CMLL
CMLL (MON) 11/14/2022 Arena Puebla [El Sol de Puebla]
3) Arkalis, El Suicida, Halcón Suriano Jr. b Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
4) Felino Jr., Okumura, Yota b Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma, Titán
5) Averno, El Mesías, Soberano Jr. b Gran Guerrero, Místico, Último Guerrero [Relevos Increíbles] 
Averno & Mesias fouled Gran & Utlimo Guerrero to set up a tag match
Again, Soberano and Ultimo Guerrero stayed out of the ring when the other one was in. It comes off like they’ve been ordered not to touch.
CMLL (TUE) 11/15/2022 Arena México [CMLL, Estrellas del Ring (CMLL)]
1) Angelito, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito b Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia 
2) Apocalipsis, Inquisidor, Raider b Asturiano, Halcón Suriano Jr., Neón
Panterita del Ring (double booked in GDL) and Suicida were replaced by Asutriano & Neon shortly after card was announced. Neon and Apocalipisis ripped masks.
3) Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma b Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
tecnicos took 2/3.
4) Ángel de Oro © b Hijo del Villano III [MEX LH]
2nd defense
5) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto b Negro Casas, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr.
The bits and pieces of the title match looked good. (VPN/Geoblock/YouTube prevent me from having it to share at the moment; it should be up Wednesday night.) Angel de Oro looked great and I have no problems with Hijo del Villano III. I hope they give him more long match chances like and wait until he’s ready to give him a title.
Neon and Apocalipsis are about the lowest ranked CMLL tecnico and rudo. CMLL’s not running a singles apuesta match with those two men in 2022. A cage match on 12/25 or 01/01 seems likely. Inquisidor took an elbow to the face from Neon during the match.
CMLL (TUE) 11/15/2022 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, De Golpes y Caidas, Fuego en el Ring, Kaiser Sports]
1) Bello Antuan, Cosmos, Logan b Black Boy, Minotauro, Ponzoña Jr.
Logan was hurt on a dive
2) Destello, Destructor, Javier Cruz Jr. b Gran Kenut, Jabalí, Tigre Blanco
3) Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga b Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr.
4) Diamond, Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido b Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono
sets up a Rugido/Halcon Negro title match
5) Panterita del Ring Jr. & Panterita del Ring Jr. b Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. and Blue Panther & Dark Panther and Felino & Felino Jr.
this is one week of a family tournament, Panteritas facing the winner of the 11/23 show on 11/30.
6) Averno, Dulce Gardenia, JKR, Último Guerrero DQ Dark Magic, Okumura, Yota, Zandokan Jr.
a series of fouls ended with Yota getting caught fouling Averno for the DQ.
Yota will get plenty of chances to improve his fouling technique if he’s going to be around for a while. Rugido getting another title match sounds interesting.
CMLL (SUN) 11/20/2022 Arena México
1) Bengala & Leono vs Neón & Retro
2) Oro Jr., Robin, Valiente Jr. vs Cholo, Enfermero Jr., Nitro
3) Diamond, Pegasso, Sangre Imperial vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
4) Blue Panther, Dark Panther, Panterita del Ring vs Kráneo, Pólvora, Rey Bucanero
Magnus originally announced, Polvora replaced him within hours
5) Stuka Jr., Valiente, Volador Jr. vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo I, Sagrado
A show. I like Sagrado and Gemelo Diablos are safely Sunday acts right now.
CMLL (MON) 11/21/2022 Arena Puebla
1) Fénix SO & Meyer vs Dreyko & Sombra Diabólika
2) Asturiano, Neón, Retro vs Apocalipsis, Nitro, Príncipe Odín Jr.
3) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma
4) Okumura, Volador Jr., Yota vs Atlantis Jr., Euforia, Soberano Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
5) Averno & El Mesías vs Gran Guerrero & Último Guerrero
At least they got UG and Soberano out of the same match this time.
Mil Mascaras, Vincent, Valiente & Valiente Jr., and Los Depredadores (Magnus, Rugido, Magia Blanca) will appear on Informa today.
Atlantis Jr. is very excited to prove himself on NJPW Strong. The meta-story is many CMLL watchers believe Altantis Jr. gets chances in CMLL because he’s Atlantis Jr., and any time Atlantis gets to go somewhere else, he gets to prove he’s actually doing it on his own.
Cultaholic talked to Lady Frost (in a podcast) about recent news in her career, including the CMLL Gran Prix. It’s not a lot about CMLL itself; the host is aware something happened in Mexico but has no specific questions to ask. Frost’s rocky situation with Impact is the actual focus. They talk around it early and get to it later without ever getting the full details. Frost got her release from Impact after the Gran Prix and it comes off as if part of that release was an agreement not to say anything directly negative about Impact. Frost does mention that the situation (being stuck in a contract she felt was not paying her what was promised) had her considering retirement, and she sort of took the CMLL gig as one last trip to cross off her career goal list before hanging up her boots. Instead, she had a great time, had good experiences elsewhere, got out of that contract, and is looking forward to wrestling again. It’s rare for CMLL to be credited with reigniting a wrestler’s passion; seems to happen more for foreigners than natives. Frost describes her Mexico stay as almost a blur – a lot of travel, a lot to do – that she really didn’t get to reflect on what happened until she was home. She loved the arenas, loved the fans, was amazed to be quickly recognized on the street Her best story from Mexico is one of her interviews in Mexico about her background was somewhat mistranslated as “Gymnast Assassin”, and she immediately seized on it as a new nickname and t-shirt. Frost again mentioned she’d be back in CMLL in December.
AAA
AAA announced the lineup for the 12/03 show on Tuesday. The recent Acapulco shows have gotten multiple press conferences. This card was unceremoniously posted on social media.
AAA TV (SAT) 12/03/2022 Mullet Arena, Tempe, Arizona
1) Máscarita Sagrada & Willie Mack vs Demus & Látigo
2) Lady Shani & Sexy Star vs Chik Tormenta & Maravilla
3) Dave The Clown, Komander, Mr. Iguana vs Cuatrero, Forastero, Sansón
4) Taurus vs Hijo Del Vikingo vs Daga
5) Blue Demon Jr., Pagano, Pentagón Jr. vs Flip Gordon, Gringo Loco, Sam Adonis
The best and worst thing you can say about this card is it is an authentic AAA experience.
Make a list of the strengths AAA possesses in November 2022. “Hijo del Vikingo, a hot star who has not been seen outside of Mexico” is near the top of that list, if you’re doing any sort of thought on it. AAA knows this, and that’s why this show was promoted around being the first Hijo del Vikingo match in the US. Another great strength AAA has is “plenty of great opponents for Hijo del Vikingo.” No one’s better at wrestling Hijo del Vikigno than Taurus; that was one of the matchups that got Vikingo to the spot he’s in now. There is no better way for AAA to make an impact in the United States using their regular roster than a Taurus versus Hijo del Vikingo main event match. AAA has the actual Hijo del Vikingo and Taurus booked, they could do that match. AAA decided to do something else. AAA isn’t some fan run promotion, there are people there with decades in wrestling, people who’ve been in lucha libre all their life. They got this very easy call to make, a very obvious move to make. It’s not even asking them to add someone else to a show, which isn’t always possible. It’s just to run the best possible match for Vikingo and to run it as the main event. AAA made their list of priorities and instead decided trying to get over old friend Daga was more important. This is Ben Simmons passing up a wide open layup.
There’s no benefit to making Vikingo in a three-way with anyone for this show. There’s should be no point in Vikingo’s long-awaited US debut where he’s standing outside watching two other people fight. There’s also nothing 2022 Daga adds to the match. He’s been out of the spotlight for two years, a name that hasn’t been in demand in the US and hasn’t been in Mexico. I’m not sure AAA fans have thought about him since he gave up the Latin American title in a promo. I hope Daga is great in the match and this is not his fault, but he’s a negative selling point to the match and to the show. I have no objection to using Daga on the card, but there are four other matches to use him in. This is AAA plainly putting an old friend in spot they don’t belong in because that’s more important than putting on than AAA putting on the best possible show. Again, there are smart people running in AAA, they know Taurus/Vikingo is the correct match to make and they’re just choosing to do something else.
(This is at least should be a big deal for Daga. Daga RT-ed the poster once, moved on with his life, enjoyed his BJJ class. Perhaps that’s the healthier choice compared to whatever it is I’m doing here.)
This behavior is why it’s impossible to take forever planned AAA’s US expansion seriously. They’re not taking it seriously themselves. There are so many challenges to a wrestling company running regularly outside of their home country that there’s no guarantee it’ll work even if the company puts forth it’s best effort. AAA’s not committed to their best; they feel like they can succeed just putting forth the vibes of a wrestling company without doing the work, and so they end up with things like the commercial for Tempe just using a TripleMania highlight package with a bunch of people who aren’t on the show. Their shows will do just as well as their partners force them to try. The local Tempe partners are apparently not at the level to make AAA work, and the Los Angeles show will thrive only if Conrad Thompson has the ability to make it happen himself. It’s also why their best chance of success if being the generic lucha libre product for companies like Marvel; those companies have a better chance of convincing AAA to do their best than the idea of selling tickets. I kind of wish I could stop writing about AAA’s plans in US beyond that.
The rest of this card has the same “we don’t really have to try out best” spirit embodied by that Daga decision. The main event is a juiceless trios, expecting fans will show up for the idea of a Mexico versus US feud with no effort put into it or no juice behind it. I hope Flip Gordon is constantly thanking whoever’s booking him on all these AAA shows, because there is no other promotion in the world that’s booking him as a main eventer. Even if AAA is correct in throwing out a random Mexico/USA match as a draw, there are so many people who could’ve been thrown in that spot. Only AAA sees Flip Gordon as a bigger star than their own wrestlers in 2022, like people who stopped paying attention to wrestling four years ago. (Daga would’ve been a better fit there, if you’re using committed to using Daga.) The tercera is just “whatever tecnicos with visas were free that day against NGD. This card was so low effort and changed at the last minute that it lists Chik Tormenta as a member of Las Toxicas. La Hiedra is a member of Las Toxicas and La Hiedra was advertised for this show. Psycho Clown, who AAA freely acknowledges is their biggest star, was also advertised for this show as recently as Monday. Psycho and Hiedra were still listed on the meet and greet after the card was announced. Both were pulled with no explanation or even acknowledgment. I suspect Pentagon was the replacement for Psycho based on the positioning.
No sign of that Taya/Flammer match (or Taya at all.) No resolution to feuds like Villano III & Octagon Jr. that have been going on aimlessly since 2021. Some fans talked themselves into believing there had to be heavy AEW or even Impact involvement and were surprised when that lineup came out. AAA and Conrad Thompson will reportedly try to run their own show in four months in Los Angeles. I wonder how many fans are going to see this lineup and decide AAA is something they’d see if they get a chance but they’re not going to risk a whole day around a show for it to turn out to be a decent but unmemorable USA vs Mexico match. Every show sells the next one, and this one sells the idea that AAA is going to do just the minimum required in the US. They’ll have the minimum results to match.
No mention of if this is a taping or if it’ll stream. The show has Vikingo and Taurus in the ring, so I always want to see that, but I’m not bothered if I miss the rest. I’d definitely go if I was in the Phoenix area, and I feel like anyone who bought plane tickets is wasting their time. I do not expect this lineup itself to move many tickets, but the idea there is an actual lineup (and so the show might be real) and the new round of publicity that comes with announcing a lineup should move a few tickets.
12/16 GCW
I don’t know who Vikingo is facing. If it’s Speedball (which seems like the most popular request) or someone of that quality in a 1v1, it’s a more appealing AAA card than the AAA card.
The local promoter continues to announce names for a 12/17 taping in Domo Madero, most recently NGD. AAA hasn’t announced this show as happening; they usually do about a month out. This also looks like it’s going to be a bigger show than Tempe.
Guadalajara-based Corazon de Lucha says AAA pulled their wrestlers off their 12/18 show, and so they’re canceling the event. The main event was Pentagon & Vikingo vs Rush & Bestia del Ring, with Myzteziz, Komander, Sexy Star and others AAA regulars booked. It’s unclear why AAA pulled their wrestlers, just that this seems to break the relationship. Corazon de Lucha had run four previous shows going back to 2021.
Arena Ciudad de Mexico was closed by the local government, reportedly due to an aggravated robbery on the facility. I’m not sure why one would lead to another; maybe they’re just protecting some evidence for the moment. This would be a really big problem if TripleMania was next week and seems certain to get resolved well before it matters for a lucha libre show.
IWRG
IWRG , RGR (THU) 11/17/2022 Arena Naucalpan
1) Baby Star & Jhon Tito vs Rey Halcón & Súper Boy
2) Aster Boy & Noisy Boy vs Dick Angelo 3G & Legendario
3) Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Mamba vs Bugambilia, Máximo, Pimpinela Escarlata
4) Rey León © vs Hijo De Canis Lupus [RGR MIDDLE]
5) Hijo de LA Park, LA Park, LA Park Jr. vs Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan, Pirata Morgan Jr.
This card is a few weeks old but haven’t thought about it in a while.
Social media shooter Pirata Morgan put out a promo challenging LA Park to a retirement match. That’s not happening but it got picked up a lot anyway, so it was good promotional work for this show by Pirata.
Big Lucha
Lineup for Endgame
Big Lucha (FRI) 12/02/2022 Bandidos Gym, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal
1) Andy Panda Jr., Sussy Love, Viajero vs Elipse, Limbo, Orbita
2) King vs Kong
3) El Potro de Oro vs Skayde
4) Carito vs Máximo
5) Cometa Maya, Éxtasis, Radioactivo vs Forneo, Sol, Torito Negro Jr.
6) El Bandido vs Komander, Gravity, Galeno del Mal, Rey Horus, Flamita, Emperador Azteca, Elemental, Action Jackson, Bendito, Jack Evans, Scarecrow, Vengador, Aaron Steel, Anarko [cage, mask, hair]
Scarecrow, Vengador, Aaron Steel and Anarko are part of Locos Evans, though that doesn’t give us much more info. Vengador popped up on a Big Lucha World last month; he’s not the Queretaro/Memes Vengador. Not a lot of info on this Scarecrow, Aaron Steel or Anarko. It would be a disappointing outcome if any of them lost. That seems to leave Action Jackson or Jack Evans as the possibilities.
Maybe this Potro/Skayde match is actually for the Lupita date? I feel out of the loop on these developments.
Yutani took the pin in the main event this past week and on the Big Lucha World before and mentioned he’s going to Japan and will return in March. It felt like Big Lucha was having Yutani take losses before leaving because that exactly what happened.
Sol officially signed his 1 year Big Lucha contract, the 1st place prize for the INJUVE talent search contest. Sol was probably going to be around Big Lucha for the foreseeable future anyway after how well the Hell Flyers have done.
Mas Lucha did put up the full Jack Evans angle from the start of the Big Lucha show, it just must’ve happened before they started their stream.
Other News
LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.
AEW Dynamite tonight has
- Death Triangle (Fenix, Penta and PAC) vs Top Flight & AR Fox
- Bandido vs Ethan Page in the semifinals of a title shot tournament
Death Triangle appears a trios title defense against the return Elite on Saturday, and tonight’s big question is if the Elite will actually appear on screen before the PPV. Writing that sentence makes me think no, they won’t, they’ll make people pay for it. Ethan Page seems likely to win, and it’s more about if AEW sets up something with Bandido coming out of it.
(Also, writing those paragraphs out makes me realize I have to figure out what I’m doing with AAA on Saturday. I’m scheduled to be at movie theatre while the AAA show is finishing up, so I’m leaning towards just waiting until Sunday for AAA.)
Andrade is out of action due to an unspecific health issue. All we know is he said it was a minor issue. He was supposed to wrestle Dralistico for RGR this weekend and Rey Fenix will replace him
Black Taurus faces PJ Black on Thursday’s Impact show. The winner faces Trey Miguel on Impact’s Over Drive (YouTube/Impact+) show on Friday. There’s also a Laredo Kid versus Rich Swann show on Thursday’s show, obviously taped before his injury.
12/08 Luchando Libre (Tulancingo) has Violento Jack vs Aeroboy in a death match.
12/17 RIOT
Going on one match announced every two weeks right now for RIOT.
An anti-drag bill in the Texas legislature would classify any events with cross performers as adult entertainment, with children banned and a surcharge added. If passed and enforced, it would likely mean the end of exoticos in Texas wrestling. This is only a proposed bill at a period where lots of bills are proposed, and only a very few go anywhere. This appears to be one of many done just for legislatures to tell their most fanatical backers they gave it a try and also circulated by opposition to fuel their anger. Neither side believes it’ll be passed into law.
La Prensa has an interview with Microman.
San Luis Potosi’s Marca Promotion (based at Arena Margarita) announced the passing of Jose Luis Gonzalez Palma. Their description sounds like he was one of the people booking and running the weekly indie group.
Mexicali luchador La Maquina suffered a brain injury and there’s a raffle for his medical benefits.
Hijo del Santo will appear at Arena Lopez Mateos on January 14th. His last appearance at that arena was right before the onset of the pandemic, where he actually lost to Dr. Cerbero in what was supposed to set up a singles match between the two.
Merida based referee Servio Tulio Rosada passed away Monday morning. He was driving late at night and crashed into a tree for unknown reasons. Tulio Rosada worked as a high school teacher in his day job and seemed to be well-known as a referee; I don’t normally see mentions of referees passing away. (Another here.)