Audaz, Carístico, Stuka Jr. beat La Bestia Del Ring, Mr. Niebla, Terrible
(9:10 [3:57, 5:13], 1/2, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)
What happened:
Caristico wears a Dr. Karonte mask to the ring to honor his father. Niebla fouled Caristico for the DQ.
Thoughts:
a Raziel dive gif
The main event didn’t have the usual energy of the Tuesday show enders. The tecnicos couldn’t do as much with these rudos, and they rushed two short falls for a lesser match than usual. It’s a match even less relevant than the Arena Puebla match, so it’s weird CMLL seemingly changed the finish on Monday for Caristico but wouldn’t change this one. Or maybe they didn’t change anything?
Raziel & Cancerbero probably should be working more terceras, because they were as good (or better) than Vangellys and most everyone else who gets to be in the spot. There was a little bit more out of them than usual – don’t see assisted dives often – and they worked well with the Panthers. Vangellys & Maya seemed off in the background. This was a borderline match.
Asking Grako to control a singles match as much as in this lightning match was a bad idea. Asking Grako to take UG knee bump to the floor was a hysterically bad idea. Most of Robin’s singles matches are better than this. This match probably still be what Nuevo Valores shows are for, Grako needs the work.
CMLL continues down the road to the Aniversario show, with a few matches continuing towards the big matches on that show. It’s a lineup which has been shuffled around at least twice. Big Daddy being removed was removed from the show, La Bestia del Ring was added, and it took an additional day for CMLL to remember they’re not letting Bestia in the ring with his sons.
The most interesting match to come out of all of this is a Volador/Negro Casas lightning match. The two have faced many times before, including Volador taking Negro Casas’ hair at the 2016 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. Casas can still go in under ten-minute matches. It’s probably the best format for Volador too at this moment. Volador is the only person on the tecnico side involved in this seven-man cage feud, though Casas is always cheered. He probably will be again the crowd favorite tonight. Those who are going to take a big loss at a major show tend to get wins going in, so the outcome of this match may be telling about who will lose their hair.
The actual main event is Cavernario, Ciber and Diamante Azul versus Gilbert, Ultimo Guerrero, and Sanson. It’s a match designed to fall apart, with Gilbert and UG both teaming and feuding. Sanson’s partners will be instead be teaming with Mephisto against Caristico, Dragon Lee and Titan, the best chance for a good trios match on the show. Mephisto’s partners team with La Bestia del Ring – adding him instead of any other rudo really messed with everything – and they face Angel de Oro, Niebla Roja, and Atlantis Jr. in the tercera. Disturbio, Sagrado and Tiger take on Dulce Gardenia, Fuego and Esfinge, in Esfinge’s first match in Arena Mexico since his father was apparently removed from power in Arena Coliseo Guadalajara. We haven’t seen Akuma in six weeks since he picked up a leg injury. He’s listed as teaming with Espanto Jr. tonight, facing Robin and the always fun Super Astro Junior.
This show streams on Marca and their YouTube channel. I’ll be streaming it on YouTube at well. The show begins on 8:30 pm.
Big Daddy (Yum Yum) is doing a promotional tour today in Texas for a show he’s promoting Saturday, which likely made it very difficult for him to be on this Friday’s Arena Mexico show. I don’t think one Friday night is going to make much of a difference with the CMLL fans perception of him. It does become newsworthy if he’s also not on next Friday’s card.
Arena Queretaro’s 09/17 main event was a trios cage match with Cibernetico, Sharlie Rockstar, Mr. Electro vs Bestia 666, Mecha Wolf and Rey Horus. Ciber is now out and Penta is in. We may never see this show, so it’s meaningful if Ciber disappears from more shows and not so much if Ciber just got pulled to do some advertisements.
Ultimo Guerrero says his plan is to stay in the cage match at the end if Ciber and Gilbert are left, but take off if they’ve already escaped. He’s also considering his shoe choice, wanting to wear something that might give him better grip for climbing.
Planeta Wrestling wrestling has a story that the CMLL/WWE meeting which happened earlier this year were regarding WWE wanting to purchase CMLL’s video library as additional content for their premium tier. PW Insider had mentioned earlier this week that WWE was investigating getting lucha libre content for their network. I got a decent amount of “don’t trust Planeta Wrestling, they may just be speculating” feedback after posting this. Even Planeta’s report says it was a discussion and they don’t know if went any farther than that. I’m getting increasingly leery of posting any WWE related news on Twitter; anything “these two sides had a talk about [X]” instantly gets read and repeated as “it’s definitely happening, it’s the biggest version of the deal possible, and it’s all going down tomorrow” for reasons I don’t have a grasp on. (That’s why there was no WWE in the headline of this post.) You should take this story with a big grain of salt, as a thought experiment about what it would WWE trying to buy the CMLL library would mean rather than something that has any certain chance of happening.
A small shared licensing makes sense for both sides. Ring of Honor & Impact have given permission in the past to WWE for bits of their footage to be used in documentaries. There doesn’t seem like much harm in CMLL letting WWE do the same as long as they’re fairly compensated. A large scale library sell-off would seem bad for CMLL fans; some surprising stuff may squeeze thru, but it’s hard to see WWE having interest in formatting and sharing the vast majority of it. CMLL’s not doing anything with their old footage, but there at least exists a possibility they might do something with it someday. If WWE ever got all of it, most of it would never be seen again. The flip side is CMLL really is doing nothing with that old footage, doesn’t see it as something to make money out of, and seems to be even more profit conscious in this post-Paco era. You normally take the money if someone offers to take give it to you for something you have no interest in, and it’s never seemed like CMLL has that much interest in that old footage. The blue sky perfect world result is CMLL gains some interest once they realize being a revenue source for WWE means it could be one of them as well. The mitigating reality to all of this is no one seems sure what footage CMLL has and how far back it goes; it is possible all footage as recent as the mid-00s is actually Televisa property; that sort of fact-finding is probably what the WWE/CMLL conversation was actually about.
My YouTube channel, which may have broken 100,000 subscribers by the time you read this, is so dead if WWE buys that CMLL library. WWE channels have managed to stay up by carefully including only footage WWE hasn’t put on their network yet. I haven’t been that careful because it’s hasn’t been an issue. Anyway, 100K channels are supposed to get a silver trophy. I think my channel may be more liable to be canceled anyway.
ESPN has a video on Cain Velasquez’s TripleMania experience. It’s in Spanish now and will air in English later. It’s really well done, worth your time, and it’s a great promotional device for Sunday’s AAA show. If that English version airs before the show on Sunday and includes a plug for the PPV, AAA’s probably going to pick up a few extra buys.
Dr. Wagner Jr. is in New York today doing press for that show. I was writing a preview of the show last night and it finally occurred to me that, since Impact is co-producing the show, Josh Mathews is probably the other English announcer. He’s worked shows for AAA before when they were working closely with Impact. Matt Striker, who appears to be the other announcer, looks to be working a boxing show in Las Vegas on Saturday and then flying back to New York to work the AAA show. That’s a hard weekend.
Lucha Va Voom is running tonight in Las Vegas. Puma King, Rey Horus, Mariachi Loco and Lil’ Cholo are among those on the show.
“The WWE might want to buy some lucha libraries” is where The Crash not investing in recording their shows costs them. The Garza & Ultimo Ninja footage might be valuable now.
CMLL (TUE) 09/17/2019Arena México
1) Leono & Retro vs Inquisidor & Yago
2) Fantasy, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito
3) Drone, Fuego, Star Jr. vs Cancerbero, Raziel, Virus
4) Black Panther, Blue Panther Jr., Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Misterioso, Sagrado, Tiger
5) Audaz, Soberano Jr., Stuka Jr. vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
6) Volador Jr. vs Cavernario
A weird CMLL Tuesday card in that it looks good and different. Volador/Cavernario should be interesting, even on a b-show. Semi-main looks good. The fourth match has happened so many times that it should be good. Virus gets to actually team with his partners, who get better people to work with. The minis are not working an opener. Yago is actually working an opener, his first appearance on a stream in two months.
Ángel de Oro, Flyer, Niebla Roja beat Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Templario
(12:08 [3:24, 5:40, 3:04], 1/3, ok, VideosOficialesCMLL)
Carístico, Dragón Lee, Hechicero, Stuka Jr., Terrible, Último Guerrero, Valiente beat Dark Magic, Jay Briscoe, Kenny King, Matt Taven, Mecha Wolf 450, Okumura, Oráculoin a cibernetico match
(21:03, good, VideosOficialesCMLL)
7:02 Stuka torpedo splash Okumura
7:57 Valiente tequila sunrise Dark Magic
8:44 Ultimo Guerrero super powerbomb Oraculo
10:07 Matt Taven frogsplash Terrible
11:01 Kenny King kick to the head Stuka Jr.
11:58 Dragon Lee reverse huracanrana
13:58 Jay Briscoe Jay Driller Hechicero
15:36 Mecha Wolf 450 splash Valiente
16:33 Ultimo Guerrero front superplex Jay Briscoe
18:10 Matt Taven Climax Dragon Lee
18:59 Ultimo Guerrero Guerrero Special Mecha Wolf
19:55 Matt Taven frog splash Ultimo Guerrero
21:03 Caristico top rope senton con giro Matt Taven
Soberano returned from the Super J Cup with no trophy but a giant brace on his left shoulder instead. He wrestled much of the match with his left arm tucked in and not operational, which may be a bit of the reason behind the short falls. Soberano’s checked on after a Mistico dive but allowed to continue, then needs medical attention once again following the finishing La Mistica.
Dr. Karonte’s memory is honored with a moment of applause before the match starts. Big Daddy was scheduled to be in this match, wasn’t here, and so Rey Bucanero just happened to get in a shoving match with referee Edgar which led to his ejection to even the sides.
Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja challenged for another tag title match, which the Guerreros accepted.
Thoughts:
Mistico/Soberano was good considering the situation and the limitations of the wrestlers but I’m not sure I’d consider it a good match overall. The first two falls were so nothing and the third fall sort of turned into indie highspots lucha clichés for lack of anything else to do. They got more out of it than they should’ve with Soberano working with one arm, but it came as sort of a lesser mimicry of the good Dragon Lee matches than anything interesting on its own. They were also not capable of weaving the shoulder injury into the story, with it only coming up on by accident on La Mistica. This was still good effort but I’m not sure it’s something to go out of your way to see except for the weirdness with the injury.
Flyer around a coupleof times
I’m watching things wildly out of order since the actual Gran Prix seemed more important in the moment. The review of that won’t pop up until after this, but the grade is about the same as the cibernetico here. This one is only 20 some minutes with a hotter crowd for most of the way. The Arena Mexico version if more relevant, but this is just about as good. Oraculo’s bump off Ultimo Guerrero’s powerbomb was crazy and I’m surprised they didn’t repeat that on Friday; there’s a lot here not repeated later and not just because there are slightly different guys. Matt Taven came off the best of the foreigners and I wonder if he would’ve won if not for Caristico’s father passing away.
The Guerreros had a fun trios match that weirdly died off in the last stretch as if everyone had used their energy up and they could only wander thru the comeback and the tecnicos winning. It seemed more the tecnicos since the rudos were busy jumping around everything into the finish. The tag title match is surely better, you don’t need to go back to see this.
Rey Apocalipsis & Toro Bill Jr. wore matching shirts and did some of their team work, but something still seems off between them. They were better coordinated than their rivals but didn’t appear to be friendly. They’re also slower than they used to be. Perverso doing lariats was amusing but otherwise I have no idea why a rudo/rudo match had to happen.
