I didn’t think this was going to happen! Since the day the Elite started promoting, and more since since they started running regularly in CMLL arenas last fall, there has been talk about the fledgling Caristico led promotion getting on one of the Azteca stations. These are over the air channels which every single person in Mexico who has a TV set can get, but they’re also such big stations that a lucha libre promotion – even one heavy on names like Elite – might never be considered a big enough ratings draw to be on the network. A good TV outlet seems necessary to get the promotion to expand from doing 3000 turnout shows, but Azteca itself seemed like some pipe dream.
The dream got announced today. Elite itself hasn’t said anything – they’re running tonight in Puebla, maybe they’re busy – but there’s a new Lucha Azteca 7 website announcing the show. It will air on Azteca 7 on Fridays at 6pm. There’s a video up of the hosts of Deportes Calientes interviewing Zumbi. Near the end, Zumbi says the first show is April 1st, and makes it sound as if the March 30th Wednesday Elite debut show will be the first taping. (Perhaps the change of day of week has to do with the show getting on air? That would suggest this has been close for a while.)
This is huge news. This is a much better TV situation the home CMLL promotion has, though they’ll obviously benefit from their own guys being on these shows. (CMLL’s a winner in this; free publicity and their renter is going to be around longer.) It’s arguable a better deal than AAA has too. We don’t know what the pressures or expectations from Azteca will be for this show – the infamous one episode run of Perros del Mal on Televisa is a cautionary tale – but this is a fantastic opportunity for the Elite promotion and the luchadors who are part of it. They have a giant platform now and just up to them to make use of it.
Elite on Azteca possibly mean another talent raid too. Elite’s been using the TV chance as a carrot to get luchadors to jump, and some of those people were as skeptical as I’ve been about it actually happen. People may be more willing to take a jump now that this is a real thing. I haven’t heard anything about how the Elite shows have done this week, but this could be a pretty pivotal week for them if they can prove they can draw on the road too.
(As another ripple effect – whatever’s going on with Konnan, Elite getting Azteca means any other group is probably shut out.)
There’s no word about the show airing outside the US. It’s always possible Azteca could pick it up and pair it with the current CMLL show. I guess I’ll be looking for feeds again too. This is good news as far as seeing these Elite shows; the handhelds won’t be affected, but there’s a chance we can find a TV version too. This is bad news as far as keeping names straight – now there’s a “Lucha Azteca” and a “Lucha Azteca 7”!
I’ll update this if more information turns up tonight.
What happened: Octagon Jr. debuted. This time, it’s the former Fireball/Flamita. He was set up as opponent to Pentagon Jr. and might have beat him with a normal referee, but Pentagon Jr. ended up defeating his rival and advancing to the final of Rey de Reyes.
Apache cost Venum the opener with a drink to the face. The Xinetez continued rolling with a win over Psycho Circus.
What was good: The opener and the main event were really fun. The middle match accomplished what it set out to do.
CMLL (TUE) 03/15/2016Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) Espectrúm & Rey Trueno b Reycko & Vaquero Jr. Espectrum actually beat Vaquero Jr. clean this time.
2) Pequeño Olímpico, Pierrothito, Relámpago b Aéreo, Cosmos, Shockercito Aereo replaced Stukita.
3) Dalys, La Seductora, Tiffany b Estrellita, La Vaquerita, Skadi Sugehit was listed strangely listed on the ruda side, but replaced by Dalys.
4) Blue Panther, La Máscara, Titán b Dragón Rojo Jr., Pólvora, Rey Escorpión Rey Escorpion replaced Ripper, putting the Revolucionarios back together for the first time since in Escorpion’s return. They lost – tecnicos took 1/3.
5) Cavernario, Felino, Mr. Niebla b Atlantis, Dragón Lee, Mistico Rudos took 1/3, Cavernario beating Dragon Lee with a Cavernaria and asking for a title match.
The Revolucionarios finally reunite! And it doesn’t end well. That Ingobernables shirt is probably looking so good to Escorpion.
Konnan’s spent the last few months poking the AAA bear on Twitter, and someone with AAA poked back. AAA announcer Arturo Rivera yesterday claimed Konnan was actually forming a spinoff promotion, noting it was a repeat of Konnan’s first split with AAA and the start of Promo Azteca. Konnan disagreed and they argued over Twitter for a while. You can read the back and forth from last night here with a few run-ins; they were still at it this morning but I got bored with it.
Arturo Rivera’s original specific claims were
* Konnan is forming his own promotion with his friends
* Garza Jr. is helping him
* Multimedios would be funding it
Garza Jr., the center of a lot of stories lately, denied the story and asked not to be mentioned in such gossip. People who work for Multimedios denied the Monterrey TV company was doing any thing like this. Arturo Rivera has been around lucha libre for decades and certainly Knows Things, but he’s also a fierce defender of AAA and prone to saying illogical and untrue things to defend it. There’s probably a kernel of truth to this story, but what it is isn’t clear.
It doesn’t make sense that Multimedios would be a big funder for a new wrestling promotion. They’re sort of funding existing lucha libre by running Arena Coliseo Monterrey, but they’re clearly not putting a lot of money towards it, and the TV show has a terrible time slot with weird production elements. They definitely have a big reach and maybe they’d do more with Konnan or whomever, but I wouldn’t count out it without someone else funding it.
It’s a pretty safe bet Konnan is working on something. It’s a situation I don’t really understand. Konnan may not have been at an AAA TV taping since Juarez in November – he hasn’t been at the ones this year – but no one’s said he’s actually gone from AAA and my impression is he’s still doing business on AAA’s behalf. He’s been using Twitter to criticize the Roldans for weeks, but become more direct in the last few weeks. It’s all too inside to be a worked shoot storyline. People much smarter than me have pointed out Konnan would only be burning his bridge with AAA if he had someplace to go, but there’s been no obvious place for him to go. (It wouldn’t be Elite. He’s not going to work with Caristico again.) It would need to be a new group, but who funds it? I dunno.
Konnan himself pretty much admittedto a new project (Masked Republic, who has been subtly not-subtly talking about people leaving AAA for months, was trying to continue to hint around about it, but Konnan wrote they were involved.) There’s definitely a faction of AAA luchadors who are friends with Konnan, and may be loyal enough to go with him if they were legally allowed to do so – and if they didn’t lose their well paying LU bookings. (Again, how Sexy Star is treated this weekend at the first S3 tapings is important.) Last time this came up, I thought the most logical move would be for everyone to hold in place until after the LU S3 tapings are finished – no one knows when/if S4 tapings would happen, and so the risk of losing that isn’t as big – but this argument suggests whatever’s happening may be closer in happening and not wait until those tapings are over in May.
But beyond all that, it’s still a matter of finding someone who’s going to pay for the thing. You’ve got to have money to get a promotion off the ground and you’ve got to find a way to get strong TV (which only AAA really has) if you’re going to do OK as a major league lucha libre promotion. And I don’t have any real idea about either of those things.
Konnan’s been talking about the press conference coming soon exposing the Roldans. Konnan had a memorable press conference to announce his involvement in Promo Azteca a couple decades where he ripped Antonio Pena. It feels like history is just repeating itself, though we’re not quite there yet. I don’t think Arturo Rivera got the story exactly right, I don’t know exactly how it would work, but there’s something to this.
Today is the one year anniversary of death of AAA employee Irma Osorno. She passed away when a bus carrying AAA staff back from Guadalajara crashed into another vehicle on the highway. AAA’s posted messaged remembering her on social media.
CMLL (TUE) 03/22/2016Arena México
1) Magnus & Robin vs Camorra & Inquisidor
2) Delta, Fuego, Star Jr. vs Disturbio, Sangre Azteca, Skándalo
3) Máscara Dorada, Stuka Jr., Titán vs Bobby Z, Euforia, Gran Guerrero
4) Mistico & Tritón vs Magia Blanca & Último Guerrero and Atlantis & Flyer and Negro Casas & Rocky Casas and Máximo Sexy & Súper Halcón Jr. and El Cuatrero & Rey Bucanero and Oro Jr. & Valiente and Fujin & Rey Escorpión [Gran Alternativa, semifinal]
The Gran Alternativa is back for the first time since February 2014. (Cavernario won – I think it worked out for him.) This is listed as the first part of the tournament, so it’s a 16 team tournament.
Rocky Casas is the name that jumps out. No one’s used that name before and there’s been no hint of a new Casas family member. (Volador should be very concerned.) We don’t know anything but that name. There’s always the possibility they simply changed Canelo’s name. There was a Heavy Metal II wrestling a few months ago who was in the bodybuilding contest.
We do know Magia Blanca – he’s the former Magnifico I who made a couple appearances in Arena Puebla before disappearing. His brother doesn’t appear to be in CMLL, but we can assume Sanson & Raijin are the other half of the block based on their partners being included.
Triton was first in a Gran Alternativa in 2012 and really is too old for this; he’s probably too old to actually win, even though he’s the highest booked luchador among the ‘new luchadors’. Oro was in the 2013 & 2014. Halcon has actually not been in one somehow.
Dragon Lee versus Cavernario is happening! ATTENTION CMLL: People would pay to see this match. I hope it turns up, but I’m happy to know it exists in the world.
![1656247_196747777364744_3918051683767780727_n[1]](http://www.thecubsfan.com/cmll/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/1656247_196747777364744_3918051683767780727_n1.jpg)
