AAA on Twitch: 2019-06-16 (Verano de Escandalo)

Fenix dive

Recapped: 06/16/2019

Matches:

Keyra beat Lady Shani and Chik Tormenta
(8:30 seen, Keyra cradle + double stomp Shani, ok?)

Faby Apache beat Hijo del Tirantes
(9:07, Faby dropkick Hijo del Tirantes, ok)

Mamba & Máximo beat Australian Suicide & Sammy Guevara
(12:46, Sammy Guevera SSP Mamba, ok)

Laredo Kid & Taya beat Daga & Tessa Blanchard
(14:34, Laredo Fly on Daga, good)

Aerostar, Pagano, Puma King beat Chessman, Killer Kross, Monsther Clown
(10:33, Puma powerbomb thru a ladder Chessman, below average)

Hijo Del Vikingo, La Parka, Myzteziz Jr. beat La Hiedra, Rey Escorpión, Texano Jr.
(13:23, Vikingo reverse 450 splash La Hiedra, ok)

Fénix & Pentagón Jr. beat Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson © for the AAA World Tag Team Championship
(11:54, package piledriver/double stomp on Nick, great)

Dr. Wagner Jr. & Psycho Clown beat Blue Demon Jr. & Taurus
(17:23, Wagner Wagner Driver Demon, ok)

What happened:

everyone lived

Dr. Wagner defeated Blue Demon cleanly with a Wagner Driver in the main event (following a slow-motion table break.) This is not the last time these two will face before TripleMania, but it was a rare clean pin on the last major show prior.

The Lucha Brothers defeated the Young Bucks to win back the AAA Tag Team championship. A second referee was involved to count the pin, which normally doesn’t mean anything in AAA but the Jacksons did point it out in the post-match. No one came out to challenge the new champs.

Vikingo beat La Hiedra to win the sixth match, then was immediately attacked by the rudos. Myzteziz, who had second earlier been powerbombed thru a table, ran off the rudos with a chair. Vikingo being attacked was part of a run of three of five matches having post-match attacks with the rudos laying out the victorious tecnicos.

Aerostar attempted the same dive (or fall) from high up on a light tower. The landing did not go as well, with Aerostar bouncing off of Monster Clown and landing badly on the ground. He was checked out on the floor and then rushed on a backboard to the back. AAA’s Twitch moderator said Aerostar was ok but there’s been no other public statement about his status. (I’m skeptical of the story that Aerostar is ok but have nothing to report.) Kross attacked Puma after the match.

Pagano

Daga attempted to use brass knucks to knockout Laredo Kid, but missed and got Tessa instead. The concept was that left Tessa unable to stop the count after Laredo got the Laredo Fly this time as she had done in Cancun, though the execution wasn’t perfect. (The knucks played off the finish in Cancun, where Daga actually did use knucks to the midsection to knock Laredo out, though AAA didn’t do the best job of showing it.)  

Chik Tormenta seconded Hijo del Tirantes and inteferred frequently. Faby Apache eventually took her out and defeated Tirantes. Tirantes & Tormenta beat up Faby after, suggesting the feud will continue.

Keyra cleanly beat Lady Shani to win the Reina de Reinas championship.

While promoted last night, and even early on the show by the English announcers, Cody never appeared on the show nor did anyone else with AEW.

Thoughts:

die die die

Verano de Escandalo lived up and down to expectations. The first card this year not to undergo changes from what was advertised seemed to have few surprises in match quality. The matches that looked weak on paper happened as scheduled and were weak. The matches that look good on the card were good. Keyra winning the Reina de Reinas championship was the only surprising outcome on the night, and even there it’s arguable that Shani’s title reign had been important enough for a change to mean something. I guess Cody not being there was a surprise, but no one seemed to think Cody was meant to be at Verano de Escandalo except the AAA announcers.

Frustratingly, AAA’s technical problems on big shows appeared once again. There were no huge issues during Rey de Reyes or Guerra de Titanes or any normal AAA TV Instead, those show up with the most people they’ve had watching since last year’s TripleMania. The show was shifted to a half hour later start during the day, the transmission died during the opening match for about five minutes, the video packages either had no sound or the same audio playing twice. It wasn’t a disaster as others shows, but causal people tuning in probably were left with the impression of AAA being messy as always.

(There also seemed to be some general Twitch issues which didn’t relate to anything AAA but still cause people to have problems watching. The Spanish stream played smoother than in the past for me and reports were the English stream was better than last night. The crowd didn’t seem miced well early on but was better later in the show.)

I think casual fans were also left with the same sort of wild variety they might get out of TripleMania every year. This show lacked the match to match greatness found on TV shows earlier this year and substituted with a lot of freak show elements. There are some heel flyers versus exoticos, there’s lots of blood in the main event, there’s a guy falling from 30 feet and there are so many cookie pan shots. It was a more a spectacle than a showcase of wrestling matches, a choice AAA seems to make every time they have a very large crowd.

make room for Psycho Clown

 

The Young Bucks versus the Lucha Brothers was the great wrestling match that needed to balance this show out. I feel like I’m the only person in the world who’d care to see their Double or Nothing match who has not seen it yet, so I understand that’s probably the right comparison to make and I’m not equipped to make it. This was a much hotter and longer version of the Rey de Reyes match, but that felt likely just barely a real match. They made a good choice here to start fast and go quick, a slow building twenty-minute match would’ve have worked as well on a show destined to get three and a half hours. It didn’t feel like the two teams brought a lot they didn’t do before, but they did what they normally do well and very much worked for a crowd that isn’t as numb to this style as American fans might be. It also helped that the Bucks played more overtly heel during the match, with the fans finally catching on why they should be invested in the outcome during the match. (All the video packages and the attack earlier in the show didn’t mean as much as the first few minutes of the match, it seemed.) Tirantes being involved seemed like a very bad idea. He was slow to get in position on some pins but otherwise did everything they needed him to and didn’t stray into getting himself over. There probably should’ve been something at the end to attach this very AEW feud to the rest of the AAA. There was no particular sense of even when we’ll see the Lucha Brothers again or if it’ll happen before TripleMania. The Lucha Brothers won and didn’t get stuck into something that might not be good, so it’s fine with me.

I don’t have a strong take on what was the second best match on the show. There was a whole bunch of matches that were close enough to throw a sheet on, which could all be rated ok or good but I’d have a hard time calling them better than that. The main event was the same AAA main event you know and either love or are exhausted by, just with a couple less people than usual. Psycho got to do his thing in front of a big crowd that loved him. Wagner made the critical mistake of winning cleanly in the last big match before TripleMania.

sucide murdered

The La Parka trios was similar to last night, with two matches going on alternatively. Parka & Texano had some very weird interactions, while Vikingo & Myzteziz flipped around a lot when they got a chance. Be it injury or luck, Vikingo was more off tonight than he’s been for a while. People who’ve heard the name but not seen him might have gone away thinking Myzteziz was just as good if only Myzteziz didn’t nearly end himself on a springboard shooting star press.

Laredo Kid & Taya versus Daga & Tessa hit a slow stretch during the rudo control period. Daga & Tessa seemed eager to try out some teamwork spots together, but the pace wasn’t there. It could’ve still worked if it picked up a lot on the comeback, it just never really got to the top level of Laredo Kid matches. The brass knucks stuff felt out of place in this match (though it made a lot more sense when I got the explanation of how it happened last night) and didn’t seem like it went totally as intended. I liked the Laredo Kid matches better without the screwy finishes; maybe this dynamic will work better with Drago & Daga.

I want to give the women’s match the benefit of the doubt because a chunk of it was missing. It was fine while it lasted. Tormenta breaking out the knee drop to the floor was different. Lady Shani’s reign suffered from being an afterthought in so much. Stuff like her double submission spot here suggests she’ll still be useful in the future even if she’s just back in miscellaneous tag matches. Keyra got in some of her signature stuff, but her finish – a roll thru a cradle and a double stomp – really isn’t anything associated with her (more Taya) and didn’t come off as impactful. If AAA was going to do a clean finish where the champ loses, there were more impressive ways for Keyra to get her first championship.

I guess it worked.

You sort of have to hope something was wrong with Pagano. If Pagano was that bad healthy and clean, there’s really no hope. I’m not sure those other problems could necessarily be fixed either, but at least there’s a chance. He was quite bad, Aerostar’s light tower dive would’ve been unnecessarily even if it worked right (it definitely did not) and this feels like the millionth time we’ve seen someone win and get beat up by Kross. This match could only be considered a success in that I have no new GIFs of Scarlett that will get people angrily quote tweeting me for the next three days. I’m good there.

That match could’ve gone missing without being missed. Same thing to Guevara & Suicide versus the Exoticos. Maximo & Mamba didn’t get to do much of their gimmick last night, so you could charitable watch this as Sammy & Australian helping their opponents get over. You could also watch this as the foreign rudos goofing around for large portions of an overly long match. (Not everything needs 10 minutes. This did not need 10 minutes.) No one in this match seemed particularly motivated to be part of it, everyone seemed aware that they could do whatever and it didn’t really matter. This is not a good formula for a suitable big show match.

Faby Apache & Hijo del Tirantes was not as bad as feared. It was helped by Chik Tormenta wrestling roughly 40% of the match for Tirantes. (In a better world, this would set up Tormenta as Tirantes surrogate going better. In reality, Tormenta was just the person who couldn’t do much.) This was another match that felt like it went well too long. Hijo del Tirantes going 50/50 with Faby Apache might keep him strong for his indie work but I don’t know that it actually helps this feud or these matches. Tirantes being able to take some headscissors did help, though not as much as if Faby Apache had a real opponent to work with.

AAA on Twitch: 2019-06-15 (Cancun)

Vikingo

Recapped: 06/16/2019

Matches:

Invencible Jr. & Tiger Fly beat Corsario Jr. & Guerrero Galactico
(7:26, Invencible top rope huracanrana Corsario jr., good, 00:22:01)

Maximo & Mamba beat Hijo del Tirantes & Keyra
(14:00, Maximo kiss Tirantes, below average, 00:37:20)

Chik Tormenta, La Hiedra, Tessa Blanchard beat Lady Shani, Scarlett Bordeaux, Taya
(11:05, Tessa Buzzsaw DDT Taya, ok, 01:11:32)

Sammy Guevara beat Myzteziz Jr. and Puma King
(8:12, Sammy Guevara shooting star press Myzteziz, ok, 01:31:04)

Daga beat Laredo Kid
(16:28, Daga double stomp to the head, good, 01:48:12)

Hijo del Vikingo, La Parka, Aerostar beat Monster Clown, Chessman, Australian Suicide
(15:47, Vikingo reverse 450 splash, good, 02:13:21)

Dr. Wagner Jr., Pagano, Psycho Clown beat Killer Kross, Rey Escorpión, Texano Jr.
(19:17, DQ Rey Escorpion for fouling Psycho Clown, ok, 02:42:10)

What happened: 

after all this time, Daga’s last name turned out to be Omega

Puma King attacked Killer Kross in the main event, payback for an earlier attack. Rey Escorpion used one of the few ways you can get disqualified in AAA these days, a foul, to end the main event. Escorpion unmasked Psycho Clown as well and the collective rudo force left the tecnicos laying to end the show.

Hijo del Vikingo won the semi-main but suffered a chest or rib injury in the process. He was eventually able to refuse a backboard and walk off with help from his partners but he was clearly in pain.

Daga helped Tessa to win with a superkick to Taya. Tessa repaid the favor, first stopping a Laredo Kid pinfall count and then distracting from a foul to set up Daga’s win in the singles match. Taya ran out after, setting up the sides for tomorrow’s tag match.

a Corsario Jr. highlight

Sammy shot footage for his vlog during this match and beat Myzteziz with a shooting star press. Kross attacked Puma and Myzteziz after, with Sammy electing not to get involved this time.

Tirantes wrestled in the second match (the first was all locals) but did not referee on this show.

Cody Rhodes and other AEW surprises were announced for Verano de Escandalo.

Thoughts:

I watched this on the English feed and was left so frustrated by the experience that I’m probably shelling out $5 to switch back to a commercial-free version of the Spanish feed for Verano de Escandalo. I discovered I really need crowd noise to enjoy wrestling matches and the sound underneath the announcers was completely muted this time. The Cancun crowd was loud and rowdy (perhaps too rowdy) but you couldn’t get a sense of it watching on the English feed. I just could not get in most of this show and you may have a different experience watching it later on YouTube. The AAA English feed is a noble experiment to broaden AAA’s reach and I suspect it’ll keep going to MSG, but it remains a disappointing experience. Right now, it just checks off a box to sponsors and investors – “yes, we’re also in English now too” – but does no more than that.

Laredo Kid

Daga versus Laredo Kid was the best match on the night. It started a bit slow and got into some high action as it went along. Laredo Kid has been the best wrestler in AAA since the end of the Lucha Capital tournament and continued showing his consistent ability to have exciting matches. Daga again had his best performance so far, though this didn’t reach the levels of the Vikingo match (and the Daga/Drago match is going to be more of a challenge.) The problem with doing Daga versus Laredo Kid right now is neither guy really should be taking a pinfall at this moment. AAA felt the need to do something screwy with the finish to leave some doubt, but it also takes away from the match when people are running into the ring to get the referee to stop the count (and that’s not even the finish.) I wonder if a draw would’ve worked better, though I’m unsure if AAA crowd would’ve accepted that sort of finish. What they really could’ve used is two replacements for the people who were missing, so they could’ve changed a few matches around and made this a tag.

The rest of the show was alternating fine and forgettable. The locals opener probably was the second best match on the show, with the Quintana Roo luchadors trying to steal the show via every hot move they knew. Tiger Fly stood out for his movement most on the tecnico side. Corsario Jr. was the most enthusiastic of the two rudos, though also hilarious in having to attack the tecnicos afterward to protect his heat on whatever indie shows he works in this town.

this was creative

Puma/Sammy/Myzteziz was a lot of moves that flowed well at times and did not at others. Puma’s outfit looked great. I’m not sure if Sammy vlog-ing works as a rudo bit for the Mexico crowd as much as it does for indie ones. The women’s trios match didn’t work as well as the previous one. Scarlett was not in that and got a lot of focus in this one, though she didn’t seem to be particularly the problem. It just felt like more of an off-night match outside of Lady Shani’s cool sequence of cradles. Parka/Vikingo/Aerostar vs Chessman/Suicide/Monster was two very different matches that happened to be occurring at the same time. It seemed like a complete waste of Vikingo & Aerostar for about half the match, then Aerostar was falling from 20 feet and Vikingo was doing quick back and forths with Suicide and crazy spots onto Chessman. There’s a story to be told about how Vikingo couldn’t beat Suicide last year and has easily surpassed him this year but I don’t think early 2018 AAA still counts at this point.

The main event was the usual AAA formula main event, with maybe a little bit longer match and a little bit more brawling. You have seen it on literally every AAA TV taping. I’m not sure how anyone would handle it if AAA put a singles match on last for a non-TripleMania card, it would be too weird. The exoticos vs Tirantes/Keyra match was not good at all, with the exoticos not looking good and not exactly set up to win by facing a woman and a referee. The more Tirantes is in these, the more exposed he gets; the only hope here is he’s been so exposed that AAA will decide they need Tirantes to put his hair up as a second versus Faby Apache instead of wrestling the match himself. There was no reason for him to wrestle here once Faby Apache wasn’t on the card except they needed someone to make up the numbers, but AAA should’ve known Faby (and Texano) weren’t going to be here long enough to find Villano III Jr. or Parka Negra and send them instead.

Aerostar