Caristico/UG set for next week, LA Park versus Alberto?, AAA TV in Chilpancingo, Star Battle

rug pulled out from underneath Caristico

CMLL (FRI) 12/16/2016 Arena México [CMLL, thecubsfan, Yahoo! Deportes]
1) Shockercito & Stukita b Mercurio & Pequeño Nitro
13:52. tecnicos 1/3
2) Misterioso Jr., Okumura, Sagrado b Flyer, Soberano Jr., Star Jr.
16:28. Rudos took 2/3.
3) Amapola, La Metálica, Zeuxis b Estrellita, La Jarochita, La Vaquerita
11:08. Rudas took 2/3. Amapola replaced Tiffany. Everyone talked about the cage match afterwards.
4) La Máscara, Pierroth, Rush b Atlantis, Marco Corleone, Stuka Jr.
10:48. Los Ingobernables took 1/3.
5) Máximo Sexy DQ Máscara Año 2000
7:22. Maximo cheated to win the first and was close to winning the second when the Nuevo Generacion Dinamitas all ran in.
6) Carístico, Valiente, Volador Jr. DQ Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
11:43. Tecnicos took 2/3, the last when UG unmasked Caristico. UG eventually offered a singles match next week where Caristico would get a mask/hair match if he won.

This was a better show than last week, though the focus was really on building future main events (12/23 Caristico/UG, 12/25 women’s cage, and 01/01 Mascara/Maximo) than the matches tonight. The matches building the Christmas Day show and the New Year’s Days show were among the weakest on the night and probably didn’t convince anyone who wasn’t interested in going. If those shows draw well, it’s going to be because of the holiday more than the main event.

They did their best to push the idea that Caristico would get the mask versus hair match if he beat Ultimo Guerrero next week, and implied it’d be the week after. If this was the first run of Mistico, he’s always going to win this match, but CMLL’s booked the second run of Caristico much differently, and aren’t going to give up that match in December. The best to hope is Caristico winning and Ultimo Guerrero agreeing to do it in September (but, even that doesn’t seem like a sure bet.)

Let’s continue talk about unlikely apuesta matches with:

indy (FRI) 12/16/2016 Palenque de La Feria, Texcoco, Estado de México [Estrellas del Ring]
1) Dr. Killer & Orión b Pandemónium I & Pandemónium II
2) Lizmark Jr. & Máscara Sagrada Jr. b Canek Jr. & Hijo del Fishman
Canek & Fishman replaced Huracan & Medico (with Sagrada switching sides.)
3) Dos Caras Sr. & Solar I b Mano Negra & Pirata Morgan
4) Cibernético & Sharlie Rockstar b Hijo De Dos Caras & Mr. Electro
5) Alberto el Patrón b Carlito, LA Park Alberto El Patrón vs L.A. Park vs Carlito, Palenque de la Feria de Texcoco (posted by +LuchaTV)
Carlito replaced Extreme Tiger before the show. Carlito pulled off LA Park’s mask, but Alberto put Carlito in the armbar before he could do anything and got the win. Alberto and Park agreed to a hair versus mask match on March 3rd.

+LuchaTV has video of them agreeing to the match in the ring with the promoter coming in the ring to make it official, and with both Alberto (quickly) and LA Park hyping the match. The general reaction, even from those were there, was disbelief that the match would happen as advertised. It seems incredibly unlikely to happen like that, if it’ll happen at all. That building’s capacity is around 5000 (mentioned near the end of the article), and a legitimate mask versus hair match with those two people could do two or three times the size of that building easy. They’re either throwing away money or there’s other people being added to the match. This time, the building didn’t look full even with a 2 for 1 ticket deal in the days leading up to the show, and with not much promotion for the show since the card was announced a month ago. Both men would be tremendously underselling their value and someone else must be taking the loss.

AAA has a TV taping today in Chilpancingo. It’s the only TV taping they will have in a 51 days stretch. This period of time is routinely very quiet for AAA, and the overall lack of excitement leading into it makes them feel like an afterthought.

There is a decent chance of news tonight. The semimain has Aerostar & Drago defending the tag team titles against Monsther Clown & Murder Clown and Daga & Joe Lider. The two challenging teams have been part of AAA”s main events, Aerostar & Drago have not, and a title change seems likely. The Clowns are the best bet for that.

The rest of the card continues cruising along to Guerra de Titanes, and maybe the biggest story tonight will be AAA actually announcing matches for that show.  The main event is Hijo del Fantasma, Psycho Clown, Texano Jr. versus Dr. Wagner Jr., El Mesias and Pagano, for more Wagner/Psycho feuding. The fourth match has the Xinetez and OGT facing again, coming out of their title match. Angelico, in his first AAA TV appearance in about six weeks, teams with Bengala & Garza Jr. against Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Parka Negra and Super Fly. (AAA probably should do something with Parka Negra on TV if they’re going to use him as a spot show headliner.) Argenis, Lanzeloth and Nino Hamburguesa take on Carta Brava Jr, Dave the Clown and Soul Rocker, and the show opens with Big Mami, Dinastia, and Mascara de Bronce versus Lady Shani, Mamba and Mini Psycho Clown. The matches overall look a little better than Juarez, but there’s no real safe bet for a good match – maybe the tercera?

This taping will start airing on January 14th. No Pentagon, as he’s in Texas for WrestleCircus.

AAA’s TV today will air the Star Battle of Japan show. This show aired previously in Japan; I reviewed it last month. The middle four matches will air on the regular TV show, the opener will air on some Televisa affiliates who receive a longer version of AAA’s show, and the main event is up now with no commentary. It must be a rights issue with one of the non-AAA wrestlers which prevents them from putting the match on TV, because there’s no other reason they would skip out on showing a Rey Mysterio match.

AAA is also running their wrestler of the year polls, starting with luchadora of the year. Taya’s won it in past years, but is right now behind Faby & Shani.

CultIcon reviews DTU9

Fuego en el Ring has the latest edition of their podcast.

Lineup

CMLL (FRI) 12/23/2016 Arena México
1) Demus 3:16 & Mercurio vs Fantasy & Último Dragóncito
2) Blue Panther Jr., The Panther, Tritón vs Forastero, Okumura, Sagrado
3) Guerrero Maya Jr., Soberano Jr., Titán vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Luciferno, Pólvora
4) Atlantis, Stuka Jr., Valiente vs Kráneo, Mephisto, Ripper
5) Marco Corleone, Máximo Sexy, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Hechicero, Máscara Año 2000
6) Carístico vs Último Guerrero

Main even should be pretty heated, if nothing else. And it’s strange they don’t have something for 12/30 anyway, but I don’t think it’ll be that match.

Mascara teams with two guys who are much, much better than him in 2016.

No women on the show means the CMLL midcard division get two matches, and possibly the best two matches on the show. Triton returns to Arena Mexico in exactly the same spot he left, which probably means he’s not going to be too happy about it.