CMLL
CMLL (MON) 12/05/2022 Arena Puebla [El Sol de Puebla, Excelsior, Heraldo de Pueblo, Porra Fresa]
1) Espíritu Maligno & Sombra Diabólika b Dark Soul & Dreyko
2) Alex Gracia, Ivelisse, Lady Frost, Princesa Sugehit b Avispa Dorada, Dalys, Lluvia, Stephanie Vaquer 
Vaquer pinned Sugehit to set up a title match, though apparently, a lightning match might happen first
3) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa © b Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma [MEX TRIOS]
fourth defense, 3rd time Fuerza Poblana challenging
4) Hijo de Octagón, Místico, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. b Kenny King, Lince Dorado, Matt Taven, Rocky Romero
Volador & Octagon rep
5) Gran Guerrero © b Euforia [CMLL HEAVY]
first defense
The loaded lineup helped put a lot more people in the building than usual. More so in the upper area than the ringside seats, which suggest the lower ticket prices for kids in those section may have had a role to it as well. Two title matches and foreigners also got the show much more coverage than usual.
Porra Fresa, which used to have a blogger page to post about Arena Puebla shows, has been writing on their personal Facebook page about these shows of late. That’s the only way I’m getting a result for the opener.
The state of Puebla government published documents on Monday indicating a they plan to build a new “Arena Puebla” in the town of San Andres Cholula, about 20 minutes to the west of the city of Puebla. MTP Noticias noted the filing and concluded this was a new lucha libre arena. There’s nothing in the note that specifically says it’s a lucha libre arena; it could be some Puebla equivalent of Arena Ciudad de Mexico. There probably will be more details about it to come this month. The planning stage is listed as lasting through September, so this is a long way off from behind build and we’ll find out what it longer before.
CMLL (TUE) 12/06/2022 Arena México [CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Kaiser Sports, Marca, The Gladiatores]
1) Acero, Aéreo, Último Dragóncito b Minos, Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia 
Ultimo Dragon and Pequeno Violencia replaced Pequeno Magia and Pierrothito on Monday
2) Leono, Milenium (Puebla), Sangre Imperial DQ Cholo, Inquisidor, Príncipe Odín Jr.
Sangre Imperial replaced Valiente Jr. (positive COVID test) on Monday. Inquisidor unmasked Milenium for the DQ and to tease another mask match. Tecnicos took 2/3.
3) La Guerrera, La Magnifica, La Vaquerita b Amapola, Metálica, Tiffany
Tecnicas took 1/3.
4) Sagrado © b Star Black [MEX HEAVY]
first defense
5) Negro Casas, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. b Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Yota
Volador Jr. replaced Soberano Jr. on Monday. Tecnicos took 1/3.
Minos got caught in the ropes on a tope and went down hard. He seemed to turn over enough to avoid a head injury. I have not seen much more of this show beyond those clips; it was still downloading on my slow VPN last I cehcked.
Millenium may be getting Asturiano’s spot in the cage, and now we know for sure it’s a cage match. CMLL Informa announced they’ll talk about Sin Salida on Informa, officially announcing the long expected cage match for 01/01. For whatever reason, New Year’s Day is the day CMLL does the prelim apuesta match historically and Christmas Day is something else. CMLL says “details” but not “all the details” so there’s wiggle room not to announce the full card yet. It’d be nice to get an answer to ‘will people outside of Mexico get to see this live?’ question but I don’t expect that answer.
This year was the year where it occurred to me “why do they call in Sin Salida if most of the match is people escaping?? Hay mucha salida.”
CMLL (TUE) 12/06/2022 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, Fuego en el Ring]
1) Jabalí, Mr. Trueno, Rey Trueno ?? Exterminador, Maléfico, Thunder Boy
match left off the stream, no result recorded
2) Black Boy, Persa, Temerario b Estrella de Jalisco I, Estrella de Jalisco II, Obelisk 
3) Bestia Negra, Dark Magic, Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II b Draego, JKR, Optimus, Trono
JKR & Dark Magic added to the match, Draego replaced Halcon Negro Jr.
4) Adrenalina, El Divino, Explosivo, Fantástico b Barboza, Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr.
5) Magia Blanca © b Ángel Rebelde [MEX WELTER]
6) Stephanie Vaquer b Alex Gracia, Avispa Dorada, Ivelisse, Lady Frost, Lluvia, Maligna, Valkiria
billed as an atomicos, but effectively an eight way elimination match. Vaquer beat Gracia to win.
7) Rocky Romero b Kenny King, Lince Dorado, Matt Taven, Difunto, Dulce Gardenia, Último Guerrero, Zandokan Jr.
Zandokan replaced Averno over the weekend. Billed as an atomicos, but effectively an eight way elimination match. Romero beat Ultimo Guerrero to win.
The wrestlers knew what the match rules were, the people who advertised the show knew what the match rules were, it’s just those were two different rules. They stood in corners as if it was a four way tag match, but then everyone just hung out at whatever corner they ended up in when they tagged out. That’s kind of the way the fourway tag matches have been working in Guadalajara of late, but it didn’t seem like there were actual partners. I hope it’s more clear on Friday. Matches still seemed like they were fine. Rebelde/Blanca was said to be good until the finish.
BUSHI & Titan defeated Tiger Mask & Robbie Eagles in the Super Junior Tag League on Wednesday. They’re now 6-2, as are 4 other teams. LIJ have to win on Friday (over Lio Rush & YOH) and need to have one of two other matches to finish in their favor.
CMLL did acknowledge Mistico is wrestling in Los Angeles on NJPW Strong on Sunday but did not mention NJPW Misterioso as his opponent.
Informa today has all the expected United States visitors, some of the Mexicans involved, and a Gran Guerrero to discuss being an alleged poor friend.
CMLL (SAT) 12/10/2022 Arena Coliseo
1) Angelito, Fantasy, Último Dragóncito vs Full Metal, Mercurio, Pierrothito
2) Bengala, Oro Jr., Retro vs Difunto, Nitro, Zandokan Jr.
3) Alex Gracia, Avispa Dorada, Marcela vs Hera, La Seductora, Reyna Isis
4) Magnus, Pólvora, Rugido vs El Coyote, Felino, Rey Bucanero
5) Ángel de Oro, Lince Dorado, Niebla Roja vs Euforia, Kenny King, Yota [Relevos Increíbles]
This is more notable for who’s checking out early (Romero, Taven, Ivelisse, Frost) than anything particularly happening on this card. Everyone in match 2 is headed to the cage.
AAA
WrestlingInc reports AAA and Cain Velasquez have agreed to a deal for “about five more shows”, with an option for more. Dorian Roldan, in an interview with Record, says AAA would like to hire Velasquez to be a key player in their US shows, but future dates have not yet been confirmed. It’s possible there’s a deal agreed to in principle but it hasn’t been technically signed yet so both stories are accurate. Roldan, with Record, confirmed Velasquez’s manager reached out to AAA originally to talk about Velasquez working the Tempe show.
Velasquez’s impact figures to lessen the more times he appears, but AAA likes him a lot and he is a bigger US star than pretty much anyone else they have. That number hints at AAA having plans for about five more shows in the US in the next year or so; the possible WrestleMania weekend show is the only one known to be in the planning stages. Maybe this is a positive sign for a Tempe return. I am assuming Velasquez can not leave the country until his attempted murder charges get resolved, and AAA is assuming Velasquez’s attempted murder charges play out where he remains available for their future dates. This whole situation is strange so those may not be safe assumptions, but the nature of the agreement is Velasquez is likely only getting paid if he can make the shows.
AAA and Panam announced Psycho Clown, Pentagon Jr., and La Parka sneakers on Tuesday. They’ll be a limited quantity, sold in Panam stores in Mexico and online. It doesn’t appear they’ll be sold outside of Mexico. Reception seemed mostly positive to the designs. Panam’s commercial promoting the sneakers includes Psycho Clown and Karis La Momia Jr. as La Parka.
Mas Lucha talked to Dorian Roldan about the collaboration and a lot of other recent news. He said it was important to AAA, as a Mexican company, to partner with other Mexicans companies like Panam and jersey manufacturer Charly. Roldan was asked about the Tempe event; he was happy with the show. He put the attendance as “over 3,000”, saying it was bigger than any wrestling promotion without TV did in the US this year. He says the crowd was into the show from the first match all the way through. Hijo del Vikingo was said not to be 100% yet from his arm injury, but still did well for his first match in the US. Komander got cited as doing well.
AAA wants to go to the US in 2023 and Dorian Roldan wants those shows to feel like the shows they do at the Showcenter and similar locations in Mexico in terms of production, not smaller than that. (AAA is selling an experience maybe more than they’re selling the actual matches themselves, so they’re not going to run a smaller show if it compromises on that experience.) AAA has thought about running in Los Angeles for WrestleMania week since meeting with various podcasters at Ric Flair’s Last Match, nothing is set right now, but Roldan says to expect some good news on that coming soon. Roldan said, in addition, they’re talking with a touring company in the US about possibilities for a project in the summer. They’re also talking to a TV network that would be a “no-brainer”, but noted these things have to get farther down the road before they’re official. Roldan revealed his two favorite bands are the Smashing Pumpkins and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, so he was thrilled to work with Billy Corgan on the Pumpkins/NWA/AAA “The World is a Vampire” festival in Mexico City. Roldan liked the spirit of mixing wrestling into a music festival setting, and both NWA & AAA hope the festival into something that can be taken into other countries.
Dorian Roldan says the three TripleMania idea was very successful and “I don’t see why we wouldn’t do something very similar [in 2023.]” This December Acapulco show is also meant to be a yearly event, which means a lot of tentpole shows on the card. Jose Manuel Guillen asked about the possible return of events like “Guerra de Titanes” and “Heroes Inmortales” and Roldan says they have and they will continue to meet with various local promoters to see their appetite for running those shows. (The local promoters are more responsible for that tier of event, while AAA is their own local promoter for the TripleMania shows.) Roldan’s gotten feedback that those promoters are interested, and it’s just about trying to find space in a busy 2023 calendar.
Penta now has “Pentagon Jr.” sneakers with Panam in Mexico and “Penta el Zero M” with Diadora/Champs in the US. I don’t think you can get one from the other country without someone helping you out; they’re only in competition for the collectors who have to get everything.
I’m catching up to this story midstream: the mayor of Guadalajara defended paid Vampiro 290,000 pesos to train police. Mayor Pablo Lemus explained he’d previously worked with Vampiro in Zapopan, where he helped reduce gang presence in popular areas, and would work with Guadalajara police on crime prevention programs in various neighborhoods. It looks like the money was previously reported as Vampiro training 100 police officers in self-defense, which is a fair bit different. For obvious reasons, there are people in Guadalajara who are skeptical of giving that much money to a luchador to train police officers.
The 49ers have a brief video on George Kittle meeting Penta from a couple of Monday ago.
IWRG
IWRG (FRI) 12/16/2022 Arena Naucalpan
***60th Anniversary show***
1) 1 vs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 [Copa IWRG]
all surprise names
2) ? vs ?? [IWRG IC WOMEN, final]
3) Aramis, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly vs Abismo Negro Jr., Baby Xtreme, Hell Boy
4) Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. © vs ?, Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura [EdM Trios]
8th defense
5) Hijo De Canis Lupus & Rey León © vs Galeno del Mal & Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. [IWRG IC TAG]
first defense
6) Blue Demon Jr., Heavy Metal, Tinieblas Jr. vs Dr. Wagner Jr., Fuerza Guerrera, Pirata Morgan
7) Tonalli vs Puma de Oro vs Aster Boy [mask]
They’re pushing it as three wrestlers who all came out of IWRG’s Tryout main eventing their biggest show. Tonalli is the one most teased to lose the main event, but there are fake outs and fake fake outs. Tonalli’s talked about this being the last match for him in IWRG, which prompted Mas Lucha’s Jorge Livan to jokingly speculate he must be taking Atlantis Jr.’s spot with Los Guerreros.
This is a Friday show, unusually so. “IWRG” has only been around since 1996. Adolfo Moreno started promoting shows in 1962 and this is the continuation of that; some initials to describe it just weren’t necessary for the first half of the promotion’s existence. As you might expect, this is a 60th-anniversary show that will be a Mas Lucha subscriber-only show, of course.
The funniest outcome on this show would be the IWRG tag team titles returning to Naucalpan, only for the Wagners to win them immediately and not get around to defending them for three years. Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. is still GHC (NOAH) National Champion and is definitely not losing here.
La Pandemia winning via foul was supposed to be the excuse to come back with the title match anyway, though that feels like a weak setup. Not that really matters; this will be a packed house regardless of how the fourth-biggest match was built.
Baby Xtreme was in IWRG back in July 2021, showed up at a Negocio Traumado press conference to declare he quit IWRG and was going to team with the other guys who quit IWRG, then never teamed with Neogocio Traumado and just went back to Monterrey. I do no understand what happened there but it didn’t seem to work well for Baby Xtreme, and he’s making his return to IWRG on this show.
The two IWRG women’s semifinals will take place this Sunday: Diosa Quetzal vs Sagitarius and Keyra vs Lolita. I’d put my money on Quetzal if I was forced to wager money on IWRG women’s championship matches.
Alejandro Alvarez was billed as the IWRG director of programming at the press conference. I think the Morenos are still involved in that part of the business.
No Thursday IWRG show, so there should be a new episode of IWRG Retro.
Big Lucha
Big Lucha , GALLI (SUN) 01/22/2023 Walther Christian Academy, Melrose Park, Illinois
1) Missa Kate vs Sussy Love
2) Torero & Viajero (Indie) vs El Potro de Oro & Sobrino Azteca
3) Dreamerbreaker vs El Bandolero, Skayde [GALLI DISCOVERY]
4) Bendito & Elemental vs Gravity (Indie) & Komander (Indie) and Joey Marx & Mason Conrad
5) Bandido (Indie), Galeno del Mal, Rey Horus vs Action Jackson, Emperador Azteca, Flamita and Axel Rico, Chuko, J. Manny [Copa Beginning]
When you’re bringing Viajero to Chicago, Big Lucha is really bringing anything. I was expecting Bandido and maybe a few other guys, but it’s a really a Big Lucha card in GALLI.
Other News
LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.
A ROH media call is ongoing as I finish this up. It reads like ROH will announce some sort of TV deal on their Final Battle show this Saturday, and there may be less mixing between AEW and ROH going forward. It’s worth watching as far as which AEW wrestlers (Rush, Bandido?) are suddenly revealed to be ROH-focused, and if this means people hanging around the edges like Dragon Lee will pick up a contract. No Mexican wrestlers have been announced for the ROH PPV as of yet, but the full lineup isn’t out yet.
PWG announced Latigo for the 2023 Battle of Los Angeles on Tuesday. That’s pretty much the biggest match of his life so far. They didn’t announce on Monday, so #16 now seems scheduled for Friday.
DTU (THU) 12/15/2022 Arena Aficion
1) Black Miner, Maddy La Hija De Barrio, Rencadio vs Shao, Struendo, Werito Power
2) Magia vs Raúl Vidal Jr. (Veracruz), Samuray Azteca, Rey Eclipse (Estado De México), Ryu (Puebla), Discipulso 13
3) Adrian Alanis, Lima Gray, Shocko vs Camuflaje, Kaleth, Soberbia
4) Mamba vs Exótico
5) Lunatik Extreme, Ovett Jr., Súper Boy vs Demon Boy, Disturbio (Tamaulipas), Hard Boy
6) Arez vs Lokillo
7) Aero Panther & Fight Panther Jr. © vs Sb Kento & Takuma and Kastigador & Vengador [DTU TAG]
8) Aero Boy & Violento Jack vs Makabre & Paranoiko and Avorto & Demus
This is the last of three DTU Anniversary shows, and the biggest of the three. It may stream live on Mas Lucha; they did say they’ll be covering the DTU show on Sunday at Arena Mamas Lucha. The main event is meant to be an ultraviolent match. Arez/Lokillo could be pretty good.
12/17 RIOT
- Erik Ortiz vs Blake Christian
- Demonio del Aire vs Rey Horus
Latigo, Bandido, Toxin vs Iron Kid, Arez Jack Evans, Willy Banderas- Latigo, Jack Evans, Toxocin vs Iron Kid, Bandido, Willy Banderas
- Byron & Kaientai vs Prometeo & Kratoz
- Jimmy vs Aeroboy – new
Lucha Memes says their March Coliseo Coacalco has “a huge possibility” of being their last one in that venue.
Milenio has a review of a Rene Guajardo biography. It’s framed as if it was a new release, though it appears it came out back in 2015. I would like to read it – i have a better chance of making it through it now than I would’ve seven years ago – but the only place I see it in stock is charging about 90 USD for it and I don’t want to read it that bad.
IndieWire has a photo of Gael Garcia Bernal as Cassandro in the upcoming film of the same name. It’s been a while since the movie’s gotten an update; there it’s said to be on Prime Video in “2023.”
Hidalgo luchador Ultimo Samauary passed away on Monday. No age, but Box y lucha reports he debuted in 1987 and his four sons in lucha libre.