AAA TV (FRI) 01/30/2015Gimnasio Agustín Millán, Toluca, Estado de México [AAA]
1) Apache, Belial, Mamba b Gotita de Plata, Niño Hamburguesa, Súper Nova Debuts for Belial and Super Nova and Gotita’s first match here in a year. Hamburugesa Splash on Belial for the win.
2) Mini Abismo Negro, Mini Charly Manson, Mini Psycho Clown b Mascarita Sagrada, Mini Drago, Octagoncito Mini Psycho beat Mini Drago with a super powerbomb.
3) Joe Lider, Súper Fly, Taya Valkyrie b Bengala, Drago, Faby Apache Faby was stretchered out after taking a big powerbomb from Super Fly for the loss.
4) Angélico & Jack Evans b Averno & Chessman Cibernetico attacked the tecnicos immediately after the victory and the Hell Brothers left them laying.
5) El Mesías b La Parka, Cibernético, Parka Negra [Rey de Reyes, semifinal] Cibernetico & La Parka got counted out fightning out side, with the Hell Brothers and La Sociedad also helping to get Parka counted out. Mesias beat Parka Negra with his top rope splash to join Aerostar in the finals.
6) Fénix, Myzteziz, Psycho Clown b el Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagón Jr. Hijo del Fantasma attempted to beat Fenix with the Thrill of the Hunt, only Fenix escaped and beat him with a piledriver variation. Fenix accepted Fantasma’s open challenge for the cruisereweight belt, and they’ll meet at Rey de Reyes.
Air Date: 02/07 & 02/14, probably
Cibernetico has the worst luck in this tournament – nothing but fouls and countouts. Of slightly more importance, La Sociedad and the Hell Brothers seem to be actively working together this time. Either they made some sort of alliance after all and we haven’t seen it yet or this is just kind of sloppy. Guess we find out when it airs.
Fantasma tried to steal his Evil Twin’s finisher and got beat, truly a lesson for us all. Fenix vs Fantasma means the Reyes del Aire Myzteziz/Fenix team is one and done on major shows, at least for now. It also means Myzteziz is free to be in whatever giant tag match is main eventing the show.
Not a lot of note on this card outside of that truly random opener. I think Super Nova might have been one of the people under the Hombre de Negro mask a couple a years ago, but that’s his first actual match in AAA. He’s seemed good enough to be in a major Mexican promotion for a while, but has found more work outside Mexico for the most part. Belial is the second Indy-strong-ible to show up on an AAA TV taping this year, only missing Impulso. I hope that doesn’t making programming tough for Chilangamask.
Maximo talked about his win after the match. Terrib;e’s title reign seemed destined to end with Rush beating him from the very day Terrible won the title (by beating Rush in a tournament final), so Maximo winning it instead is a genuine surprise and probably points this being part of a bigger picture. There was heavy tease of Volador/Bucanero and Maximo/Terrible hair matches, and perhaps Maximo needed to get the big win here to set up a tag match between the four for Dos Leyendas. CMLL could do that, one of these two title matches, and maybe Dragon Lee & Kamaitachi, and that’s the normal top half of a card for a CMLL major show.
Mistico had been asked on Informa about the future of the Estetas trios now that Mascara Dorada is gone for a year. He pushed for his brother Dragon Lee to be brought up to the trio, but also mentioned Volador had an idea for a trio with himself and Valiente. Well, here it is. Mistico winning a trios title to be champion while being protected from having to do long singles matches is the best option at this point, just as before.
The fourth match was described as “high powered in the style of the Battle of Stalingrad.” I can’t recall ever hearing a match described that way before. It does read like they hit each other very hard, though it does not appear it lasted for months. I’m less certain about what’ll happen in that title match. Dr. Lucha’s column in this week’s Figure Four Weekly mentioned rumors of Rush’s returning taking a while; CMLL moving on a bit without him in both the tag and heavyweight title pictures also hints they don’t expect Rush back rather soon.
(Not that we all haven’t decided the All Elite/CMLL is weird already, but CMLL’s biggest draw is out for months due to an injury on an All Elite show leading to All Elite getting an even better deal is very atypical. The injury appear to be All Elite’s fault, but the blame usually falls on the indy promotion anyway.)
Money was thrown in the ring after the tercera. That’s a match location which rarely gets aired.
Blue Demon Jr. was in Yucatan for a tasting of his sponsored mezcal drink. Demon explained he originally had 200 bottles of the drink made up in celebration of his 25th Wrestling Anniversary and sent it to friends, who all asked where they could get more. He realized two things: people really liked it and a lot of his friends are drunks. (That was a joke.)
SuperLuchas looks back at shows from January 30th and January 31st, with Vampiro winning the UWA championship to massive boos.
Title match seems 50/50. Maybe the biggest arguement against is it would be odd for CMLL to have three title changes on three straight Fridays.
The Maximo/Bucanero lightning match would also feed into a tag team apuestas, to get the cross feuds going. A Volador/Terrible match would be fun, come to think of it.
Kamaitachi/Dragon Lee feud back in the tercera. This is a loaded card to have the other Panthers and Puma/Tiger in no change to air land, and a pretty good minis match for an opener.
AAA has it’s second taping of the year tonight in Toluca. Fenix, Myzteziz & Psycho Clown take on Perro Jr., Hijo del Fantasma, and Pentagon Jr. in what sounds like a pretty good main event. Fantasma made an open challenge for his title last Friday, AAA’s been setting up matches for Rey de Reyes already, and there’s a couple possible challengers on the tecnico side. They could get a match out of that. The second Rey de Reyes semifinal match with La Parka, Parka Negra, Mesias, and Cibernetico. La Parka & Cibernetico appear tied up (and Cibernetico’s got a long proud history of losing out of this tournament by double countout draw) and Parka Negra barely exists, leaving Mesias as the favorite. The show is listed as a five match card, with the opener still to be announced. Show starts at 9pm local.
Tonight’s CMLL Arena Mexico show has a Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Ultimo Guerrero, Euforia and Niebla Roja. CMLL sent out a press release where Mistico explains he’s got pain in his leg but he rather be hurt than stop wrestling. This is a selling point, apparently. Terrible defends the heavyweight championship against Maximo. Maximo has been really good in big matches of late and this should be no different. Maximo seems unlikely to win the title, but it’s a more interesting match than they’ve been running on Fridays of late.
Guadalajara has Atlantis & Stuka Jr. versus Gran Guerrero & Mephisto as the main event. They appear to be building towards a Atlantis/Gran Guerrero match. Really. Semimain is Hombre Bala, Super Halcon and Magnus vs Ephesto, Tiger, and Puma, which is probably going to be a lot of fun. Tag team tournament continues in the undercard.
MATCHES FROM 2015. SHould be the top 4 from the Naucalpan taping, with Myzteziz & Psycho Clown vs Perro & Texano in the main event and the first part of the Rey de REyes
== Lucha Underground ==
No previews in guides anymore. Dunno. Cage/Mundo is the main event.
== CMLL ==
FOX2: Maximo, Mistico, Volador Jr. vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Ultimo Guerrero. Valiente/Kamatachi is the lightning match which might or might not air.
Azteca: Marco Corleone, Maximo, Valiente vs Euforia, Terribel, Thunder.
52MX: Marco Corleone vs Shocker, maybe. THey skipped the main event last week. There’s a random ciberentico on this show.
Claro: Atlantis, Titan, Volador Jr. vs Ephesto, Kraneo, Mephisto
C3: Ephesto, Mephisto, Niebla Roja vs Draogn Rojo JR., Titan and Super Porky – one of three different Super Porky matches which will air this week.
Terra Sunday: Stuka Jr. vs Hechicero. Atlantis, La Sombra, Maximo vs Gran Guerrero, Shocker, Ultimo Guerrero, me trying to record this via my cell phone probably
== IWRG ==
IWRG (LAS/AYM): Eterno vs Chicano, maybe at 2AM on Monday night/Tuesday morning
Shows Watched But Nothing Worthwhile
CMLL Guerreros del Ring on 52MX: 2014-12-13
CMLL on Fox Sports (Mexico): 2014-12-13
Leyendas Inmortales: 2014-12-14
CMLL (TUE) 01/27/2015Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) Demonio Rojo & Jocker b El Tapatío & Índigo Rudos took 2/3.
2) Leono & Oro Jr. b Artillero & Súper Comando
3) Esfinge, Starman, Stigma b Arkángel de la Muerte, Cancerbero, Metálico Tecnicos took 2/3
4) Bárbaro Cavernario, Mr. Águila, Terrible b Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa Barbaro replaced Felino. Aguila moonsaulted Maya for the win.
5) Euforia, Felino, Último Guerrero b Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. Negro Casas replaced Gran Guerrero on Monday, but it was Felino in here by the time the match actually took place. Rudos took 1/3, Felino sneaking in a foul on Valiente.
Next week’s main event was announced as a rematch of this one, only this match turned out to be around Felino & Valiente and Felino’s not in next week’s match. Felino was pulled from Tuesday’s Arena Mexico show (see below) so he’ll probably end up here again. Semimain is probably better for the change but a Felino/Valiente match might be a challenge.
Super Crazy, talking to +LuchaTV, talked about the recent changes in Japan with his home promotion of NOAH and CMLL’s ally NJPW. It’s been reported NJPW bought some percentage of NOAH – NJPW was looking to expand and NOAH was looking to continue to exist – and Super Crazy describes both promotions as one united company, with the politics and people in charge of NOAH very different from when he started. He said all the NOAH foreigners are being booked thru NJPW, and implied NJPW’s Jado was booking for NOAH now. Super Crazy said Jado likes him and he’s going back in March, but Crazy also talked about going to CMLL and many offers he’s gotten elsewhere (AAA, Lucha Underground, even bringing up WWE.) You can probably do CMLL and NOAH now, but Super Crazy didn’t appear to be looking for regular work elsewhere when he was a regular in NOAH.
Long term, I wonder if this means CMLL luchadors start to make appearances in NOAH as well as NJPW. Short term, this seems affect the plans for Santo Jr., who had been training in NOAH the last two summers. The plan was for the training to be repaid by Santo Jr. debuting in NOAH and it all could still happen, but it seems like a deal with a management that’s no longer in place and new people might not have the same idea. (The Santos would’ve probably known about all this when they talked around Christmas and said Santo Jr.’s debut may not be any time soon.)
CMLL made a bunch of changes on Tuesday’s Arena Mexico show. It’s earlier than usual. La Mascara & Gran Guerrero replace Atlantis & Felino in the semimain. Pegasso replaces Rey Cometa and Arkangel replaces Nitro in other matches.
El Rey was added to Dish (US) yesterday. This was announced just a few hours before the show, so perhaps many people weren’t aware of it for last night’s show but it should eventually increase viewership for Lucha Underground.
DTU (THU) 02/19/2015Autolavado VM, Tulancingo, Hidalgo 1) Los Chiki Nerds vs Mazicitos 2) El Chato, El Junior, El Nene vs Angel Suicida, Toro De Guanoro, Vegueta 3) Chica Ye-Ye, Dany Latino, Hormiga vs Artikus, JC MaClean, Lanzeloth and Kalibus, Paloma Rouse, Talaxys 4) Jimmy, Kevin, Tony vs Amo de la Noche, Dragon Yuki, Génesis 5) Ángel o Demonio & Ovett vs Dement Extreme & Fantasma de la Ópera 6) Aeroboy & Violento Jack vs Black Fire & Slayer Pack and Drastik Boy & Rocky Lobo 7) Crazy Boy, Hacker, Pesadilla, Sagrado vs Cíclope, Joe Lider, Miedo Extremo, Paranoiko
Benefit show for injured luchador Kaleth. Main event has a CMLL wrestler with AAA ones; the story is Sagrado asked to work the benefit show.
Mil Muertes dominated his match, but Fenix got the shock upset.
Big Ryck is still in the hospital.
when the crate doesn’t work, why would you try a kick?
A sit down interview with Vampiro, Konnan and Prince Puma ended in Vampiro and Konnan problems (and Prince Puma continuing to say nothing.)
Cage beat up the referee. Konnan attempted to get involved and got beat up. Cage hit Konnan with the belt and Konnan bled a lot. Cage ripped up the belt. Puma tried to put it together (while medics checked on Konnan)
Dario, who made it clear he was rooting for Cage to start the show, was please to see Konnan hurt. The Mystery Woman surprised Dario in his office, revealing she was looking for someone and knew they were somewhere in the temple. Dario, feeling threatened, offered to help however he could and asked for a name. Mystery Lady said she only had a word – Matanza. Dario said he had no idea what that word meant (and it appeared he was telling the truth.) Mystery Lady walked away and literally seemed to vanish.
the questions
Matanza???
Does Cage get another shot, thanks to Dario’s support?
is Prince Puma actually a mute?
stray thoughts
he did it first
This was the last show from the 2014 tapings. It’s been so long, I could not exactly remember what the finish of main event was, except that the feud kept going. The foul really caught me by surprise and didn’t feel like a good ending for the match, but it wasn’t really meant to be an ending. Cage dominated the match, which felt totally different than the Fenix/Puma title match. There was only one dive, which was really before the match, and most of Puma’s bigger flying moves were counted. Cage shoved the ref into the ropes when Puma went for the 630, and that led into the finish.
That belt looked kind of cheap when it was ripped up. Glad they’re getting a new one. Felt like a plot point that Puma was more concerned with it than Konnan, who was bleeding so much.
The sit down interview came off as a build to Vampiro vs Konnan, which they’re not doing and don’t seem to have any plans of doing. I think it was intended to be so heated as to explain why Prince Puma couldn’t get a word in, but in more came off as pushing the older rivalry. The Cage vignette was much better at getting over today’s match.
Cage/Puma is going to be the web match because obviously, but the trios match is worth tracking down. Both teams worked their styles well and it created a nice contrast for the match. The Crew feels like a group that’s been together for a while, working well of each other. Aerostar shined on his side, looking a cut above his partners, but everyone had a good match and this beat expectations. This was a really good episode, in-ring in particular.
just not going to work against Cage
Fenix/Muertes was good too, though it was a bit like the main event (flyer vs indestructible object) over a shorter timespan. Crowd was chanting for Muertes and doing dueling “let’s go Fenix/Fenix sucks chants”, which was surprising. Crowd was generally much better than last week.
So happy Mystery Lady got some advancement after two months, even if I don’t know what it means and it’s only led me to listening to Brazilian music. The vanishing superpower may be a little too much, but there’s also a human dragon here so it doesn’t feel a huge leap. (Also Dario may be high and just imagined the whole thing.)
Next episode doesn’t have a title or a description in the guide yet. (It’s listed as “EPISODE 14” on LocateTV – they’re off by one because they had two different names for the premiere.) I don’t think we’ll really notice any difference, except maybe Matt Striker’s voice might have recovered.
CMLL (TUE) 01/27/2015Arena México
1) Acero & Aéreo b Pequeño Olímpico & Pequeño Universo 2000
2) Akuma, Disturbio, Espiritu Negro b Flyer, Magnus, Sensei Magnus took a selfie in the ring before the match and ended his portion with a Spanish Fly off the apron to the floor but the rudos still won the match.
3) Dark Angel, Estrellita, Princesa Sugehit b La Seductora, Tiffany, Zeuxis Estrellita’s run of losses ends.
4) Raziel b Hombre Bala Jr. [lightning] Dropkick to the head won it for Raziel.
5) Hechicero, Hombre sin Nombre, Pólvora b Fuego, Stuka Jr., Tritón Stuka was injured early in the third fall and stretchered out. Rudos won, then took the tecnicos mask to further humiliate them.
6) Ephesto, Mephisto, Niebla Roja b Dragón Rojo Jr., Super Porky, Titán Titan replaced Angel de Oro on Tuesday.
Magnus lost but he also won on this show.
Tonight’s Lucha Underground show is named “They Call Him Cage”.
The champion sets his title aside for the second time in the hopes of defeating Cage and taking home the title again.
The show name seems like a Vader reference, and I think that’s probably how Prince Puma’s title match is going to feel. They’ve announced The Crew vs Aerostar, Argenis and Super Fly and Fenix vs Prince Puma Mil Muertes as the other matches tonight, as well as posting a clip of a sitdown with Prince Puma, Konnan and Vampiro and a clip of the title match.
Comando Boricua talks about forming the group: they were all teaming anyway so they decided to get together as a group. A stirring tale. The group here is Comandante Pierroth, Sagrado, Misterioso (from Puerto Rico, Torreon), Pierrothito, and La Comandante. It’s unclear if Zeuxis is out or if she just had better things to do that day. This interview goes with the idea what the new Comando Boricua will have to be very good to live up to the original. I saw all those original Comando Boricua matches, it’s actually a pretty low bar. For one, this new Pierroth is easily as good as Poder Boricua ever was.
CMLL Informa is scheduled to have Mistico, Comando Boricua, Fuerza Guerrera, and Terrilble as guests.
Los Colisenos says lucha libre is inherently a commercial failure, I think. Or trying to actually make money of wrestling kills it? I’m not really sure. I know lots and lots of items were sold a couple weeks ago in Japan and I know many items have been sold in Los Angeles, but I guess those are considered part of Mexico now?
IWRG (SUN) 02/01/2015Arena Naucalpan
1) Alfa & Galaxy vs Dowki & Power Bull
2) Emperador Azteca, Metaleón, Pantera I vs Avisman, El Hijo del Diablo, Hip Hop Man
3) Danny Casas, Golden Magic, Relámpago vs Canis Lupus, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., X-Fly
4) Hijo De Dos Caras & Súper Nova vs Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 & Universo 2000 Jr. [super libre]
5) Eterno vs Chicano [hair]
Front row seats should come with rain p0nches because there will be so much blood in that hair match.
I guess Casas & Chicano actually did turn at some point? Hijo de Dr. Wagner is back for unclear reasons.
Dragon Rojo has held that title since 2011. It kind of sneaks on you. He’s only defended it four times the last two years (with only two making TV), which is probably why it sneaks up on you. The long gaps are probably just as much because of his injury issues as CMLL’s forgetfulness.
Fifth match looks like it’d be really good if any one else was in Felino’s spot. That seems to happen a lot with Felino.
Mr. Niebla gave the impression he was taken off shows last week because he was out in Los Angeles all week. Mr. Niebla should be back in Mexico, but he’s still not on any cards.
CMLL (TUE) 02/03/2015Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Meteoro & Reycko vs Évola & Ráfaga
2) Frezzer, Magnus, Robin vs Furia Roja, Hijo del Signo, Metálico
3) Dragon Lee, Esfinge, Stigma vs Cancerbero, Okumura, Raziel
4) Blue Panther, Super Porky, Titán vs Kráneo, Rey Bucanero, Thunder
5) Mistico, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero