Recapped: 06/11/2017
Matches:
Big Mami & Lady Shani beat Goya Kong & La Hiedra (5:59, Big Mami pin Goya Kong, ok)
Averno, Chessman, Mamba, Súper Fly beat Argenis, La Parka, Pimpinela Escarlata, Ricky Marvin (9:32, Averno Devil’s Wings Pimpinela, ok)
Carta Brava Jr., Dr. Wagner Jr., Soul Rocker beat Monsther Clown, Murder Clown, Psycho Clown (9:26, Dr. Wagner Jr. foul Murder Clown, ok)
What happened:
The concept that Verano de Escandalo’s main event is a tag team apuesta match is established on this show. Psycho Clown & Dr. Wagner make a pact to not betray each other so their TripleMania match will stay intact, Monster & Murder Clown talk about working together and the main event post match is firmly team against team. This show was taped nearly three weeks before Verano de Escandalo and seemed to show AAA knew what the rules were going to be in that main event, but either decided or was incapable of explaining it fully.
That main event, the Psycho Circus reuniting to take on Wagner, Carta Brava and Soul Rocker, predictably ended with the Traidor Clowns betraying Psycho Clown again. Wagner still fouled Murder Clown to get the win. The other rudos attacked Wagner after the match, then Poder del Norte attacked the Traidor Clowns to and those sides brawled away to leave Wagner & Psycho alone in the ring.
Psycho hyped the TripleMania match with Wagner, which led to a fight. It started to play out a lot like in San Luis Potosi, where Wagner & Psycho had their advertised singles match as a bonus after the normal TV portion had ended (seemingly as a make good.) That match was also advertised on this taping instead, but Tirantes made a point of sticking around while refusing to count pinfalls this time or treat it like it is a match. Wagner unmasked Psycho Clown to end it
La Parka had Averno beat in his match, but Hijo del Tirantes stopped his count to look at Pirata Morgan. Pirata Morgan was just standing on the apron. Pirata Morgan than whispered something to Parka which Parka found concerning. Meanwhile, Averno stole the win on Pimpinela from Mamba with the Devil’s Wings. Mamba was annoyed but Averno didn’t pick up on it. After, Mamba and Estrella Divina attacked Pimpi in the backstage area.
The announcers said La Hiedra was angry at Lady Shani for going to the tecnica side, which is a switch from the previous story (Vampiro was forcing Shani to be on the tecnica side.) Hiedra and Goya had a miscommunication leading to their defeat, and they too fought after the match.
The show ended with a long video feature on the Mexico City taping. It both felt like something they were airing because they were short on time (it was still a couple minutes shorter than usual) but also because it looked really good, like TripleMania quality. Either way, they wanted you to know that the next couple of weeks of TV were a big deal.
(Faby Apache’s win over Ayako Hamada, which was said to make her the #1 contender’s to Taya’s championship, did not air and was not mentioned.)
Thoughts:
Another week of whatever match quality. The effort was there, and there were stretches were the last two matches were fun. They didn’t stay that way, and the finishes didn’t help. It also can’t be an accident that every match that aired, baring the rookie Llave de la Gloria match, featured partners not getting along. That came across in the taping results, but even stronger on TV. When you’re teasing Averno/Mamba tension, it’s reached an absurd level.
On the other hand, I’m not sure any of these matches would be that good if there were neutral or even good finishes. It occurs to me, maybe not as often as it should, that there’s just not a lot of guys in AAA I’m all that into seeing in matches right now and it’d hard to find many combinations of matches that I’d be excited to see. AAA’s done a lot of rearranging of what they have, and I’m not sure it’s been all that good, but there just may not be a good arrangement right now. The creative has been a mess, but not being able to bring any new people aboard four months after they lost their last batch of guys is the bigger mess.
This is absolutely the right year to have Dr. Wagner versus Psycho Clown, because it still overshadows all of this and will carry the company the rest of the year. And so, if it was a sort of make good or just a shifting of focus, ending the show with that back as the big issue was the way to go. This was actually the most (and only) effective show to build up Verano de Escandalo and it’s so weird it came six days after that show took place. But the show that matters is TripleMania and that match and literally ushering all the timekillers off stage to put the spotlight back where it belongs was the right way to end show.
The rest was the rest. I don’t have the pair of eyes to see Big Mami as the native star of the women’s division, they must be seeing things I’m not seeing. I don’t have any great hope or interest in Pirata Morgan’s mystery words to Parka, but Argenis & Marvin looked good in their few moments of shine. (I am starting to wonder why exactly they bothered to make Argenis Rey del Ring when he’s now the seventh or eight most important guy in matches. He’d be in the same sport regardless, because they just don’t have that many people.)
The Noti AAA segments seem really barren of late – all recaps and corporate announcements and nothing that I’d find that interesting as a fan. It’d take more planning, but it ought to be a place where they follow up one of the ‘A’ week feuds on the ‘B’ week to re-enforce it – like, air the Hijo del Fantasma backstage flip out for this first this week, so to keep that story moving on the week they’re not going to be in the ring.
The Mexico City video package was really nice. Hope the matches are too.