Soberano & Caristico advance to Gran Alternativa final, CMLL LH title decider tonight

Oro & Soberano

CMLL (FRI) 06/09/2017 Arena México [CMLL, CultIcon, Marca, Ovaciones, thecubsfan]
1) Arkángel de la Muerte & Metálico b Príncipe Diamante & Robin Príncipe Diamante & Robin vs Arkángel de la Muerte & Metálico (posted by thecubsfan)
16:07. Rudos took 1/3. Tiger replaced Arkangel
2) Estrellita, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit DQ Amapola, Dalys, Zeuxis Estrellita, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit vs Amapola, Dalys, Zeuxis (posted by thecubsfan)
15:12. Straight falls. Zeuxis was pinned but came back in to attack and unmask Princesa Sugehit.
3) Guerrero Maya Jr. b Misterioso Jr. [lightning] Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Misterioso Jr. in a lightning match (posted by thecubsfan)
5:40.
4) Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero b Atlantis, Dragón Lee, Mistico Atlantis, Dragón Lee, Mistico vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero (posted by thecubsfan)
Rudos took 1/3.
5) Oro Jr. & Soberano Jr. b Raziel, Flyer, Canelo Casas, Drone, Astral, Akuma [Gran Alternativa, battle royal] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
5:16.
6) Canelo Casas & Negro Casas b Astral & Valiente [Gran Alternativa, 8f] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
4:45.
7) Akuma & Pierroth b Drone & Niebla Roja [Gran Alternativa, 8f] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
8:07. Pierroth gave Drone a modified piledriver and fouled & unmasked Niebla Roja. Vangellys came out of the crowd and attacked Pierroth with a bat after the match, then smashed the safety barrier door on Pierroth’s shoulder many times.
8) Flyer & Volador Jr. b Mephisto & Raziel [Gran Alternativa, 8f] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
6:53.
9) Carístico & Soberano Jr. b Ángel de Oro & Oro Jr. [Gran Alternativa, 8f] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
7:58.
10) Canelo Casas & Negro Casas b Akuma & Pierroth [Gran Alternativa, quarterfinal] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
Forfeit win; doctors & commission would not let Pierroth wrestle due to his shoulder injury
11) Carístico & Soberano Jr. b Flyer & Volador Jr. [Gran Alternativa, quarterfinal] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
8:28
12) Carístico & Soberano Jr. b Canelo Casas & Negro Casas [Gran Alternativa, semifinal] 2017 Gran Alternativa Block B (posted by thecubsfan)
6:37. Caristico & Soberano face Ultimo Guerrero & Sanson next week.

This seemed like a good show, but Claro picked the week to change how it streams the show and it worked poorly for the whole show. Hopefully they’ll have it right next week, but there were some good matches that were hurt by the bad experience on video. It seemed like the people live were having a good time.

Akuma wants revenge on Vangellys for costing him his Gran Alternativa chance. He’s got at least as good a chance of besting Vangellys as Vangellys has at besting Pierroth. Akuma is only the second person to be eliminated from the Gran Alternativa without losing a match. Semental was the first, when Yujiro refused to team with a Mexican and beat him up with the help of Okumura in 2009.

AAA’s preview of today’s TV episode notable does not include the Faby Apache/Ayako Hamada match. That happened with a match on the Tlaxcala taping and it ended up airing anyway, but it’d be notable since it was meant to be a #1 contenders match.

SoloWrestling has an interview with Black Taurus, who says he left AAA for reasons like being told he’d be one of the first AAA guys on Lucha Underground and not getting the spot, and being relegated to working the relevos AAA matches with women and minis after being promised a big push. He feels he was a Konnan project and they weren’t going to do much with him after Konnan left. Taurus says Konnan’s talking to him about going to Impact; I’d suspect he was one of the potential options for the spots that went to Garza & Laredo, and might be an option for future an LAX opponent.

Seattle’s Defy Wrestling announced a partnership with The Crash. Maybe The Crash can send Defy their wrestlers and Defy can send The Crash their ability to record their shows for a streaming platform.

Pesadilla talks about X-Law.

Saturday shows

  • Arena Coliseo has a match for the CMLL Light Heavyweight championship. I now think it’s actually for the title and not stage 1 of something bigger, and I’m afraid to make a guess after how unusual CMLL booking has been this week. I would go with Cavernario because Cavernario is great even if there’s no way he’s a light heavyweight.
  • Lucha Libre y Pasion, a Facebook group that mostly pirates PPVs, is bringing in big names for their own show. Main event is scheduled to be Jeff Cobb & Fenix vs Juvy & Super Crazy, with Horuz/Evans, AR Fox/Aeroboy, Flamita/Sadico and Imposible/Ciclon Ramirez/Emperador Azteca

Sunday shows

NJPW is also expected to announce their G1 field on their show Sunday (early Sunday Mexico time.) It’d be a surprise if any CMLL luchadors were included. They may also announce the lineup for the Los Angeles shows in the next couple of days, where Volador, Titan & Dragon Lee have been announced.

Lucha Underground posted an Aerostar promo about Drago’s betrayal. Given LU’s usual booking, they seem a good bet to meet somewhere in the Cueto Cup, maybe even next week.

Former Mexico State Lightweight champion Castorcito passed away on the 7th.

A priest/luchador who’s not Fray Tormenta.

Segunda Caida reviews LU episode 3×13 (the one with the Black Lotus Triad)

Lineups

CMLL (FRI) 06/16/2017 Arena México
1) Magia Blanca & Sangre Imperial vs Raziel & Virus
2) Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stuka Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Misterioso Jr., Pólvora
3) Kráneo, Pierroth, Rush vs Shocker, Terrible, Vangellys [Relevos Increíbles]
4) Dragón Lee vs Cavernario [lightning]
5) Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas
6) Carístico & Soberano Jr. vs Sansón & Último Guerrero [Gran Alternativa, final]

This show looks pretty good. Main event could be great, Dragon Lee/Cavernario is always really good and other matches have chances. The poster is interesting too, done close to the style of the Elite Arena Mexico shows rather than the traditional ones.

Vangellys told the press he was going solo, against Los Ingonbernables and TGR. So, he’s teaming with TGR anyway.

CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2017-06-09 

Soberano & Caristico

Recapped: 06/09/2017

Matches:

Metálico & Tiger beat Príncipe Diamante & Robin (16:07 [7:50, 3:19, 4:58], 1/3, ok)

Estrellita, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit beat  Amapola, Dalys, Zeuxis (15:12 [7:54, 7:18], 1/2 DQ, ok)

Guerrero Maya Jr. went to a double countout with Misterioso Jr. in a lightning match (5:40, no rating due to stream issues)

Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero beat Atlantis, Dragón Lee, Mistico (5:21+, 5:21 [?:??, 1:45, 3:36], good from what we saw)

Soberano Jr. & Oro Jr. won the dumb battle royal (5:16)

Canelo Casas & Negro Casas beat Astral & Valiente in a CMLL Gran Alternativa eighthfinal (4:45, below average)

Akuma & Pierroth beat Drone & Niebla Roja in a CMLL Gran Alternativa eighthfinal (8:07, ok)

Flyer & Volador Jr. beat Mephisto & Raziel in a CMLL Gran Alternativa eighthfinal (6:53, good)

Carístico & Soberano Jr. beat Ángel de Oro & Oro Jr. in a CMLL Gran Alternativa eighthfinal (7:58, good)

Canelo Casas & Negro Casas advanced over Akuma & Pierroth in a CMLL Gran Alternativa quarterfinal (forfeit due to injury)

Carístico & Soberano Jr. beat Flyer & Volador Jr. in a CMLL Gran Alternativa quarterfinal (8:28)

Carístico & Soberano Jr. beat Canelo Casas & Negro Casas in a CMLL Gran Alternativa semifinal (6:37, ok)

What happened:

Los Guerreros dancing triple Gori Stretch

Soberano & Carístico advanced to the final of the Gran Alternativa next week, to face Último Guerrero & Sansón. It was a strange tournament with unusual matches and outcomes.

Pierroth & Akuma surprisingly beat Nieba Roja & Drone, with Pierroth getting the win mostly by himself: a modified piledriver on Drone, and a mask pull and a foul on Niebla Roja. However, Pierroth & Akuma did not wrestle any more in the tournament, because Vangellys came out of the crowd and beat Pierroth with a bat. Vangellys also slammed the barricade gate into Pierroth’s shoulder many times. Pierroth & Akuma came out for their next match against Canelo Casas & Negro Casas, but the comission refused to let Pierroth wrestle with his injury and gave the Casas team the win by forfeit. Vangellys declared he was going after the Ingobernables for humilating him last week and done with TGR too.

The bottom half of the bracket saw Carístico & Soberano defeat Angel de Oro & Oro Jr., then Volador & Flyer in matches which were longer than usual for a CMLL tournament. They defeated the Casas family to advance to the final, which will repeat the Sansón/Soberano Jr. final from the Copa Junior.

Volador & Flyer

Vangellys/Pierroth wasn’t the only feud on this show. Zeuxis’ team lost in straight falls when she was eliminated from the match but returned to attack Sugehit (who was about to win anyway.) Zeuxis left Sugehit unmasked as their issue continues. The lightning match ended in a rare draw, when Misterioso & Guerrero Maya were counted out while brawling outside. Referee Edgar tried to stop them, only for Misterioso to chop him and throw the referee into the barricade.

Tiger made an unusual opening match appearance, replacing Arkangel. Tiger noted it was an emergency situation, and CMLL was caught off guard enough to play Arkangel’s music.

Marca/Claro changed the video player, and maybe the underlining streaming technology. It was a failure: the feed died early and often in the first half of the show, and streamed in poor quality when it was working. I have video of the matches, but it doesn’t look good. Hopefully it’ll be better next week.

Thoughts: 

Edgar goes into the barricade

It was just too bad the stream wasn’t good this week, because people were clealry giving up on this after an hour of problems (and it never got any better.) I hope CMLL’s getting good money not to just put these up on YouTube.

This was one of the better tournament block shows CMLL’s done in recent memory. It was about half giving these matches a reasonable about of time, and half grouping the best teams all in the same half of the bracket. Flyer/Volador vs Mephisto/Raziel was good in the usual Flyer fashion, Angel de Oro/Oro Jr. vs Carístico/Soberano had unexpected chemistry and Flyer/Volador vs Carístico/Soberano was everyone just unloading what they had in the case. Soberano is great and, while it would be strange for him to win two straight of these, I don’t think anyone would object to the super push at this point. The night really belonged to Flyer, who was pulling of the Mistico end of the Mistico/Volador spots as a team and looked just as good as the winner. It’s probably back to the early matches for Flyer after this, but he showed he could do a lot more if he ever gets a chance again.

The tournament was far from all good. Canelo Casas was the worst luchador on this show. He looked bad in both his matches, and somehow managed to look bad even in the stupid battle royal. Falling was a problem for him. I don’t know if it was nerves, because he’s always having problems, but it was noticeable how much they were avoiding doing anything with him in the main event, a cold ending to a run off good matches. Canelo had the same shot as Flyer to prove CMLL’s been missing something with him, and he went the exact other way with it.

Oro pulls out a cool headscissors

The Guerreros/tecnicos match was the usual good match from them, though that was the one most hampered for me by stream issues. Maya/Misterioso was fun too, and the crowd was loudly into most everything all night.

The Vangellys/Pierroth bit is an actual feud now, one that’s probably going to occupy space on a regular basis and end in a hair match. That’s not good for any CMLL card coming up soon. Pierroth has his obvious problems but Vangellys is also a weird guy to invest this much time in – unless he was the guy who agreed to lose his hair and that got him the spot.

The Maya/Misterioso thing felt like a random finish which won’t mean anything. Zeuxis/Sugehit felt like slightly moving on that angle, but it was time for a post match challenge and there wasn’t any. That match might be better than I’m giving credit for, but it’s tough to enjoy people looking like blurry blocks. Tiger looked worlds better than the técnicos in the opener.