Matt Taven wins the NWA Welterweight Championship, Seductora/Sugehit feud

new champ

CMLL (FRI) 03/30/2018 Arena México [NotimexSolowrestlingSuperLuchas]
1) Flyer & Robin b Akuma & Templario LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 30 DE MARZO  DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
10:34. Tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Dalys, La Seductora, Zeuxis b Kaho Kobayashi, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 30 DE MARZO  DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
11:41. Rudas won in straight falls, Seductora using the ropes to beat Sugehit. They feuded.
3) Dragón Rojo Jr., Felino, Kawato San b Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 30 DE MARZO  DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
13:42. Rudos too 2/3.
4) Cavernario, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas b Johnny Idol, Okumura, Sam Adonis LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 30 DE MARZO  DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
11:10. Peste Negra took 2/3.
5) Atlantis, Carístico, Valiente b Kráneo, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 30 DE MARZO  DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
10:44. Kraneo and Los Ingobernables had problems leading to the finish.
6) Matt Taven b Volador Jr. © [NWA WELTERLUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 30 DE MARZO  DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
15:34. Taven took 2/3, cleanly winning in the third (though after a Tirantes slow count on a Volador Canadian Destroyer.) Volador falls on his 20th defense. Taven is the 8th (or 65th) champion.

This was another big turnout for a show. CMLL didn’t give much of a look at the upper deck during the broadcast, but the lower portion seemed pretty full. It was a loud crowd (except for the semimain), and a good one to run a really big title switch. I have no idea if Taven beating Volador sets up an even bigger match later on, but it was the right night to do that outcome if they want to leave that possibility.

ROH hasn’t mentioned the title switch yet. To me, that suggests ROH wasn’t told of the title change ahead of time to have something ready to say, and that this is a CMLL-only storyline right now, a result of how high CMLL in on Taven rather than being specifically a ROH/CMLL crossover angle. Taven’s running bit in ROH is the promotion has a conspiracy against him and his Kingdom team, so I guess not mentioning it could some how work with that, though that’s a strange way to tell that story.

Taven joins Rocky Romero as men who’ve won ROH, CMLL and NJPW championships. Romero won the CMLL super lightweight championship twice. The second time, they had similar the idea he’d take it back to the US for the moment and CMLL would eventually bring him back to lose it to someone, only that never actually happened. (CMLL did want to bring him back at one point to lose to a NJPW wrestler they were high on, Black Tiger, not realizing Black Tiger was actually Rocky Romero.) Hopefully they’ve got this worked out better with Taven. Taven is taking the belt back to the US, but mentions “coming back to Mexico” in his post match promos as if it was a think that had already been agreed upon.

CMLL announced the championship as the “National Wrestling Alliance World Welterweight Championship”. They’ve done the historic name. I don’t know why they’ve made that change. It seems like something’s happened, CMLL typically remembers what their titles are, but no one’s talking about a reason for it.

Matt Taven was thrilled to be champion. (Sam Adonis helpfully is around to be translator.)  Kraneo says he’ll become a tecnico if the people want it. The Taven bit may take a longer to play out since he’s going home today, but CMLL started showing it’s cards on other plans. Kraneo’s going to be a tecnico. It may take a few weeks to get there, but seems likely he’ll be on the side of good by the Kids’ Day shows. Seductora and Sugehit seem headed to a hair match, not a title one, not that Seductora has a good chance of winning either. The Arena Mexico Anniversary is coming up at the end of the month, and that women’s match seems like a fit for it. Both of those storylines tarted with regular matches the first week, then bringing the people involved back another time to actually start the story. Peste Negra & Axis of Evil met in a regular match on this show, and they’re being brought back next week.

In the Arena Azteca Budokan main event trios last night, Oriental removed Mistico’s mask for the DQ, then challenged him to a hair versus mask match. Mistico accepted. No date announced, but this one sounds as if it might actually be happening. Oriental lost his mask to the original Mistico years ago.

Shows of note this weekend

Saturday

Sunday

DoradaFan has a new music video of Komander.

Lucha Sorpresa reviews some recent CMLL.

Segunda Caida watches Negro Casas & Aramis and a build up match to Cuatrero/Angel de Oro.

Lineups

CMLL (TUE) 04/03/2018 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) El Yaqui & Mágico vs Ráfaga & Sádico
2) Magnum, Príncipe Diamante, Star Jr. vs Cancerbero, Frezzer, Raziel
3) Blue Panther Jr., Pegasso, The Panther vs Misterioso Jr., Sagrado, Virus
4) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón vs Esfinge, Titán, Tritón
5) Carístico, Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas

I missed this lineup somewhere along the way. Valiente is going to have a long night with those two partners. Semimain is a rematch, and seems to be setting up a national trios title match on 04/10. Crossing my fingers the stream will work for that one.

CMLL (FRI) 04/06/2018 Arena México
1) Astral & Eléctrico vs Cancerbero & Raziel
2) Drone, Fuego, Tritón vs Disturbio, Misterioso Jr., Sagrado
3) Cavernario, Felino, Negro Casas vs Kawato San, Okumura, Sam Adonis
4) Valiente vs Stuka Jr. [lightning]
5) Dragón Lee, Mistico, Titán vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
6) Atlantis, Carístico, Volador Jr. vs Kráneo, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush [Relevos Increíbles]

The main event has the usual bit of taking a few weeks for a CMLL turn. Semimain could be very good, and the second match should be good as well. Not the most vital show for a busy weekend.

DTU LLA (SAT) 04/14/2018 Gym Kali, Acapulco, Guerrero
1) Luigi & Mini Flash vs Ángel Negro & Hermes
2) Devitt Rodríguez & Kevin vs Águila Azteca & Guerrero Azteca
3) Fly Danger vs Billy GamerMáscara Del RingAgraofobia
4) Camufaljke & Pesadilla vs Uranio & Yoke and Adrenalina & Tiburón
5) Hijo de Black Silver, Isias Velazquez, Moria vs Cobre, Draztick Boy, Jimmy
6) Lokillo © vs Ace Austin [DTU AI]

Second card announced for DTU’s April tour, with Lokillo defending his title against a wrestler from Ohio’s Rockstar Pro promotion.