Month: January 2023

The Tapatia awards voting closes Tuesday night.

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 01/27/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Cronista del Ring, Kaiser Sports, La Presna, MedioTiempo, Publimetro, R de Rudo, Record, The Gladiatores, thecubsfan]
1) Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso, Stigma b Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido  
11:45.
2) Metálica, Reyna Isis, Tiffany b La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit 
11:34. Metalica & Isis beat Jarochita & Lluvia, setting up a mex tag title defense
3) Capitán Suicida b Virus [lightning]  
6:17.
4) Dragón Rojo Jr. b Místico, Templario, Atlantis Jr., Gran Guerrero, Fugaz, Stuka Jr., Soberano Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario [Rey del Aire]   
34:49. Rudos vs tecnicos sides. Order of elimination: Barbaro Cavernario (via Mistico), Fugaz (via Stuka), Atlantis Jr. (Gran Guerrero), Stuka Jr. (Soberano), Soberano (Templario), Panterita (Dragon Rojo), Mistico (Gran Guerrero – this left only rudos left), Gran Guerrero (Templario) and Templario (Gran Guerrero)
5) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Volador Jr. DQ Oráculo, Rocky Romero, Titán [Relevos Increíbles]   
6:21. Straight falls. Romero brought a cake for Volador’s birthday the day before and smashed it into his face. Fouls all around until Rocky got caught fouling Angel de Oro. Both Angel de Oro & Volador Jr. and Orcaulo & Romero had issues post-match in addition to the usual feuds.

This was a short Friday night show with a short main event. CMLL used the top two matches to get over angles, which may be necessary but didn’t make for a great show on this night.

I really hope CMLL is doing the Informa teased Dragon Rojo/Templario mask match, because it was a cold way to end the Reyes del Aire as is. It didn’t seem like most fans knew it was meant to be a rivalry and weren’t ready for them to be the final two. They both tried to add some flying, including Dragon Rojo pulling off his ramp dropkick spot, but it didn’t feel like a Reyes del Aire. Anyone else would’ve had trouble winning over the crowd after Soberano got eliminated, though a final three of Dragon, Templario and Gran Guerrero just came off as weird.

The main event seemed to change the direction of last week’s tag feud into a four-way. Orcaulo and Romero had problems post-match, as did Angel de Oro and Voldaor. A four-way is less interesting because Oraculo is still just a guy with not a lot of importance, everyone’s going to suspect him to be lose the match if only one person is losing. Volador’s week included a short and moved up match in Guadalajara on Tuesday, a short match on Friday, and being removed from Sunday’s show. Maybe there’s an injury? Maybe nothing.

Caked Volador Jr. is the cover of Box y Lucha 3536.

Rocky Romero told the press that no one wants a father and son to have a hair match, Orcaulo says he only trusts Lince Dorado, while Angel de Oro only trusts Niebla Roja.

The women’s feud last week was Sugehit/Isis, and was switched to the tag feud this week. Not sure why. It may be a better match this way.

CMLL (SAT) 01/28/2023 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía b Full Metal, Mercurio, Minos
2) Apocalipsis, Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II b Cachorro, Leono, Retro
3) Eléctrico b Inquisidor [lightning]
4) La Vaquerita, Marcela, Skadi b Amapola, Hera, Olympia
5) El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora b El Audaz, Guerrero Maya Jr., Volcano
6) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Valiente b Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
Titan replaced Atlantis Jr. a few hours before the show. Tecnicos took 2/3, and Atlantis Jr. challenged Stuka to a NWA LH title match.

We probably won’t get to see Atlantis Jr/Stuka Jr., but it’s another singles match on a show CMLL wouldn’t have done much last year. It’s going to make for a more exciting 2023 with more spotlight matches, though it risks overexposure if they do the same people doing the same matches too often. (That seemed to be the problem pre-pandemic.) This match itself isn’t a problem, just something to watch for.

CMLL (SUN) 01/29/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Fantasy, Galaxy, Shockercito b Mercurio, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia
2) Diamond, Oro Jr., Robin b Cholo, Nitro, Raider
3) Sangre Imperial b Disturbio [lightning]
4) Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr. b Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa
Ola Negra cheated to win using outside leverage. Dulce AstrapSuenos demanded a rematch.
5) Bárbaro Cavernario, Niebla Roja, Templario b Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring, Valiente
6) Esfinge, Místico, Titán b Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto
Atlantis replaced Volador on Friday, but ended up being replaced by Esfinge.

The feud in the fourth match is peculiar. Dulce AtrpaSuenos are national trios champs, but Ola Negra can’t challenge for those titles with US born Dark Magic on the team. Though if they’ll bend the nationality rules for Stephanie Vaquer, maybe they could. That doesn’t seem the way it’s going, so maybe it’s just a normal match next week and they move on?

CMLL (TUE) 01/31/2023 Arena México
1) Acero, Aéreo, Fantasy vs Full Metal, Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia
2) Astral, Cachorro, Sangre Imperial vs Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Inquisidor
3) Fuego, Oro Jr., Valiente Jr. vs Disturbio, Enfermero Jr., Raider
4) Stigma vs Virus [lightning]
5) Ángel de Oro, Dark Panther, Guerrero Maya Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr. vs Hijo del Villano III, Misterioso Jr., Oráculo, Rey Bucanero
6) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto © vs Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black [CMLL TRIOS]
1st defense

A title change is unlikely. Oraculo seemed to be done after Friday originally, but was later added to the Puebla show and is on this one. Maybe a late enough change that CMLL just added Angel de Oro to both as atomicos rather than change more matches around. Virus shouldn’t lose two singles match in a row, which means maybe they’re setting up a title match there.

That Puebla atomicos tonight also has Ultimo Guerrero and Soberano on different sides. I guess it’s easier to keep them apart with eight people in the match.

CMLL (TUE) 01/31/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Avispón Negro Jr., Celeste, Johnny Dinamo vs Infierno, Ponzoña Jr., Tigre Blanco
2) Atilus, Aurelius, Maximus vs Exterminador, Javier Cruz Jr., Maléfico
3) Crixus vs Gallero
4) Cosmos, Shockercito, Último Dragóncito vs Mercurio, Pierrothito, Raven
5) Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. vs Barboza, Draego, Persa
6) Diamond, Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido vs Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono
7) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado

Diamante actually gets to team with the other Depredardores is the real highlight. CMLL somehow can mix and match Fuerza Poblana combinations but struggles with that team for some reason. (Also, Halcon Negro Jr is back from injury.) Not as much star power as usual but the Dulce Atrapsuenos seem good for that building.

CMLL (FRI) 02/03/2023 Arena México
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Último Dragóncito vs Minos, Pequeño Olímpico, Pierrothito
2) Flyer vs Magnus [lightning]
3) Capitán Suicida, Dark Panther, Volcano vs Felino, Felino Jr., Kráneo
4) La Jarochita & Lluvia © vs Metálica & Reyna Isis [MEX WOMEN TAG]
12th defense (10th on CMLL shows)
5) Guerrero Maya Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Titán vs Ángel de Oro, Bárbaro Cavernario, Niebla Roja
6) Místico, Soberano Jr., Volador Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Gran Guerrero, Templario

The main event looks good on paper but may just be a setup to Templario & Dragon Rojo issues. More hope in the semimain. Las Chicas Indomables should not lose the titles but CMLL seems out of ideas for those belts and so a title change just for the sake of it is always possible. Felino hasn’t been around streams much of late; if he wins, this might be the first time he talks to the press since his brother Negro Casas left town.

Chris Jericho announced Rocky Romero will defend the (NWA) Historic Welterweight championship against Yuya Uemura during Jericho’s cruise (February 2-6). CMLL retweeted the announcement so they’re aware and happy with it. A CMLL title being defended on an AEW ship is something, but I think it’s more “CMLL loves Rocky Romero right now, has always loved Chris Jericho, and is very open to small ideas they suggest.” AEW and CMLL working together is a big idea and this doesn’t meant they’re there yet.

Blue Panther and Satanico appeared on a panel discussion as the Guadalajara Capital Mundial del Libro (book fair). CMLL’s had a presence at that event for many years.

Rey Bucanero talks about his side job of building wrestling rings.

NJPW Strong had the Misterioso vs Mistico match this week. Nothing must see, but a decent Mistico exhibition in a (small/dark) building. NJPW announced they’re dropping the standalone NJPW Strong tapings that match aired on going forward and will instead use their PPV content as (time delayed) ‘weekly’ content. In practice as a CMLL fan, that means you can either pay 20 USD to see the atomicos with Rocky Romero, Volador Jr. and Mascara Dorada live, or you can wait 2-6 weeks to see it on NJPW World as part of that ~7USD subscription. I expect NJPW will continue to have one or two CMLL wrestlers on these periodic shows but also just in undercard matches; it’s good the shows will eventually be on NJPW World because I don’t see ordering the PPVs just for that.

AAA

This week’s AAA TV, finishing off Night of Champions, had a few extra skits. A couple of them didn’t add much. No one who puts together these show seems to know when they’re going to air, so there was a Psycho Circus bit wishing us a Happy New Year in late January. There was also a couple of minutes of FTR ranting in English about how unfair the main event was (with no captions or translations ); Hijo del Tirantes eventually came along to defend himself. None of that seems to be going anywhere. There was a bit where Vampiro cautioned Pagano not to hang out with La Rebelion; we still have not seen Pagano actually be friends with La Rebelion. A more useful bit was Nino Hamburgesa congratulating Mr. Iguana for getting closer to La Hiedra, while telling him to be careful after what happened to him and fellow La Toxica Maravilla. Iguana was more concerned about Crazy Boy and his Japanese friends, suggesting they go to Konnan and ask for a match that’ll keep outside people out like a lumberjack match or a cage match. That actually gives a reason for the lumberjack match in Queretaro (airing over the next two weeks) – this was a good logical AAA segment.

Dalys is officially the surprise luchadora for Torneo Reina de Reinas on Sunday. She seems a good bet to win. Negro Casas isn’t officially announced for that show, though it seems a safe bet he’ll be involved somehow. Expect to see one when you see the other.

After working AAA spot show in Arena Neza, Negro Casas did an interview talking about wrestling in that building for the UWA as Hijo del Pepe Casas many years ago. (I think this is that show.)  The title of the video is about Negro Casas believing that he’ll die in the ring, but it’s a little bit taken out of context – he’s talking about not being scared to face any opponent, including heavyweights and foreigners (Taurus & Fresero in the match that night, Konnan and King Haku in the past), not literally desiring to die in the ring. Though I guess I wouldn’t rule that out. Casas seemed annoyed by some negative online feedback to his move, kinda saying that people (and especially internet people) are too critical. When asked about wrestling with Dalys, Casas said he once was asked by Paco Alonso who he would like to face at an Anniversary, and he jokingly suggested wrestling against Dalys. Casas also brought up he’d like to fight El Hijo del Santo one more time. AAA and Santo don’t get along, but AAA doesn’t ban their wrestlers from working with Santo as CMLL does so that’s an option again.

Hijo del Vikingo is the first person announced for 04/01 The Wrld on Lucha, so he’ll be around for shows WrestleMania weekend. I think he’ll pick up more bookings. He probably wouldn’t have if the streaming ban still existed.

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 01/29/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Águila Oriental & Águila Roja b Kenji & Súper Boy 
Aguila Roja replaced Baby Star, Super Boy replaced Leo
2) Hades (AAA) & Sagitarius b Black Fury & India Mazahua 
Sagitarius issued a challenge to Diosa Quetzal for the IWRG Women’s championship
3) Spider Fly © b Águila Oriental [IWRG IC Light] 
John Tito won a #1 contenders match last week. Aguila Oriental, Kenji, and Aguila Roja interrupted the title ceremony to accuse John Tito of not actually making lightweight. Tito said he would have no problem weighing in to prove it. The commission brought out a scale and Tito was indeed over the 75kg lightweight limit. Puma de Oro came to the ring, declaring his respect for Tito and offering a match for any of his three titles on the upcoming El Protector show (02/19). Spider Fly still wanted to defend the title, so Aguila Oriental got the title match instead. First defense.
4) Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Shocko b Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. 
Gran Pandemonium got hurt, and the foreigners won 3×2 to set up a title match.
5) Hijo del Fishman & Hijo del Pirata Morgan b Hell Boy & Hijo De Canis Lupus 
Fishman & Pirata are “Los Reyes del Oceano” (Ocean Kings). Challenges followed.
6) Asterboy, Puma de Oro, Tonalli b Dick Angelo 3G, Legendario, Rey Halcón 
challenges over the Jacuan name continued.

That was a strange weight angle; like the idea was the commission wasn’t checking weights until the tecnicos got involved. And I’m not sure why they got involved. It definitely was something unique.

IWRG aired their team assignments for the 2023 Tryout competition on Friday. They’ve got you covered if you want to watch 40 minutes (!) of people pulling paper slips out of a container. They thankfully summed it up later. Teams:

• Hijo de Fishman: Amnesia, Tony Diaz, Riesgo, Kariel, Menphis, Nubilus
• Hijo del Pirata Morgan: Zenick, Bionic, Black Belt, Vendval, Ultimo Tiger, Samuray Azteca, Principe Luna
• Diosa Quetzal: Aerocat, Azteca, Brave Star, Emperador del Aire, Garrobo Punk Jr., Golden Power
• Imposible: Angel de Plata, Centvrion, Aqueo, X-Dragon, Pyrot, Nativo
• Hijo de Canis Lupus: Silver Dragon, Destello, Rey Minos, Rey Espartano, Koji, Lince Xtreme, Magic Boy
• Hijo del Alebrije: Carinoso Jr., Ultimo Cabllero, Eddy Lee, Gannicus, Hazel, Hipnos, Osiris
• Las Shotas: Dark Diablo, Rey Kratos, Esdrasn, Fussion, Latino Boy, Mandibula Jr., Principe Arcano
• Aramis: Yako, Dariux, Emperador X, Red Fenix, Kratos Dios de la Guerrera, Metal Spider, Neron/Eddy Rodriguez

IWRG announced the teams again on social media, with some names missing. X-Dragon and Silver Dragon do not appear on those lists, so I presume they left the competition already. Eddie Rodriguez appears where Neron should be on Aramis’ team, not sure if name change or a replacement. It looks like the same guy is in the group at the end. (Though no one will believe it, a much better way to stand out in a Mexican indie promotion today would be to use a real-ish name, rather than a generic gimmick and mask.)

Most of those names are too inside for me; people I’ve seen listed on posters or in an opener on a Mas Lucha show but know nothing about. Centvrion is the most famous wrestler included: he came up through the IWRG school the same time as Imposible, had a few good years in IWRG and on Arena San Juan shows but got stuck at a certain level and faded out the last few years. He’s with the rookies in hopes of restarting his career. Garrobo Punk has been on a lot of Lucha Memes. I think there may only be one luchadora involved out of a fifty plus person roster.

Magic Boy, Destello, Tony Diaz, Fussion, and Mandibula Jr. are all from Morelos. Dairux is from Tulancingo.

Mas Lucha and IWRG will air daily videos following the competition. The series appears to be largely taped already (in place of the mid-week shows the last few months); usually, it’s just the final that’s live.

Other Notes

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.

Segunda Caida watches some Brazos in Panama.

I haven’t been checking on Nacion Lucha Libre consistently since it went into repeats, but ImagenTV did air boxing in that time slot this week. Might have done it last week, not sure. They’re done for now, though Alberto getting on all the AAA shows in a spotlight role increases the chances someone’s going to give him money to try and fail with Nacion Lucha Libre a third time.

The 01/14 Big Lucha show, previously a subscriber-only Mas Lucha premium show, is now available for free on Big Lucha’s channel. It has some post production (graphics, a new vignette, some new ads), it’s not specifically the same file. No idea if this will be a regular thing.

The Crash’s event on Saturday was said to be a sellout of Auditorio de Tijuana. Toto taking Proximo’s hair in a cage match was the headliner, a midcard feuding that was finishing on this event. The big name match was DMT Azul, Texano Jr., Pierroth Jr. defeating Blue Demon, Dr. Wagner Jr., and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. when Azul got away with a martiente on Demon. DMT Azul continued to attack Demon after, and Demon left the building in an ambulance. (The news report notes that Demon, on his request, returned was taken to his hotel room and not an ambulance.) DMT Azul also left Demon laying on Sunday in a tag match in Ecatepec. Blue Demon isn’t taking these losses unless he’s getting a big one back later; this isn’t them shopping for a promotion to do the apuesta match like LA Park & Rush were doing for many years, this seems like they’ve got the deal done and are focused on building it up. It’s great for The Crash to get a big house with a main event around two guys who aren’t normally main events, but I think that turnout also speaks to interest in Blue Demon versus DMT Azul.

That The Crash show was supposed to include a ASF vs Destiny vs Travis Banks vs Adam Brooks match, which was switched to Xtreme Tiger & Destiny vs Travis Banks & Adam Brooks. I presume ASF just didn’t go after being outed for his creepy behavior. The Crash using Banks suggests The Crash isn’t going to get involved on those decisions but I don’t know that as a fact. Their next show is 02/24.

On Saturday’s Arena GDL show, La Pantera (unrelated to all other Pantera’s) retained the local women’s championship and then declared she was giving up the title because she had no challengers. She won the title back in August and doesn’t appear to have been on any of their shows since September, so she may have a point. It’s also a very un-Mexican wrestling thing to do to give up a title just because you have no one to defend it again.

Viral video star Medio Metro’s appearance in Arena Neza got some mainstream coverage, which was it’s intended purpose. It got enough attention that there’s an accusation that this is a fake Medio Metro. I will not try to explain this or figure this out. Medio Metro, or whomever it is, did the same bit for DTU earlier in the weekend and that didn’t get as noticed.

Aztlan defeated Dunamis for his mask on Sunday in Iztapalapa. Dunamis is Jonathan Flores, 3 years a wrestler, from that same part of Mexico City.

Gravity wrestled Kip Sabian on the most recent AEW Dark tapings. That’ll air on YouTube sometime in the next four weeks. Gravity isn’t signed by AEW; this was a one night appearance. It’s not a big deal spot and it seems like a lot of the enhancement spots go to wrestlers who are recommended by current AEW people in one way or another. As enjoyable as Gravity can be in Big Lucha, there’s people (far) ahead of him, and this is more a reflection of Bandido vouching for his brother than AEW seeking Gravity out. Gravity still has a long way to go before he’s actually on US TV roster but this will be a nice memory no matter how his career goes.

(This was the first time most AEW followers knew Gravity existed, so there was roughly a hundred “PAC vs GRAVITY” joke posts. Meanwhile, most Mexican lucha libre fans don’t follow AEW to the extent they understand what ‘Dark’ is; AEW needs dozens of wrestlers to fill out these tapings, and most work one time and are never mentioned again. The concept of a squash match doesn’t exist in Mexico and there’s no context to this sort of work.)

Pachuca’s Arena Aficion celebrates it’s 71st anniversary with a show this Tuesday. Milenio talks to the people who run it, some of whom have been in the same role for 50 years. The “Arena Aficion” name comes from the a local newspaper of that name, which was the only one covering wrestling at that time.

Impact announced they’re coming to the Cicero Stadium, near Chicago, three times for six shows in 2023. It looks like TV tapings on April 28 & 29 and July 28 & 29 and PPV Bound for Glory on 10/21 and another TV 10/22. Impact brought in Bandido and Rey Horus for last year’s show in Cicero and they seemed to do well. Local lucha promoter GALLI pushed this announcement, so there is plenty of reason to suspect there may be more Mexican wrestling involvement.

Voices of Wrestling posted its results of their Match of the Year poll. Their poll is open to anyone who writes about wrestling anywhere who wants to participate. 208 people did, up from last year. Any match happening anywhere is eligible, and 18 matches from Mexico got votes. The highest finisher was the Villano IV vs Pentagon Jr. mask match at 34. Matches listed by promotion:

• 8 CMLL (2 top 100)
• 6 AAA (4 top 100)
• 1 Lucha Memes
• 1 Vanguardia
• 1 Big Lucha
• 1 Zona 23

That’s 18 total, up from 13 last year. There was only one CMLL match on the 2021 list, and only three AAA matches. (The high finisher last year with Vikingo/Arez from RIOT, who did not put out anything on video in 2022.)

The thing that really stuck out to me from this year’s VOW poll was this section:

This year, 208 voters representing 23 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Kuwait, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay)

That’s a really wide group of countries. It doesn’t include Mexico. I haven’t asked VOW about it but I know them well enough they reached out to as many people as possible, and that surely includes some Mexicans. There’s a lot of people covering wrestling in Mexico, and no one scrapped together a list of ten matches they liked to send it in.

various site issues (a long list!)

• I still haven’t done the match round-up yet for this past week. Maybe tonight.
• WordPress put in a monthly limit of social media shares; it’ll post a link to Twitter, Facebook and similar places only a total of 30 times a month (over all those sites.) That wasn’t a huge problem when I was just posting 3 times a week, but I’m doing a little bit more than that of late and it has become an issue. There are ways I could work around it but the simplest solution is just to stop posting to Facebook, where I’m not sure anyone is actually reading this – posts get maybe a couple likes at most. If you are reading this on Facebook, show up in the comments to let me know. Otherwise, I’ll probably stop automatically posting there next week.
  • There is supposed to be a way to subscribe to emails instead but WordPress is really buggy at that and I can’t even find where I’m supposed to link to there.
  • I think, if I was starting this from fresh today, this blog would be a substack newsletter or Patreon blog posts or something where I’m not doing the hosting. The advantage to doing this way is there are now decades of history that can be searched through in one place (maybe not easily searchable, but Google helps) and that I’m not reliant on some other platform continuing to exist because I’ve been around long enough to see them come and go. WordPress isn’t going anywhere but things like “you can only post 30 social media shares a month and have to pay $120/year to do more” feel a lot less independent.
• My hosting service did an upgrade, which broke all the accented characters on the Match Finder. I’ve decided to break it in a different way for the moment; all the accented characters appear but are shifted to the end of the alphabet. I have tried multiple ways to fix this and haven’t found one that works yet so I’ll keep working at it.
• The luchadb itself is moving very slowly and some pages aren’t updated. Part of this is some once a year updates that are taking forever to run and using up resources; at the rate it’s going, it’s not getting done until March. Part of this is it seems like something else is running to make everything else go slower, but I’m not sure about it. I’ll keep looking at it.
• The tapatia awards close on 02/01. I should remember to start pushing this deadline on Twitter but I never do. Also maybe this weekend.

CMLL

CMLL (WED) 01/25/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Estrella de Jalisco I, Estrella de Jalisco II, Obelisk b Persa, Raven, Temerario 
2) Micro Gemelo Diablo I, Micro Gemelo Diablo II, Micro Sagrado b Micro Ángel, Mije, Periquito Sacaryas 
Scheduled as 4 vs 4, but no Chamuel and Micro Angel and Mije flipped sids.
3) Barboza, Bestia Negra, Difunto, Draego b Arlequín, Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. 
4) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Náutica, Sexy Sol b Maligna, Nexy, Reyna Isis, Valkiria 
5) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Hijo del Villano III b Rey Bucanero, Satánico, Último Guerrero 
6) Ángel de Oro & Soberano Jr. b Oráculo & Panterita del Ring Jr. 
Soberano used the ropes to get the pin (though just for fun, didn’t really need it, was just having fun playing rudo)
7) Dark Panther, Místico, Rocky Romero b Atlantis Jr., Averno, Zandokan Jr. [Relevos Increíbles] 

If you’re going to pick on of the three (!) CMLL Guadalajara streams this week, the Wednesday Pespi sponsored one seems like the best. A lot of the same people as Tuesday but longer matches. Panterita del Ring Jr. had a good night. Just be prepared to jump ahead a bunch between matches, because the giveaways and ads take a while.

Arena Coliseo Guadalajara posted photos from visitors from baseball team Charro de Jalisco. It’s notable because Charro de Jalisco is one of the groups presenting the Lucha Libre World Cup. I suspect they just thought lucha libre is lucha libre and didn’t realize they were supporting rival groups in the same week.

Tonight’s Arnea Mexico show:

CMLL (FRI) 01/27/2023 Arena México
1) Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso, Stigma vs Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit vs Metálica, Reyna Isis, Tiffany
3) Capitán Suicida vs Virus [lightning]
4) Místico vs Templario, Atlantis Jr., Gran Guerrero, Fugaz, Stuka Jr., Soberano Jr., Dragón Rojo Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario
5) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Volador Jr. vs Oráculo, Rocky Romero, Titán [Relevos Increíbles]

This looks good. The main event has a bunch of good names. Reyes del Aire is reliable. Suicida versus Virus is an interesting challenge. The opener should be fun. The women’s match wasn’t much last year but they’ve got a direction coming out of it. It’s on TicketmasterLive, as far as we know.

It’s be fun to go all the way with Panterita del Ring Jr., but this feels like a Soberano Jr. night. Atlantis Jr. and Gran Guerrero should take each other out.

Oraculo and Rocky Romero appear to be finishing up tonight, they’re not on next week’s lineups. I still think Volador/Romero is carrying onto Fantastica Mania, but I’m not sure when/where the Orcaulo/Angel de Oro stuff is going.

CMLL (SUN) 01/29/2023 Arena México
1) Fantasy, Galaxy, Shockercito vs Mercurio, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia
2) Diamond, Oro Jr., Robin vs Cholo, Nitro, Raider
3) Sangre Imperial vs Disturbio [lightning]
4) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
5) Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring, Valiente vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Niebla Roja, Templario
6) Místico, Titán, Volador Jr. vs Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto

That main event will be pretty good if they want it to be pretty good. It may air in two weeks.

CMLL (MON) 01/30/2023 Arena Puebla
1) Astro, Black Tiger, Hijo de Centella Roja vs Dark Soul, Espíritu Maligno, Sombra Diabólika
2) Hombre Bala Jr., Neón, Robin vs El Perverso, Hijo del Perverso, Prayer
3) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Marcela vs Amapola, Hera, Olympia
4) Panterita del Ring Jr., Soberano Jr., Titán vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
5) Atlantis Jr. vs Gran Guerrero

The main event was set up last week. Semifinal could be good. Hijo del Perverso is the brother of this Peverso (who was Perverso Jr. before he started wrestling in Arena Puebla regularly.) Trying to untangle this reminds me the Highspots interview with Hijo del Vikingo included a question why Vikingo never turned up in Arena Puebla. He mentioned he was actually going to start training there in hopes of being booked, but his father told him not to do it: if Hijo del Vikingo got grouped in with the Puebla guys, he’d be stuck there forever and would never get to Mexico City. Hijo del Vikingo’s father told him to go to Mexico City himself if he wanted to really make it. CMLL’s gotten a little bit better about giving Puebla and Guadalajara guys a chance post-pandemic but that was good advice that still seems to hold true.

I missed it, but the casita did get named in the Felino Jr. match on Tuesday. Again, CMLL announcers are not big on move names so I thought it was probably too soon to read into it.

CMLL had a bunch of announcements on Informa Wednesday

The most immediate and less detailed news was an aside that the Torneo Increible de Parejas will take place soon. It typically takes place this kind of year and is often used to set up a Homenaje a Dos Leyendas match. CMLL later sent out a promo video saying the tournament will take place on 02/10 and 02/17, so it’s a smaller field along the lines of the recent Gran Alternativa.

The big focus was the reveal of Torneo de Escuelas, a tournament of young wrestlers aspiring to make it into CMLL. CMLL aired a teaser and will announce the participants next Wednesday. They did explain the format: there will be four teams of wrestlers representing schools of various geographical regions and six wrestlers on each team. Each team will have a maestro to lead them

• Mexico City: Virus
• Jalisco: Satanico
• Puebla: Black Tiger
• La Laguna: Ultimo Guerrero

The four maestros will have a prelim match on Tuesday February 21st. Blue Panther will fill in for Ultimo Guerrero on that since he’ll be on the Fantastica Mania tour. There will be elimination matches on February 24 and 28th, and a final on March 3rd. CMLL didn’t explain how those will work.

CMLL also didn’t name who would be in the tournament, beyond the teaser clip. It’s easy to take some educated guesses.

• Laguna: Misterioso Negro, Mistico Blanco, Hijo del Stuka, Brillante Jr., and Rey Insolito have appeared in Guadalajara so they’re in the system. A Twitter user congratulated Gran Jefe V for appearing, so that’s six (and those six have been privately confirmed.)
• Mexico City: Tonalli is one of the easier-to-identify wrestlers in the video and had been rumored to come to CMLL for a while. Neon is also visible in the video, despite being in CMLL for months. I believe I saw Troyano’s mask (or more, I believe I saw a mask that I think is Troyano’s.) This is the one with the widest possible inclusions since they could pull from many teachers.
• Puebla: Perverso and Rey Samuray came in for Fuerza Poblana so they figured to return. (Siki Osama is a bit too old.) Millenium would seem a good bet to come back. Multy and Prayer would be interesting.
• Jalisco: some combination of Adrenlina, Explosivo, Fantastico, Angel Rebelde, Optimus, Trono, Principe Daniel and Demonio Maya. I guess Zandokan and Difutno too; I feel like they’re already beyond an entry tournament but if Neon is in, they can definitely be in it.

Note that one of the quirks here is splitting up everyone by home school separates Tonalli from his trainer Ultimo Guerrero. Troyano too if he’s in there as well.

(Aside: The Lucha Libre World Cup has bigger names, will draw more people and will have a lot more fanfare than this CMLL tournament, and yet I find myself much more excited about the CMLL deal. Part of that is CMLL/AAA mailase – one promotion is significantly more enjoyable to watch – and I’m sure part of that is not wanting to see people like Alberto and others for sure. There’s still something more: maybe watching people get into a promotion and how their story goes from there is more interesting than tournaments that just exist for one day. Or maybe it’s just simply those AAA meh feelings.)

The last bit of news doesn’t have a date, just a plan. Dragon Rojo and Templario were on Informa to promote Reyes del Aire in theory, but the discussion turned to their mutual feud with Soberano. Templario has the long rivalry, Dragon Rojo filled in for Templario and also wants Soberano. The two rudos agreed to their own match to decide which of them would go after Soberano Jr.’s mask. No date was announced and it’s just something that got pitched on Informa, but this was taken much more seriously than most matches pitched on Informa. Dragon Rojo keeps tweeting that this match is confirmed.

Templario vs Dragon Rojo on its own wouldn’t mean much as a mask match, but giving the idea that they’re building to Soberano makes it something. It’s another possible apuesta match added to the pile. They do have to deliver on these but CMLL seems more likely than AAA.

Templario is still wrestling with a shoulder harness. He explained to the press that his doctors had cleared him and he doesn’t actually need that protection, but mentally he likes having it and he feels it can fit into his medical look.

Informa led off with a Capitan Suicida interview. He explained the name change as  “suicida” being something exciting in lucha libre, but with obvious negative connotations outside of it, especially about mental health. He wants it to be fun to cheer for him, especially for his kid fans, so he believes changing his name to Capitan Suicida makes for a more positive image. I still think he needs a hat.

Atlantis Jr. gave his 2022 a 10 out of 10, which seems like a fair grade. Atlantis Jr. says he’s going to japan from February 20th to March 3rd. That’s a few days longer than Fantastica Mania. He may be part of the junior focused show, though he’s got to be really close to the 100 kg limit at this point.

Barbaro Cavernario told Mundo Deportivo that he feels like he’s lost his luster after missing times with injuries, and hopes to regain a top place by going after guys who’ve passed him like Templario. He’d also like to bring the rest of his family (Principe Daniel, Demonio Maya, el Canalla) to Mexico City and believes it could happen in 2023.

Fugaz says Mistico was the one who inspired him to get into wrestling, so facing him in the Reyes del Aire final would be a dream.

I have no more information to add to this, but I did notice it’ll be a year since La Comandante’s last CMLL match in a few day. She last wrestled on the February 4th, 2022 Arena Mexico show, then a couple of weekends later on Valiente Gym event. Comandante seemed to go stretches without wrestling so her not being around didn’t stick out at first, but I’m not sure the reason why she hasn’t been back. Looking for La Comandante (or La Nazi!) information on Facebook doesn’t lead me any place useful.

AAA

AAA on Space has the second part of Noches de Campeones

• Copa Mundo Imperial
• Arez vs Taurus vs Villano III Jr.
• Dragon Lee & Dralistico vs FTR

AAA TV was as aired on the PPV last week – no vignettes or additional content – so this is a week safe to skip if you did buy the PPV. I am sure there are a lot of FTR people who didn’t watch the show. The one thing I got from last week’s show was a reminder Mundo Imperial sponsored this show and didn’t appear to be among the names mentioned at the AAA 2023 kickoff presentation.

AAA airing Dragon Lee’s match before going to WWE will take place a few hours after his first WWE appearance; he’s scheduled on a WWE Spanish language preview show Saturday before the Royal Rumble. (Also, this is a reminder that WWE’s Royal Rumble is a Saturday show, not a Sunday one.)

No taping this week. They’re back Sunday afternoon for Rey de Reyes.

Not too many extra details from the Lucha Libre World Cup press conference. Dorian Roldan mentioned the format will be similar to past years – a single elimination tournament, time-limited matches, singles matches as tie-breakers. Roldan was asked about Alberto coming in and talked him up as being in top form and a very relevant star; that’s what he’s supposed to say in that position. (No one in the media ever asks about Alberto’s scandals, which is a reason why Alberto’s scandals are never a source spot.) It did sound like Alberto is only booked for this World Cup and the TripleMania tournament at this point. He may be done with as soon as Monterrey.

The dark locals match in Merdia will be Angel Infernal, Halcon Rojo Jr., Impact and Panther Boy Jr. vs Eterno Alcander, Fuerza Maya, Persseus, and Shangai Kid, as announced at a press conference this week.

In the hottest take of the week, a TV reviewer says the Mexican government should ban Marvel Lucha Libre because it makes lucha libre look bad. In the fiction universe, the luchadors were inspired by the US Marvel heroes to take on masks, and the evil ones use performance-enhancing drugs, which the writer believes damages the history of Mexican wrestling. I’m glad ridiculous people are checking out the show as well.

This is a good segue into Marvel Lucha Libre in general. I binged through the series (via a pirate site) on Thursday. It’s fine. It’s not aimed at people who read this blog but you wouldn’t mind it if someone threw it on your TV for an hour. I would not call for arrests based on the content. It’s called “Origen de la Mascara” because it is mostly an origin story for each main character through the context of a (alluded to but barely explained) tournament. All the Marvel Lucha wrestling footage is from 2021, with TripleMania XXIX standing in as the final. It’s a very basic plot with some Marvel references, with a narrator and documentary style to provide some connective tissue between a “what is lucha libre”-type explainer and disconnected scenes with the characters. The Marvel characters always appear to be the AAA luchadors – not acting stand-ins – and there are some early Lucha Underground vibes of the production not trusting the characters to handle the dialogue. Vikingo/Arcano surprisingly has the most dialogue make it to the screen. The narrator handles a lot of explaining for them.

One thing that sticks out is either the plans for the in-ring portion of Marvel Lucha Libre changed during the process or the idea all along was just to shoot a lot of stuff and figure out how to put it together at the end. There’s a lot of stuff not shown (like the TripleMania 28 debut of the characters) or moved around in order as it was shot or just edited to make it look like something else was happening. (There’s a character who becomes a key part of the show in the final match, but he never had appeared before, so they have to clip out a few seconds of that match and air it an episode earlier to make sure to set it up.) There are matches that AAA ran that clearly fit what Marvel wanted, but there are other matches AAA ran that don’t get used, or get barely shown at all.

The series ends with that 2021 TripleMania, which seemed to leave all the stuff that was in 2022 as a Season 2. Except, Season 1 ends with a rushed explanation of those Season 2 results. The Marvel title match conclusion at Noches de Campeones was Picudara Letal revealing she was a double agent, Terror Purpura getting arrested and Arcano winning the tournament. The last episode of season 1 quickly summarizes all that in a few captions, instead of waiting to show it. If this Marvel show were a Marvel comic book, that “here’s all the conclusions I didn’t get to show you” bit is a sign the writer is leaving the book or the book itself is canceled. I’m not sure what the deal is here, but it stuck out as some plan got changed late.

IWRG

The big roster reveal for this year’s IWRG Tryout is tonight. There’s not a lot of difference between this and the CMLL idea in the big picture and it seems inconsistent one is interesting to me and the other is a thing I’m probably not going to pay a lot of attention to until they reach the final. Both are doing groups of aspiring wrestlers lead by coaches. The IWRG field is bigger (60 wrestlers), which is a lot more daunting to get through and to get to know people. The reality show aspects IWRG doesn’t interest me and I’d rather see a straight in-ring competition than a lot of judging at this point. The CMLL wrestlers also tend to be more polished, though who knows until we see both the CMLL and IWRG ones this year. Maybe the IWRG idea will be easier to get in to this year.

Another IWRG Retro went up Thursday:

• 2002-02-21 Rambo & Rambo Jr. vs Fantasy & Star Boy
• 2002-08-01 Bombero Infernal, Comando Alfa, Paramédico vs Hijo del Diablo, Guardia, Vigilante
• 2005-05-26 Negro Casas, Felino, Blue Demon Jr. vs Electroshock, Scorpio Jr., Canek

The first two were not available on YouTube. Amazing time to have a main event with Negro Casas against a guy associated with AAA. (Electroshock had just left AAA at that point.)

Other News

ASF, a Texas wrestler who’s been featured in GCW lucha libre trios this year among other places, was accused on various social media platforms on Thursday for sexting underage girls. ASF hasn’t responded and instead has deleted his social media accounts.

Dalys will wrestle on the Saturday Arena Lopez Mateos show in place of Diosa Quetzal. Dalys and Negro Casas appear to be taking indie bookings in addition to AAA, which should make for some unique matches and perhaps some fireworks.

Big Lucha/Bandido’s Gym announced they’re open for international wrestlers to stay at their Dojo in 2023.

CMLL

CMLL (MON) 01/23/2023 Arena Puebla [El Sol de Puebla, Porra Fresa]
1) Black Tiger & Meyer b Fuerza Chicana & Rencor 
2) Asturiano, Millenium, Rey Samuray b King Jaguar, Multy, Siki Osama 
Multy needed medical help after a Millenium tope
3) Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus b Arkalis, Flyer, Valiente Jr. 
4) Bárbaro Cavernario, Stuka Jr., Templario b Atlantis, El Audaz, Panterita del Ring Jr. 
Atlantis replaced Negro Casas on Sunday
5) Gran Guerrero, Oráculo, Rocky Romero b Ángel de Oro, Atlantis Jr., Volador Jr.  
Gran Guerrero pinned Atlantis Jr. after a mask pull. Atlantis Jr. wants a singles match next week.

Standard stuff here.

CMLL (TUE) 01/24/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser Sports, Mas Lucha]
1) Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito vs Acero, Aéreo, Último Dragóncito  
2) Amapola, La Seductora, Tiffany b La Guerrera, La Magnifica, La Vaquerita  
3) Felino Jr. b Fuego [lightning]  
7:38. The return of regular lightning matches.
4) El Coyote, Kráneo, Okumura b Astral, Hombre Bala Jr., Volcano  
5) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black b Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto 
Fuerza Tapatia asked for a CMLL Trios title shot
6) Místico b Stuka Jr.  
Mistico survived a mask pull to win

Another good show. Mistico and Stuka had their big match on a Tuesday and got the crowd into it by the end. I thought there were going to get out of a definitive finish with a mask pull, but Mistico kicked out and won with the Mistica instead. Mistico used this as an appeal to get the 90th Anniversary main event, as he does. Stuka needs some work on some of the technical rudo aspects (he had trouble taking the Mistica) but personality here’s there. He even got Guerreros-themed Stuka gear. It went long and some of the other matches went shorter, which might also be related to adding to the lightning match (and wanting to stick to a two hour length to these shows.)

Mistico and Stuka traded casitas near the end of their match. The announcers didn’t call them by name. The CMLL announcing style is not to call many moves by proper names so that may have not been very meaningful. The “Casita” name actually comes from Pepe Casas coming up with the move, but the move is so commonly called that it’s almost a generic term in Mexico.

There were YouTube based rumors that Felino Jr. and Felino had also decided to jump to AAA. Felino Jr. being on this show quieted those stories. I don’t expect either to leave but I didn’t expect  Negro Casas & Dalys to jump.

CMLL (TUE) 01/24/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara]
1) Black Boy, Destructor, Javier Cruz Jr. b Estrella de Jalisco I, Gran Kenut, Luminoso 
2) Micro Gemelo Diablo I, Micro Gemelo Diablo II, Micro Sagrado, Mije b Átomo, Chamuel, MicroÁngel, Periquito Sacaryas 
Originally 3v3, Mije and MicroAngel (listed as Angelito) added on Thursday
3) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Náutica, Sexy Sol b Maligna, Nexy, Reyna Isis, Valkiria 
Reyna Isis replaced Dalys on Sunday. Malgina pinned Jarochita, but Lluvia pinned capitan Reyna Isis.
4) Atlantis Jr. & Volador Jr. DQ Dark Panther & Rocky Romero 
moved way early for some reason and went short. Volador faked a foul for the DQ.
5) Adrenalina, El Divino, Explosivo, Fantástico b Cris Skin, Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga 
6) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Hijo del Villano III b Rey Bucanero, Satánico, Último Guerrero 
Hijo del Villano III replaced Negro Casas on Sunday
7) Ángel de Oro, Averno, Soberano Jr. b Arlequín, Oráculo, Panterita del Ring Jr. 

The main event moving to the fourth match was strange, and the match was not much. The match that followed it was also unusually short. This show included a boxing match before the wrestling so maybe there was a time issue.

This arena has a Pepsi-sponsored show on Wednesday (today) with just about the same roster and similar matches. They have been streaming all the sponsored shows of late. They streamed Sunday’s show, and I’ve posted results here. Nothing important, though it does stick out how much Satanico is working when he’s even working those.

CMLL (SAT) 01/28/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía vs Full Metal, Mercurio, Minos
2) Cachorro, Leono, Retro vs Apocalipsis, Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II
3) Eléctrico vs Inquisidor [lightning]
4) La Vaquerita, Marcela, Skadi vs Amapola, Hera, Olympia
5) El Audaz, Guerrero Maya Jr., Volcano vs El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora
6) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Valiente vs Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero

Lightning matches are back as a regular fixture.

CMLL Informa has Templario & Dragon Rojo Jr. (Reyes del Aire), Marcela & Skadi (Skadi return from injury) and Capitan Suicida (is now a Capitan).

NJPW added Mascara Dorada, Josh Alexander, Adrian Quest, Rocky Romero vs KUSHIDA, Kevin Knight, DKC and Volador Jr. for their 02/18 show in Los Angeles. This is a 20 USD standalone show that will later be added to NJPW World. NJPW’s playing up the Romero/Volador issue, which again points to another match in Japan.

AAA

AAA announced the teams for the Lucha Libre World Cup on Wednesday afternoon

• Mexico 1: Psycho Clown, Alberto el Patron, Hijo del Vikingo
• Mexico 2: Taurus, Pentagon Jr., Laredo Kid
• US: Sam Adonis, Johnny Caballero, Christopher Daniels
• Canada: Josh Alexander, Vampiro, PCO
• Europe: Thomas Latimer, Joe Hendry, Heddi Karaoui
• Japan: La Estrella, Kuuaki, Nishikawa
• Latin America: Carlito, Hip Hop Man, Zumbi
• Rest of The World: Classy Ali, Rage, Bhupinder Gujjar

Mexico 2 is very good. Christopher Daniels and Pentagon Jr. were mentioned as wrestling in AEW but the AEW logo was not on their graphic. (Carlito wasn’t listed as Nacion Lucha Libre, though that’s the obvious connection.) Impact and NWA were specifically called out. Daniels seems like an AEW representative when they don’t want to send anyone on screen important but still want to maintain a relationship by sending an official. Hangman Page isn’t the only one who needs to mend some fences right about now.

It’s strange Takuma & Kento aren’t on Team Japan; maybe they’re in some other match? I don’t know if there are more matches. The rest of the world is now catching onto the fact Vampiro is just wrestling normal after his previous brain injury retirement; remember, his story is that he just took care of himself and got better.

Women

• Mexico: Sexy Star II, Flammer, La Hiedra
• US: Deonna Purrazzo, Kamille, Jordynne Grace
• Japan: Emi Sakura, AKINO, Mayumi Ozaki
• Rest of the World: Christi Jaynes, Taya, Natalia Marakova

Will Marakova finally make it to an AAA show? This is try 3. In kayfabe, Marvilla should be on Team Mexico instead of Sexy Star because Las Toxicas never ever lose. That also might be sign of how team Mexico might do here.

Rayo de Jalisco Jr. will also be honored on the show.  Tickets aren’t on sale yet, and Dorian Roldan said they were still in discussion about who the show would air. It’s unusual for AAA to announce a show like this without something on sale. We also don’t know the rules; there were strange tiebreaker singles matches in previous years.

Negro Casas & Dalys will appear on Saturday’s Arena Neza card.

Hijo del Vikingo says he used to sell posters and photos outside of lucha libre arenas to make money, and he still does so from time to time.

IWRG

Sunday’s lineup’s

IWRG (SUN) 01/29/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Águila Oriental & Baby Star vs Kenji & Tortuga Leo
2) Hades (AAA) & Sagitarius vs Black Fury & India Mazahua
3) Spider Fly © vs John Tito [IWRG IC Light]
first defense
4) Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. vs Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Shocko
5) Hell Boy & Hijo De Canis Lupus vs Hijo del Fishman & Hijo del Pirata Morgan
6) Asterboy, Puma de Oro, Tonalli vs Dick Angelo 3G, Legendario, Rey Halcón

The main event is the battle between the various El Jacuan members. Fourth match seems headed to a trios title match.

IWRG is also announcing the teams/leaders for their 2023 Tryout competition on Friday.

Other Notes

LuchaWorld has the latest Poster-mania.

Netflix show Contra las Cuerdas debuted on Netflix this morning. It appears to be available worldwide. It’s gotten a lot of press, haven’t see a lot of reviews. Stephanie Vaquer has a cameo in episode 2, KeMonito is in episode 3, and episode 5 seems to involve a challenge from Ludark Shaitan.

02/06 Lucha Memes has Aramis vs Vengador as the headliner, and that should be pretty good. That’s a Monday show; they’re running on the holiday, while CMLL is moving their Monday show a day early to avoid it.

AAW announced Aramis vs Gringo Loco vs Black Taurus vs Brayden Lee for their 02/13 show in Berwyn.

GCW announced Bandido vs Gringo Loco for their 03/17 New York show.

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 01/20/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Estrellas del Ring, Kaiser Sports, Quadratin, R de Rudo, The Gladiatores, The Gladiatores (videos), thecubsfan]
1) Leono, Neón, Valiente Jr. b Apocalipsis, Enfermero Jr., Nitro   
12:34
2) Metálica, Reyna Isis, Tiffany b La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit   
15:27. Isis pinned Sugehit with help from Metalica, setting up a rematch next week
3) Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto b Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring, Valiente   
15:06
4) Ángel de Oro, Bárbaro Cavernario, Niebla Roja DQ Dragón Rojo Jr., Oráculo, Templario   
13:40. Straight falls, Oraculo fouling Angel de Oro in the second fall.
5) Rocky Romero b Volador Jr. © [NWA WELTER]   
16:56. Rocky wins with a top rpoe cross armbreaker. Volador falls on 9th defense. Romero is 10th (or 67th) champion. Romero declared himself the new face of CMLL and said Volador would have to defeat him to get his hair match.

This show aired for free on YouTube. CMLL claimed TicketmasterLive had an issue making them unable to carry the show. TicketmasterLive still took money for the show and continued to have the listing up after the CMLL announcement that they wouldn’t carry the show. (I know, I accidentally bought it without realizing it wasn’t airing.) Everyone is supposed to get a refund for the show automatically; that took a while last time, but it did happen. It was very fortunate timing for CMLL to happen to have a show for free, with a hot crowd and a big main event clearly intended to set up more matches down the line. This was a show CMLL ought to offer for free if they had a choice in it. I’m a little suspicious about the Ticketmaster issue, but I’ve got nothing beyond suspicions. It was really good luck for CMLL if it just worked out that way.  I was too distracted by the match to keep an eye on the numbers, but a Twitter poster said CMLL hit around 12,000 live viewers during the main event. That’s much better than they’ve done on their other streams.

Volador/Romero is the best match in Mexico so far. They worked well together, they took the match up and down, Volador showed a lot of range, Rocky worked well as his opposition and the crowd was totally there for the match. It was something watching this match on Friday and then seeing the AAA on Space replay of Saturday where Vikingo & Bandido were doing more incredible stuff but with a fraction of the audible reaction. Rocky focused on Volador’s arm before finally winning it by submission cleanly; they made Romero look as strong as possible.

This is clearly not the end of the story. It’s also a clear difference between CMLL and AAA. CMLL put rudo Romero over clean, where championship winning foreign rudos in AAA always have to cheat to try to get that extra portion of heat. CMLL and AAA both seem convinced that the outsider will come back to put over their homegrown wrestler later on; CMLL historically has been more effective at pulling off that part of that deal.

The rest of the show was fine. The opener felt long and not good, the women’s match had it’s weakpoints. Blue Panther is the undisputed “old man who gets the crowd going” with Casas out of town. Semi-main was not much, and it’s notable how Barbaro Cavernario just kind of fades into the background nowadays.

CMLL (SAT) 01/21/2023 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Bengala, Cachorro, Retro b Cholo, Inquisidor, Príncipe Odín Jr. 
Tecnicos took 1/3 despite Bengala leaving on a stretcher
2) La Guerrera, Marcela, Skadi vs La Seductora, Metálica, Reyna Isis 
Skadi return from injury. Tecnicas took 2/3.
3) Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma b Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido 
Fuerza Poblana took 2/3.
4) Euforia, Oráculo, Rocky Romero DQ Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero 
Team Orcaulo took 1/3, Angel de Oro fouling Oraculo
5) Soberano Jr. b Templario 
Soberano took 2/3.

Templario/Soberano sounds like it was along the lines of their previous matches. (Their previous one went up on CMLL’s YouTube this weekend.)

CMLL (SUN) 01/22/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito b Acero, Aéreo, Fantasy
2) Capitán Suicida, Diamond, Eléctrico b Dr. Karonte I, Okumura, Raider
Suicida now known as Capitán Suicida (but gimmick is otherwise the same.) Tecnicos took 2/3.
3) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa b Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
Dulces AtrapaSuenos took 2/3.
4) Sagrado © b Valiente [MEX HEAVY]
2nd defense
5) Ángel de Oro, Místico, Volador Jr. b Atlantis, Oráculo, Rocky Romero [Relevos Increíbles]
Team Volador took 2/3, a clean victory. Angel de Oro & Volador challenged Oraculo & Rocky Romero to a hair match.

No title change. Angel de Oro & Volador vs Orauclo & Rocky Romero would be very good, but I’m not sure why they’d combine those two feuds after Friday.

Suicida is now Capitan Suicida, which is probably due to Mike (Suicida) Segura having that name first. Capitan Suicida needs to get at least a hat.

CMLL Guadalajara also had a charity show on Sunday, but there’s no results and I haven’t had time to work them out myself yet. Maybe later.

CMLL (TUE) 01/24/2023 Arena México
1) Acero, Aéreo, Último Dragóncito vs Pequeño Polvora, Pequeño Violencia, Pierrothito
2) La Guerrera, La Magnifica, La Vaquerita vs Amapola, La Seductora, Tiffany
3) Fuego vs Felino Jr. [lightning]
4) Astral, Hombre Bala Jr., Volcano vs El Coyote, Kráneo, Okumura
5) Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black vs Euforia, Hechicero, Mephisto
6) Místico vs Stuka Jr.

Stuka and Mistico was agreed to last Tuesday. The lightning matches appear to be back, though it may be connected to having a singles match main event. (Or a tournament on Friday.) Three Tiffany matches in eight days seems wrong.

CMLL (FRI) 01/27/2023 Arena México
1) Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso, Stigma vs Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit vs Metálica, Reyna Isis, Tiffany
3) Capitán Suicida vs Virus [lightning]
4) Místico vs Templario, Atlantis Jr., Gran Guerrero, Fugaz, Stuka Jr., Soberano Jr., Dragón Rojo Jr., Panterita del Ring Jr., Bárbaro Cavernario [Reyes del Aire]
5) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Volador Jr. vs Oráculo, Rocky Romero, Titán [Relevos Increíbles]

Volador and Titan being in the main event explains why they’re no in Reyes del Aire. I hope they go with the storyline that NJPW’s Rocky Romero is forcing Titan to team with him.

Suicida & Virus should be fun. Women’s match is the rematch. This should be a good show. CMLL says this is back on Ticketmaster.

CMLL wrestler(s) will participate in the All Star Junior Festival on March 1st. It includes about 20 different Japanese promotions; CMLL is the only promotion participating outside of Japan participating. March 1st is the day after Fantastica Mania ends, so all it takes is an extra hotel day and a later flight to get some CMLL people on the show. Everyone is already booking big singles matches but a one-night show with 20 promotions sounds like many tag matches.

TUDN has a video interview with Chamuel.

AAA

AAA TV (SAT) 01/21/2023 Auditorio General José María Arteaga, Querétaro, Querétaro [AAA, Lucha Central, Mas Lucha]
1) Dark Crazy, Kastigador, Vengador b Galáctico Dragón, Gremlin, Samuray Azteca
Locals dark match
2) Brazo De Oro Jr., Drago Kid, Mini Vikingo DQ Demus, Dinámico, Iron Kid
Demus got DQed for using a chair (which is illegal in AAA now?)
3) Flammer, La Hiedra, Maravilla b Dulce Kanela, Lady Shani, Sexy Star
Lady Flammer did have her mixed tag team belt
4) Mr. Iguana & Niño Hamburguesa b Kento & Takuma [lumberjack]
Kuuaki & Nishikawa joined Kento & Takuma in beating up the tecnicos post match.
5) Bestia 666, Mecha Wolf, Pagano b Aramis, Vampiro, Willie Mack
Pagano didn’t want to fight Vampiro
6) Komander b Jack Cartwheel
Said to be a great match
7) Daga & Sam Adonis b Pentagón Jr. & Psycho Clown
Daga replaced Taurus well prior to the show. Daga & Adonis attacked Penta & Psycho earlier. No DQ match, but they still did a bit where La Rebellion distracted the referee so the rudos could sneak in fouls. Mystery wrestlers in Psycho Clown masks cleared the ring, then unmasked to reveal themselves as the debuting Negro Casas & Dalys.

There’s a Facebook fan cam of the whole show in one two parts. The Casas/Dalys angle is about 1h20m in the second video. I’m going to wait for it to air and watch the rest of it then.

Negro Casas and Dalys appeared along with their grandsons, Psycho Clown’s two sons. Many people know Psycho Clown is married to a Casas and the son-in-law of Negro Casas & Dalys, but not everyone until the angle. They haven’t been connected on screen before. Negro Casas jumping is the talk of Mexican wrestling this weekend.

Dalys has been wrestling in CMLL since 2009 and is the current CMLL Japan Women’s Champion. Negro Casas has been constantly in CMLL since 1991, and his history with Arena Mexico goes back all the way to his 1981 matches with Fuerza Guerrera that put them both on the map. He spent more time in UWA/LLI in the 80s, as they focused more on lightweights, made the jump to CMLL full time just before LLI started going down, and stayed with CMLL even as his father (referee Pepe Tropi Casas) and youngest brother (Heavy Metal) both jumped to AAA at it’s founding.

CMLL did not appear to know the jump was coming. Negro Casas is listed on tonight’s Arena Puebla card. (Atlantis replaces.) Both Casas & Dalys were booked for Tuesday’s Guadalajara show. (Hijo del Villano III & Reyna Isis replace.) Both won their final matches in CMLL this past Tuesday. Dalys pinned champion Princesa Sugehit, which probably wasn’t to set up a title match and more just CMLL normally booking Dalys as the real top woman in the division regardless of the belt) Wrestlers have left CMLL for AAA and elsewhere before, and those who do not give CMLL notice they’re leaving have a hard time returning later. On the other hand, it’s Negro Casas, he may get a legend’s pass to return easier than anyone else.

Everyone wants to know why Negro Casas & Dalys made the jump. Hugo had an interview with them, Konnan, Penta, and Psycho on Lucha Libre Online, but it’s more celebratory than explanatory. Negro Casas & Dalys talked more to Mas Lucha, framing their decision as having done everything there was to do in CMLL and wanting new challenges, as well as working with their son-in-law. Working with Psycho Clown is one strong reason to go to AAA. CMLL will never work with Psycho Clown due Psycho and other Brazo family members destroying Ultimo Guerrero’s car, while AAA has no problem bringing in any star name.

There’s a second story going around, but it’s more hearsay and rumor than a firm report at this point. R de Rudo’s Krudemmon CMLL had talks of running a show honoring Negro Casas that may have doubled as a retirement. Infamous (and unreliable) CMLL defender Twitter account Los Colisenos also referenced plans for CMLL to honor Casas, though they’re less certain about a retirement. Negro Casas has said he plans on wrestling as long as he’s physically able to get in a ring, and making this move from CMLL to AAA would make some sense if he believed it’d keep him wrestling. (Still, going AAA’s running 1-3 tapings a month and a CMLL wrestler might wrestle 8 times a month, it’s a lot less wrestling unless Casas is working spot shows or taking indie dates.) Again, this is just conjecture – even R de Rudo’s report says CMLL only had thought about Casas retiring, no one’s saying it was a firm plan and no one’s confirming it.

Negro Casas is an odd fit for 2022 AAA. I mean, Negro Casas in any place but CMLL is going to be very hard to wrap my brain around. Casas is still good, but he’s slowed down over the last few years and is best with opponents who know how to work with him. AAA wrestlers tend to work in a more chaotic and energetic style than CMLL. Wrestlers going from CMLL to AAA have adjusted in the past and Negro Casas is better than most wrestlers, but Negro Casas is also 63. Casas coming in does work with the Psycho Clown/Sam Adonis feud – Casas beat Adonis in 2018 for his hair – and there’s definitely a novelty value in seeing in AAA. There’s a value in Casas going to places he hasn’t been in a long time. CMLL wrestlers have taken fewer outside dates, and it’ll be the first time in years he goes to some of these TV taping locations. Casas can also have a reduced schedule or work more indie dates without as many restrictions if he’d like. I don’t want to ever bet against Negro Casas figuring something in wrestling out, but this is not a move I would’ve suggested.

Dalys seems like a tougher fit. She was a tough fit in CMLL, but she grew up there and everyone learned to adapt to her quirks. She was pushed as a star for so long and so hard that the promotion itself believed Dalys was a star and gave her leeway for some of her selfish antics. Dalys doesn’t have that history in AAA. She’s coming in as someone who expects to be the top woman, hasn’t been much interested in allowing her opponents look good, and hasn’t drawn fans to support that behavior. Dalys is also a woman with a strong ego in a promotion that has struggled dealing with women who have strong egos. The immediate comparison is to Faby Apache, positioned similarly and moving into the other direction. Faby’s a better worker, much more over and CMLL’s been careful to only use her when they have something meaningful for her to do. Dalys in CMLL more has the feel of Sexy Star (I)’s last run in AAA, where the locker room couldn’t stand her from the moment she came back and treated her so harshly (and she the same to them) that Rosemary got caught in the middle and purposefully injured. Maybe Dalys will adapt and get some help from her family. There’s also a chance this will end up in a disaster.

CMLL’s worse off with no Negro Casas. He wasn’t going to be around forever, but he was going to be an easily over every time he appeared. It may be better long term to be giving bigger spots to a Guerrero Maya or Villano III Jr. or whomever, but no one’s going to able to replace Negro Casas. Dalys leaving CMLL is an easy plus, moving on someone who had maxed out their contributions yet would need to be constantly pushed for many years to come. (CMLL women’s wrestlers are no doubt privately celebrating.) CMLL was already setting up Reyna Isis for a title match this past Friday, and she’s among a few who could get bigger chances.

One other thing I took from those interviews is it didn’t seem like either side in this new relationship did a lot of studying on the other before they linked up. Hugo didn’t know Dalys’ name in his interview (and then thought it was Alice.) Negro Casas & Dalys were all hyped for new experiences and new opponents but didn’t name a single name they wanted to face. Negro Casas was visibly surprised when Dalys mentioned they could team in AAA and had to confirm that with Psycho Clown. AAA people will no doubt talk about how great this partnership will be and I hope they’re right, but I don’t think either side really understands what they’re getting into here. The other negative comparison here is Felino, who jumped to AAA in April 1999 looking for new opponents, and was back in CMLL by October 1999 very unhappy on how it all went. Six months is the early under/over for this move as well.

Box y Lucha 3535 has this Negro Casas & Dalys on the cover. I like their new style of cover.

sidebar: There’s a section of fans who saw Negro Casas moving to AAA as a story about Negro Casas possibly showing up in AEW. I don’t think the odds of Casas have changed at all. AEW can offer Negro Casas just as much now as they could before and probably won’t. AEW did their one lucha match with Bryan Danielson and they won’t feel a need to do another for a long time.AEW and AAA also seem to have some tension following the issues around Noches de Campeones show. (I think AEW fans are not grasping that there’s a real issue between AEW and AAA.) AAA’s not closing the door because they still want Omega, but they’re mentioning AEW a whole lot less. Negro Casas being in the news probably helps a little to get attention, but going to AAA doesn’t change things for the US much at the moment.

There were other things on this show! (Although even AAA didn’t report on the main event on social media, caught up in the Casas/Dalys appearance.) AAA people raved about Komander/Jack Cartwheel. I don’t understand the Pagano/Vampiro angle but there is at least a purpose for Vampiro to be in the ring. Anyone Japanese in Mexico has a chance to feud with Mr. Iguana in 2023. Lady Flammer did get her mixed tag title belt, though I’m not sure most people were looking at the belt in that photo. This show should start air on 02/04 and 02/11.

Hijo del Vikingo missed this taping working the US. His GCW match against Gringo Loco got a lot of attention for some of the crazy (and self sacrificing) offense he pulled off during the match. It’s still up on FITE+. The Flamita/Rey Horus/Vikingo match on Saturday in Warrior Wrestling got attention for one spot, but not a lot from the match itself – and that was a clip in person, not on TV. That show is on VOD for $20. I hope these companies are getting sweet deals from ProWrestling.TV because they don’t seem to be getting fans to check out that site on their own.

Taurus also missed this main event working in the US, him for Impact. He did not actually wrestle on either Friday or Saturday; his feud with Trey Miguel has flipped to Crazy Steve wrestling Trey Miguel instead. Taurus seconded Steve on Friday’s taping and only appeared in a pre-show meet and greet on Saturday. Great work if you can get it.

AAA on Space had the unaired Marvel Lucha Libre match. It was about normal for those: decent action, confusing finish, and a feeling of missing a greater context. They aired Bandido/Vikingo as well if you missed it.

I never recorded ticket prices for the TripleManias:

• 04/16 Monterrey runs between 250 pesos to 3000
• 08/12 Mexico City runs between 440 pesos to 8040

Those are nearly exactly the same prices as last year. I have Mexico City top ticket as 8030 instead of 8040, close enough that I may have had a typo. Monterrey is the same. No tickets are on sale for Tijuana, but I’d expect tickets between 200 and 3000 pesos there.

Daga is headed to NOAH for the Keiji Muto retirement show on 02/21.

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 01/22/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, La Tijera, Mas Lucha]
1) Ajolotl b Rey Eclipse  
2) Jhon Tito b Alan Extreme, Baby Star, Águila Oriental [IWRG IC Light, #1 Contenders]  
Tito already owns a title shot whenever he wants, also is a #1 contender.
3) Diosa Quetzal & Hades DRAW Black Fury & Lolita  
Lolita & Quetzal double pin
4) Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Shocko b Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr. and Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Paymon  
Team Hip Hop Man cheated to win
5) Noisy Boy, Spider Fly, Tonalli b Dick Angelo 3G, Legendario, Puma de Oro  
Legendario & Dick Angelo betrayed Puma de Oro, with Aster Boy & Tonalli making the save (and orming a team of the three people who were in a mask match last month.) The two sides talked about a match to determine who gets to keep the El Jaucan name going forward.
6) Hell Boy, Hijo De Canis Lupus, Luka DQ Abismo Negro Jr., Hijo del Fishman, Hijo del Pirata Morgan  
A fan threw a drink at Fishman at the end of the match and Fishman tried to punch him out

I haven’t seen any of this show outside of putting together the results. The main event finish is Fishman throwing powder (from a ziplock bag?) in Canis Lupus face, the referee counting the pin and then calling the DQ. Abismo and Fishman started playing with the powder, throwing it over the cameraperson (El Monje!) and in the direction of the crowd. I don’t know that the crowd got any of it, but the fan throwing the drink was a response. Fishman pretty much missed on his punch, the fan didn’t fight back, and it didn’t escalate beyond that.

Big Lucha

Big Lucha , GALLI (SUN) 01/22/2023 Walther Christian Academy, Melrose Park, Illinois
3) Torero & Viajero (Indie) b El Potro de Oro & Sobrino Azteca
(new tecnico) Potro de Oro and Sobrino Azteca didn’t get along.
4) Missa Kate b Sussy Love [GALLI WOMEN]
5) Dreamerbreaker b El Bandolero, Skayde [GALLI DISCOVERY]
6) Gravity (Indie) & Komander (Indie) b Bendito (Big Lucha) & Elemental and Joey Marx & Mason Conrad
7) Bandido (Indie), Galeno del Mal, Rey Horus b Action Jackson, Emperador Azteca, Flamita and Axel Rico, Chuko, J. Manny [Copa Beginning]
The two rudo units beat up the tecnicos after the match

This was more a fun show than a good show, though the main event was Great in person and everyone worked hard. I was surprised the Golden Guns won both matches; it would’ve been nice for one of the local teams to win and they both worked hard enough to justify it.

There were two locals matches in these results not included because I didn’t catch all the names. The show moved pretty well for a GALLI event, which probably was helped by it being on PPV. The attendence seemed about normal for a GALLI show at this venue. Bandido had a lot of people looking for post match autographs. Komander seemed to have a minor hand injury. Potro del Oro brought his Golden Ticket to Chicago and there were more fans who definitely knew the characters than I would’ve thought.

This should be back on ProWrestlingTV at some point; it took about a day for the Warrior Wrestling VOD to turn up. This is more a show to see if it turns up on Mas Lucha or IWTV than to pay for a one time show.

Other News

LuchaWorld has the latest Lucha Report.

Benny Galant (Benny Galan, 93) passed away on Sunday. Galant was a Spanish wrestler who wrestled in EMLL from 1962 and 1968. EMLL in that time would bring in foreign wrestlers to push them hard for a 6-12 months, and then those wrestlers would move elsewhere. Galant got their early push – he beat Cavernario Galindo for his hair in September in September 1962, lost his hair to Santo in April 1963 – but he stuck around for longer. He and Rayo de Jalisco traded NWA Middleweight Championship in 1964 as his other big positive highlight.

“Cassandro” debuted in Sundance on Friday and the reviews (IndieWire, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, ) were very positive. It’s the sort of reviews that suggest it’ll be in award competition later this year, especially for lead actor Gael Garcia Bernal. I’ve seen some summaries of the movie which suggest there’s been creative storytelling on Cassandro’s career – it seems to be a plot point that exoticos never win any matches until Cassandro comes along – but it’s a movie condensing a long story to 100 minutes, that’s going to happen. No word on the Amazon Prime release date. Cassandro attended the premier; he hasn’t been seen in public much since his stroke last year, but seemed in good shape, considering.

Contra La Cuerdas, the lucha libre-themed Netflix series, debuts on the service on Wednesday. The series is 10 episodes long. The stars of the show were in their luchadora gimmicks at Arena Mexico on Friday. I have not seen many reviews of the show, though this one seems positive.

Mascara Dorada announced he’d be a free agent in four months and asked people where he should sign. It’s unclear who had Mascara Dorada under contract – maybe NJPW? Dorada’s inability to travel outside of the US (believed to be due to long delays immigration/work visa issues) has stifled his career.

A comeback artist under the name Misterio Azul Jr. has a Twitter thread complaining about Rey Mysterio’s lawyers blocking his copyrights because of perceived similarities. It’s an issue if Rey Mysterio is the only luchador or lucha libre related person who can use the name Mysterio in Mexico.

Vinegar Syndrome is re-releasing the 1974 Santo vs Dr. Death movie, in a limited quantity.

West Coast Pro has Latigo, Toxin and Black Taurus vs Rey Horus, Aramis & Viento on March 4th. Their shows airs on IWTV.

Diario de Xalapa has an interview with lucahdora/high schooler Lady Wind.