lucha TV preview for weekend of March 24th

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CMLL is back on ClaroSports Friday night. It’s still starting late, but at least we get a Dragon Lee lightning match.

AAA begins airing Rey de Reyes. Seven matches to choose from should mean a faster moving taping than usual.

IWRG has only one episodes this week – but they never aired the episode from last Sunday, so maybe it’ll end up being two anyway.

04/12 AAA TV Lineup (San Luis Potosi)

AAA

AAA TV (WED) 04/12/2017 Domo de San Luis, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
1) Bronco González, Concord, Octagoncito vs Guerrero De Plata, Hijo Del Vikingo, Mini Abismo Negro
2) Big Mami, Lady Shani, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Goya Kong, La Hiedra, Mamba
3) Lanzeloth, Máscara de Bronce, Venum vs Averno, Chessman, Ricky Marvin
4) Aerostar, Australian Suicide, Bengala, Drago vs El Mesías, Hijo de Pirata Morgan, Pagano, Súper Fly
5) Argenis, Ayako Hamada, Hijo del Fantasma vs Johnny Mundo, Kevin Kross, Taya
6) Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Psycho Clown

Air Date: 04/22 & 04/29

Wagner/Psycho as normal on top.  They had a singles match back in October that had no finish. I wouldn’t count on a result here either.

Everything underneath is the new abnormal. If I told you six months ago that there would be a trio of Argenis, Ayako Hamada and Hijo del Fantamsa, you wouldn’t believe me. You also wouldn’t believe me if I told you six days ago. Trust issues aside, they are following up on the big issues of Rey de Reyes here. You can see some of those reflected in the 03/31 Neza card too, so we’re definitely onto the new creative team by this point and we’ll soon have an idea if the card charges are going to be a regular thing or just part of a transition.

Taya loses her title but gets an actual feud, so it’s not a loss. Fantasma and Kross are doing promos back and forth on Twitter. Argenis would be the #1 contender to the cruiserweight title if he wins the four way in Neza, so that match may be building an Argenis/Mundo match. That is a real sentence.

If Argenis winning the Rey de Reyes sword means the trio that formed of Argenis, Drago, and Aerostar will never actually get around to teaming. That was an old creative thing, may be out the window already with the person who trapped Faby Apache in a room. Aerostar & Drago found good replacement partners in an atomicos that might actually be good. Aerostar/Super Fly feuding seems like the only reason for that match but it still seems like they’re telling a story with Pagano & Mesias. They’re teaming here and back in Neza.

OGT versus the kid also a plot line. The trios match here seems like it builds on Averno & Chessman vs Lanzeloth & Mascara de Bronce back in Neza. Averno was really good at working with young high flyers in CMLL and Chessman’s done that in the past in AAA, they just haven’t been used in those roles here of late. Ricky is back after not appearing at Rey de Reyes, which suggests the surprise trios title change wasn’t about any of the OGT members leaving. Maybe the reason was just the surprise, a shock title change to fit the feeling of a lot of shocking things going on and a way to blow off the Apaches/OGT feud which seems to be downplayed or going away. It still doesn’t make a lot of sense to make the Mary & Gran Apache champions if they’re not going to be around any time soon and those titles might have been useful with the OGT with wherever they’re going with the kids, but I can’t totally object to a lucha title being taken out of play.

Shani seems to be starting as a tecnica in Neza. Pimpinela and Mamba get grouped in with the women.

I think that opener’s airing, even though it’s mostly non-AAA people. They have to get two weeks of TV out of this taping. What’s notable is those are not San Luis Potosi locals either. Concord is from Pachuca, Bronco Gonzalez usually wrestles in Mexico State, Guerrero de Plata & Hijo del Vikingo mostly work Puebla. These aren’t people who advanced in La Llave de la Gloria; there’s some other scouting/recruitment going on.

The show after this is 04/21 in Tijuana

Crash/Impact PPV?, ColiseoMania lineup, ChilangaMask

The Wrestling Observer mentions there’s a plan on the table to hold a Impact vs The Crash PPV that would be on 04/15 in Tijuana. The WON is very clear this is not a done deal right now, with the details not finalized. It’s unclear if this was something that was worked on prior to the Impact/AAA deal or how that would impact it.

If it happens, the show would be one of Impact’s One Night Only shows, which Impact uses as almost non-canon shows to fulfill worldwide TV contracts left over from the time where they were running monthly PPVs. (They’re usually $25 and available on Fite.TV in addition to normal PPV.) It probably would not air live; Impact has a different ONO PPV already announced as airing on 04/14, and these are usual taped and aired some time later.

The Crash hasn’t announced a 04/15 date yet, but the Auditorio is not something you can book last minute. Dates are managed by the local government, purposefully split between the different promotions to make sure no one group controls the building. If there’s a chance they’re running a PPV, they would’ve had to lock in the date and we’ll hear about it on Saturday’s show. It would means The Crash is planning on running three shows in six weeks – the WON also has them back on 05/05 with the Young Bucks – and that’s both something not usually allowed by the people who manage the building, and something that puts a lot of stress on the promotion. The Crash is running dream match shows, and it’s tough to keep coming up with dream match cards when you’re running so often.

The advantage of running a PPV on 04/15 in Tijuana is AAA is coming to the same building for a TV taping six days later. This is The Crash trying to blow AAA out of the water again. I just hope they’re not damaging themselves doing so.

Again, it’s not clear how the relationship between AAA & Impact might change these plans. The WON implies Konnan was not given a heads up that deal was happening and now is caught in the middle a bit here. I missed this when it happened, but Slam noticed Konnan did address the situation in a Twitter reply. He says he’ll have nothing to do with AAA’s business, AAA will have nothing to do with his, and LAX & AAA wrestlers will not wrestle on Impact. (It’s not said if that applies to Garza & Laredo as well – we probably can assume it will be the same but we don’t know.)

The WON also sources people who know Lucha Underground/LLFMV contracts as saying that company would have exclusive rights to any AAA character. My guess is that would only apply to characters AAA owns. When AAA & Impact tried this before, during the early days of Lucha Underground, AAA sent Argos over there. Argos used that name briefly as a CMLL opening match guy, so it would seem like something AAA didn’t own. Argos is long gone from AAA, but there’s other AAA wrestlers who had their characters before coming to AAA. I’m not sure if that actually the dividing line though; if Dorian Roldan and Vampiro are truly in charge of Lucha Libre FMV and deciding where people get booked, it would seem like they would have the power to send people wherever they wanted. I’m also not sure it matters much.

I think this deal, at least from the Impact side, is really just about getting booking fees for it’s wrestlers by sending them out to various promotions. Impact will take a Garza Jr. or a Laredo Kid or someone from AAA as a mutual respect thing, but these are not ROH/NJPW deals where Impact expects to make their money bringing these guys in. The problem of not being able to book AAA guys with Konnan’s guys or not being able to use LU owned guys is not an issue if the real plan is just to bring in people for token appearances (which is what Argos turned out to be) and mostly it’ll be Impact sending people the other way. There’s probably going to be less drama about AAA & The Crash people being in the same promotion than we think now, because they’ll barely be used in the same promotion. That doesn’t mean I think it’ll last, no one but Impact wants this situation to last as is, but it’ll be less exciting than it seems.

The Crash will have a press conference the night of April 4, the day before it’s Mexico City show. It’s kind of too late to get much newspaper edition, but in plenty of time to say something to annoy AAA.

The much bigger story in the wrestling world is the possible acquisition of ROH by WWE. It doesn’t seem it’s close to happening, and it may not happen, but it’s at least being talked about. This wouldn’t have much impact on short term impact on the wrestling promotions in Mexico; I think CMLL likes Matt Taven but hasn’t been enthusiastic or aggressive about learning about ROH and is only involved because NJPW urged them to do so. It would hurt the CMLL luchadors, who don’t otherwise have routes to (relatively) well known US promotions and can not reach beyond the smaller US lucha libre promotions without an outlet like Ring of Honor. I don’t know that ROH’s done a great job with Dragon Lee, but it’s helped him a bit in getting his name out there and maybe he get booked a decent amount elsewhere if ROH went away. (Hasn’t really happened though.) It’ll be tougher for the next Dragon Lee to get that boost without a (relatively) well know US outlet.

ESTO reports some of the speeches at the Perro Aguayo Jr. mass on Tuesday. In interviews afterwards, Kahn del Mal said it was the dream of Perro Aguayo for Perros del Mal to go on after his death, so that’s why it goes on. Halloween took the other side, saying the name should be laid to rest.

Leo Riano’s column is critical of Vampiro changing matches around on Rey de Reyes, unsure why he has the power to change the matches people expect. It’s unusual for Riano to be critical of anything in AAA, even from a storyline perspective.

On Informa, when Diamante Azul brought up the idea of facing Rush on the Anniversario show, JCR pushed the idea of Rush vs Atlantis (vs Diamante Azul, maybe.)

A show last night near San Luis Potosi city with Penta & Daga vs Aeroboy & Violento Jack was canceled. Locals believed only AAA is being allowed to run (non-local) shows in the area.

ROH announced Marcela and Amapola will have a singles match on 04/01. That’s their best chance at having a good match, but it’s going to be an uphill battl efor anyone to care. At least they’re getting a free trip to Orlando and a pay day.

MedioTiempo looks back at Abismo Negro’s wrestling career, eight years after his death.

Matt Taven told ESTO he hopes to return to CMLL often.

Shocker mentioned he still hasn’t had his surgery. He’s already been out for six weeks, that’s a long wait.

RobViper has a music video of 07/14/16 Elite with LA Park vs Rush.

LigerFever translates an El Dandy story.

El Siglo de Torreon has a good bio of Gran Markus (or you can read a lot of on the luchawiki in English.)

MX City picks the 10 most essential lucha libre movies.

Lineup

LyC The Crash (SUN) 04/09/2017 Arena Coliseo Monterrey
1) Faceman, La Bestia, Mini Difunto vs Babe Fox, Chocolata, Mini Hator
2) Epydemius & Ninja Jr. vs Psicótico & Titanik
3) Juventud Guerrera vs Arez, Rico Rodríguez ©, Laredo Kid [LyC CRUISER]
4) Zorro vs Último Ninja vs X-Fly vs El Divo
5) Daga & Rey Fénix (US) vs DJZ & Sammy Guevara
6) Garza Jr., Penta El Zero M, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs Bestia 666, Damián 666, Nicho el Millionario

Full card for what’s being billed as Rey Mysterio’s only appearance in Monterrey. Semifinal could be really good

Chilanga Mask (SUN) 04/23/2017 Coliseo Coacalco, Coacalco, Estado de México
1) Caifan III, Maldito Jr., Shiryu Dragón vs Fly Star, Hijo del Solar, Terremoto Negro
2) Freelance vs Niño De Cobre, Diablo Jr., Inmortal, Ryan Kidd, Novasonic
3) Centvrión, Dragón Fly, Impulso vs Lokillo, Mr. Leo, Próximo
4) Dave Crist vs Aero Boy
5) Masada vs Miedo Extremo vs Wotan
6) Raymond Rowe vs Hanson
7) Xtreme Tiger vs Rey Fénix, ?
8) Solar I vs Makabre, Trauma I, The Platino, Trauma II, Black Terry, Mr. Maldito [ruleta de la muerte]

Full card for the show a month from now. It’s a good card – the seventh match should be good no matter who they put in the semimain, I’m more excited for Crist/Aeroboy now that I’ve seen Crist in AAW, the third match should be good. It also has War Machine facing each other, because Mexican indie bookers love tag teams facing each other.

I would be more excited for either of these shows if I felt slightly confident I would be able to see them.