Mask match in Puebla tonight, IWRG

photo by Black Terry Jr.
photo by Black Terry Jr.

IWRG (SUN) 08/14/2016 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, Black Terry Jr. (Flickr), Estrellas del RIng]
1) Adrenalina b Fireman
2) Astro & Black Dragón b Picudo Jr. & Skanda
3) Dowki, Hanaoka, Yakuza b Dragón Fly, Emperador Azteca, Vampiro Metálico
Vampiro Metalico replaced Freelance.
4) Diablo Jr., El Hijo del Diablo, Imposible b Black Terry, Cerebro Negro, Dr. Cerebro [super libre]
Hijo del Diablo fouled Terry, which is legal in super libre. Those two want a single match.
5) Chicano, Pantera I, Súper Nova b Dr. Cerebro, Killer Jr., Relámpago
Dr. Cerbero worked twice, replaced Negro Navarro
6) Máscara Año 2000 Jr. & Negro Navarro b Canis Lupus & Hijo De Dos Caras
Negro Navarro replaced X-Fly (but bled all the same.) Straight fall win for his team, Mascara snuck in a foul on Canis. Mascara wants a Junior title shot from Dos. Canis said he’d end Navarro’s career and take Trauma I’s mask.

Weird for Canis to be taking pins leading up to the mask match, but it’s also IWRG normal.

GALLI (SUN) 08/14/2016 Arena GALLI, Villa Park, Illinois [thecubsfan]
1) ? & ?? b Coco Negro & Coco Rojo
2) Azcuar Morena & Stephan Wolf b Billy Star & Valentino
3) ? & Golden Star b Dan El Intenso & Slayer
4) Furia Roja & Rey Furia © b Draconics & Mojo Mcqueen [GALLI TAG]
5) Acid Jazz, Atómico, Bryce Benjamin b Barry Ryte, Dds, Traidor
Atomico & Traidor continue to feud.
6) Mason Conrad, Prince Ali, Tritón (CMLL) b Gringo Loco, Skayde, Skayde Jr.
best match on the show
7) GPA © b Shigehiro Irie [GALLI CHAMP]
The Revolution (Skayde Jr., Skayde Sr., Billy Star, Gringo Loco, Valentino) all hit the ring to demand a title shot at GPA. GPA offered it to the one guy he respected, Skayde. Promoter also gave them a tag title shot.

My usual inability to understand ring announcements is why there’s mystery people on the card. (It’s also why there may be errors.) Tickets were only $5 and the show was worth that much. Triton didn’t do a great deal, but he did enough to make it worth seeing him, and his match was the best on the show thanks to everyone’s performance. The main event alright, but not so long. Crowd was a decent size for GALLI but super dead all night. Might have been the heat. The show had four cameras, but in no other way appears to be something they were specially taping for a TV channel. I taped the last two matches, very unsteadily, and I’ll put them up later.

The Lion Brothers (Metaleon & Mr. Leo) went to a draw with Puma & Tiger in Neza, then won an excellent tag match over Centvrion & Latigo in Mexico City on Sunday. That Neza show, with lesser names than usual, had a much lesser turnout.

Today’s Puebla show is a busy one, with both a title match and a mask match. Ultimo Guerrero versus Shocker was a great feud for the CMLL Light Heavyweight championship in the early 2000s. A decade plus later, they’re improbably fighting over the smaller middleweight championship. There’s some nostalgia to bringing the matchup back, but it’s also going to be a reminder of how long it’s been since that peak. Shocker’s really never been the same since suffering a major knee injury against Ultimo Guerrero (as chronicled in Lucha Mexico movie); Shocker used to be great, and it takes a lot of effort for him to get to good nowadays. I’m sure he’ll try one more tonight, but it’s going to take a great effort to get there.

The other big match tonight is Black Tiger versus Ares, in a mask versus match match. The two have been lightly feuding for a couple months, first leading to King Jaguar losing his hair before the direct confrontation. Their recent matches, like many of Black Tiger’s matches, have been technically fine but creatively boring.  A mask match should pick the energy up. Tiger seems like the heavy favorite based on the lead in.

The rest of the card looks promising. The Cavernario/Felino/Negro Casas version of Peste Negra are scheduled to take on Atlantis, Mascara Dorada, and Mistico, though Negro Casas is not definite for any show right now. Fujin, Raijin and Okumura make another appearance in Puebla against Fuego, Stuka and Stigma. The second match is a mix of minis and locals, with Astral, Asturiano and Electrico versus Demus 3:16, Espirtu Maligno and Pierrothito. King Jaguar returns a tecnico in the opener, with Meyer & Star Jr. against Artillero, Fuerza Chicana and Hijo del Signo.

CultIcon also previews today’s show. The show takes place at 9pm and airs on CMLL & YouTube.

Ohtani’s Jacket returns to praise Black Terry vs Barbaro Cavernario.

Cross Armbreaker reviews La Fiera vs Black Magic.