CMLL (FRI) 02/21/2020 Arena México [CMLL, ESTO, Lucha Central, Marca, Ovaciones, R de Rudo, The Gladiatores, thecubsfan]
1) Magnus & Retro b Akuma & Espanto Jr. 
12:08. Tecnicos took 1/3.
2) Dalys, Metálica, Reyna Isis b Marcela, Mystique, Sanely
13:49. Rudos took 2/3.
3) Blue Panther Jr. b Vangellys [lightning]
7:09. Half crab.
4) Carístico, Diamante Azul, Titán b Ephesto, Mephisto, Terrible
15:30. Tecnicos took 2/3.
5) Soberano Jr. & Volador Jr. b Blue Panther, Ángel de Oro, Atlantis Jr., Valiente, Stuka Jr., Rey Cometa [battle royal]
2:00
6) Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr. b Blue Panther & Fuerza Guerrera [torneo nacional increible, 8f]
7:26. Panther & Guerrera had problems and fought at the end
7) Ángel de Oro & Sansón b Espíritu Negro & Rey Cometa [torneo nacional increible, 8f]
6:00.
8) Atlantis Jr. & Negro Casas b Cuatrero & Valiente [torneo nacional increible, 8f]
5:00.
9) Cavernario & Volador Jr. b Soberano Jr. & Templario [torneo nacional increible, 8f]
3:52.
10) Ángel de Oro & Sansón b Gran Guerrero & Stuka Jr. [torneo nacional increible, quarterfinal]
5:08.
11) Cavernario & Volador Jr. b Atlantis Jr. & Negro Casas [torneo nacional increible, quarterfinal]
2:39.
12) Cavernario & Volador Jr. b Ángel de Oro & Sansón [torneo nacional increible, semifinal]
7:35.
CMLL promos: rudas, Blue Panther Jr., Barbaro Cavernario & Volador Jr.
Pressroom interviews: Volador & Cavernario, Blue Panther Jr., Dalys.
Last week’s tournament overachieved. This, uh, did not. You can and probably should skip this whole show.
Fuerza & Panther breaking up might have just been away for Fuerza to lose without losing. I don’t think CMLL would do a Fuerza Guerrera/Blue Panther singles match at this point (though an indie promotion definitely would), but it’d be great if they did a trios match with “family members” so someone finally found a way to get Imposible/Fuerza Guerrera NG onto a real CMLL card.
Caristico reunited with footballer Gabriel Pereyra at the show. Back in 2005, when Mistico was first taking off, the then Cruz Azul player went to his first lucha libre show, became a big fan of Mistico, and then put on the mask as part of a goal celebration. People supporting the team starting wearing the mask, and Pereyra got away with it a few times before that one was banned. Caristico has supposed himsince.
This is an AAA Saturday. Their show moved from Guadalajara to nearby Tonala, but the card remains the same. Ticket seemed to be put on late due to the venue issues, so this one might have an iffy turnout. It’s another show loaded with tag matches, with good people in those matches. Nothing is really going anywhere until Rey de Reyes, a month away, but the buildup matches have been fun.
The main event is a Rey de Reyes preview, with Pagano stepping in for Psycho Clown to team with Psycho Circus against Faccion Ingobernables. The rudo trio hasn’t taken a pinfall loss yet and probably won’t take on here either, but Pagano being involved should add to the wild brawl atmosphere. Plus, in a plot that hasn’t been much followed up yet, this version of Ingobernabels formed by all beating up Pagano.
The semi-main is a three-way tag match, teaming Fenix & Pentagon, Daga & Taurus, and Laredo Kid & Puma King. The match should be great. Neither of Daga/Taurus or Laredo Kid/Puma King seem to be challenging for the tag team titles soon, which normally would mean the Lucha Brothers ought to be winning. On the other hand, Laredo Kid is challenging for the main title soon and it might help if he pinned someone, anyone, before then
Jinetes del Aire face Averno, Chessman and Rey Escorpion, a slight preview of the Rey de Reyes trios title match. The LA Park kids get another tag match, facing fellow rudo teams (?) Argenis & Suicide and Parka Negra & Super Fly. Parka Negra & Hijo de LA Park are feuding, but it doesn’t seem a high priority to get that to a match. The segunda is the mixed tag match of the night. Lady Shani is scheduled to return to TV, teaming with Mascarita Sagrada & Nino Hamburgeusa against La Hiedra, Lady Maravilla and Demus. Shani did wrestle last weekend so she should be cleared from her minor medical procedure. Aramis & Draztick Boy against Arez & Latigo opens the show and has a chance of being the best match on it. Three of those guys turn up on a lot of indie shows and I wish we got more of Draztick Boy too.
The show starts at 8 pm and will be on Twitch in both Spanish and English. For reasons I have not determined, the Spanish feed has been buffering often when I play it on my TV so I’ve been watching a lot of the English feed. Both are fine.
Lucha Central has a preview of the show.
As an additional note: Rey de Reyes says 18:00 (6 pm) on the poster, but I’m told it’ll actually be the same 8 pm Saturday start as always this year. AAA is purposefully trying to standardize their start times to make the shows easier to follow.
This is a busy weekend for other shows:
Saturday
- The Crash has Traumas vs Bestia/Mecha Wolf in a cage, plus Bandido & Dragon Lee versus Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal.
- Psycho Clown, Texano Jr., Drago, and Extreme Tiger are in San Jose for Pro Wrestling Revolution.
- Arena Coliseo has a show.
Sunday
- KAOZ runs the first show in Arena Coliseo Monterrey since November (and their first show since the injury which led to La Parka’s death). The main event has Rush vs Rey Wagner vs Rey Escorpion vs Fresero for the KAOZ Heavyweight championship. It’s a show full of title matches where no one pays attention to the titles outside of these shows.
- Arena Naucalpan has Puma King, Relampago, Shun Skywalker against Demonio Infernal, Fuerza Guerrera NG, and Super Nova. IWRG Sunday shows have been pretty consistently streaming.
- Volador Jr. vs Negro Casas headlines Arena Mexico.
- Murder Clown, Aerostar, Faby Apache, Mascarita Sagrada, Demus, and Taya are on a show in Los Angeles.
- Psycho Clown, Texano, Drago, and Xtreme Tiger are in Anaheim.
Dorian Roldan will speak at the Sports Summit Mexico conference on Wednesday morning. He’s on a panel about improving fan experience outside the games. From the description, I think AAA’s part might be about live streaming on Twitch. It also mentions fan festivals for other sports, which sure would be a nice thing to add onto a TripleMania weekend. Roldan is still listed as leading both AAA and Lucha Underground.
AAA put a promo with I guess Fenix challenging Daga to a match to determine who gets to face Kenny Omega next. It doesn’t seem to make any sense, as they don’t have a singles match announced any time soon and Laredo’s the one who got the shot. It feels like AAA taped a whole bunch of promos in Mexico City to use for a few months, plans changed, but they’re airing the promos later. Or maybe plans will change again and this will make sense.
Dr. Wagner is now cutting promos on “influencer” (??) Poncho de Nigris. That may be setting up something for Sunday’s KAOZ show.
Okumura talks about Japanese preparations for the Olympics for some reason.
A story on Aranra del Futuro, who is training at Torreon’s Arena Campeones.
Lineup
CMLL (FRI) 02/28/2020 Arena México
1) Halcón Suriano Jr. & Sonic vs Akuma & Espanto Jr.
2) Soberano Jr. & Titán vs Dulce Gardenia & Fuego and Misterioso & Sagrado and Ephesto & Luciferno and Black Panther & Blue Panther Jr. and Pegasso & Stigma and Hijo del Villano III & Templario and Universo 2000 Jr. & Virus [MEX TAG, battle royal]
3) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, 8f]
4) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, 8f]
5) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, 8f]
6) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, 8f]
7) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, quarterfinal]
8) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, quarterfinal]
9) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? [MEX TAG, semifinal]
10) Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Niebla Roja vs Felino, Negro Casas, Terrible
11) Carístico & Forastero vs Cavernario & Volador Jr. [Torneo Nacional Increible de Parejas, final]
CMLL is running a 2v2 block and a 2v2 final and still could not resist booking one more 2v2 match to open it up. There’s no other promotion like CMLL.
Templario & Hijo del Villano III are listed surprisingly low on the CMLL poster, even granting they split up the tecnico and rudo teams oddly. No one really wanted to see another tag team tournament, but this field is promising: one of Soberano/Titan, Gardenia/Fuego, the Panthers or Villano III/Templario is going to get a chance to have a very important match in three weeks time. It’s still a long shot for, like, Gardenia & Fuego to win but Fuego getting a chance to do something would be a lot of fun. The chalk ending is Soberano & Titan in a big match on 03/13, and no one’s going to have a problem with that. (CMLL could just book the good matches and not the complications to get there – or they could’ve just put the tournament final on the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas card instead of meaningless trios title match – but watching CMLL is making compromises.)
That semi-main might be super quick if the tournament goes long.
