Fuerza Guerrera & Atlantis talk possible mask match, recent firings and shut downs

There are no major shows this weekend. There are a few local shows and KAOZ will continue running Sunday night PPVs, but it’s generally another quiet weekend. Perhaps this is this weekend will +LuchaTV will be taping Torneo Mas Suprema, since they don’t seem to have commitments elsewhere.

Since we’re on it, here’s +Lucha’s Torneo Mas Suprema so far.

  1. Reina Dorada
  2. Diosa Quetzal
  3. Baby Love
  4. Ayako Hamada
  5. Ludark Shaitan
  6. Dulce Sexy

A women’s tournament should be very successful in garnering interest, more so in garnering donations. It does not seem like a good tournament in terms of having exciting matches or useful endings. I like some of the people in this – both Baby Love & Ayako Hamada did well on the KAOZ shows I watched. Dulce Sexy was just the tipping point of this not being something I’m going to be interested in. Still, it’s going to be profitable; I’ve got no doubt it’ll make and get more views and more money than the men’s version.

The weekly Mexico health traffic update takes place at 6 pm tonight.  As much as I struggled with some of the recent Friday night shows, I preferred that streaming option over my current one. The general trend seems for more states to be switched from red (essential work only) to orange (some things open), and it’ll probably keep going that way. I have no idea if that matches the real conditions or is a good idea. It seems unlikely Mexico City and Mexico State will be out of the red this week. Generally, it seems like most states would prefer no empty arena wrestling shows until they reach a yellow color, though we’ll likely start seeing them in orange states.

Lucha Time did run last night, with a half-hour show streamed on Facebook. I presumed it wasn’t going to be matches until they got onto TV Azteca Norte, but they had matches that may be building to big matches on that first show. I may check this is out this weekend.

Atlantis, Fuerza Guerrera, and Okumura took part in CMLL’s virtual press conferences on Wednesday. Fuerza Guerrera says his plan is to retire at the 2021 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas. That’s phrased as a chance, but it seems like the plan Fuerza had announced last year. Guerrera would like to have a final mask match with Atlantis or Hijo del Santo. For his part, Atlantis would be open to a mask match against Fuerza Guerrera or Hijo del Santo. If Atlantis & Fuerza are serious and CMLL can get a finish, then CMLL should absolutely run Guerrera/Atlantis when they can put full attendance in Arena Mexico. The match probably wouldn’t be good but it hardly matters. Everyone would make money off that match. It is fair to be skeptical of Fuerza Guerrera’s actual willingness to do a mask match given his history though. Both Fuerza Guerrera & Atlantis alluded to a mask match between them scheduled to happen around 1990, but it was canceled due to Fuerza Guerrera injury.

Long time fans who be disappointed by the lack of an Octagon/Fuerza Guerrera mask match, a few that’s also been three decades old. There doesn’t seem like any chance of that one happening without a sudden and highly unlikely reconciliation between AAA & Octagon. CMLL benefits more from having an Atlantis/Fuerza match. The chances of any independent promoter meeting the price Octagon & Fuerza would want for a mask match in the current climate seem incredibly unlikely. Fuerza Guerrera not mentioning Octagon as a possibility suggests he’s moved on.

Fuerza Guerrera mentioned a fear his name would be forgotten after he retires. Juventud Guerrera has his own career and Fuerza’s comments suggest he doesn’t think much of what his daughter (Fuerza Guerrera) or his other son (Fuerza Guerrera Jr.) have done in wrestling; he sees Fuerza Guerrera NG (Imposible) as the guy who will carry on his name. Fuerza says he’s in talks about both himself and Fuerza Guerrera NG wrestling in CMLL. Fuerza feels the only knock against Atlantis is he’s only been in CMLL and hasn’t tested himself in other promotions, but it doesn’t take away from his career. Fuerza feels Atlantis will be recovered from his injury and eventually retire in dignity.

Atlantis said he’s ready to return, feels 100% and will be as fans remembered him. He feels his son is ready for an apuesta match, since he was in one himself eighteen months after he started. Atlantis has no interest in a rematch against Ultimo Guerrero or any other hair match.

Okumura said he was told by Mexican doctors that he would need to retire, and it was only Japanese specialists who got him back in the ring. He still does not have much mobility in his neck. Okumura hopeful FantasticaMania will continue as normal next year. It is hard to believe Japan will allow entry of wrestlers from Mexico unless the COVID situation in Mexico drastically changes between now and January. They’ll probably need to make that decision months ahead of time.

Tessa Blanchard, the then-current Impact Wrestling champion, was fired late Thursday night. Impact stripped Blanchard of the title, though she still has physical possession of the belt and is not giving it back. There seems to be a mess of things going on here – Tessa may have concerns about COVID, but she was also not sending in video promos, her contract was up at the end of the month anyway – but that’s for some other site to sort through. The lucha libre relation is it leaves Daga in an odd spot, signed to the promotion which just fired his fiance. Tessa’s US options seem few. Her brief WWE experience reportedly left that promotion with negative feelings towards her; there’s a pattern there. Allegations of past racist behavior by Tessa were denied, but make her unhireable by AEW. AAA, and Mexican wrestling entirely, has never seemed to care about such things. Tessa will get work in AAA and affiliated groups if she’s interested in it. I’m sure there are Mexican promotions would be thrilled with the idea of Tessa still defending the Impact built there, if they can get away with it without a lawsuit.

Another wrestler with recent Mexico ties is done. Michael Elgin is done with Impact too. It’s unclear which of the many accusations (sexual misbehavior, a backstage fight) is the primary reason he’s gone; it may just be all of them. The statement dances around the situation: Elgin is technically not fired, Impact has decided to keep him home until his contract ends. Elgin acknowledged the situation on Twitter. I’d assume CMLL will be interested in Elgin, though I’m guessing his previous appearances were paid in part by NJPW and CMLL seems unwilling to pay market price for foreign wrestlers.

Ring of Honor announced “an investigation of claims into the claims made against its currently contracted wrestlers.” While this is presumed to be about creative lead Marty Scurll – who’s attempted two different apologies for having sex with a much younger woman who’s age at the time and willingness to participate are of dispute – no one is actually named. There is no timeline of when the investigation may conclude. ROH previously told the Wrestling Observer Newsletter they were hopeful of taping empty-arena shows in July, though a more recent report suggests that’s off due to rising COVID counts.

There have been so many accusations and stories related to them that I nearly forgot to include CHIKARA in here. The US lucha libre themed promotion is closed following allegations of sexual misconduct by owner Mike Quackenbush and other training school staff. Quackenbush issued a statement about shutting down the promotion and resigning from the (functionally no longer existent) school while saying he’d address the allegations at a future time. CHIKARA brought in many Mexican wrestlers and included Skyade among their trainers for a time. There have been rumors about issues with Quackenbush and sexual misconduct since the promotion shutdown as part of a storyline in 2013, though never with the volume and the detail until this past week. Some of the CHIKARA allegations involve trainers using their positions of power to get close to female trainees. I believe many women in Mexico could tell similar stories from their lucha libre training, especially including in the biggest promotions in Mexico, but lack the safe space to share them and don’t believe any action would take place.

Fuego del Sol & Low Rider face the Butcher & the Blade on next Tuesday’s AEW Dark. Those guys were got an in to AEW through their connection to Sammy Guevara and do not appear to be punished for his actions so far. Someone in AEW put together they Fuego & Low Rider are tag team partners and so should probably be both tecnicos or both rudos; Low Rider was spotted moved to the tecnico side on Wednesday.

Indy Army Wrestling will have a YouTube show on 07/16:

Box Y Lucha posted interviews with Oriental and Cibernetico and looks back at Super Astro losing his mask.

Dark Angel mentioned in a reply that she never retired. I feel like I was at a wrestling show where she got some crystal and some flowers but perhaps it was all a dream. She’d get plenty of work in Mexico and elsewhere if she truly wanted to wrestle again, but maybe don’t read too much into a reply.

AAA will donate items to an auction for COVID charities as part of a larger group of sports organizations. AAA hasn’t announced any items. The auction will run from July 6 to 19th.

El Universal has a story on La Lucha del Rey, a twenty-minute documentary about the hard financial reality of luchadors by following around one of them, Rey Justicia. The filmmaker seemed to not know how little (or not all) some wrestlers are paid before starting into this project and wanted to make that point to a larger audience. There’s a mention of talking to someone at Arena Mexico to find out how much people are paid there, which sounds fascinating. The documentary would be going around film festivals, only that’s not a thing right now. La Lucha del Rey will be available on Sunday (and Sunday only) as part of a virtual The American Film Festival of New York. There is no cost to register, but the tickets are said to be limited only to those in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. (I signed up anyway.)

The “Nueva Normalidad” show scheduled for Sunday has been postponed. No location was ever announced for the empty arena show. The promotion is based in Tizayuca, Hidalgo, but have decided to abide by the Mexico State rules against empty arena shows.

Lucha Libre in Saltillo is expected to be open for empty arena shows in September.

+LuchaTV’s Jose Manuel Guillen was interviewed on Television Tabasquena’s Momentos Deportivos Facebook show yesterday, talking about lucha libre during COVID.

MicromanFever translates Cibernetico talking about two run-ins with organized crime. I remembered the Juarez van story; Texano Jr. talked about it at the time.

LuchaWorld is back up, so you can go back and read the Herodes obituary now.

La Neta Noticias has a “Do You Remember Martha Villalobos?” article, though it’s more a collection of older post-wrestling stories than catching up with her now.

Chiapas Capital Lucha Libre is celebrating five years of wrestling with a photo book.

Zocalo writes about Jerry Estrada’s new Facebook interview show.

Primera Hora has a piece on Martin Kardagian and Titanes en el Ring. I’m not sure if there’s anything new here but the caption under the photo still made me laugh.

El Sol de Toluca has a long feature on local luchador of Dragon de Fuego, struggling with no work. He says wrestlers at his level get paid about 400 pesos per show. That’s $17.50 USD now, though it was more than that back when wrestling when was still going.

Reynosa luchador Asterisco Jr. would be out of action even if there wasn’t a pandemic. He suffered an injury on a dive in a February match with Myzteziz Jr., but felt he needed to finish the match. Myzteziz put him in a tapatia and Asterisco Jr. felt his knees go out. (Myzteziz uses a tapatia?) Asterisco Jr. tore ligaments in both knees. The doctor offered him surgery or rest, and Asterstico Jr. decided that rest was a better option. It turned it to be correct since there’s not much to do now. He says he’s 75% back.

A profile of Zacatecas luchador Menny Sanchez.