Ingobernabales aim for tag titles, Dragon Lee is King of the Indies, Daniels in Pura Raza

birthday cat

CMLL (FRI) 07/06/2018 Arena México [Lucha CentralMarcaClaroMedioTiempoNotimexOvacionesthecubsfan]
1) Robin & Starman b Apocalipsis & Inquisidor LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 6 DE JULIO DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
11:43. Tecnicos took 1/3
2) Dalys, Metálica, Tiffany b La Guerrera, La Jarochita, Marcela LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 6 DE JULIO DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
13:31. Rudas took 2/3.
3) Esfinge, Guerrero Maya Jr., Tritón b Puma, Tiger, Virus LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 6 DE JULIO DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
15:30. Tencicos took 2/3.
4) Atlantis, Flyer, Soberano Jr. b Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 6 DE JULIO DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
13:11. Tencicos took 2/3.
5) Ciber the Main Man, Scharly Rock Star, The Chris b Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 6 DE JULIO DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
10:40. Klan Kaoz took 1/3, the last by Ciber sneaking a foul in on UG. The Chris hit Gran Guerrero & Euforia with the cane post match.
6) Penta El Zero M, Rush, Terrible b Carístico, Valiente, Volador Jr. [Relevos IncreíblesLUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 6 DE JULIO DE 2018 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
9:52. Rudos took 1/3, setting up a Rush/Terrible vs Volador/Valiente tag title match. Carisitco & Penta feuded. Caristico and his partners didn’t get along. Penta’s partners attacked him backstage after the match.

There was an actual big development from the post-match promos: in the middle of Penta talking, Rush & Terrible ran in and attacked him. The other CMLL interviews were with La Guerrera (happy but nervous for her Friday debut), Los Guerreros (want revenge), Klan Kaoz (want the trios titles), and Caristico (not scared of losing masks to Penta).

General press interviews: Puma & Tiger (+Lucha, want a shot at the real tag titles),  Los Guerreros (Box Y Lucha, +Lucha, will learn from this defeat), Klan Kaoz (Box Y Lucha, +Lucha, compared themselves to the new Mexican president?), Los Ingobernables (Box Y Lucha, +Lucha seemed to view Penta as a threat to them being the baddest guys in Mexico), Penta (Box Y Lucha, +Lucha, not happy with Rush.)

Penta had to start off his interview explaining the attack since none of the media had seen it at that point. No one has except the people who go to CMLL’s YouTube or Facebook. CMLL wanted to keep the focus of the fans on the tag title program at the end of the match, and that’s why no Ingobernables attack on Penta happened in front of the live audience. I’m not sure why it was done at all, since doing it backstage after the fact accomplished caused the same diverted attention. Penta’s not around next week and it’s not clear he’ll face Rush & Terrible when he does come back since he’s also got Caristico & Dragon Lee to deal with.

The main event was not as hot as it seemed it should be. CMLL put themselves in an unwinnable situation by building up two feuds (Caristico/Penta, Caristico vs everyone) and delivering a finish that set up something entirely different. The match didn’t build greatly to tag title concept either, it wasn’t particularly clear that was the plan until Rush started talking about Volador in a promo. Rush & Terrible vs Volador & Valiente should actually be a pretty strong match. The same match with Ultimo Guerrero instead of Valiente was great. They just didn’t enough to make people care.

The backstage promos signaled a Klan Kaoz/Guerreros trios title match is coming. It’s possible that idea is why the trios titles were changed in the first place. Klan Kaoz are still trying, still not good, and still probably coming back – though not next week. It is strange CMLL were comfortable setting up a match with Kaoz knowing they weren’t booked next week, but went away from it with Caristico & Penta.

Attendance was said to be up. CMLL is still not shooting big shots of the arena to show it. My streaming numbers were well down, which I assume means people found the show in legal means so they were more easily available.

Atlantis will be honored today at a horse racing track.

Dragon Lee won the 2018 King of the Indies tournament last night, defeated Ryusuku Taguchi, Brody King and Flip Gordon (who beat Titan in the opening round.) I have not seen the show – it’s still up on Fite for $10 – but I heard the Taguchi match was mostly Taguchi and Dragon Lee looked good in the other two matches. Dragon Lee, who is crazy, will go from wrestling three matches last night to one really big match against Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship tonight on NJPW’s show in San Francisco. It’s really the second biggest match on that show, though it may go on earlier than that. Dragon Lee would become the third Mexican to win this championship (Caristico, Juventud Guerrera) with a win, though it’s unlikely Takahashi is losing on his first second defense. This is mostly just an opportunity to bring the Takahashi/Lee car crash to a slightly new audience.

This is probably totally me being overly cynical, but a Dragon Lee winning the King of Indies and being in a big match on a US stadium show is not long for CMLL. There’s going to be too many options for him, and some will be better than working Tuesday nights in Arena Mexico. In a literal sense, if you’re King of the Indies in 2018, you tend to be a WWE contracted guy in 2019.. He may not go that quick, or he may decide he doesn’t want to go at all, but he could not be more on WWE’s radar. We should definitely appreciate him in CMLL while he’s around.

Psycho Clowns headlines a WUW show on the other side of the country. It’s in New York, where AAA thought they might run a 20K seat building, and I’m hoping they can just at least fill La Boom this time.

Tinieblas Jr. announced he’s going to run a 20 show retirement tour for his father across the country. Tinieblas Jr. previously announced similar retirement tours for Tinieblas Sr. in October 2011, February 2010 and October 2005. These tours never really happen outside of a scattered show or two. Tinieblas Jr.’s announcement is a call to local promoters to actually put on these shows, and they don’t seem to be answering.

La Parka’s AAA Record column is always written in character, and this week seems like a teaser to a possible character shift for Parka. Ending it by saying he’s going to do something no one sees coming in a Konnan booked promotion sure seems to telegraph either a rudo turn or joining the ELITE side to give them more names. It could be nothing because Parka doesn’t seem like he’d fit in Konnan’s plans, but Parka always ends up getting a big spotlight regardless of the booker and he’s noticeably not listed on TV right now. Maybe this will go down as a crazy theory but the column feels written to make you think something is happening, and AAA booking is not subtle.

Pura Raza on 08/04 in Rodeo Santa Fe, Tlalnepantla

That should be a fun match. I assumed this show would just one ROH wrestler so they could call it CMLL vs ROH. I am told I assumed very poorly.

Congrats to the MMM Show for reaching 100 episodes.

DTU announced Ace Romero for it’s August tour.

+Luchas has a sit-down interview with Muneca de Plata and talks to Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. about his mask.

Lineups

CMLL (FRI) 07/13/2018 Arena México
1) Príncipe Diamante & Súper Astro Jr. vs Metálico & Sangre Azteca
2) Audaz, Fuego, Star Jr. vs Kawato San, Okumura, Universo 2000 Jr.
3) Dalys vs La Jarochita [lightning]
4) Carístico, Dragón Lee, Mistico vs Cavernario, Gran Guerrero, Negro Casas
5) Atlantis, Octagón, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. vs Fuerza Guerrera, Máscara Año 2000, Último Guerrero
6) Valiente & Volador Jr. © vs Rush & Terrible [CMLL TAG]
first defense

If Volador & Valiente lose both the trios titles and the tag titles in a matter of weeks, then something is up.

It’s a bit of a surprise that the Atlantis 35th Anniversary match is the semimain. It’s for the best, but that’s not usually how it works. Octagon, Rayo and Fuerza were announced as appearing on this show prior to most of the other indie names showing up in CMLL, but now it feels like three more outsiders coming in a big group of them. Those guys would seem to have different fanbases from Penta & Fenix at least.

Dragon Lee does make an appearance next Friday, in a match that would’ve been pretty great six months ago and now seems likely to have the tecnico team implode instead.

No one asked for Dalys/Jarochita. It’s unclear why they didn’t build to that at all in last night’s match.

CMLL might have thought more of Universo in the Audaz lightning match than I did to set up the segunda as it did. Not a great group of rudo bases. Opener is slightly better than usual.