LU in Phoenix, Rey Fenix hurt in Cara Lucha, Elite

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

CaraLucha (SAT) 10/22/2016 Arena San Juan Pantitlan, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México [+LuchaTV, Black Terry Jr. (Flickr)]
1) Felina Metálica & Star Fire b Diosa Atenea & Reina Dorada
Star Fire was the surprise luchadora
2) Sky Man © b Toxin [Mucha Luchas CHAMP]
They went to a draw, asked for an extra fall – and actually got one this time. Sky Man won the extra fall.
3) Cerebro Negro & Dr. Cerebro b Demasiado & Diva Salvaje andRayo Star & Wasson
usual rematch challenges
4) Rey Escorpión & Templario b Black Terry & Zumbido Rey Escorpion y Templario vs Black Terry y Zumbido | Cara Lucha | 22-10-16 (posted by TVLuchaMundial)
5) Fly Warrior b Extreme Tiger, Rey Fénix Rey Escorpion y Templario vs Black Terry y Zumbido | Cara Lucha | 22-10-16 (posted by TVLuchaMundial)
Rey Fenix landed badly on his shoulder and needed medical attention.

Black Terry Jr. posted video of the injury: Fly Warrior & Rey Fenix were rope walking at the same time (!) and it didn’t end well. Main event was said to be pretty good up until that point (and the results may have just been to get out of the match at that point.) There’s a hospital across the street from Arena San Juan and he was taken there, but there’s no update on how he’s doing.  Even with that main event, attendance doesn’t look good for the promotion again.

During the show, they announced a Flamita vs Rey Fenix vs Volador Jr. main event on 11/19. It was announcing during the CaraLuchas show, but it sounds like it’s a different group putting on the show.

I want to save the Lucha Memes show tomorrow in hopes people will write more about it so I can take from them and sound smart. All the expected good matches delivered, so that’s a strong sign.

CMLL (SUN) 10/23/2016 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Fantasy & Stukita b Pequeño Nitro & Pequeño Violencia
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit b La Seductora, Tiffany, Zeuxis
tecnicas took 1/3
3) Bobby Z, Pólvora, Vangellys b Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso, Rey Cometa
Rudos took 1/3
4) Mistico, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. b Felino, La Máscara, Mephisto
Tecnicos took 1/3
5) Mr. Niebla, Pierroth, Rush DQ Gran Guerrero, Shocker, Último Guerrero [Relevos Increíbles]
Team Rush took 1/3, the last via foul on UG. They set up a singles match next week.

Ultimo Guerrero versus Rush wasn’t particularly great last time they did it, and they ran it two years ago when they started this concept. CMLL doesn’t like to mix up the matches all that match.

LU noon (SUN) 10/23/2016 Arizona State Fair, Phoenix, Arizona [PWPonderings]
1) Son of Havoc b Jack Evans
the top rope broke in the first 90 seconds of the match and the rest of the ropes did not look much better. They finished the match and fixed the ropes.
2) Ivelisse b Mariposa, Taya
3) Johnny Mundo b Cage [falls count anywhere]
Taya helped Mundo win.

LU 3pm (SUN) 10/23/2016 Arizona State Fair, Phoenix, Arizona [PWPonderings]
1) Drago b Aerostar, Australian Suicide, Garza Jr.
2) Kevin Kross b Ricky Mandell
3) Pentagón Dark b Mil Muertes [no dq]
Vampiro was scheduled to be ringside enforcer, and was even announced as doing by Melissa Santos, but wasn’t part of it – he was seen working on the show at other points

Attendance looked around 300, more for the second show than the first, but probably also a lot of people going to both shows. The fair itself didn’t seem super busy, and this audience seemed mostly fans of a low rated TV show who only knew about this show via social media. I think it’s a good number, given the context. The flipside is they brought 15 wrestlers + 1 Melissa + how many production people for a $0 gate. It’s more people working the show than I would’ve guessed and not as profitable as they could’ve made it, if that was the goal. I don’t think that’s the goal. I’m not entirely sure of the goal of a Lucha Underground event, which is normal. Hopefully Cricket’s brand was properly activated (?)

Suicide & Garza Jr. are not in Season 3 of Lucha Underground as far as I know. Kross was part of dark matches during the season and is signed (which often means that person will turn up in vignettes around the end of the season.) Ricky Mandell was on the show this season, even as Ricky Mandell, but I’d suspect half the people watching the show don’t remember him. That LU brought in new/unknown people to fill out the card and made sure no one worked twice was a real surprise; if you’re going to these shows, expect the people working the early show aren’t going to be around for the second one.

The event also included a museum of Lucha Underground props and costumes, and a merch stand. It sounded like there were some shirts and not much else (so a lot like the set up at the Temple.)

AAA posted this week’s TV showPagano, Dinastia, Mamba and Hijo del Tirantes have made it to Japan. Texano talked to Record about the tour and says he knows it won’t be the last trip and hopes it become three or four shows a year. Those who worked the LU shows sound like they’re flying out of Los Angeles tomorrow (which might explain sending Suicide – but then wouldn’t you send Daga too instead of Garza? I’m over thinking this.)

CMLL has a quick news update about the Panther and Misterioso going to Ring of Honor. After Friday’s match, The Panther said he does NOT wants to face Kamaitachi, he wants to experience a match against an unfamiliar opponent.

The 11/12 Martinez show has Super Crazy vs Rey Fenix and Ronnie Mendoza vs Aero Boy.

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.

Segunda Caida reviews some 2016 lucha.

Matt Farmer posted 1979 EMLL and 1979 UWA lineups and results.

Sombra’s heel turn is the big story in this week’s Box Y Lucha #32256.

Lineups

ELITE (FRI) 10/28/2016 Domo del Deportivo Plan Sexenal, Distrito Federal
1) Hijo del Pantera & Mr. Leo vs Belial & Impulso
2) Emperador Azteca & Heddi Karaoui vs Imposible & Metaleón
3) El Bandido, Golden Magic, Zumbi vs Hijo De Dos Caras, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., Karonte Jr.
4) Cibernético & Taurus (ex-AAA) vs Chicano & Mr. 450
5) Xtreme Tiger vs LA Park [Liga Elite]
6) Carístico vs Rey Escorpión [Liga Elite]

An Elite card on Sunday for a Friday! That’s a little smoother than how their video got posted to their website this week: a broken link and non playing video. You should use the non-official YouTube instead. The Caristico/LA Park already has many times more views than any other video on that channel.

Caristico gets his match with Rey Escorpion, which is one of the bigger matches they’ve been setting up. (A mask/hair match with those two would probably be a good idea.) Xtreme Tiger/LA Park seems less smooth. They need to add more people to the “Liga Elite” matches; they’re down to combination of Caristico, Tiger, Rey Escorpion, LA Park, Cibernetico and Blue Demon, which isn’t enough and produces some not great matches.

I’d assume the Chicano in the semimain is the Puerto Rico one, since he’s teaming with Mr. 450. He was “Camacho” when he was around for the international tournament. Opener, with the Indystructibles showing up, looks like it’ll be a lot of fun.

CMLL (SAT) 10/29/2016 Arena Coliseo
1) Acero & Fantasy vs Pequeño Universo 2000 & Pequeño Violencia
2) Cancerbero, Canelo Casas, Raziel vs Artillero, Hijo del Signo, Inquisidor
3) Oro Jr., Pegasso, The Panther vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Sangre Azteca, Skándalo
4) Blue Panther, Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Kráneo, Ripper, Sam Adonis
5) Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible vs Diamante Azul, Stuka Jr., Valiente

Drone in the semimain, when Hombre Bala probably would’ve been in the tercera. He definitely seemed ranked above the Panther. That semimain is the best match on the show. No idea why they’re having rudos/rudos against each other, unless there was a dare to book the match I’d be least interested in watching. It could just be a numbers things; guessing lots of the next week is based on Dia de los Muertos outfits.

CMLL (SUN) 10/30/2016 Arena México
1) Acero, Astral, Stukita vs Demus 3:16, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia
2) Blue Panther Jr., Guerrero Maya Jr., The Panther vs Misterioso Jr., Morphosis, Tiger
3) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Silueta vs Dalys, Tiffany, Zeuxis
4) Carístico, Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone vs Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Terrible
5) Rush vs Último Guerrero

Not a great show outside the main event (if they feel like it) and maybe the second match.

CMLL had Hechicero introduce the Dia de Muertos concept and he’s not on any of the shows. Maybe he’s a evil god on Friday (or maybe he’s in route to ROH.) He had previously been announced for a show in Xalapa on 10/30.

It was asked demanded I write about the women. I guess I can.

Women’s matches per CMLL Arena Mexico card, by month:
August: 7 shows without women’s matches, 5 shows with women
September: 8 shows without women’s matches, 5 shows with women
October: 4 shows without women’s matches, 8 shows with women

What happened? It’s not like the division suddenly caught fire with great matches. That match up there for Sunday has a good chance of being the same update of a 2.5 star/ok encounter as basically every other trios match they run. It’s not like there’s a hot angle, or even any angle at all – there’s been nothing until Marcela/Dalys was restarted a couple days ago, and there were more women’s singles matches in August (2) than there’s been in the following two months (0). Even fans of the women would probably say they’ve seen enough trios matches and would like something beyond that.

I think some tie up with the Kimberly Clark sponsorship, which seemed to begin in September, is a weird/obvious but possibility, but CMLL hasn’t even slightly hinted at any “we’re putting more women’s matches on to appeal to women to sell women’s products” concept. It’s possible I’m looking too narrow and women are in Arena Mexico because they haven’t been used in Puebla or Guadalajara as much, but it wouldn’t explain why the women are suddenly in the third match and not the second. It’s possible there’s some earlier deficit being fixed (like how Adonis/Idol seemed to be not used for a month and then were seemingly booked on every show for two weeks.) Whatever it is, it’s gone on too long to be an accident, and it’s not been really for the benefit of these shows. I’d like matches that are good, and I’d like matches which might go somewhere at some point. CMLL hasn’t had enough of either the last couple months.

CMLL (SUN) 10/30/2016 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Avispón Negro Jr. & Micro vs Guerrero de la Muerte & Quca
2) Black Sugar & Johnny Dinamo vs Destello & Destructor
3) Capitán Cobra, El Alteño, Fugaz vs Gran Kenut, Linterna, Mr. Brisa
4) Explosivo, Magnum, Star Black vs Espectrúm, Furia Roja, Sádico
5) El Yaqui vs Évola [hair]

I couldn’t identify Yaqui in a lineup, but he’s a favorite to beat veteran rudo Evola.

DTU (THU) 11/17/2016 Arena Aficion
1) Masizito & Porrito vs Erwing & Irving
2) El Exótico vs Lokillo, Moria, Niño De Cobra, Rey Celestial
3) El Gio & El Junior vs Rey Infierno & Tony Iron and Ángel o Demonio & Ovett
4) Gallego & Mr. Cóndor vs Jimmy & Kevin
5) Dalys & Zeuxis vs La Magnifica & Zuzu Divine
6) Cíclope & Crazy King vs Diva Salvaje & Yuriko
7) Dragón Rojo Jr. & Pólvora vs Drastik Boy & Ronnie Mendoza
8) Flamita, Hormiga, Mistico II vs Aeroboy, Black Fire, Negro Casas

Hormiga & Black Fire started a feud for Fire’s Alto Impacto championship on the DTU show this weekend, so that’s probably the actual finish of the main event. Mistico & Flamita versus Aeroboy & Negro Casas is just a nice bonus. Dragon Rojo & Polvora have been regulars here.