fourth from the time so it may be skipped. (Which would mean the long time tag partners would have zero TV matches after their split.) Main event is more set up to UG versus Rush, with a Felinos/Panthers semimain and the build to Brunetti/Disturbio underneath.

Claro: Top 3 from Sunday, including Silueta/Zeuxis.

C3: Random trios. The beginnings of a Starman/Okumura feud?

TVC Deportes (Puebla): Not listed on the schedule anywhere, which may mean they sneak it in somewhere. Hope it does air, because it’s the Tigre Rojo Jr. vs Blue Center mask match, and whatever’s going on with Espiritu Maligno.

Lucha Azteca: Top 2 plus women form a couple weeks ago.

Terra Sunday: ORO JUNIOR VERSUS METALICO.

== Other ==

Noches de Coliseo: Dr. Wagner vs LA Park, most likely.

IWRG (LAS/AYM): last Sunday’s show? Hope so.

Alberto Del Rio fired from WWE, becomes most interesting free agent in Mexico

Yea, that happened. The word going around is Del Rio slapped someone who works for the website. There’s no word why he slapped someone. You should probably not slap someone at  your workplace.

Alberto Del Rio (we’ll use that this time for convenience) suddenly has a lot of options – except the one he probably would’ve liked to kept. Del Rio, his immediate family and his parents all live in Florida now and he’d probably prefer to keep working in the states. Del Rio would probably be headed to TNA if it was a viable option, but it does not appear to be until/unless they get a miracle TV deal. There’s no telling how financial secure Del Rio is – he worked near the top of WWE for four years, but never the top guys and never in a spot where he would’ve been expected to sell a lot of merchandise. I definitely don’t expect Del Rio to work anywhere in Mexico full time, and it’s a matter of if he wants to work at all and where he’d like to do it.

I don’t think the incident which got Del Rio fired will have any effect on how he’s used in Mexico. Myzteziz has managed to whitewash his WWE stint and ADR will be no different. Del Rio can’t really go back under the Dos Caras Jr. mask, but that connection will still mean a major deal. Del Rio’s WWE stint was ultimately disappointing (though not Myzteziz level disappointing) but he can still be a top tecnico or rudo in Mexico without the promotion needed to do much. Alberto Del Rio is immensely valuable.

If Del Rio is going to come back to Mexico, the best fit appears to be CMLL. Del Rio left on good terms and seems to have spoken well of his time there since he left. There’s a clear void at the top coming – guys like Blue Panther, Negro Casas, Atlantis could all take a step back at any time, and the Shocker, Ultimo Guerrero, Mr. Niebla group is not far behind them. Del Rio has an obvious feuds with Rush and Terrible (heavyweight champion) on day 1. He could also use the NJPW connection to get work there (assuming that connection is still going.)

It appeared Hijo de Dos Caras would all along eventually get at least a chance to come to CMLL. His big brother coming in would guarantee that. (It’s notable that, unlike with Argos & Argenis, AAA hasn’t appeared to bring in the brother of the WWE star as a lure – but then no one saw this coming.)

The problems here are CMLL hasn’t brought in a guy to use part time since Hijo del Santo a decade ago, and it seems a stretch to imagine Del Rio to be working random shots in Guadalajara for what CMLL is paying people. CMLL’s pay scale appears to be so low that Del Rio might even be out of the price range on all but the biggest shows. There have definitely been times where CMLL would’ve benefited from flying in an (any) ex-WWE guy for a while to freshen up the matchups, but CMLL’s hasn’t really been interested in flying someone in.

AAA, of course, already has a guy who lives in Florida, works his own schedule, and flies into AAA TV occasionally. That’s Blue Demon Jr. AAA hasn’t been totally content with that relationship, unable to get Demon all the times they’ve wanted him (and Demon being conveniently unavailable at times where he might be asked to lose.) One of the reasons Demon has been used is because he’s a known quantity in both Mexico and the United States, which would also be true for Del Rio. Del Rio would be useful for the AAA US project – at least in theory, maybe not in fact as more is leaked about that show – but it’s unclear if Del Rio’s termination allows him to appear elsewhere immediately or if he’s stuck with a 90 day compete which would keep him off TV for a while.

AAA has a lot of top guys already, to the point where some of those top guys are just being left out in the cold for months (Zorro) or being downgraded quickly (Averno, Black Warrior). Del Rio would start at the top immediately – there’s a logical feud with Texano for the Mega title – but would be battling for screen time with Mesias, Cibernetico, La Parka, Perro Aguayo, maybe Dr. Wagner and definitely his old nemesis Myzteziz. AAA’s stressed keeping a happy lockerroom and someone would have to do a lot of work to keep it that way if included Del Rio and Myzteziz. There’s money to be made, but there’s also migraines to be made.

These aren’t the only two options. There’s plenty of ex-WWE guys who work on random US and foreign shows with other ex-WWE guys. There will be indy guys in the US who will want to bring in Del Rio as a hopeful latin draw. Myzteziz appears to be making a killing working for random promoters around Mexico the last few months. Del Rio might find that same success and probably could just that for a long time, though he also might find the some of the same shaky promoters. (No idea who his Averno would be.) Japan would be an option if there was anyone besides NJPW who could afford him. I don’t think he’d go back to MMA fighting, but he could be useful as an even just a UFC spokesperson in Mexico.

There’s so many ways this could turn out and no certainty about any of them. Myzteziz always seemed very likely to return to AAA. There’s no very likely situation for Del Rio. I’m guessing he’ll eventually go back to CMLL, but it’s far from a sure thing.

This week has been crazy. And I haven’t even gotten around to talking about AAA USA…

Update: So, TNA’s already offered Del Rio a contract and the World Title. If they can also offer a TV deal (and if there’s no Emma-like unfiring), I think that’s the now the most likely option.

Update 2: Meltzer also says it’s believed Del Rio will have a 90 day no compete. That would mean no AAA US taping unless they’re pushed back to November. It may mean no TNA at all.

AULL defeats IWRG (again), Ultimo Guerrero/Atlantis, Oro/Metalico, Ringo Mendoza

photo by Black Terry Jr.

IWRG (WED) 08/06/2014 Arena Naucalpan [Black Terry Jr. (Flickr), Estrellas del Ring]
1) Matrix Jr. b Omega
Matrix Jr. replaced Muerte Infernal.
2) Atomic Star & Matrix Jr. b Black Niko & Seiya
3) Cristal & Látigo b Hip Hop Man & Sexy Girl
Straight falls. Poster and recaps don’t agree if the new woman is Sexy Girl or Sexy Girls.
4) Canis Lupus, Hijo de Pirata Morgan, X-Fly b Golden Magic, Relámpago, Veneno
Tony Rivera & Dany Casas replaced Hijo de Pirata Morgan (off to AAA) and X-Fly (?). Canis defeated Golden Magic and asked for a title match. Magic agreed if Canis Lupus put his title on the line. Canis agreed. Canis has a title billed CROC Welterweight championship (though the belt says national heavyweight championship).
5) Ironía, Spider Boy, Yakuza b Black Terry, Metaleon, Power Bull
Team AULL took fall 1. Yakuza gave Power Bull a piledriver, which led him out of the match. Alan Extreme, in street clothes, begged the commissioner to let him sub in for Power Bull. Commission said okay, and Alan helped turned the match around. Yakuza beat Terry with a foul in the third, helped by referee Reyes Rosas slow counting Terry many times.

Pretty harsh when your own referees are siding with the outsides. Canis/Golden should be good.

Last night’s CMLL Informa included Atlantis, Ultimo Guerrero and Panico. They talked about the mask match, but mostly they emphazied it would be one on one. They (mostly JCR) acted a little surprised people would believe it could be anything else, but it’s came off as clear they have a credibility problem and were trying to fix it. It’s really not the people who are watching CMLL Informa that they need to fix, but the people who stopped watching CMLL or only pay attention once a year who they need to reach.

Oro and Metalico also signed for their mask match yesterday. KeMonito has video of Metalico making fun of Oro’s mask quality again.

Myzteziz says he’s more interested in a mask vs hair match with Averno than Perro Aguayo Jr. The people who run AAA probably feel quite differently. Presumably that means Myzteziz is trying to sell the Averno match to an indy promoter.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update and top 70 thru 60 on the best of 2013 list.

Rob has highlights of 05/16/14 CMLL

Flamita is listed as defending his Brave Gate title in Tokyo on 08/17, which is going to make it hard for him to also be in Arena Lopez Mateos the day before.

Silueta says today’s defense of her CMLL-REINA International Junior championship will be the only on her tour. That match was supposed to happen earlier today, but I haven’t seen any results.

Kcidis draws someone left out of TripleMania.

The plan to invade the DF Metro with everyone wearing lucha libre mask is still on for 09/21.

+LuchaTV has video of Traumas vs Oficials from this past Sunday.

Nahual beat (Curenavaca’s) Fenix for the Morelos Welterweight Championship.

Canek and Head Hunter fought each other in the main event of Tuesday’s Arena Aficion show. The only problem is they were on the same team. Head Hunter is in Mexico, who knew?

Lineup

CMLL (SAT) 08/16/2014 Arena Coliseo
1) Astral, Eléctrico, Fantasy vs Demus 3:16, Mercurio, Pierrothito
2) Estrellita, Goya Kong, Lluvia vs Amapola, Dalys, Tiffany
3) Máscara Dorada, Máximo, Volador Jr. vs Cavernario, Felino, Rey Escorpión
4) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Diamante Azul vs Euforia, Último Guerrero, Virus
5) La Máscara, La Sombra, Rush vs Mephisto, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas

This is the Ringo Mendoza tribute show. I would’ve expected something more out of the ordinary, but it’s just a normal card. Probably won’t air anywhere but highlights.

08/06 AAA TV Results (Teziutlan)

AAA TV (WED) 08/06/2014 Plaza de Toros El Pinal, Teziutlan, Puebla [AAA]
1) Ludxor, Niño Hamburguesa, Venum b Carta Brava Jr., El Apache, Fresero Jr.
Hamburguesa Splash onto Fresero.
2) Dinastía, El Elegido, Faby Apache, Pimpinela Escarlata b Demon Rocker, Mamba, Mini Charly Manson, Taya Valkyrie
Faby submitted Taya. Taya said that wouldn’t happen at TripleMania.
3) Aerostar, Bengala, Drago b Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagón Jr., Súper Fly
Bengala defeated Fantasma.
4) Daga, Eterno, Steve Pain b Angélico, Australian Suicide, Jack Evans
Hijo del Pirata Morgan replaced Steve Pain. (Unclear if he’s meant to be in the group.) Daga submitted Suicide. No mention of Pentagon interference.
5) Fénix, Myzteziz, Psycho Clown b Averno, Black Warrior, Texano Jr.
Myzteziz submitted Black Warrior. Texano and Psycho challenged each other to a one fall match to follow up, but everyone ran in before it went anywhere.

Air Date: 08/09, probably. They’ve used the pre-TripleMania show to run full shows of highlights packages and interviews to build up the show before, so that’s somewhat possible this week as well. More likely they’ll just air this show.

No surprises or much of note. They did get a Psycho/Texano brawl to end the show – that’s the main event for TripleMania based on TV.

Next show is the big one, ten days away. They haven’t announced any post TripleMania tapings yet.