CMLL (FRI) 06/07/2019 Arena México [CMLL, Lucha Central, Marca, Ovaciones, Record, thecubsfan]
1) El Coyote & Grako b Eléctrico & Oro Jr. 
12:19. Rudos took 1/3.
2) Black Panther, Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. b Disturbio, Kawato San, Virus
16:29. Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Audaz, Stuka Jr., Valiente b Ephesto, Mephisto, Rey Bucanero
11:07. Tecicos took 1/3.
4) Cavernario b Templario [lightning]
9:45, via cavernaria.
5) Gilbert el Boricua, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero b Ángel de Oro, Carístico, Niebla Roja
13:57. Rudos took 1/3.
6) La Bestia Del Ring & Soberano Jr. b Felino & Flyer [Copa Dinastia, battle royal]
1:24
7) Flyer & Volador Jr. b Felino & Negro Casas [Copa Dinastia, semifinal]
6:34
8) La Bestia Del Ring & Rush b Euforia & Soberano Jr. [Copa Dinastia, semifinal]
7:10
9) La Bestia Del Ring & Rush b Flyer & Volador Jr. [Copa Dinastia, final]
5:36. Bestia del Ring and Rush advance to the 06/21 final.
The first half of the show was good for a Friday show, all the way thru the Cavernario/Templario match. And then it fell off. Copa Dinastia disappointed in these matches and disappointed in what it meant for the rest of the tournament. Dragon Lee & Mistico are almost certainly not going to the final with their family members there. We’ll be treated to a three fall Bestia match instead.
Kawato/Black Panther was very much downplayed from last week. Not much happened that mattered going forward outside of the tournament.
If there is a big show coming this month, it sounded more likely to be the Father’s Day show on 06/16 rather than anything on a Friday. No Friday show was pushed and the announcers plugged the Father’s Day show all night.
CMLL Promos: Cavernario (wants a longer match with Templario), Caristico trying to form a trio again, Gilbert & Ultimo Guerrero still teasing a match, Los Ingobernables.
Media interviews: Templario wants a title match with Cavernario, Cavernario praises Templario, the Panthers want bigger matches, Caristico & friends and Rush & Bestia, who say they’d be OK facing Mistico & Dragon Lee in the final.
AAA is back streaming on Twitch this Sunday. The time on the poster is 6:30 pm, AAA is already saying the stream will start at 6:45 pm, so plan on a late start and later ending. AAA lineups are pretty much worthless, but they have been pushing the idea of Jack Evans and Hijo del Vikingo challenging for the AAA Cruiserweight Championship on this show so perhaps that match will actually occur. Can’t really hazard a guess at the rest. Most of the people will be there but in whatever combination AAA feels like doing that day, possibly to build up Verano de Escandalo. The one person most questionable is Sammy Guevara, who has repeatedly been listed on taping he didn’t wrestle on (and may have never intended or agreed to work on.) AAA is still mentioning Sammy Guevara as appearing, but they’re also mentioning the matches on the card as if they’re happening and I hardly believe that either. Guevara being there or not being there doesn’t make a huge difference, AAA’s never used him in a difference-making role, but Sammy is a guy under AEW contract and it might say something about how the AEW/AAA relationship is going or how interested people under AEW contracts are going to be about working AAA. It also could just be an isolated thing.
Late Saturday night/early Sunday is also NJPW’s Dominion, where Dragon Lee defends the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay. Dragon Lee is almost certainly going to lose. Dragon Lee & Hiromu Takahashi is still happening at some point, but they don’t need the belt for it and NJPW usually has wrestlers coming back from injury fight their way back into getting a title match rather than getting into one immediately. That should wrap up Dragon Lee in NJPW for a while. The next two tours are a short one and then the long G1 tour which wouldn’t include Dragon Lee. The tour after that runs thru the usual CMLL Aniversario period, so it is possible Dragon Lee will stay in Mexico (and the US) until October.
Being rejected by the supreme court would be enough for most people. Not for AAA. AAA sent out a statement, written by a lawyer, insisted that Octagon had not actually won the rights to their name or character and this thing is still ongoing. Their understanding of the ruling is AAA’s artistic rights to the name were canceled but those rights were not granted to (the wrestler known as) Octagon. AAA’s lawyer says that name can’t be granted to that person, because artistic rights can only be granted to an artist or musical performer and a luchador is neither of those things. That appears to be the next step in the legal battle, some decision on whether luchadors can be considered artists. AAA also argues that all the other aspects if Octagon – the look and the character – are still copyrighted by AAA. So this will continue to go on forever.
AAA may be right on all of this, though how it matters all that much to their business is beyond me. I wish AAA was as determined as they are on any other aspect of their actual business. They’d have an online store and visas for everyone. They’d be promoting this MSG show stronger than one twitter post a week and random unfocused mentions on streams.
MexaWrestling runs tonight with God Level, featuring Los Traumas vs Golden Boy & Simbolo and Rey Horus vs Steve Pain. Jack Evans is also booked and while it would be amusing for him to miss the AAA show to wrestle in Arena San Juan, I don’t think that’s happening. IAW has Negro Casas & Rey Cometa vs Iron Kid & Latigo, which sounds a lot of fun. There’s also the closest lucha libre show to me all year but I don’t think I’m going. Sunday has LA Park & Rush in Guatemala & Rey Cometa vs Pegasso in Arena Mexico, both of which I’ll try to record next week. IWRG has a multiman match for a belt I don’t understand.
Lucha Central will stream the Lucha Pittsburgh show on Thursday night. That’s the show with Sam Adonis & Bestia 666 vs Super Crazy & Facade and Templario versus Soberano.
Last night in Mazatlan, Joe Lider & Pagano lost a cage match which was said to set up a hair match between them on August 16th in the same city.
RIOT’s La Riña En El Cerro de La Silla (08/23 & 08/24) participants:
- 08/23 non-tournament match: UnMexicans (Byron & Kaientai) vs El Cartel de los Culichis (Mr. Iguana & Fresero Jr.)
LuchaWorld has the latest edition of the podcast.
Lineup
CMLL (FRI) 06/14/2019 Arena México
1) Magia Blanca & Star Jr. vs Akuma & Espanto Jr.
2) Esfinge, Rey Cometa, Tritón vs Kawato San, Pólvora, Tiger
3) Atlantis Jr., Soberano Jr., Valiente vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Hijo del Villano III
4) Rey Bucanero vs Euforia [lightning]
5) Dragón Lee & Místico vs Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja and Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero and Máscara Año 2000 & Sansón [Copa Dinastia, seeding battle royal]
6) ? & ?? vs ??? & ??? [Copa Dinastia, quarterfinal]
7) ? & ?? vs ??? & ??? [Copa Dinastia, quarterfinal]
8) ? & ?? vs ??? & ??? [Copa Dinastia, semifinal]
9) Austin Theory, Carístico, Volador Jr. vs Cavernario, Negro Casas, Rush
Austin Theory in on the CMLL/Crash exchange program. If CMLL is doing a bigger show on June 21st, he could stick around to have a singles match with Rush or Cavernario.
Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja fit as opponents for Rush & La Bestia del Ring the best – it is a close rematch to Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. Can’t ever rule out Los Guerreros.
Kawato is now fully separated from Black Panther so perhaps that idea has been dropped or changed. Cometa would fit as an opponent as a person with hair against a person with hair but that seems like a more challenging match.