CMLL (FRI) 09/11/2020 Arena México [CMLL, Lucha Central, Marca, Ovaciones, R de Rudo, thecubsfan]
1) El Coyote b Oro Jr.
13:44. Coyote took 2/3.
2) La Jarochita b Reina Isis
17:15. Jarochita 1/3.
3) Espíritu Negro & Rey Cometa b Cancerbero & Raziel
16:51. AtrapaSuenos took 2/3.
4) Soberano Jr. & Titán b Templario & Tiger
25:42 (last fall 14:21). Tecnicos took 2/3
5) Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Sansón b El Bandido, Flyer, Volador Jr.
13:45. Rudos took 2/3. Gran Guerrero used the ropes to beat Volador, setting up a singles match next week.
The fourth match may have been the best. There was a lot of effort and Titan came up with some new ideas, though it may have been stronger with a crowd. The main event was the weakest match easily. Everything beyond the Bandido/Euforia sequences showed no effort. Flyer looked like he didn’t belong in a ring. Volador and Gran Guerrero are not trying to an embarrassing degree. The singles match between them next week is unappealing. The bigger problem is it’s hard to be excited for this Volador to face Bandido in two weeks if this is the Volador we’re getting now.
Coyote/Oro Jr. had a good third fall. Jarochita & Reina Isis continue to show that the younger CMLL women will try to make something happen if put against each other. Cancerbero & Raziel didn’t step it up much, though Cometa & Negro showed a few more teamwork spots. The semi-main got a lot of time and I can hardly remember anything Tiger did in it. Titan & Templario had a long final back and forth to finish that.
La Jarochita took a header on a tope in the third fall, looked shook up, but was allowed to continue after a ten-second consult by the doctor. Cancerbero seemed to get drilled head first into the sideboard in the tercera, but was up like nothing happened.
The seemingly inevitable PPV failure took place on this show. There were stream issues from just after the second match concluded until the last fall of the fourth match. The video and audio were out of sync, with both distorted at times. The stream also stopped, seemingly an attempt to restart it. CMLL replaced the two affected matches after the show, though not without the stream going out another time during the replay. It appeared the stream was set to automatically end after three and a half hours; they got it back going again quickly if you refreshed. It is frustrated this happened but better it happened in week two rather than the Aniversario. Maybe CMLL and Ticketmaster will learn from it, and at least the viewer now has the expectation that any compromised match will just be replayed later. It may be a very long night on September 25th but you will get to see everything.
additional CMLL empty arena shows
CMLL is taping and airing new matches for their TV shows, though those shows seem to be as scarcely advertised. I believe they started airing last weekend, though only a new match on the AMX show (old TV Mex) show was mentioned by the promotion. Friday’s AMX show aired three matches, including Blue Panther (Senior & Junior) defeating Luciferno & Polvora. MVS TV on Saturday showed three matches of their own, with a Black Panther & Dulce Gardenia over Okumura & Akuma main event. Televisa was the one channel I was not able to record, but someone watching the show mentioned three matches on the show (and seemed to indicate there was an additional opening match.) Only Televisa seemed to be getting a match program: there was an allusion to Flyer & Atlantis vs Tiger & Hijo del Villano III last weekend too. The rudos won this week, so they’re probably headed to a tag title match next week. Maybe CMLL will mention it? These shows total up to ten additional matches taped a week in addition to the five airing weekly on PPV.
Since I started writing this, CMLL revealed they’ll be putting up last week’s Televisa episode on YouTube Sunday, so we’ll at least get to see those matches.
CMLL had shows on Teleformula (Sunday) and MegaCable (Monday) before the pandemic. Those channels currently aren’t mentioned on the CMLL website and I’m not sure if they’re still airing. It’s always been believed CMLL makes only a small money on these TV deals, especially the non-Televisa ones. It must still be something. CMLL wouldn’t bother to tape new matches if they weren’t profitable endeavors
I’m using the air dates for these shows as tape dates, as I’ve tended to do for most mysterious streaming content during this pandemic. Those dates aren’t correct, these shows aren’t live. I think it could be possible to deeply research social media to see which wrestlers are posting pre/post-match Instagram photos and track ringside clothing changes to figure out when things were taped, but it doesn’t seem like a great use of my time.
A pattern:
- PPV’s women’s match was La Jarochita vs Reina Isis
- AMX’s women’s match was La Jarochita vs Reina Isis
- Televisa’s women’s match was La Jarochita & Princesa Sugehit vs Tiffany & La Infernal
- MVS’s women’s match was La Jarochita & Princesa Sugehit vs Tiffany & La Infernal
All those are different matches; some of the gear changes even if the matches do not. The repetitiveness of these matches is a discussion is a thing in itself, but La Jarochita wrestling so many times sticks out. Sugehit is wrestling and Marcela was on PPV last week. Are all the tecnicas unavailable? It’s strange Lluvia is leading a poll to get a title shot but hasn’t wrestled as far as I can tell. (Though she may not be leading for long; Reina Isis has suddenly made up a lot of ground.)
Additional Notes
Former AAA luchador Taboo (Bardo Escoboza, 49) passed away Friday in Queretaro. Mas Lucha reports the cause of death as pulmonary thrombosis – clotting in his lungs – originally suffered a week earlier. Taboo’s time as an AAA television performer was relatively brief. Cibernetico and La Parka were (again) feuding, with Cibernetico using video of Parka’s family and kidnapped Parka’s son with the help of the new masked ally. La Parka’s legitimate brother, Taboo, was introduced as the masked man. Taboo became part of Cibernetico’s Bizarros group, then faded out once as that concept did the same. Taboo won the IWRG IC Heavyweight Championship in 2011. He may have used the name Karis la Momia afterward, but he didn’t seem to wrestle much outside of 2010-2012.
No big positive changes on the biweekly Mexico health map; some states rolled back from Yellow to Orange. The colors are easier to understand version of an underlying point system. A state has to get to 15 to get to Yellow. Mexico City was in the mid-20s, so nowhere close. Mexico State was at 16, so they’re almost there. The next update is scheduled for 09/25.
You may have forgotten the Stronghearts showed up in AAA card earlier this year. Apparently they’re still coming for Big Mami and Nino Hamburguesa.
Mr. Condor says he’s taking a break from wrestling until after the coronavirus goes away. (Furia de Titanes noticed this post first.)
Arena Puebla’s Manuel Robles says La Fiera is the best wrestler from Puebla ever. He also names Egipico, Loco Max, Stigma, Centella de Oro, and Lestat; the big factor here are people who wrestled as locals in Arena Puebla who made it to Arena Mexico even briefly. He says CMLL has told him it’s not worth the cost to do TicketMaster Live-like empty shows in Puebla or Guadalajara, so they’re sidelined until they can open to fans.
Lucha Libre Vanguardia is happening on 09/19, airing as a PPV on 09/27
- Draztick Boy vs Oriental vs Arez vs Falcon Fire for the Black Mask Lucha Libre Cruiserweight Championship
- Gasparin & Simbolo Azteca vs Drolux & Moria for the Black Mask Lucha Libre Tag Team Championship
- Dayami & Alfa Jr. vs Zuzu Divine, Misionero
- Latigo (c) vs Crazy King vs Lobo Blanco Jr. for the Vanguardia 4×4 Championship – new
I guess Fly Star couldn’t make the show so they moved the title over? And they didn’t know that until after the last show happened? I’m not sure. Mas Lucha briefly uploaded and then removed a video with Ciclope & Santy Hernandez teasing an explosion match, so maybe look for that next week. Not much more time before this show.
Chinampaluchas luchadors were handing out masks or threatening holds in the Zocalo. The photo with the article shows them handing one to a traffic officer, which might suggest how seriously people in charge are taking all of this.
For me a much better show than last week. I recorded it and therefore thought the technical issues were my end so wasn’t overly disappointed – but can understand that its not good enough when you’re paying especially a reputable provider like Ticketmaster.
I enjoyed the opener – not sure if it would have been better as a one fall match (wasn’t there talk that there would be one fall matches in this period?). CMLL really needs some younger rudos and maybe Coyote is an option – but hard to tell unless he’s given a chance against a higher class opponent.
I really enjoyed tag, surely Tiger’s best match and I can only remember him doing a super kick and codebreaker!
Main event didn’t work last week, so why would it this week. Volador was talking through spots this week and it looked like he was laughing during some sequences this week. Poor Flyer – he really is one of a kind! Euforia and Bandido were brilliant – what I’d give to see them have a singles match.
Disappointing though we are now seeing more free matches pop up, not watched any yet – but the card has Caristico, Mistico and Negro Casas – easily the sort of star power you would expect on the ppv.