IWRG, Lucha Libre Real, Puebla, Lucha Bros, Coliseo hair match

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 04/28/2019 Arena Naucalpan [+LuchaTV, The Gladiatores]
1) Ángel Estrella Jr. b Celestial Boy
2) Avisman, Dragón Fly, Marado b Atomic Star, Saruman, Shadow Boy Campeonato de parejas IWRG (posted by Internetv Deportes)
3) Auzter, Máscara Sagrada Jr., Multifacético DQ Fly Warrior, La Mosca, X-Fly Campeonato de parejas IWRG (posted by Internetv Deportes)
Dragon Fly & Marado ran in for the DQ.
4) Ángel Tormenta, Rokambole Jr., Villano V Jr. b Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatic Xtreme Campeonato de parejas IWRG (posted by Internetv Deportes)
win via unseen foul
5) Capo del Norte, Capo del Sur, Sinn Bodhi b Hijo De Dos Caras, Internacional Pantera, Ovett Campeonato de parejas IWRG (posted by Internetv Deportes)
a moment of applause was held for Maria de la Luz Madrid, the life companion of Arena Naucalpan founder Adolfo Moreno.
6) Aramis & Imposible © b Dragón Bane & Hijo de Canis Lupus [IWRG IC TAG] Campeonato de parejas IWRG (posted by Internetv Deportes)
second defense

The main event here was said to be excellent, well worth watching.

Lucha Libre Real (SUN) 04/28/2019 Arena Azteca Budokan, Ciudad Nezahualcóyotl, Estado de México [+LuchaTV, Black Terry Jr. (Flickr)]
2) Mexica & Warrior Jr. b Lunatik Fly & Ovett Jr.
Lunatik Xtreme wrestled as Ovett Jr. Money thrown in.
3) Bengalee & Lady Pink b Lilith Dark & Reyna Obscura
4) Felino & Xendu b Akuma & Drako
Drako & Akuma had problems. Terremoto helped Drako and teased a trio with Ovett.
5) Metaleón, Mr. Leo, Tiger b Epitafio, Leviatham, Tormento
Tiger suffered a knee injury early on. Mask match challenges followed.
6) Hijo del Fantasma b El Bandido

Bandido/Fantasma was said to be pretty good as well. Tiger lost to Vangellys and then hurt his knee, which is probably worse than losing to Kevin Kross but a rough weekend. I think Felino won in Arena Neza.

Tonight’s CMLL Arena Puebla show includes a first-time challenger for the CMLL Women’s Championship. Metalica challenges Marcela for the main women’s championship. A title change is unlikely, but it still is an interesting match in a division without many of them. This will be the first streaming three fall Metalica match in CMLL. She’s the national women’s champion, but that match was a Saturday night Arena Coliseo show, and she hasn’t had a defense yet. Metalica has a good reputation on the indies and has shown glimpses of it in trios matches. This is a chance for her to do more.

The main event is a rematch. Mephisto & Volador (teaming with Ephesto) cheated Caristico (w/Cuatrero & Sanson) last week, and there’s a match coming with some combination next week. Gran Guerrero, Hechicero and Ultimo Guerrero take on the Atlantis family & fellow blue aficionado Soberano. That might be good. Newly bald Policeman teams up with possibly soon bald Disturbio and Virus to take on Drone, Fuego, and Tigre Rojo. The show opens with two 2v2 matches with all locals. It’ll stream on CMLL’s YouTube at 9 pm.

Fenix & Pentagon Jr. lost the Impact Tag Team Championship on their PPV last night. Fenix had an injury scare but was said to be alright. On his podcast, Dave Meltzer believed this might be the Lucha Brothers wrapping up in Impact. I’m not sure is about if it’s that quite yet, though it is coming before long. From an Impact perspective, it was time for LAX to win the tag titles back, but they can keep finding this for Penta & Fenix to do in the short term. They’re signing with AEW once that becomes an option – that’s been obvious since they started the feud with the Young Bucks – but they’re still stuck under Lucha Underground contract for maybe a few months long. I’m working with the assumption that they’re stuck until August. It might be slighter sooner, and they might stop taking bookings in advance of that date (and have informed promoters of that), but I think they’re around indies for a little while longer.

The interesting thing here, at least to me, is the person enforcing those LU contracts appears to be Dorian Roldan. (You’ll be hearing more about LU contracts this week.) Dorian Roldan is also a person who wants to sign Fenix & Penta to Mexico-exclusive deals with AAA. It seems theoretically possible that Roldan could allow Fenix & Penta out of their LU contracts to sign with AEW a few months early, and in exchange, they agreed to sign a deal with AAA. I don’t know if that sort of trade would hold up legally, but it is also wrestling.

The Lucha Brothers are scheduled to be on The Crash show Saturday. They’re not really working there any more than they’re working on AAA TV shows this year. It’ll only be their second appearance, compared to just working AAA Rey de Reyes. Still, the Crash seems happy to use them whenever they can, so any sign that the Lucha Brothers won’t be coming back to The Crash any time soon – a tag title change, a farewell speech – would probably indicate the wheels in motion with those other deals. Adam Brooks & Mecha Wolf showing up on Friday in Arena Mexico is interesting, but what happens on The Crash’s own show on Saturday might be more meaningful.

The Monterrey June AAA TV taping is now listed as taking place on the 9th. It did not have a specific day when it earlier announced.

Dragon Lee is on the Mucha Lucha Atlanta show on June 30th.

Box Y Lucha #3382 has Canelo Alvarez on the cover.

Lineups

CMLL (SAT) 05/04/2019 Arena Coliseo
1) Halcón Suriano Jr. & Retro vs El Coyote & Inquisidor
2) Átomo, Gallito, Microman vs Chamuel, Mije, Perico Zakarías
3) Kráneo, Stuka Jr., Volcano vs Hechicero, Olímpico, Shocker
4) Disturbio vs Metálico [hair]
5) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Titán vs Hijo del Villano III, Rey Bucanero, Villano IV
6) Ángel de Oro, Carístico, Niebla Roja vs Euforia, La Bestia Del Ring, Terrible

There’s been plenty of apuesta matches in the history of Arena Coliseo. Just not this decade. The last apuesta match in Arena Coliseo was on the 71st Anniversary show in 2014, where Pequeno Halcon lost a cage match. The last 1v1 apuesta match was, incredibly, Hajime Ohara defeating Brazo de Platino on a March 2009 Toryumon Mexico show. The last CMLL one was Loco Max defeated Tony Rivera in 2008.

Anyway, doing Disturbio versus Metalico on a two-week build in Arena Coliseo is a reminder that CMLL programmers have a lot of freedom to do what they want and decide it is a better idea to do as little as possible.

IWRG (SUN) 05/05/2019 Arena Naucalpan
1) Shadow Boy vs Neza Kid
2) Atomic Star & Auzter vs Fulgor I & Fulgor II
3) Black Dragón, Dinamic Black, Hijo Del Ángel vs Canibal Jr., Dragón Fly, Marado
4) Eragón, Toscano, Zumbi vs Capo del Norte, Capo del Sur, Diablo Jr.
5) Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatic Xtreme vs Ángel Tormenta, Rokambole Jr., Villano V Jr. [super libre]
6) Fly Warrior, Metaleón, Ovett vs Dragón Bane, Hijo de Canis Lupus, X-Fly
7) Aramis, Carístico, Imposible vs ?, Trauma I, Trauma II

This is the first Los Traumas match on an IWRG Arena Naucalpan show since sponsored show since August. (They wrestled on the Cuervo benefit show and a Montanez sponsored show in November.) R de Rudo’s El Hacker column wrote this weekend that the Traumas had been frozen out from IWRG & PALL promotion bookings after refusing to sign a contract with PALL. Something’s been worked out.

The main event should be good. Please, someone, challenge Caristico for his IWRG title. You might not get another chance for a year. Fulgors and Dinamic Black are back working undercards here.