great match roundup, week of 2019-08-10

Taurus the destroyer

recaps

I’m leaving for my flight six hours from the time I’m writing this and I still kind of want to write another post, but I have enough nervous energy to finish this and have it post while I’m in the air.

Lots of people had the AAA megachampionship match (!) higher than me. Lots of people had Metalica/Dalys lower so perhaps I’m just not using the extremes enough. The title match is worth the Twitch subscription alone (though it will be still up there after the next show airs.)

I’m about caught up on the indie matches again, better go see some more.

All 2019 round-up posts2019 MOTYC list

Recommended Matches

rating matches TV Show taped
great Fénix © vs Laredo KidPuma KingTaurus for the AAA World Heavyweight Championship  (posted by Lucha Libre AAA (Twitch)) AAA on Twitch: 2019-08-10 2019-08-10
good Eclipse, Komander, Lady Shani vs Australian Suicide, La Hiedra, Villano III Jr.  (posted by Lucha Libre AAA (Twitch)) AAA on Twitch: 2019-08-10 2019-08-10
good Argenis, Dinastía, Niño Hamburguesa vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana  (posted by Lucha Libre AAA (Twitch)) AAA on Twitch: 2019-08-10 2019-08-10
good Golden Magic, Hijo Del Vikingo, Myzteziz Jr. vs Dave The Clown, Monsther Clown, Parka Negra  (posted by Lucha Libre AAA (Twitch)) AAA on Twitch: 2019-08-10 2019-08-10
good Aerostar, Drago, Willie Mack vs Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly  (posted by Lucha Libre AAA (Twitch)) AAA on Twitch: 2019-08-10 2019-08-10
good Dr. Wagner Jr. & Psycho Clown vs Blue Demon & Rey Escorpión in a super libre match  (posted by Lucha Libre AAA (Twitch)) AAA on Twitch: 2019-08-10 2019-08-10
good Carístico vs Rush LA MEJOR LUCHA LIBRE DESDE LA ARENA PUEBLA 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-12 2019-08-12
good Audaz, Black Panther, Blue Panther Jr. vs Disturbio, Hechicero, Misterioso Jr. Disturbio Cmll, Hechicero y Misterioso Jr vs Audaz, Blue Panther Jr y Black Panther. 1a caída (posted by Princesa Dorada) LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 13 DE AGOSTO DE  2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-13 2019-08-13
good Átomo, Gallito, Microman vs Chamuel, Guapito, Perico Zacarías LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
good Volador Jr. vs Forastero LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
ok Asturiano & Retro vs Black Tiger & Policeman LA MEJOR LUCHA LIBRE DESDE LA ARENA PUEBLA 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-12 2019-08-12
ok Halcón Suriano Jr. & Tigre Rojo Jr. vs El Malayo & El Perverso LA MEJOR LUCHA LIBRE DESDE LA ARENA PUEBLA 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-12 2019-08-12
ok La Magnifica, La Vaquerita, Marcela vs Amapola, Dalys, La Comandante LA MEJOR LUCHA LIBRE DESDE LA ARENA PUEBLA 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-12 2019-08-12
ok Dulce Gardenia, Fuego, Stigma vs Olímpico, Pólvora, Universo 2000 Jr. LA MEJOR LUCHA LIBRE DESDE LA ARENA PUEBLA 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-12 2019-08-12
ok Cuatrero, Forastero, Místico, Sansón vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Soberano Jr., Último Guerrero in a relevos increíbles match LA MEJOR LUCHA LIBRE DESDE LA ARENA PUEBLA 12 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-12 2019-08-12
ok Marcela vs Reyna Isis in a lightning match LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 13 DE AGOSTO DE  2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-13 2019-08-13
ok Atlantis, Blue Panther, Kráneo vs Felino, Hijo del Villano III, Negro Casas LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 13 DE AGOSTO DE  2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-13 2019-08-13
ok La Bestia Del Ring, Rush, Terrible vs Carístico, Soberano Jr., Stuka Jr. LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 13 DE AGOSTO DE  2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-13 2019-08-13
ok Robin & Star Jr. vs Cancerbero & Raziel LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
ok Atlantis Jr., Flyer, Titán vs Ephesto, Luciferno, Mephisto LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
ok Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja vs Cuatrero, Gilbert el Boricua, Sansón LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
ok Carístico, Ciber the Main Man, Valiente vs Dragón Lee, Místico, Último Guerrero in a relevos increíbles match LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
below average Metálica vs Dalys [CMLL Universal de Amazonas] and in a tournament final match LUCHA LIBRE VIERNES ESPECTACULAR DE ARENA MEXICO 16 DE AGOSTO DE 2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL on ClaroSports.com: 2019-08-16 2019-08-16
not rated Metatrón & Sonic vs Espanto Jr. & Grako LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 13 DE AGOSTO DE  2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-13 2019-08-13
not rated Fuego, Pegasso, Stigma vs Espíritu Negro, Hijo del Signo, Nitro LUCHA LIBRE MARTES DE NUEVOS VALORES EN LA ARENA MEXICO 13 DE AGOSTO DE  2019 FUNCION COMPLETA (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL YouTube: 2019-08-13 2019-08-13
watch later Místico vs Sansón Místico vs Sansón (CMLL on TV Mexiquense: 2019-08-11) (posted by thecubsfan) SANSÓN vs MÍSTICO (08-04-2019) (posted by HVSLuchaLibre) CMLL on TV Mexiquense: 2019-08-11 2019-08-04

RIOT, more Ciber/UG, Super J Cup, ROH/CMLL

I should be asleep right now but I’m instead typing up something that’ll show up while I’m on a flight and may be out of date. I did make a deal with myself that I’d finish this update now and then not bring my laptop on about 48 hour trip. You may not see any news in this space until Sunday, though there’s still a roundup post coming later.

I’m attending the RIOT show tonight in Monterrey. This is day 1 of a 2 night tournament to crown their first champion. First-round match ups are:

  • Arez vs Demonio del Aire
  • Aramis vs Latigo
  • Douki vs Belial
  • Low Rider (replacing injured Dralion) vs Tony Rodriguez
  • Erik Ortiz vs Fuego del Sol
  • Madness vs Iron Kid

My gut picks Arez, Aramis, Douki, Tony Rodriguez, Erik Ortiz, and Madness but I could go 0-6. I’m not really worried about being right as the matches; the sky is the limit for Aramis vs Latigo and there are others not far behind. I’m a little bit obsessive on trying to figure out what and who’s next, and there’s a lot of people who could be next on this show. Aramis made it to PWG a year before even I thought, and guys like Arez, Latigo, and Iron Kid could’ve easily been in that place. They may be in that place next year. Douki is a legend for making it in the Best of Super Junior and hopefully will get saluted like one. There are also guys like Ortiz, who I didn’t really think of a huge amount when I first started watching this promotion and then won me over with his style. Also Low Rider’s a crazy person and I don’t even understand half the things he does. This show is going to deliver, the RIOT shows have had a great track record so far, it’s just a matter of how good it’s going to be. And there are also two good tag matches on the show.

It’d be cool if this was something streamed live or even on VOD quickly, but that doesn’t seem in the cards. I didn’t want to wait until it surfaced – and also wanted to hang out with friends (or sit in the corner and saying little, let’s be real here) – so I’m going to see it live. I’ll probably write or speak a lot of words about it later.

Lucha Central has a preview of tonight’s CMLL show, which I will not be streaming. (You can still watch it here.) The key points:

  • do Ciber & Ultimo Guerrero finally agree to the match or is that saved for the Gran Prix?
  • do Microman & Chamuel agree to a match? (With the women’s match happening at Aniversario, the micros fit in either next week with a non-stip match or maybe something special for Independence Day?)
  • is Volador/Sanson just a random match coming off the Forastero feud or a hint of a title match to come?

Thursday night was a great night for the CMLL luchadors in NJPW’s Super J Cup

  • Dragon Lee defeated YOH
  • Caristico defeated BUSHI
  • Soberano Jr. defeated Rocky Romero

I thought those should be the finishes but CMLL’s track record in NJPW tournaments hasn’t been great, so I wasn’t pleasantly surprised at the outcomes. Caristico meets Soberano in round two on Saturday, which should put Caristico all the way to the semi-finals. Dragon Lee faces Ryusuke Taguchi, and would be a heavy favorite in there. There’s likely going to be a CMLL luchador in the final of this tournament on Sunday night. (All of this is airing on VOD sometime in September.)

Monday’s Puebla lineup:

CMLL (MON) 08/26/2019 Arena Puebla
1) Rey Apocalipsis & Toro Bill Jr. vs El Perverso & Tyson La Bestia
2) La Jarochita & Lluvia vs Amapola & Tiffany
3) Ángel de Oro, Flyer, Niebla Roja vs Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Templario
4) Carístico, Dragón Lee, Hechicero, Rey Bucanero, Stuka Jr., Terrible, Último Guerrero, Valiente vs Big Daddy, Dark Magic, Jay Briscoe, Kenny King, Mark Briscoe, Matt Taven, Mecha Wolf 450, Oráculo
5) Místico vs Soberano Jr.

It runs out the Gran Prix crew is starting on Friday (minus Luke Hawx.) The CMLL team facing them isn’t exactly the CMLL team they’ll face, but it’s a good enough preview and a loaded show with Mistico/Soberano as well. Mexico summer vacations are finishing up but this seems like it’d be a strong card for a turnout.

(I hope the CMLL announcers have finally figured out which one is Jay and which one is Mark.)

Updated CMLL/ROH matches for the September tour.

09/06 Detroit

  • Volador Jr., Triton vs Matt Taven & Vinny Marseglia
  • Marty Scurll, Flip Gordon, PCO, Brody King vs Rey Bucanero, Okumura, Hechicero, Barbaro Cavernario – new

09/07 Chicago

  • Volador vs Matt Taven for the ROH Championship
  • Rush vs Barbaro Cavernario
  • Triton, Caristico, Stuka Jr. vs Jeff Cobb, Jonathan Gresham, Jay Lethal

09/08 Milwaukee

  • Briscoes & Barbaro Cavernario vs Bandido, Tracy Williams, Mark Haskins
  • Flip Gordon vs PJ Black vs Triton – new

2019 indie catch up, part 13 of ∞

Arez and a post

Pagano vs Joe Lider vs Psicosis I vs Nick Gage
(AAA/EMW @ 07/12, 15:11, liolio liopaque)

The most shocking part of this match was when Pagano went for a pinfall on Joe Lider and got a two count. It was a rare acknowledgment that this was a wrestling match and not a slow-moving stunt show. The pretense of a fight was pretty much abandoned in favor over unhurried setups for a big spot. The best two are around 15:10 and 16:40 if you want to skip up the frustratingly long time it took to set each of them up. A four-person match shouldn’t have such dead time, but this turned into a Psicosis/Gage match and a separate Lider/Pagano match, with the other people ceasing to exist while the first fight was going on. Joe Lider dramatically dumping thumbtacks in a ring already covered with light tube glass and dust was hilarious. Pagano taking light tube bumps with his head and neck because he couldn’t fall right was very Pagano. Gage seemed to have trouble getting on the same page with the others here – there’s a group superplex spot where he seemed to go back and forth on what he was doing four times – and wasn’t really treated in a big deal way. This style is not my favorite but I didn’t think it was even a particularly good version of this style.

Nick Gage likely still unsure of what this spot was supposed to be

Hijo Del Vikingo & Laredo Kid vs Arkángel Divino & Black Boy and Douglas James & Jake Atlas
(AAA/EMW @ 07/12, 10:58, good, liolio liopaque)

Vikingo stands out once again, but this is a six-man show that flows well despite having to get all those moving pieces. James & Atlas fit in fine with the other guys, though Atlas doesn’t seem to get in his best here as he has in other matches. The only part that dragged was when they had to stop the match to allow the valet to get in a spot (and then she disappeared), but I guess I don’t have too much of a problem with people getting easy paydays. Three-way tags don’t lead to much of a story but it’s still good fun.

Arkangel onto everyone

Súper Astro Jr. vs Oro Jr. in a lightning match
(CMLL @ 07/21, 6:40, good, thecubsfan)

The sort of dive based match you’d hope and expect to see when these guys meet. Both show a little bit more out of them than the usual trios while it’s mostly about them getting to do their high spots at a faster pace than with the usual rudo veterans. The finish comes off really great (and the replay shows the first angle they used was the best one.) Not long but enjoyable for a CMLL lightning match.

Oro with a power move! (the finish is a better GIF but I try not to GIF finishes nowadays)

Dragón Bane vs Arez vs Látigo
(7:28, PWM @ 07/21, good PWM Pro Wrestling México)

Some of the most creative action you’ll see. This was ideas on top of ideas, both in individual moves and stringing them together in a sequence. They moved around fast and not everything went the way they wanted, but this felt much different than the usual indie Destroyer match in a positive way. Dragon Bane hit the bigger moves but Latigo and Arez strung the match together with positioning and weird submission. This would’ve been outstanding if everything came together. It’s still a worthy watch.

Dragon Bane’s dive is not totally representative of what I liked about this match but it’s still cool

Penta vs Arez
(Madriza @ 07/07, 15:52, good,
Estrellas del Ring)

This is the not really a repeat of the bloody destructions of years past; Penta doesn’t really stab people with bottles these days. It’s more just a moves competition, which makes the beautiful looking weapon finish incongruous with the rest of the match. The moves do look good but the story of Arez being an underdog trying to finally overcome his biggest career obstacle doesn’t totally connect with a crowd just happy to see big star Penta do his big moves. They do finally get them with Saharawi Suplex near the end but it feels like there’s a moment that’s passed here.

Arez fails to catch

Puma King & Ricky Marvin vs Arez & Látigo
(07/13 @ GH, 19:01, excellent, mluchatv)

This is great Ricky Marvin and a more serious Puma King than some of his other appearances, which makes for an outstanding match. The match feels like it really waked up with Arez flipping off the wall, and it escalates from there into an intense back and forth last few minutes. Arez and Ricky bring out the best of each other again, and Latigo and Puma match their seriousness. There are a few creative spots and it still feels like a battle. This is where my scale fails; I think there points they could be better at here (some of the double teams look a little too manufactured) but I feel like this is a match everyone should check out. Excellent is for something everyone should check out and I don’t want it to get lost in the raft of Great matches.

Ricky Marvin combos