May 9, 2019 – luchablog

Jack/Angelico to AEW, Dragon Lee, other notes

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019 thecubsfan

Jack Evans & Angelico are heading to AEW. Angelico posted a video with him about to sign a contract when he’s interrupted by Jack Evans (on WhatsApp) to reveal Jack is also signing. They’re coming in as a tag team. This has been in the works for a while. I’m not sure if they’ll be on Double or Nothing; Jack is listed in Queretaro but that doesn’t mean anything. (Sammy Guevera is on the show and isn’t listed.) Jack Evans works AAA shows but is believed to be a freelancer not under contract. He’s working other indies on his own, including the next Mexa Wrestling show. Both he & Angelico publically announced they were quitting Lucha Underground, though Angelico did it a bit more formally.

Today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter mentions Hijo del Vikingo was planned to be on AEW Double or Nothing show and sees him listed on AAA’s show in Queretaro instead that day as a sign he won’t be. Again, AAA lineups are not that serious. On the other hand, promotions interested in using Hijo del Vikingo over WrestleMania weekend were told he did have a visa to travel to the US. Perhaps that has been fixed – it is obviously something AAA should be working on constantly at this moment to make sure it is done for their own show in September. I haven’t heard any indication it has been. The iffy way the AAA/MSG has been promoted does not indicate such detail work is happening. I wouldn’t expect to see Vikingo at Double or Nothing, but things can always change.

Dragon Lee posted a photo on Instagram geotagged as from Mexico City a few days ago. His Instagram story seems to indicate he’s home too. CMLL never announced a substitute for him for tomorrow’s show, so I guess he really is working on Friday. It doesn’t seem a great idea. Maybe there was something else we don’t know on that brought him home and he just happens to be working the show, because it still doesn’t make sense to me based on what we know.

Dragon Lee’s match with Taiji Ishomiri is airing on NJPW’s show on AXS tomorrow. You should watch it if you haven’t.

Bandido finished up his own matches before heading to the Best of Super Juniors last night with a main event loss to Flip Gordon in Ring of Honor. Those two will meet again, this time in the NJPW tournament, on May 22nd. Rush remained undefeated after defeating Silas Young, though he seems more likely headed to a rematch with Dalton Castle than a title match at the moment.

This week’s Keepin’ It 100 includes Konnan getting asked about the AAA MSG show. It was brought up that Psycho Clown among others weren’t on the press release, but Konnan says “everyone who is anyone [in AAA]” will be on the show. He also feels like they’ll move more tickets once matches are announced but they don’t feel a rush to do that. Konnan mentioned Killer Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux on the Cancun show (06/15), which probably means they’re working Verano de Escandalo the next day in Merida as well. Konnan likes Psycho/Escorpion feud and wants to see it in a mask versus hair match but it is not certain it’ll happen.

The Gladiators tournament also comes up, with Konnan being positive about how all the promotions were able to work together. The future of the tournament doesn’t come up. +Lucha had mentioned Elite was planning on running a show every second week. That would mean there would be a show next Thursday. There’s no sign of a show next Thursday or any other day. It is lucha libre so they could wait to the last second to announce anything but I remain skeptical we’ll see another episode of that.

Ron Harris was named Aro Lucha president. He was already involved in the promotion. The organizational chart doesn’t mean much to us, except that this is still alive. They’ve also existed on social media since their funding closed.

Looks like there’s a radio-sponsored private show at Arena Mexico Saturday afternoon.

05/24 The Crash

Recently ex-CMLL Astral is doing an interview with less recently ex-CMLL Miguel Reducindo today.

Villano IV says his goal in returning CMLL is to avenge his brother and take Atlantis’ mask.

The “Corsario Jr.” in the DragonMania Dragon Scramble is Corsario Junior from Cancun.

Leo Riano’s column mentions the Atraccion Deportiva Facebook page is going to run a luchadora talent search content called “Heronias” run Villano V & Ray Mendoza.

An interview with luchadora Bengalee.

LuchaTalk has a new episode of their podcast.

Lineups

CMLL (TUE) 05/14/2019 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Avispón Negro Jr., Mágico, Rielero vs Furia Roja, Gran Kenut, Jabalí
2) Explosivo, Magnus, Oro Jr. vs Cancerbero, Guerrero de la Muerte, Raziel
3) Drone, Rey Cometa, Tritón vs Pólvora, Vangellys, Virus
4) Esfinge, Soberano Jr., Valiente vs Forastero, Sansón, Shocker
5) Carístico, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero

All the Guerrerso together makes me think they might be setting up a trios title match.

DTU , LI (THU) 05/16/2019 Arena Aficion
1) Dash & Príncipe Azteca Jr. vs Desorden & Rey Teutil
2) Fly Panther, Kunay, Mandala vs Aero Panther, Dragón Suicida, Vengador Radioactivo
3) Drolux & Moria vs Minimo & Tromba and Capo del Norte & Relámpago
4) El Junior, Fly Danger, Kevin vs Cris Stone Jr., Shere Khan, Yoruba
5) Jitsu & Pesadilla vs Alas De Oro & Alas De Plata
6) Nigma vs Camuflaje
7) Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Yuriko vs Calibus, Dement Extreme, Devil Rocker
8) Estudiante Jr., Hard Boy, Rossy Moreno, Sagitarius vs Baronessa, Crazy Boy, Diosa Quetzal, El Exótico
9) Jack Evans & Jimmy vs Kaleth & Último Maldito and Aero Boy & Arcángel Divino

This is the Lokillo benefit show. The +LuchaTV logo is on it, so I wonder if they migth live stream it like last year’s Cuervo benefit show.

KAOZ (SUN) 05/19/2019 Arena Coliseo Monterrey
1) Baby Xtreme & Lady Puma vs Babe Fox & Baby Love
2) Freelance & Súper Nova vs Hijo del Volador & La Park Jr. and Epydemius & Silver Tiger
3) Cibernético, Memo Valles, Sharly Rockstar vs Hijo de LA Park, La Bestia Del Ring, Mr. Elektro
4) Fresero Jr. & Mr. Iguana vs Furor & Vazco Jr. and Ciclón Ramírez & Dragón Dorado and Dark Cuervo & Dark Scoria [KAOZ TAG]
5) Tiffany vs Sexy Dulce, Diosa Quetzal, Lady Flammer [KAOZ WOMEN]
6) Carístico vs Emperador Azteca (Indie), The Tiger [KAOZ CRUISER]
7) LA Park vs Rush vs Hechicero (CMLL) vs Diamante Azul (CMLL) [KAOZ HEAVY]

KAOZ posted results from their first two matches on Twitter and then gave up so I can’t pretend to know what’s happening here. It is a Night of champion show coming up next and they have a lot of champions.

LLB , G21 (SAT) 06/15/2019 Arena Lopez Mateos
1) ? vs ??
2) Chicanito, Hauser, Shadow vs Atomik Star, Divino, Power Bull
3) Apolo Estrada, Demonio Infernal, Eterno vs Iracundo, Lepra, Perro Negro
4) Arez, Belial, Impulso vs Canis Lupus, Dragón Bane, Murciélago Plateado
5) Angeluz, Carta Brava Jr. (LLB), Fantasma de la Ópera, La Park Jr. vs Gallego, La Bestia Del Ring, Rocky Santana, Romano García
6) LA Park vs Rush vs Diamante Azul (CMLL)

If you want to see LA Park vs Diamante Azul, the indie promoters of Mexico have you covered. Third matchs hould be interesting.

AAA on Twitch (Los Mochis): 2019-05-03

May 9, 2019May 8, 2019 thecubsfan

Recapped: 05/04/2019

Matches:

Arez & Lady Maravilla beat Big Mami & Niño Hamburguesa
(6:59, Arez foul? Lady Maravilla pin Hamburguesa, ok, 00:24:42)

Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana beat Mamba, Máximo, Myzteziz Jr.
(11:56, Mocho Cota Jr. splash Mamba, ok, 00:40:47)

Chik Tormenta, Keyra, Monsther Clown beat Drago, Faby Apache, Golden Magic
(7:56, Monster Clown inverted crucifix tossing slam Golden Magic, good, 01:03:52)

Chessman & Taurus beat Flamita & Hijo Del Vikingo
(13:06, Taurus Rodeo Driver Vikingo, ok, 01:26:03)

Rey Escorpión beat Psycho Clown in a lumberjack rules match
(13:00, powerbomb, good, 01:50:56)

Blue Demon Jr. & Texano Jr. beat Dr. Wagner Jr. & Pagano
(10:59, Demon powder throw/small package Wagner, ok, 02:13:40)

What happened:

Demon used a distraction to throw powder in Wagner’s face, though everyone had been using weapons all along.

Lady Maravilla, Poder del Norte, Chik Tormenta, Big Mami, Niño Hamburguesa, Hijo del Vikingo, Faby Apache and Myzteziz worked as seconds. They didn’t have straps. Rey Escorpión unmasked Psycho Clown after the clean win.

Faby Apache and Hijo del Tirantes had problems during the match. Faby challenges Tirantes to a singles match. And they fight for a moment until the rudos comes back to help.

Chik Tormenta

Poder del Norte tease unmasking Myzteziz Jr. after the match for a while, but just tease it waiting for a cue. They give it up and get their arm raised, then Vikingo shows up for the save. Challenges followed.

Niño Hamburguesa still doesn’t want to fight Lady Maravilla, but does accidentally take her out at times. Big Mami is increasingly annoyed, shoving down Hambuguesa at one point. Hamburguesa blocks Mami from attacking Maravilla, and gets fouled by Arez while arguing with her. Maravilla gets the pin and points to her head. Hamburguesa still doesn’t figure it out.

Thoughts:

The main event was the usual Demon/Wagner it. Wagner gets beat up for a long time, turns the tide, and is suddenly powered up. Both men bled a bunch to get the brawl over. It wasn’t much worse than usual but it didn’t do much for me. Pagano and Texano basically had their own separate match, rarely interacting with the other two. Pagano headbutted a chair as an offensive move. It definitely was one. Doing a legdrop onto a ladder for no reason seemed an even dumber idea.

Mami splash

Your enjoyment of Flamita/Vikingo vs Chessman/Taurus is dependent on how much good spots outweigh bad spots for you. Chessman was bad in this, especially in the first half. He was being asked to do complicated things, it wasn’t like he was messing up simple moves, but the results were consistently horrible. It was bad enough to take me out of the match, even with the action improving dramatically in the last few minutes. Flamita wasn’t as good as last weekend but he’s still more polished than Vikingo, who is trying a few things that he couldn’t quite pull off (and one big one that he almost killed himself on.) Taurus and Vikingo match up well; I’m surprised Vikingo keeps taking pins, but I’m hoping they get a match to themselves at some point.

AAA lumberjack matches are usually bad news. This one was the best match on the show. The lumberjack antics usually overpower matches like this. Maybe not actually have straps helped, but the bigger idea here is that everyone (except Hamburgesa) seemed to get one and just one major interference spot during the match. They gave a break to the match and they got out of the way. Rey Escorpión and Psycho Clown were entertaining on their own and the gimmick felt like it actually added to the match instead of taking it away. Just a very good TV match.

The mixed trios was a match where everyone was working hard and everything seemed OK, only they’d have to stop every few minutes for a Hijo del Tirantes/Faby Apache bit. Those two didn’t figure into the finish at least. (Chik Tormenta tossing Drago to the ground in the background did.) Golden Magic had a good night, Chik Tormenta and Keyra’s offense looked good. This was a borderline match for me.

The exoticos matches remain simple. This one didn’t seem to get as over as the others, but there didn’t seem to be any particular reason why. Poder del Norte are not as interesting as exotico foils as against Myzteziz but they did their part here. Myzteziz got in a few high spots and seems to be more consciously doing Mistico spots now. Not sure that’s the best idea but they’re already down the bad idea path when they decided to give him the Myzteziz Jr. gimmick.

The mixed tag did move along the dynamic a bit – Mami and Hamburgesa are close to breaking up, Maravilla actually got a win – but probably was the weakest in-ring match of this recent run. It was slow at times and had moments of people waiting around for moves or repeating spots that didn’t work. Arez was fine, trying to play over the top to fit in, but this didn’t come together as well as others ones. This part of the breakup angle makes it hard to have a good match in general.

2019 indie catch up, part 5 of ∞

May 9, 2019May 21, 2019 thecubsfan

Hijo de Pirata Morgan & Juventud Guerrera vs Fuerza Guerrera & Rush
(MDA @ 02/17, 17:30, good, mluchatv)

I really didn’t think this match was anything I would want to see: Rush in an indie setting without an opponent to push him and Fuerza Guerrera at this point in any setting are not something I’m excited to see. It definitely overachieved. Fuerza Guerrera looked a lot better than his recent CMLL appearances. I’m not sure if the brawl allowed him to pick his spots better, if he was more fired up to face Juventud, or if he just didn’t have to deal with Octagon. Rush carried a lot of the action for his team, hammering Juvetund so much at times that Fuerza couldn’t get in his own shots to continue the feud. Juventud survived a near death experience to be a good rudo and worked very hard to make this work. This match ending with a faked foul is unsatisfying and still appropriate for a Fuerza Guerrera match.

Aramis vs Hijo de Canis Lupus
(IWRG @ 03/03, 12:05, great, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

Significantly the better of the two Aramis singles matches in this group. I’m writing about this one first but it took place second on the same day, which might be part of it. They didn’t have to save anything for another match, and it shows with them doing pretty much everything they can do over a long period of time. Hijo de Canis Lupus strikes me as a more complete wrestler than his brother, and working more of a power style works a better compliment to what Aramis does. Aramis is still the best of this bunch.

Ángel Tormenta, Rokambole Jr., Villano V Jr. vs Demonio Infernal, Eterno, Lunatic Xtreme
(IWRG @ 03/03, 16:05, good, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

Eterno’s high collar makes him look a little bit like a vampire. Eterno taking a broken bottle shard and cutting the Villano Kids head viciously was something a vampire could appreciate. There’s a minute here where Eterno is going after foreheads so savagely that it seems to concern the referee in the midst of what seems like a normal match. I didn’t catch how/why Demonio Infernal got so bloody. I figured it was just normal Demonio Infernal stuff, he tends to bleed, but perhaps it left Eterno unhappy. That trio is good if a little underutilized in this match. Angel Tormenta is the best guy on his team, though Villano V Jr. throws a great foul in the end

Dragón Bane vs Death Metal vs Cerebro Negro vs Oficial AK47 , loser loses hair or mask
(IWRG @ 03/03, 15:02, ok, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

This didn’t do a lot for me. It seems wrong to have a multiman apuesta match where it ends on the first elimination, rather than just keep going until there are two people left. Dragon Bane looks super athletic in what turns out to be the ending stretch instead. Oficial AK47 has moments of great personality, but also seems to be walking between spots a lot. Cerebro Negro is looking very Yoruba in this match with his hair and gear, and he and Dragon Bane conspire to mess up a dropkick spot before they do a Destroyer. Death Metal didn’t make a big impression.

Eterno, Golden, Solar I vs Golpeador, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Jeque
(PROLLM @ 03/03, 11:50, good, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

This seems edited, which is too bad because it’s building nicely until then and it’s unclear how much was taken out. It’s very much mat wrestling with a handful minutes of modern stuff to finish it off. I liked the Golden/Jeque sequence more than the Solar/Golepador final one; Solar didn’t do the same as usual, but it more felt like Golepador couldn’t do a lot with him. Eterno & Dragon Bane are enthusiastic if not always heading in any particular direction. Golden and Jeque are fluid and pull off a couple of spots from a direction I wasn’t expecting.

Aramis vs Dragón Bane
(PROLLM @ 03/03, 7:42, good, HECTOR GODFREY TV)

Both these guys selling exhaustion after a big discuss clothesline a few minutes in and only one person clapping in reaction is kind of sad. They didn’t put together this in a way that connected with the audience, but it still an exciting athletic battle. There are some well-performed sequences and a cool Dragon Bane tope. It’s taken down a bit by getting a quiet reaction. I think it still has enough that it would get over in other situations and they do get a fair amount of applause after it’s over, but I’d hope they’d take from this that what they’re doing during the match isn’t quite connecting with this audience.