lucha TV preview for weekend of February 22th, 2019

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This is a Slow week with no AAA TV taping. I’m also not listing the Azteca show going forward. I’ll probably put the CMLL on Televisa listing up for one week. More people are going to watch AAA & CMLL on those channels than online, but I think people who read this site are almost all going to watch these matches online than wait a couple weeks for them to air on TV.

There are two chances to see Ultimo Guerrero singles matches, on Puebla and Guadalajara, should I remember to actually record Guadalajara.

Titan versus Cavernario is worth checking on Marca.

Guerreros versus Lucha Brothers/Volador & micros added to H2L, CMLL/Televisa

 

CMLL announced the final two matches for Homenaje a Dos Leyendas on Informa. They only announced one, but it is a big one. Los Guerreros Laguneros will defend the CMLL Trios Championship against Volador Jr., King Phoenix, and Penta 0M on the 03/15 show. That’s the sort of ‘dream’ match CMLL really needed to balance out the disappointing apuesta match.

Penta & Fenix have been announced as challenging Rey Escorpion & Texano Jr. on 03/16 at Rey de Reyes. It is unlikely they’ll win either title, given their schedule makes it hard to be in either promotion long enough to defend titles. Still, Fenix would become the first person to hold a CMLL title and AAA title at the same time if his team wins the trios titles. Penta would be the second if he and Fenix win on Friday and Saturday.

CMLL revealed the final match on Facebook last night: the micros will have a match. That means the full card looks something like this:

CMLL (FRI) 03/15/2019 Arena México
1) Esfinge, Titán, Tritón vs Hijo del Villano III, Pólvora, Vangellys
2) Átomo, El Gallito, Microman vs Chamuel, Mije, Zacarias el Perico
3) Carístico, Dragón Lee, Soberano Jr. vs Ephesto, Mephisto, Templario
4) Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero © vs King Phoenix, Penta 0M, Volador Jr. [CMLL TRIOS]
2nd defense
5) Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Gilbert el Boricua, Negro Casas
6) Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja vs La Bestia Del Ring & Terrible [hair]

Notable that there’s no Villano V and Atlantis, given their current feud. This normally could be a place where an Anniversario match between them would be teased. Rush is off in Las Vegas for Ring of Honor.

CMLL also announced Homenaje a Dos Leyendas shows would be taking place in Puebla on March 18th (Estrella Blanca to be honored) and Guadalajara on March 19th (Americo Rocca honored).

CMLL also officially announced an alliance with The Crash, saying talent from both promotions would be exchanged. CMLL wrestlers have been working in the Tijuana promotion for the last several months. Garza & Mecha Wolf are working Arena San Juan on Saturday, so it is possible they could make an appearance. The Crash proclaimed this as an alliance between The Crash, CMLL, NJPW, and ROH entirely. Poor RevolutionPro, and also The Crash may be overstating it but at least this removed any obstacles from trying to bring in people from those other promotions.

El Planchitas has a new column today, noting they said CMLL wasn’t going on Televisa and then CMLL announced they were going on Televisa. Their explanation is there were no plans at the time, but the big rollout AAA got with Azteca upset the people at the top of Televisa and they ordered those below to convince CMLL to come back to their network as a response. CMLL gets to keep control of production and the transmission schedule – I think they mean the 8-day delay, not when it airs. Control of production also likely means pick of the announcers; CMLL said the usual main crew of Julio Cesar Rivera, Leobardo Magadan, and Miguel Linares would be hosting the CMLL show. In related news, Arturo Rivera says he will not be on the show.

This story keeps going back and forth on if AAA was getting or being paid; Planchitas says Televisa had told AAA it was doubling the price to air the show before they left, and that CMLL is now paying about half of was AAA had been paying. No numbers are ever mentioned.

On CMLL Informa, JCR said the live steams of shows will not be affected. Some with the other TV deals. I suspect whichever channel (Teleformula?) is now airing Friday nights might not get the same TV matches Televisa is airing. I remember the time when I had to care about that, and now it seems irrelevant with everything on the internet already.

El Siglo de Torreon has a nice interview with Stuka Junior. His family were wrestlers and lived next to the Andrades growing up, so he was always around wrestling and growing up. He did not plan on being Stuka Jr., but just stole/borrowed some of his brother’s old gear in preparation to debut under a different name. Stuka I caught him at the arena and told that if he was going to use Stuka’s gear, he had to use the Stuka Jr. name. Satanico was the one who told Stuka Jr. he should try his luck in CMLL and Ultimo Guerrero went to Stuka’s house to let him know CMLL wanted him.

AAA sent out an announcement for a TripleMania press conference next Wednesday. At the end of last year’s TripleMania, AAA had said the 2019 edition would take place on August 3rd in Arena Ciudad de Mexico. They also said LA Park versus Dr. Wagner. LA Park has not wrestled in AAA since September, complaining once again about how AAA treats their wrestlers. AAA has been building towards a Blue Demon versus Dr. Wagner replacement main event since that point but has yet to say it is actually happening at TripleMania. This press conference seems like where that would normally be announced – though it is LA Park so there is no ever ruling him out from showing up again as a surprise. The Rey de Reyes card has not been announced yet, so that and the AEW alliance seem like other possible topics.

AEW came up on this week’s Keepin’ It 100, with Disco Inferno interrogating Konnan about the relationship between AAA & AEW. Konnan said AEW will have permission to use whomever from AAA they’d like to use and AAA has no control of the finishes in AEW, though Konnan believes he’ll get a heads up. AAA’s deal with Impact is unaffected. Konnan said Cody, the Young Bucks, and Tony Khan are the creative team and was impressed by Khan in talking to him. Konnan believes they’re focused on not making the same mistakes that WCW & Impact have made.

I would suggest that while AEW could use anyone they want from AAA, they still have to clear it with the government of the US first. Despite AAA’s desire to promote in the US at some point, I don’t believe they’ve made a promotion wide push to get travel or work visas for everyone to be able to wrestle in the US; what ones exist are generally the wrestlers getting it done themselves, so not everyone has one. This can’t be undersold as an issue given the recent problems NJPW has had with visas. If you’ve seen an AAA luchador in the US, they’re probably good (or close enough to good.) If it is a AAA person with (strong) internet buzz who has not been on any US shows and has not been announced for any upcoming US shows, they probably do not have the ability to wrestle in the US at this time. Double or Nothing being 3 months away sounds like a lot of time, but it is maybe not enough time when it comes to getting Mexican wrestlers permission to wrestle in the US. Just a qualifier to keep in mind when reacting to who does and does not end up working in AEW, at least right away.

La Parkita, who seemed to suffer a head injury last Saturday, was back wrestling on Tuesday in Arena Aficion. Guess it could be someone else in the suit but it didn’t sound that way.

The Masked Republic Luchaverse comics can now be purchased digitally on ComiXology.

A show honoring Chamaco Valaguez took place in Morelos. The poster said it was a homage and a benefit show for him, though the reason for a benefit show is never mentioned. He does seem to have lost a lot of weight.

Lineups

CMLL (SUN) 02/24/2019 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Micro vs Jabalí
2) Linterna & Sangre Fría Jr. vs Demonio Rojo & Paymon
3) Avispón Negro Jr., Fugaz, Mr. Samurai vs Bobby Black, Demonio Maya, Thunder Boy
4) El Alteño, Joker, Skayde vs Exterminador, Príncipe Kisho, Ráfaga
5) Kempo Dragón, Magnum, Vaquero Jr. vs Difunto, Maléfico, X-Fly

You really never know where Skayde is going to turn up.