Month: January 2019

As usual, things happen, and then there are different sources trying to explain what happened. Sometimes I one of those people, sometimes I’m just reading thru what other people said. This is the latter time.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter’s lead story is about Rush’s deal with Ring of Honor. The key points

• MLW says they were negotiating with Rush & Paco Alonso directly.
  • Rush is said to be signed to CMLL thru 2020, the end of a five-year deal
  • On CMLL Informa, JCR says Rush had a CMLL & ROH deal.
• MLW would give Rush the world title and less dates than Ring of Honor
• MLW would give Rush more money than ROH was offering, a six-digit deal.
• Rush asked for the rest of his family to get spots with MLW. MLW said OK though Bestia del Ring may not have wrestled
• Rush asked for MLW to help him get himself, his wife and his son US citizenship so they could move to the US and MLW said OK
• MLW offered a spot on a BeinSports soccer show for Rush to do soccer analysis
• MLW would run on Thursdays and Saturdays so Rush could still work any Friday CMLL show
• Alonso is blamed for pushing Rush to sign with Ring of Honor instead, but later it’s said NJPW pushed Paco to to push Rush.

Those are some amazing enticements by MLW. It’s unbelievable. I mean, they’re literally unbelievable. I can’t think of a recent TV situation where a wrestling promotion has been able to promise it’s talent regular spots on different shows. (WWE and even Lucha Underground wrestlers have gotten guest spots on the same networks, though I don’t think that was part of the talent contract.) There are some things that feel true, like the Munoz family trying to get into a promotion as a package. There are other things, like US citizenship, which seem particularly hard to promise in 2019

It’s incredible MLW would feel the need to reveal contract details and personal information like a plan to change county of residence. For MLW, this seems less specifically about Rush and more about trying to insist they’re a major league promotion capable of offering top-level deals to wrestlers. MLW is making money from tickets and likely from TV rights, but they’re also a company that appears to be funded strongly by venture capitalists on the basis of MLW being competitive and ultimately successful in the wrestling landscape. MLW needs to get and keep top wrestling stars when they’re on the market, or make the case they would be able to if not for factors completely out of their control which wouldn’t come up with other stars. And it helps if they can make that case loudly enough that anyone interested in wrestling would know it. (I feel like I might be part of the problem here, but I’m not sure of any sensible way to get around it.)

Something not touched on in the WON article at all, oddly, is that Konnan works for MLW, CMLL still hates Konnan, and it’s tough to imagine CMLL being thrilled to sign deals with a Konnan affiliated promotion given the history. Maybe it wouldn’t even be the deciding factor, but it’s a factor. Konnan does bring up the situation on his podcast, mentioning the plan was for Rush to be Aro Lucha champion and he recommended Rush to MLW, so Rush might have not been in MLW in the first place if not for Konnan. (Konnan also says Aro Lucha is coming back in March but didn’t seem sure he was remembering the correct month, so take that as a time frame.) Konnan echoes the idea that Paco Alonso steered Rush towards ROH.

It does seem to me that MLW was promoting LA Park versus Rush without having either man locked in. It’s something that probably would’ve worked out fine in 2016 or 2017 and self-evidently won’t work in 2019. I feel bad for the people who made plans to see that match. It does appear MLW has given refunds to those who ask, and I hope there are other shows they’re interested in going to if they’ve already bought travel and accommodations. LA Park is mentioned as being a free agent and specifically being unwilling to sign contracts with anyone. It is not impossible ROH could contact LA Park, though there’s no hint of it happening. That also makes it unclear to me what will happen to LA Park & MLW going forward, since it doesn’t seem like there’s anything MLW could offer LA Park to prevent him from showing up elsewhere if he felt like it.

MLW says they’re no longer bringing in CMLL talents, fearing they’ll all end up in ROH anyway. Besides Aerostar being advertised for their upcoming show in Philadelphia, MLW’s contacted Flamita about coming in.

The sidebar here is the WON says La Sombra/Andrade talked to Rush & Dragon Lee about the possibilities of them coming to WWE and apparently warned them against it after how his run has gone. Most people expect Dragon Lee will announce a deal with Ring of Honor rather soon, though this week shows that nothing is for sure until it’s announced. Rush hinted news with Dragon Lee coming soon on Informa.

The WON also a bit about the Penta/Fenix WrestleMania weekend situation, where they’re booked for both MLW & WrestleCon. The plan stated is for them to work WrestleCon early on 04/04 (Thursday) and go to MLW early, then reverse that for the Friday show. They’re also booked for Impact and no one’s quite figured out how that is going to work. The problems people in Mexico have had trying to do this lately – luchadors missing shows, matches not going as well as they would normally – make me skeptical this is going to go well.

This is way too much from the WON as it is. So borrowing from a different source, El Planchitas has useful stuff for the first time in a while. The column says AAA and Televisa are still negotiating a deal going forward. AAA is looking for the rights to use whoever they’d like for production (at least sometimes required to be Televisa now), a reduced fee for being on the channel and a better timeslot.

The reduced fee is interesting because it’s been said before that AAA wasn’t getting any more from Televisa for the show though it’s never been suggested AAA was paying to be on the channel. It would make sense if AAA wasn’t saying anything about the situation when a final decision has not been made, but also AAA generally doesn’t say anything about situations anyway. AAA is still on Televisa Deportes, so I don’t think we’ll see anything differently on Saturday no matter what is happening.

The column also updates Garza Jr.’s status, saying he’s expected to talk with WWE either the end of this month or early next month.

Garza’s cousin Humberto Carillo (Ultimo Ninja) debuted on WWE’s 205 Live this week. Garza was expected to sign at the same time as Carillo but WWE delayed signing him due to Garza having a shoulder injury. Garza took time off to get it fixed and has been wrestling infrequently the last couple of months. He’ll probably have to go thru an exam to prove the shoulder is now fine and would be expected to sign with WWE if he does.

Fantastica Mania is back on NJPW World early tomorrow morning. The show starts at 3:30 AM CT. The full lineup was announced last night.

CMLL , NJPW (FRI) 01/18/2019 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan
Fantastica Mania, 2019 Toyko Day 1
1) Audaz, Jushin Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi vs Gedo, Taiji Ishimori, Templario
2) Ángel de Oro & Titán vs Forastero & Okumura
3) Fujin, Raijin, Satoshi Kojima, Toa Henare vs Bushi, Shingo Takagi, Terrible, Tetsuya Naito
Black Cat Memorial match
4) Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero vs Atlantis & Atlantis Jr.
5) Flyer & Volador Jr. vs Carístico & Namajague [Relevos Increíbles]
6) Soberano Jr. vs Bárbaro Cavernario
7) Cuatrero & Sansón vs Dragón Lee & Místico [CMLL FAMILY, final]
winner of the matches in Chiba

Most of the card is still build up matches. Despite losing in the tournament, the Atlantis family still gets the same match they would’ve for winning the whole thing, facing Los Guerreros. They probably do not get trophies. Soberano and Cavernario are capable of having an outstanding match and both have looked good on the previous two streaming shows. The Dinamtias getting and Dragon Lee & Mistico getting to headline this show is a big deal for them – I’m not sure CMLL would allow them to do this without Rush in Mexico – and they should make the most of it. I think the top two matches on this show could end up being the best of this weekend.

I think I may be watching this live. There will be a recap up Friday at some point. This’ll probably be a little longer show than the last one because Korakuen Hall shows tend to have an intermission; if you’re thinking of just watching the last two, they should start around 5 to 5:30 AM. It’ll of course be able to watch on VOD.

AAA’s saying their show Saturday night will start at 8 pm CT, which is the same time as on the poster. The only time AAA started a show close to when it was listed on the poster was TripleMania and an outdoor show where they were trying to beat a rainstorm (and did not beat a rainstorm.) The first two matches on the AAA show look the best but I wouldn’t trust them to start on time.

Diamante Azul was doing press for CMLL yesterday, which suggests he really is ready to return on Friday and CMLL isn’t just listing him optimistically.

Lost in Lucha ranks the top 100 CMLL matches of 2018.

LuchaTalk has a new episode.

Lineups

AAA TV (SUN) 02/10/2019 Auditorio Amado Nervo, Tepic, Nayarit
1) Dinastía, Lady Shani, Niño Hamburguesa vs Lady Maravilla, Lanzelot, Villano III Jr.
2) Hijo Del Vikingo & Sammy Guevara vs Jack Evans & Taurus
3) Aerostar, Máximo, Taya vs Faby Apache, La Máscara, Monsther Clown
4) Fénix © vs Laredo Kid, Flamita [AAA HEAVY]
second defense
5) Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Blue Demon Jr. [street]
6) La Parka, Psycho Clown, Puma King vs Hijo del Fantasma, Killer Kross, Rey Escorpión

Laredo Kid won a challenging 8-week tournament to earn a shot at the biggest prize in AAA. Flamita, uh, hasn’t been in AAA since October and has won only one match since his return to AAA. The match is going to be outstanding, but no one should be surprised if the fans give it the Aguascalientes reaction from the Fenix/Flamita/Bandido match.

IN THEORY, Flamita could be both AAA Cruiserweight champion and AAA Heavyweight Champion by the end of the weekend. Also in theory, he could’ve been added to two different three ways as a good worker they don’t care about who can eat some pins while AAA put off doing the real singles matches until they get around to it.

It’s also fourth from the top. Maybe the street fight is more important if that’s now the TripleMania main event, but no idea what’s supposed to be going on in that main event. Perhaps something is happening with Psycho & Fantasma or Escorpion since they’re paired up a lot on these cards, but there’s no reason to count on a storyline existing (much less having any consistency.) The undercard matches look good and there’s no reason to think much more about this promotion beyond the matches look good.

Rush has signed with Ring of Honor in a deal announced yesterday on Twitter. Ring of Honor announced it as an exclusive deal. CMLL posted a statement saying this was part of the interchange of talents between the promotions and Rush would continue to belong to their promotion. Rush responded to that statement saying it was not part of the interchange of talent, and ROH was his new home.

This is what I know: Rush is signed to Ring of Honor and that will be his first priority however long that contract lasts. (No one’s stated a contract length – on this or any other ROH deal I’ve seen.) The “exclusive” is more referring to US dates and the Canada locations Ring of Honor runs. As mentioned previously with Bandido, Ring of Honor contracts don’t cover Mexico, so Rush would free to continue working in CMLL whenever he wants. ROH and CMLL’s relationship means they’ll probably try to work together on Rush’s schedule as well, but ROH has the top priority.

The immediate fallout is Rush was pulled from his match with LA Park on WrestleMania weekend. (Pentagon versus LA Park is mentioned instead, but doesn’t seem a sure thing as long as Penta is likely expected to work WrestleCon & Impact at the same time.) Any other Rush bookings, like the upcoming Mucha Lucha Atlanta date, are up in the air. ROH has not announced when Rush will start, but it’s a safe bet he’s working most shows going forward. Ring of Honor had previously filmed a segment teasing the Matt Taven/Rush feud as coming to their promotion which was already scheduled to air this week, and that seems like something that could lead to a match on the 04/06 ROH/NJPW Madison Square Garden show.

One of the factors mentioned in Rush signing with Ring of Honor is getting more NJPW bookings out of it. That suggests, even while a profitable Fantastica Mania tour is going on, the CMLL/NJPW relationship isn’t as strong as it suggests if Rush has to go to the US to get booked in Japan. It’s a strange situation.

Rush being signed is part of a wave of signings, with ROH, AEW, and WWE all seemingly operating out of fear of the others signing talent before they can. Between Bandido & Rush, this competition has reached Mexico. Fenix & Penta can’t be signed by someone else until their Lucha Underground commitments cease. That seems to leave Dragon Lee as the most valuable luchador at the moment (though I’d have to guess plenty more people have been contacted.) Dragon Lee might be behind everyone else because he was on an island and out of contact for months, and now he’s another hemisphere away from everyone else. I think we might hear more about his situation soon.

I’m think it’s likely there are going to be more signings. I think there’s also going to be people being locked in to more concrete deals than before, so no one gets the same egg on their face MLW is getting over Rush/LA Park. I’m really curious about where this leaves LA Park and MLW, since both big matches they were leading to (PCO & Rush) are no longer options. It’s also not a great situation for CMLL that anyone who becomes a draw in CMLL can easily get plucked to work elsewhere.

I’m not convinced Rush & Ring of Honor is a great fit over the long term – Rush has been in an environment with the freedom to do whatever he’d like, and he still manages to get suspended periodically – but it seems sure to be fascinating mix.

I may watch Informa today just to see Julio Cesar Rivera to give one of those straight to the camera CMLL statements on this. Those are always fun. Not always true, but that’s what makes them fun. The last time there was one of those was he and Rush stating that the Rush/Park still would happen, just not at the Aniverasrio, and that seems less likely with this announcement.

CMLL (TUE) 01/15/2019 Arena México [CMLL, Lucha Central, The Gladiatores]
1) Acero & Aéreo b Pequeño Nitro & Pequeño Violencia 
tecnicos took 2/3.
2) Metálico, Nitro, Sangre Azteca b Oro Jr., Retro, Star Jr. 
rudos took 2/3.
3) Drone, Pegasso, Stigma b Disturbio, Kawato San, Universo 2000 Jr. 
Tecnicos took 2/3. Disturbio replaced Misterioso.
4) Sagrado b Tiger [lightning] 
Sagrado won via La Casita
5) Black Panther, Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. b El Coyote, Felino, Pólvora 
Coyote replaced Luciferno. Tecnicos took 1/3, the last when Felino & Polvora had problems. Felino unmasked Polvora after the match.
6) Kráneo, Niebla Roja, Volcano DQ Luciferno, Mephisto, Rey Bucanero 
Mephisto fouled Niebla Roja and challenged to a title match. Luciferno replaced Shocker.

CMLL promos: Pegasso & Stigma, Sagrado, Niebla Roja & Mephisto. No Felino or Polvora interview seems a solid indicator they were working their own feud and CMLL doesn’t have plans for it at the moment. I wouldn’t be too excited for a big Felino/Povlora match but it is better than the usual nothing.

Mephisto & Niebla Roja just has a singles match in Guadalajara. (It didn’t end well.) They teased mask/hair. A title match would make more sense. Either guy winning a title would fix the CMLL Universal math. If they announce a title match, expect a title change.

CMLL (TUE) 01/15/2019 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [CMLL]
1) El Alteño, Fantástico, Tigre Blanco b Mr. Trueno, Paymon, Rey Trueno
2) Difunto, Hijo del Signo, Ráfaga b Magnum, Sangre Imperial, Star Black
rudos took 2/3.
3) La Comandante, La Seductora, Tiffany b Avispa Dorada, La Vaquerita, Sanely
Rudas took 2/3.
4) Dragón Rojo Jr., Máscara Año 2000, Vangellys b Esfinge, Rey Cometa, Tritón
Dragon Rojo & Vangellys replaced Ephesto & Hechicero. Rudos took 1/3.
5) Ephesto, La Bestia Del Ring, Rush b Euforia, Stuka Jr., Valiente [Relevos Increíbles]
Ephesto replaced Vangellys. Rush was DQed in the first unmasking Euforia, then took two and three (foul on Euforia) to win.

Switching people around on a show like that is strange, especially when there’s no feud they need to build up.

CMLL , NJPW (WED) 01/16/2019 Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan [CMLL, NJPW, thecubsfan]
Fantastica Mania, 2019 Day 5
Attendance: 1015
1) Forastero, Gedo, Taiji Ishimori b Kushida, Ryusuke Taguchi, Titán
7:41. Forastero beat Titan with the armbar again.
2) Fujin & Raijin b Bushi & Shingo Takagi
10:21. Raijin surprised BUSHI with a casita.
3) Ángel de Oro, Audaz, Soberano Jr. b Bárbaro Cavernario, Namajague, Okumura
12:10. Soberano pinned Okumura after the guillotine moonsault.
4) Terrible & Tetsuya Naito b Satoshi Kojima & Toa Henare
12:02. Terrible Clash on Henare.
5) Carístico, Jyushin Thunder Liger, Tiger Mask b Gran Guerrero, Templario, Último Guerrero
11:21. Misitca on Templario.
6) Cuatrero & Sansón b Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. [CMLL FAMILY, semifinal]
9:52. Sanson beat Atlantis Jr. with a torture rack powerbomb on Sanson
7) Dragón Lee & Místico b Flyer & Volador Jr. [CMLL FAMILY, semifinal]
14:35. Dragon Lee defeated Flyer with a powerbomb. Sanson & Cuatrero came out to hype up the tournament final on Friday.

NGD & Hermanos Lee have promos to hype up the final. CMLL is shooting their promos separate from the ones NJPW does, which is a little odd but whatever works. Nothing out of note from a CMLL standpoint outside of the tournament. Main event was the best match on the tour so far. The other tournament and the Soberano trios are the most worth your time.

The off/on schedule continues. They’re back on Friday night with Dragon Lee & Mistico vs Cuatrero & Sanson and Soberano vs Cavernario. Most of the card is to be announced – maybe sometime later today.

Lucha Underground came up in the news a lot yesterday. It started with Shane Strickland announced he was a free agent. I know some people thought that was an MLW deal, but I’m convinced that was his Lucha Underground contract lapsing. Ivelisse seemed to think the same and took to Twitter to complain that Lucha Underground had not granted her own request for release. (The technical difference appears to be Strickland had asked for his release before the season 4 and Ivelisse sounds like she was talked into staying but now wants out.) Joey Ryan backed Ivelisse and, without outright saying it, appears to also be looking for his own LU release. ProWrestlingSheet got a quote from Eric Van Wagenen, who says those decisions are not his or MGM’s, but Dorian Roldan and John Fogelman (Factory Made Ventures). The Joey Ryan article even more specifically blames Dorian Roldan. Roldan, as usual, has said nothing. This has generated a lot of anger at Lucha Underground and not much of any solution.

SoCalUncensored wrote that, from what he’s seen, the LU contracts give “at most 9 months from when the season ends to renew them for another.” That would put everyone under a Lucha Underground contract on ice until at August 7th. The guess for when a decision might be made about another season has been “April?”, but that decision took a lot longer than anyone expected for Season 4. I’m still thinking the most likely outcome is MGM does not get the money they want to produce a fifth season and the whole thing goes away, but it’s a long wait until then and a hope that the offers that are being made now still are there when these wrestlers are finally free to take them.

Do you remember Dark Magic? Maybe? He hasn’t been seen since November 23rd and there’s been no mention of him, which made me think he might have just returned home. That turns out not the be case. Dark Magic doesn’t use a lot of social media (at least that I know of), but he did mention recovering from surgery on his Facebook. In a comment, he says he “tore all the ligaments in my right ankle and have a fracture about the foot.” The timing of the surgery suggests it was an injury in that last match, and he did look hurt at the end, though it didn’t seem this serious. Not sure when Dark Magic would be back if he’s going to be back.

Diaro Basta interviews Mystique and Malgina about their trip to Japan. They both liked the experience, though Mystique felt the Japanese women wrestled too strong and dangerous and that’s why many of them have short careers.

The Ciudad Juarez lucha libre commission says everyone locally needs a new license and the luchadors have been slow at getting them. The license costs 250 pesos for 2019, plus urine and blood tests. (Getting an extra year is 150 pesos more.) The commission says 330 wrestlers had the old license from 2016 to 2018.

LuchaWorld has the Lucha Report.

@anotherspammer has a GIF list of the best lucha spots of the year.

Lineups

IWRG (SUN) 01/20/2019 Arena Naucalpan
1) Atomic Star & Shaolin vs Guero Palma & Neza Kid
2) Black Dragón, Black Terry, Gato De Ecatepec vs Death Metal, Ra-Zhata, Shil-Kah
3) Liderk, Rayan, Spector vs Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatic Xtreme [super libre]
4) Multifacetico 2.0 vs Multifacetico (Puebla)
5) Cerebro Negro, Oficial 911, Oficial AK47, Oficial Fierro vs Dragón Bane, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Séptimo Rayo, Último Gladiador and Aramis, Dinamic Black, Imposible, Internacional Pantera and Demasiado, Óscar El Hermoso, Pasion Kristal, Soy Raymunda [Zona de Ejecucion]

Zona de Ejecution is a four team match with one person from each team in the ring at the same time. No tags, just the next team member in once their partner is eliminated until no one is left.

CMLL (MON) 01/21/2019 Arena Puebla
1) Centella Roja & Meyer vs Espíritu Maligno & Policeman
2) Halcón Suriano Jr. & Tigre Rojo Jr. vs El Malayo & Toro Bill Jr.
3) Marcela & Princesa Sugehit vs Amapola & La Comandante
4) Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma, Stuka Jr. vs Rey Bucanero, Shocker, Tyson La Bestia
5) Niebla Roja vs Luciferno [lightning]
6) Rush, Vangellys, Villano IV vs Euforia, Kráneo, Valiente [Relevos Increíbles]

I think there’s a CMLL depth issue where there’s a rudo side of Rey Bucanero, Shocker (if he shows up) and Tyson la Besita. The big problem, which maybe I’m pointing out too often, is the lack of depth on the rudo side. Los Guerreros and NGD are the best on that side, there’s not much left with them in Japan, and that’s where all the veterans who have jobs for life get dumped.

Halcon Suriano & Tigre Rojo had matching gear last week and are teamed up again. If there were still promos in Puebla, we might find out why. Alas!

AAA TV (SAT) 01/26/2019 Centro de Convenciones, Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas
1) Máscara de Bronce, Raptor, Vanilla vs Australian Suicide, Jack Evans, La Hiedra
2) Hijo Del Vikingo, Myzteziz Jr., Niño Hamburguesa vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana
3) Drago © vs Argenis, Parka Negra, Golden Magic [AAA LA]
first defense
4) Joe Lider & Pagano vs Cíclope & Miedo Extremo
5) Drago, Laredo Kid, Murder Clown vs Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly
6) Aerostar, Dr. Wagner Jr., Psycho Clown vs Hijo del Fantasma, Monsther Clown, Rey Escorpión

Everything happened and then there were also AAA lineups also announced. AAA seems serious (or as serious as they are about anything) about going somewhere with Laredo Kid, which apparently means he can’t team with his teammates for the moment. He can team with Drago, who’s also somehow defending his title. This was pointed out to AAA on Twitter (not just by annoying me, other annoying people too), but AAA reposted the lineup as is and has Drago working twice on their lineup page. They’re sticking to the story, at least for now.

Even if that changes, this is a show where the main event focus appears to be on the Aerostar/Monsther Clown feud (!?!?!). Mascara de Bronce makes a real TV taping for the first time since April, and Raptor does the same for the first time since February. Joe Lider & Pagano are apparently going to friends again after one show.

AAA TV (FRI) 02/08/2019 Centro de Usos Múltiples, Mazatlán, Sinaloa
1) Dinastía, Lady Shani, Niño Hamburguesa vs Lady Maravilla, Lanzelot, Villano III Jr.
2) Sammy Guevara vs Flamita vs Hijo Del Vikingo [AAA CRUISER]
will be second defense (1st on TV) assuming Guevera keeps title in Tijuana
3) Aerostar, Máximo, Taya vs Faby Apache, Monsther Clown, Taurus
4) Drago vs Jack Evans
5) Dr. Wagner Jr., Laredo Kid, Puma King vs Blue Demon Jr., Hijo del Fantasma, La Máscara
6) La Parka & Psycho Clown vs Killer Kross & Rey Escorpión

A Sammy Guevera title defense on TV! I guess his chances of beating Laredo Kid on 02/01 in Tijuana are strong. I make fun of Sammy Guevera because it’s fish in a barrel but I’m fairly sure the issues with the Cruiserweight title not being defend in AAA aren’t his issues. I’d also guess Hijo del Vikingo might end up champion when that’s all said and done.

Wagner/Demon is still going on. Drago versus Jack Evans is good though any reason for it to be happening in AAA is still a mystery. This is the the first show of a two taping weekend, so people like Taya & Faby are probably around for Tepic and maybe in a bigger role. That lineup is probably coming five minutes after I finish this post.

CMLL (MON) 01/14/2019 Arena Puebla [CMLL, Lucha Central]
1) Astro, Millenium, Rey Samuray b Black Tiger, Perverso, Sombra Diabólika 
Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Halcón Suriano Jr., Robin, Tigre Rojo Jr. b El Malayo, Policeman, Toro Bill Jr. 
Tecnicos took 2/3. They had matching gear, though it’s unclear if that means anything.
3) Súper Muñeco, Súper Pinocho, Súper Ratón b Gallego, Rocky Santana, Romano García
Trio Fantasia took falls 1/3. A poor match.
4) Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto b Niebla Roja, Stigma, Stuka Jr. 
Rudos took 1/3. Luicferno beat Niebla Roja, asked for a title match. Roja accepted.
5) Rush, Vangellys, Villano IV DQ Euforia, Kráneo, Valiente [Relevos Increíbles] 
Straight falls. Euforia fouled Rush. V4 said Rush was more of a rudo than Euforia and he and Vangellys would continue to have his back. Rush and Euforia built up their match for Friday.

The legends match sounds like it went very poorly. Luciferno challenging is a bit random but perhaps there’s an urgent need for a title change.

CMLL announced last night that the Universal tournament is returning. l tournament will return next month. CMLL’s tournament of champions is meant to be an annual thing, one they didn’t seem to get around to in 2018. The timing of it suggests another annual tournament, the incredible pairs tag team tournament, might be getting bumped to a later date or to non-existence.

The Universal tournament will have blocks on February 1st and February 8th, with the final on 15th. It also currently has too many people. CMLL typically has 16 champions entered in the tournament. They’re over that number, in part because CMLL’s brought back the national heavyweight championship since the last time they ran this tournament. The current champions are:

1. Volador Jr. [NWA Welterweight]
2. Caristico [NWA Middleweight]
3. Stuka Jr. [NWA Light Heavyweight]
4. Dragon Lee [CMLL Lightweight]
5. Mephisto [CMLL Middleweight]
6. Cuatrero [CMLL Welterweight, Mexico Trios]
7. Niebla Roja [CMLL Light Heavyweight]
8. Valiente [CMLL Tag Team]
9. Diamante Azul [CMLL Tag Team]
10. Ultimo Guerrero [CMLL Trios, CMLL Heavyweight]
11. Gran Guerrero [CMLL Trios]
12. Euforia [CMLL Trios]
13. Sanson [Mexico Trios]
14. Forastero [Mexico Trios]
15. Electrico [Mexico Lightweight]
16. Soberano [Mexico Welterweight]
17. Cavernario [Mexico Light Heavyweight]
18. Terrible [Mexican Heavyweight]

Electrico’s title (and Electrico himself) has been ignored since moving up to the main division, so that’s one to drop. It’s harder to figure out the second one to drop. Luciferno taking a title with Niebla Roja wouldn’t take change the count. Atlantis, Niebla Roja and Titan winning the national titles in Tokyo would actually create one more champion. There’s not really much time left to do title changes that would create one less champion, though we’ve seen CMLL pull title changes out of nowhere strictly to make the math work in the past.

CMLL has a less interesting Tuesday show tonight. It’s not like the CMLL Tuesday shows are generally good, but this one seems more unnecessary than usual. Kraneo & Volcano bring their Gorillas del Ring act to the main event, teaming with Niebla Roja against Shocker, Rey Bucanero, and Mephisto. The Panther family teams up against Luciferno, Polvora, and Felino in the semi-main. Sagrado & Tiger have a lightning match between guys who were definitely good at one point but haven’t looked motivated to have great matches in some time. Drone, Pegasso, and Stigma take on Misterioso, Universo, and Kawato in the tercera. The show includes an opener and a Nitro level match. It starts at 7:30 pm.

Fantastica Mania finishes up the pre-Korakuen Hall show run tomorrow morning at 4 am (CT/Mexico time) in Chiba’s Makuhari Messe. Chiba is close to Tokyo, so there’s a good chance the CMLL luchadors are just based there for the next week. This show, and every remaining Fantastica Mania show will stream on NJPW World.

The lineup has a little bit more going on the tour opening show did, with the top two matches being the first round of the CMLL Family tournament. Atlantis Jr. has rebounded from losing his first two matches on this tour to win the following two. He and his father are still significant underdogs against the NGD pair of Cuatrero & Sanson. Dragon Lee & Mistico are favorites to beat Flyer & Volador, though the outcome there isn’t as interesting as the chance to see a clash of tecnicos unlike which would normally be booked in Arena Mexico.

The undercard includes Templario getting his one chance to team up with the Guerreros on these shows, facing the legends trio of Liger, Tiger Mask, and Caristico. Audaz gets a higher position than usual, teaming with Angel de Oro & Soberano against Barbaro Cavernario, Namajague, and Okumura. This card could be interesting, and I might find myself watching it live tomorrow morning. There will be a recap sometime Wednesday even if I sleep in.

Mexa Wrestling on 02/23 (“New Idols” in Arena San Juan)

• Garza Jr. vs Metaleon

Pretty sure everyone Mexa Wrestling books either fits or doesn’t fit as New Idols. Garza & Metaleon are both new in a world where a Trio Fantastia/Los Diabolicos match happened in Puebla but are not really new to people who follow Mexa Wrestling. Maybe it’ll make more sense later.

In a clip from an interview on Marca, El Hijo del Santo says Todo x el Todo has plans of returning this summer (though that might be London shows again.) A luchador who seemingly was wrestling primarily to get his son bookings is not going to be wrestling much when he son has gone back to school.

An interview with Monclova’s Rebelde Rojo Jr, who’s been wrestling since 1993. He suffered a heart attack, was told to stop wrestling, stop wrestling for a year and a half, and then decided he liked wrestling too much to stop.

Chicago’s Yakuza explains he decided to become a wrestling promoter because the promoters he was working for were shorting him on pay. He mentions there’s still a promoter in the area who don’t pay their wrestlers and doesn’t let those wrestlers work with his ones.

One of Enrique Llanes’ sons (not Javier) talks about his father’s career. He says he and his brother didn’t know his father was a wrestler until long after he retired. He had a second career as a sports radio/TV host.

+LuchaTV has a new edition of their podcast.

Did You Know: LA Park wants an apuesta match with Rush, says Rush needs huevos.

LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.

Lineups

CMLL (SAT) 01/19/2019 Arena Coliseo
1) Kaligua & Último Dragóncito vs Mercurio & Pierrothito
2) Astral, Halcón Suriano Jr., Príncipe Diamante vs Cancerbero, Grako, Raziel
3) Star Jr., Stigma, Súper Astro Jr. vs Sagrado, Tiger, Virus
4) Pegasso vs Kawato San [lightning]
5) Esfinge, Stuka Jr., Tritón vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Felino, Pólvora
6) Diamante Azul, Kráneo, Niebla Roja vs Máscara Año 2000, Rey Bucanero, Shocker

The big news here is AAA no longer has the worst looking main event on Saturday night.

Super Astro Jr. clearly being ahead of the ex-minis is somewhat interesting.

CMLL (SUN) 01/20/2019 Arena México
1) Bengala & Sonic vs El Coyote & Príncipe Odín Jr.
2) Angelito, Fantasy, Shockercito vs Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Universo 2000
3) Drone, Robin, Súper Astro Jr. vs Disturbio, Misterioso Jr., Virus
4) Tritón vs Universo 2000 Jr. [lightning]
5) Black Panther, Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. vs Hijo del Villano III, Vangellys, Villano IV
6) La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Shocker vs Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja, Valiente [Relevos Increíbles]

Diamante Azul is fully back to have lackluster matches with Rush. Panthers & Villanos have old history. Vangellys is a fan of old history.