CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2016-11-11 

Adios.
Adios.

recapped: 11/11/2016

What happened: Mascara Dorada said goodbye to CMLL. Ultimo Guerrero won an unsatisfying main event. Stigma and Okumura might have issue or they might have just been doing a random one night feud.

What was good: The Dorada match and the moment after is worth watching. I liked the tercera.

Where can I watch it: It’ll be up on my channel soon enough. If you’re in Japan, you can watch it on NJPWWorld on demand. Read More

great match roundup, week of 2016-10-22

a Diamante highlight
a Diamante highlight!

this week’s shows

Hit my goal of reaching two of these in a week. If I kept up my pace, I’d be caught up around December 2nd. There’s no chance that happens. I think I was lower than most on Valiente/Volador, but I do definitely still like the Elite match better.

recommended matches

rating matches TV Show taped
great Emperador Azteca, Hijo de LA Park, Zumbi vs Diamante, Imposible, Karonte Jr. Hijo de Dos Caras, HijoDrWagnerJr y Karonte Junior vs Zumbi, Golden Magic y Bandido (posted by R de Rudo) Hijo L.A.PARK, ZUMBI, EMPERADOR AZTECA vs KARONTE, DIAMANTE, IMPOSIBLE 22/Oct/2016 (posted by Liga Elite) Lucha Azteca7 Elite: 2016-10-22 2016-10-21

Read More

Mascara Dorada farewell show, Elite TV wrapping up?, Rey Fenix

Mascara Dorada's first match under that name.
Mascara Dorada’s first match under that name.

ELITE (THU) 11/10/2016 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, Plantilla Deportiva]
1) Pequeño Warrior & Shaolin b Pequeño Gigante & Solaris
2) Mr. Leo & Rocky Lobo b Belial & Impulso
3) Diamante, Imposible, Samoano b Emperador Azteca, Metaleón, Zumbi
4) Dr. Karonte Jr., Hijo De Dos Caras, Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. b Decnnis, Fresero Jr., Zumbido
Fresero replaced Intocable.
5) Black Tauro & Rey Escorpión b LA Park & Mr. Águila
Lots of screwiness on the finish. The referee was taken out, everyone fouled everyone else, and Tauro and Escorpion ended up on top.
6) Blue Demon Jr. b Xtreme Tiger
7) Carístico b Blue Demon Jr.
Demon suffered a shoulder injury on Carstico’s small package (Caristico had been kicking at the taped right shoulder all match.) Caristico & Xtreme Tiger made the save. Demon challenged Cibernetico for a heavyweight title match.
8) Blue Demon Jr. DQ Cibernético
Demon heroically came off a stretcher to have this match. Billy el Malo & Tabu debuted by attacking Demon for the DQ.

They didn’t fill Arena Naucalpan, but it was much better than an average IWRG show in the building. Looked like the setup was darker too. There’s no real notes about the matches except that tag match finishing being absurd and the Demon angle in the main event. Demon’s shoulder seems to be hurt a lot at dramatically convenient moments.

The big news from the show was the announcement Elite would return to tape TV in Naucalpan next Friday, but that would be the last TV taping of the year for Elite. There’s ways to make this work – Elite now has two unaired tapings and will have a third, they can split the tapings in half and air six weeks of TV if they want – but it more sounds like an ominous sign. The most likely reason for Elite’s TV year to come to such an early end is because Azteca doesn’t want to air it any more.

Elite’s only running TV tapings. If there’s no more TV tapings, there might not be any more Elite. Their only saving grace is whoever’s funding this was willing to throw money at it before when they had TV, and maybe they will again if they’re off TV for two months or permanently. Money might not be enough. Luchadors have gravitated to Elite because the TV exposure – Cibernetico probably knew of the Azteca deal when he made the jump, and he and a lot of others will probably be considering their options elsewhere if they’re off TV for an extended period of time. (That also might explain why Billy & Tabu are showing up just as TV goes away – just getting friends one or two TV appearances while they still can.)

(The Elite name is being to promote Blue Demon vs LA Park show in Tijuana on 12/09, but it doesn’t seem like it’s Elite promoting it, just a local promotion using the name. Whatever’s actually going on with Elite, I’m sure we’ll still see the name on posters for a long time to come.)

Tonight’s the final match for Máscara Dorada in CMLL. He started on CMLL’s main roster in 2008, in a trios match with Sombra and Mictlan La Mascara against Averno, Mephisto, Ephesto. He’s finish up tonight teaming with Diamante Azul & Atlantis against Cavernario, Felino and Negro Casas. Dorada’s farewell initially seemed low key compared to the most recent departures: Dark Angel got her favorite opponent and a sendoff and, even though we didn’t know he was going, Sombra got to face his best friend in a singles match for the one and only time before leaving. Dorada is simply getting a trios match, and his goodbye wasn’t acknowledged on last week’s show. (And, for all we know, maybe Dorada just prefered the trios match or CMLL couldn’t book a singles match and have Dorada win on his way out.) The reality of the situation has overwhelmed whatever plans they had – Dorada’s departure is the headline on the wire story about the show, Dorada was celebrated by the locker room in Puebla and Guadalajara and will surely be again tonight. It’ll be a nice moment, and one he deserves: Dorada’s had fantastic matches and has created more opportunities for luchadors with his success in Japan and the US. Dorada’s performance the last few months has been at it’s highest level, and I’m sure it’ll be no different tonight.

Máscara Dorada – or Metalik, as he started out – really struggled in CMLL the first year. He had shown spectacular offense in rare video footage from Guadalajara, but he looked unsafe and nervous when he came to Mexico, seeming to lose his confidence. Dorada wanted Atlantis and Casas in this match for how they’ve helped his career, but it’s just as appropriate Felino is included tonight. Dorada and Felino worked against each other a lot after the early struggles, and Felino’s often credited as one of the veterans who helped Dorada turn his career back around. Maybe this isn’t happening without Felino, or someone like him. It’s also nice to see Barbaro Cavernario in the match. Titán seems to be taking Dorada’s place as the upper card high flyer who can be a challenger for any title and put on an exciting match (with maybe Drone taking Titán’s spot), but Cavernario feels like a successor as the possible international star. No Mexican got a one year deal with NJPW before Mascara Dorada. If anyone gets it again, it seems most likely to be Cavernario. (I’ve got no reason for Diamante Azul to be there.)

Tonight’s main event will have Marco Corleone, Maximo and Volador on one team, La Mascara, Pierroth, Rush on another team, and Euforia, Gran Guerrero and Ultimo Guerrero on a third team. I’m sure about that. I’m not sure exactly how it’ll work. In the past, they’ve done some coin tosses, to determine who faces who first, and all three teams (or people) face each other once. In CMLL’s preview, they explain it more like their normal single elimination tournaments: there’s a seeding battle royal with the captains, the winning captain advances to the final, and the other two two trios have a semifinal to decide who advances. Whatever they’re doing, it’ll probably start to make sense about half thru. It’s not as clear where they’re going – maybe CMLL’s still going to do a cage match before the end of the year?

The rest of the card is better than average. Caristico faces Mephisto in a lightning match. It’s Caristico’s first lightning match in eleven years; he’s obviously had lots of short singles matches in that time, but he became such a big star as Mistico right away that they weren’t going to put him in midcard singles matches after his first year. Mephisto is a big name and a regular opponent, and it’s still strange they’d put Caristico in a lightning match today. Mephisto beat Caristico in the finals of the incredible pairs tournament back on April 29, something that seemed meaningful at the time but has never come up again.

Flyer & Magnus take on Akuma & Espanto Jr. in the opener, which seems like it might have a shot. Espanto Jr. was tagging along with Valiente doing press this week for whatever reason.

CultIcon also previews this show. The show airs at the normal time of 8:30pm CT. The show will also air on NJPW World, which also is promoting it as Mascara Dorada’s final match.

The Team CMLL vs Kingdom Ring of Honor Six Man Tournament quarterfinal is expected to air on this weekend’s ROH broadcast.

The fictional Blue Demon debuts today on Blim video service in Mexico. (The service isn’t available north of Mexico at the moment.)

AAW announced Rey Fenix is off their 11/19 show, because he’s not been medically cleared. Drago will replace him. There’s something a little weird going on: Rey Fenix is also booked in CaraLucha on the 19th and San Diego on the 19th.  It’s possible Rey Fenix is off all those other dates and the announced hasn’t been made yet (or just won’t.), but it’s strange he was in three different places the same night to start with. It’s not a way to keep getting indie bookings. At the same time, Fenix had been make appearances at shows he can’t wrestle on just to apologize about not wrestling, so it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to mess with anyone. Hope this is just a weird blip.

The second part of Konnan’s interview with Rey Fenix was also posted yesterday. Rey Fenix mentions he’s heading to Australia, Germany (February), and England (March) among other places. This is a tricky thing with Lucha Underground’s uncertainty – everyone’s heard it might be back in January, but no one knows when, so they’ve got no choice but to fill up their weekends and hope those dates don’t cause a conflict later. Konnan mentions Fenix will be adding a child to his family, which sure seems like a reason he might have suddenly decided to relocate.

Chairo 6 on 11/27 in Arena Naucalpan
1) Memes Rumble (Alberto Dos Rios + 21 surprise luchadors)
2) Hechicero vs Caifan – two out of three falls
3) Rey Cometa vs Laredo Kid – falls count anywhere
4) Black Terry vs Valiente – super libre
5) Astral, Belial, Arez, Impulso vs Shockercito, Aramis, Iron Kid, Alas de Acero vs Ultimo Dragoncito, Sadico, Pantera I, Freelance
6) Ultimo Guerrero vs Dr. Cerbero – El Privilegio
(two more matches to be announced)

Lucha Memes put up a promo with lead referee Chiquilin explaining the “El privielgio” rules (translated here): one time during the match, each guy can have the privilege of using a foul, having someone interfere for 30 seconds, getting a countout waved off, or getting free exit from a hold. Basically, both guys get to legally cheat once. This could work, but they need the wrestlers to understand the rules and adhere to them – if Ultimo Guerrero uses his one privilege to have someone interfere, but then wins via foul anyway, then it’s all kind of silly. (And the more times you can explain the rules for something, the better chance fans will understand them.) This is still better than a lucha cage match or a lucha battle royal.

DTU is posting photos of various luchadors traveling to Tulancingo for their three day seminar starting today. People who won’t be there, but were at a past one, are Morelia luchadors Rene Rocks, Cruz del Silencio and Toto Machine – they’re in Japan! No idea with who. Rocks was a standout in the one match I’ve seen with him, a FILL cibernetico.

Arena Coliseo Guadalajara’s Leyendas Inmortales show will be on 11/27, a Sunday. Rayo de Jalisco, Canek, Huracan Ramirez, Fuerza Guerrera, Satanico, Mascara Sagrada, Mascara 2000, Cien Caras Jr. (?), Solar, Pantera, Hijo de Fishman, Hijo de Huracan Ramirez, and Septiembre Negro Jr. are advertised.

The PRD party had a press conference to talk about 1407 changes they’d like to see in the Mexican constitution. El Fantasma was present and changes in the lucha libre commission were mentioned, but I can’t find any info on his proposed changes.

Valiente, Astral, and Dalys were on TV promoting the bodybuilding contest.

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.

Voices of Wrestling has their Lucha Underground recap, the last for Jeremey for a while. Hope the surgery goes well.

Pentagon wants that title rematch with Johnny Mundo.

Vice Mexico has a video feature on Casandro.

Like every CMLL young guy going to Japan, Blue Panther Jr. hopes he gets to face Liger.