CMLL Torneo de Escuelas wraps up tonight, AAA/NWA, Komander

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 03/03/2023 Arena México
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía vs Mercurio, Minos, Pierrothito
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Princesa Sugehit vs La Catalina, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
CMLL debut of La Catalina
3) Virus vs Satánico [lightning]
4) Futuro, Max Star, Neón, Príncipe Historico, Tonalli, Vegas vs Adrenalina, Ángel Rebelde, Crixus, Explosivo, Fantástico, Vaquero Jr. [Torneo de Escuelas, final]
CDMX vs Guadalajara
5) Soberano Jr. vs Bárbaro Cavernario [lightning]
6) Ángel de Oro, Místico, Volador Jr. vs Atlantis Jr., Oráculo, Rocky Romero [Relevos Increíbles]

Back to normal after FantasticaMania, or normal plus an extra tournament. The four guys in the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas in the main event, two interesting lightning matches, the debut of Catalina and either Mexico City or Guadalajara winning medals for being the best school. La Catalina also appeared still masked on Informa, still says she’ll unmask for the match. (The stated idea is there are lots of photos of her unmasked on social media; CMLL seems to prefer unmasked luchadoras slightly and that could be it as well.) I don’t know what we’re going to get out of Soberano and Cavernario just off the plane, but it looks like the best match on paper. This show could be great.

The last-minute news is Principe is out, and Historico is on for team Mexico City. CMLL hasn’t given a reason yet, may during the show. Historico previously turned up in IWRG as a Hip Hop Man trainee repeatedly, as recently as the IWRG FILL 100 tournament.

The show airs on TicketmasterLive for the usual 99 pesos. It’ll go up on YouTube on March 19th.

Crixus, both on Informa and other press, mentioned he’s representing Guadalajara and Satanico but he’s actually living in Mexico City and training with Volador Jr. & Virus. Vaquero Jr. mentioned he was training with Virus at one point too.

CMLL (MON) 03/06/2023 Arena Puebla
1) Dark Soul, Dreyko, Rencor vs Espíritu Maligno, Hijo del Perverso, Multy
2) Fuego, Rey Samuray, Volcano vs El Perverso, Kráneo, Prayer
3) Mercurio © vs Angelito [CMLL MINI]
5th defense
4) Sagrado © vs Rey Bucanero [MEX HEAVY]
3rd defense
5) Averno vs Gran Guerrero
6) Oráculo & Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro & Rocky Romero [Relevos Increíbles]

Puebla has Homenaje a Dos Leyendas takes place in two weeks. I’m not sure it’ll have as much stuff on this: a hair match preview and three singles matches. Angelito (who challenged on Monday, not Shokercito) is sure getting a lot of chances.

AAA

AAA on Space at 6:30 on Saturday has

  • Eterno Alcander, Mr. Iguana, Nino Hamburgesa vs Kuuaki, La Parka Negra, Nishikawa
  • Dalys vs Lady Shani vs Sexy Star vs Chik Tormenta vs La Hiedra in the Reina de Reinas tournament (but not for the title of the same name)
  • Pagano vs Hijo del Vikingo vs Sam Adonis vs Pagnao in the Rey de Reyes final

I’ll try to remember to link the stream this week. This should go up on YouTube on 03/11.

AAA also has the combo show with NWA on Saturday. Maybe this will turn up streaming on Instagram, since that’s where AAA has done a lot of streaming of late. The NWA sent announcer Joe Galli and says they’ll be using the footage, though they haven’t said how. I expect YouTube fan cams might turn out to be quickest way to see the wrestling. This show, between being at a festival and needing to go through eight matches in two one-hour windows, seems more novelty than epic.

AAA TV (SAT) 04/08/2023 Auditorio Miguel Barragan, San Luis Potosí, San Luis Potosí
1) Mini Vikingo vs Fulgor vs Baby Extreme
2) Dave The Clown, Murder Clown, Panic Clown vs Chik Tormenta, Látigo, Toxin
3) Mr. Iguana vs Puma King
Guest referee La Hiedra
4) Dalys, Jack Cartwheel, Negro Casas vs Argenis, Dinámico, Toscano
5) Dralistico, Hijo Del Vikingo, Laredo Kid vs Antifaz del Norte, Flamita, Gringo Loco
6) Daga, Damián 666, Pentagón Jr. vs Abismo Negro Jr., Cibernético, Taurus

The big main event idea is this is a tribute to Perro Aguayo Jr. and so there’s a Los Perros reunion on one side. Daga’s last appearance included Pentagon calling him out for betraying Los Perros, but it’s a better idea than a random Joe Lider appearance. Semi-main is a sort of build towards Laredo/Antifaz, though this may not air before TipleMania Monterrey. AAA is remarkably focused on the Iguana/Hiedra story.

AAA wrestlers were in Guadalajara to promote the World Cup on Wednesday.

AAA announced the Showcenter events start on 05/14, and they’ll have five of them in 2023.

According to the Wrestling Observer, Hijo del Vikingo was planned for the AEW’s Face of the Ladder match this past Wednesday. AEW contacted AAA, who said they could not remove Vikingo from a tour of Chiapas on Wednesday and Thursday. Last year, Dorian Roldan stated AAA fans didn’t care if wrestlers were missing from shows, so keeping Vikingo on those shows seems like a policy change. The WON story is AEW got Komander when they couldn’t get Vikingo. The version I heard (and could not fully source out) is that AEW wanted to get both Vikingo and Komander, and they went through KAOZ to get Komander.

I’m trying not to say too much about Hijo del Vikingo and AEW/US TV unless it’s like triple-sourced, because I figure everyone on the other side of this screen is tired of hearing “maybe” or “could be” and wants a firm date or nothing. I can’t report a date at this moment. I can point to the obvious: AEW really wanted Vikingo for the match and will want him again and AAA didn’t say no entirely, just no on this particular date. It’s like just a matter of finding a date that will work for all parties.

The WON mentions and I’ve also heard WWE reached out to Komander after seeing that he was coming into AEW. WWE contacted Komander after seeing him announced for this past week’s Dynamite before his match actually took place. The version I was told was WWE wanted to bring Komander in for a look; it was not a formal contract offer.

Komander follows Dragon Lee and Bandido as people WWE suddenly had a lot more interest in when they pop up in AEW. WWE surely has brought in other Latin American wrestlers and we don’t hear about it, but the quickest way to the top of the WWE list seems to be to show up on AEW TV. Other US TV, be it Impact, MLW, or even ROH with the same ownership, doesn’t seem to work the same way.

Komander is either back in Mexico to make that AAA/NWA show or soon will be. I believe you’ll see him in the great Tony Khan universe again but he’s all over the place for the next month.

Slam Wrestling an interview with Drago & Aerostar about their travels.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 03/02/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Haziel b Garrobo Punk Jr. [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Kariel scheduled but didn’t appear due to breaking her leg the day before in the training. Haziel won the match and advanced by judge’s decision.
2) Amnesia (San Luis Potosí) b Golden Power [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Amneisa won both the match and the judge’s vote.
3) Ángel De Plata b Rey MinosDariux [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Dariux won the match, Angel de Plata the judge’s voting
4) Gannicus b Vendaval [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Vendaval won the match but Gannicus advanced via judge’s decision.
5) Fussion b Nubilus [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Nubilus won the match but Fussion advanced on judge’s decision
6) Riesgo DRAW Centurion [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Went to a timelimit draw. Neither wrestler got votes, and the judges ruled both were eliminated.
7) Espartano DRAW Samuray Azteca [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Espartano won, and both wrestlers advanced
8) Eddie Rodríguez b Mandibula Jr. [IWRG TRYOUT, 8F] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Mandibula won the match, Eddie the voting.
9) Haziel b Amnesia (San Luis Potosí) [IWRG TRYOUT, quarterfinal] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Amnesia won the match, Haziel got the decision.
10) Gannicus b Ángel De Plata [IWRG TRYOUT, quarterfinal] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Gannicus won the match and the decision
11) Fussion (Morelos) b Samuray Azteca (Queretaro) [IWRG TRYOUT, quarterfinal] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Samuray Azteca won the match, Fussion the decision.
12) Eddie Rodríguez b Espartano [IWRG TRYOUT, quarterfinal] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
Espartano won the match, Eddie Rodriguez advanced
13) Hip Hop Man, Karaoui, Shocko b Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Paymon [EdM Trios] LIVE 🔴 | Semifinales del IWRG Try Out + Las Shotas (c) vs Los Internacionales (posted by mluchatv)
1st defense

I believe this is the first IWRG show of the year I have watched from the beginning or end (though I was not paying close attention to the main event.) I can’t defend watching every single match of a tryout series when I will probably almost never watch the winner when they’re actually in IWRG, but it is what is happening.

Haziel, Gannicus, Fussion, and Eddie Rodriguez advance to the final, which sounded like was next Sunday (there was conflicting announcements on the show.) I think they made the right call but the process is not great. Instead of voting on the winners in each match, it would make more sense and the same amount of drama to announce eight or four winners after each round. There’s a lot of luck in whomever you ended up wrestling in these rounds. The public yes or no is subject to some peer and fan pressure; Fussion should be in the final four, but having the most people there supporting him might have helped in a squeaker over Nubilus.

Centurion and Riesgo really struggled and it was fair that neither advanced; it was a disappointing end to the Centvrion comeback story. Samuray Azteca was the last cut and looked good both here and in his dark match on AAA TV more; he’s useful if someone can get him out of Queretaro.

IWRG owner Marcos Moreno sat with judges Black Terry, Hip Hop Man and Heddi Karaoui, for the entire show, a visible sign those judges probably aren’t’ the only ones making the decisions.

The main event story was as much about Paymon being split off from Las Shotas as the title change; they’ll probably get a new trios partner for a rematch soon. This show was overly long (running two rounds on one show on a Thursday night was a hard ask) and the main event didn’t have much enegy.

IWRG will run two shows as part of a Naucalpan outdoor festival, “Primera Festival de Lucha Libre” in Parque Naucalli. The shows will take place July 17th and 18th.

Other News

LuchaWorld has this week’s Poster-Mania.

There are no Mexican wrestlers on this Sunday’s AEW show. AEW seemed to be building a Lucha Brothers/Mark Briscoe vs Josh Woods/Ari Davari/Tony Nese trios match for some time, and they may announce it for the PPV pre-show later tonight.

Metalk (Mascara Dorada) appeared on the debut of the new ROH TV show Thursday night. You have to subscribe to ROH’s 10 USD/month service to watch ROH at this point. Metalik also happens to be feuding with the same Davari trio, though the two feuds are in separate universes.

04/01 The Wrld on Lucha

Mexico City will celebrate the 04/06 International Day of Sports with lucha libre masks. Daniel Aceves is involved, of course.

Demonio Infernal broke a finger climbing the cage on Saturday in his cage match against NGD, and needed five screws put into it. He’ll be out for three months.

Tu Plan de Juego visits a Heddi Karaoui training seminar in Orizaba.