KeMonito out of CMLL, CMLL post-Aniversario show, AAA TV in CDMX

CMLL

Today’s CMLL show, with the correct opener this time:

CMLL (FRI) 09/22/2023 Arena México
1) Hombre Bala Jr. & Pelon Encapuchado vs Difunto & Espanto Jr.
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Skadi vs Reyna Isis, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
3) Virus vs TJP [lightning]
4) Águila Solitaria, Black Terry, Felino, Octagón, Satánico, Solar I vs Atlantis, Blue Panther, Negro Navarro, Pantera, Panterita del Ring, Rocky Santana [cibernetico]
5) Ángel de Oro, Místico, Templario vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Rocky Romero, Soberano Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

The main event is the usual Aniversario rematch, which means Dragon Rojo is either beating Templario or unmasking him. The legends match is interesting as a concept and we’ll see how it works. Virus versus TJP should be great. The opening matches look fine. Not a PPV you must get but probably will be good.

CMLL (MON) 09/25/2023 Arena Puebla
1) Centella Roja, Hijo de Centella Roja, Xelhua vs Dreyko, El Malayo, Sombra Diabólika
2) Lady Metal vs Hera [lightning]
3) Historico, Novato, Valiente Jr. vs El Perverso, Prayer, Vegas
4) Blue Panther Jr., Dark Panther, Volcano vs Crixus, Difunto, Kráneo
5) Máscara Dorada, Soberano Jr., Titán vs Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero
6) Templario vs Ángel de Oro

Templario continues to stand in for Volador. Lady Metal gets a singles match. Historico gets a match at all; I probably need to add him and Novato to the database already.

CMLL (TUE) 09/26/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Atilus, Maximus, Rey Urano vs Black Boy, Thunder Boy, Yaky Boy
2) Adira, Andrómeda, Katara, Magia Azul vs Centinela, Hatana, Lady Metal (Puebla), Perse
3) Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr. vs Arlequín, Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte
4) Sanely vs La Catalina [lightning]
5) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Valkiria vs La Maligna, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
6) Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Máscara Dorada vs Gran Guerrero, Soberano Jr., Último Guerrero

Three women’s matches, Soberano as a rudo, this is definitely a Guadalajara card.

This Saturday is FantasticaMania UK, with shows at 2 pm and 8 pm local. I don’t think RevPro has specified what they’re doing here, but I still assume they’re showing up as VOD in the days after the show.

You can pretty much throw out anything I told you about the Night of Champions on Wednesday, and I’m sorry for wasting your time. I don’t think I did something wrong, but what I failed to consider is someone with a voting script using it so intensely as to push their favorite people through. The voting is off the chart. Fugaz/Dorada has been the closest race so it stands out there, but it looks like someone or someone put in between 1,500 and 2,000 votes for a chosen candidate on the ballot. There may be multiple people do it, because everyone’s getting more votes than they were before.

  • In the Mistico race, both Dragon Rojo and Virus have picked up over 1600 votes. Dragon Rojo got more and will go ahead if this keeps pace.
  • In the Cavernario race, Dark Panther got 2000 more votes than his rivals and will come from 3rd place to win if that keeps up. He almost doubled his entire vote total in single day.
  • Nearly 6,000 votes were cast for Titan’s opponents; this is where it seems likely multiple people are trying the same thing. Fugaz’s people were more successful and are ahead now.
  • The women’s race, which had been over as Catalina/Vaquer since day once, now has Zeuxis getting 1,800 votes a day. She’ll catch up tomorrow.
  • Los Indestructibles are the lucky winners in the trios title match, and they’ll catch up by the end of the weekend if the pattern holds up.
  • Angelito is the chosen mini winner, and he’ll get to first place on Saturday

CMLL never throws out script votes, they just try to use a better script the next year, so the numbers are what they are. People should vote to support their wrestlers but it’s going be decided by what the people who run scripts want to see.

KeMonito out of CMLL

The original KeMonito has indeed left CMLL, and it’s a bad breakup. An article in InfoPolitano on Thursday (which appears to actually be a KeMonito press release) explains his side of the story. KeMonito worked as Tinieblas’ mascot Alushe prior to 2002, they had a falling out, and Paco Alonso brought him to CMLL under the mascot character. Alfonso Morales named him on commentary, and it was working with Shocker that first really got him over. KeMonito claims he’s wanted to retire for many years, but was convinced by Salvador Lutteroth and his daughter Gala to continue. Then, the pandemic happened, and KeMonito says he was paid nothing – he had to make all his money off KeMonito items he sold on social media. CMLL brought KeMonito back when they resumed shows, though his salary was cut and he was newly restricted from working certain events and functions. CMLL also asked KeMonito to sign a contract. He refused, citing CMLL not paying money for a Grupo Bimbo commercial campaign he appeared in. KeMonito also mentioned in interviews that he’d like to retire, which upset CMLL – they wanted the character to be timeless and didn’t want to acknowledge any change in the person portraying it. CMLL was OK with KeMonito retiring, but wanted him to do so confidentially and without telling people. The issue stood still for a while when KeMonito took time off due to health issues, and he came back with his own proposal about payment when he returned. CMLL lawyers rejected his proposal, and KeMonito felt he was pressured by various people to just retire with no money. (He names Ultimo Dragoncito and “Terror”, probably referee Terror Chino, as part of this pressure.) KeMonito left the negotiations without signing what he believed was a fraudulent and abusive contract. KeMonito believes CMLL will introduce his replacement this Sunday and wanted his story out in advance. There will also be a KeMonito press conference about the situation on Monday.

The last time I can find KeMonito’s appearing on a CMLL card is the July 21st show. He’s hanging out with the tecnicos in the segunda that week. KeMonito is on the poster the following week,but he’s not around. He’s been on the poster for the Sunday shows every week, including when he was still around, though he hasn’t appeared on them since July as far as I could determine. KeMonito may have heard there’s a replacement coming, or he may be seeing his face on that poster and believe that means it’s happening. It’s unclear where the red devil KeMonito fits in this; it could be meant as a rival to the new character, or it’s possible it’s the replacement. The original KeMonito seems to be using “QueMoniito” on Instagram as his new name.

CMLL hasn’t said anything about this. I thought we might get a trademark “Comunicado Oficial” talking about a separation, but maybe the idea is they still believe they can change out the character without most people noticing, and so they want to keep it as quiet as possible. It’s going to be tough to do that as the media attention for this story picks up, especially after that press conference on Monday.

The idea of replacing KeMonito has precedent; Tinieblas Sr. & Jr. found someone else to wear that Alushe suit, and may have changed that role again over the years with no one noticing. Multiple people using the same character or being changed from one to another happens a bit with the minis and smaller wrestlers. Still, this all seems a delusional plan as stated: any change would’ve gotten out quickly in the gossipy world of professional wrestling (if it wasn’t already physically obvious), and it would’ve been on CMLL how to manage the fallout. I think I would’ve gotten a big crowd out of a show around the original KeMonito retiring, paid him to endorse the replacement (either in a new costume or same), and moved on that way. It’s not my money, though.

Lawsuits over who owns a lucha libre character also have precedent, though they’ve almost always been luchadors suing AAA about it. Mascara Sagrada did get control of his name, and Octagon certainly claims to have won many lawsuits. Wrestlers like LA Park, Kraneo, and Ripper (now back in CMLL as Psicosis) haven’t been as lucky. The people portraying sports mascots are replaced without much fanfare, though there have been some high-profile cases where fans figured out the change, and it became a story for some time.

In a Mas Lucha interview two years or so ago, Dorian Roldan said the one thing he’d like to take from CMLL is KeMonito. He could actually do that now. Roldan did get Microman, though he seems to have finished up last year. Microman was still in CMLL when KeMonito told the promotion he wanted to retire pre-pandemic, and I wonder how much that played into his retirement decision then or how much it played into Microman deciding to take (likely better paying US) bookings.

AAA

AAA tapes Saturday night in Mexico City.

AAA TV (SAT) 09/23/2023 Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera, Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal
1) Drago Kid, Dulce Kanela, Mini Vikingo vs Dinámico, Kamik-C, Skalibur
2) Centella vs Chik Tormenta
3) Mr. Iguana & Niño Hamburguesa vs Kento & Takuma [lumberjack]
4) Octagón Jr. vs MechawolfDragoBestia 666 [AAA LA, #1 Contenders]
5) Dralistico & Negro Casas vs Argenis & Nicho el Millionario
6) Pagano vs Texano Jr. [ambulance]
7) Hijo Del Vikingo © vs Komander [AAA MEGA]

Vikingo is going to wrestle as best I can tell, though he obviously won’t be 100% and I wouldn’t count on him working a full schedule for a while. The last ambulance match had someone help the heel win and this seems likely to be the same finish. (This is the same arena where the Pagano injury angle started.) Nicho looked so done on TripleMania but AAA doesn’t seem it or they just believe they have to have old wrestlers. Octagon Jr. seems likely to get the title shot based on future booking. The last time Kento and Takuma were on TV six months ago, they were facing the same guys in the same lumberjack match; nothing changes on these TV tapings. Centella/Tormenta is a match to showcase Centella. Opener is a lot spots and hopefully most of them will work.

This is not airing, as best I can tell, until 10/15. This week finishes off the Showcenter, next week starts Heroes Inmortales, then this one airs. Maybe.

To finish off Showcenter, AAA is airing:

  • Dulce Kanela vs Ultra vs Gemelo Tapia
  • Mr. Iguana vs Epydemius vs Blecegor
  • Sexy Star vs Centella vs Lady Maravilla

The Space press release mentioning this lineup seems to mention the regular AAA shows are going up on HBO Max. That’s new to me, it’s only been the live TripleManias mentioned prior.

AAA and governmental group INJUVE announced a strategic alliance on Thursday. INJUVE had been working with luchadors dating back to the pandemic, when Ciclon Ramirez Jr., Bandido and other worked on campaigns to promote wearing face masks and entertained people getting vaccines. There’s been at least an informal Big Lucha/INJUVE alliance, and it looks like that’s being extended to AAA. More details are to come later, but it reads like there’s a plan for another talent search.

Dorian Roldan sat down with Mas Lucha for about a half hour after the show, and also pointed in the direction of this being a talent search. I feel like the Big Lucha version of this showed that Mexico City has been picked pretty clean – it’s hard to find an undiscovered CDMX talent at ths point – but AAA’s history with talent searches is fantastic and it makes sense to try again in case someone from elsewhere shows up. There’s also talk of working with the people who’ve been working in campaigns with INJUVE already.

Roldan also mentions AAA will have 23 TV events this year, and last year they had 22. My count is AAA’s announced 20 TV tapings so far; are there three more coming after 11/19 Juarez? He believes the number will be about the same in 2024. Roldan pushed the idea of a new concept for a TV show, which is likely the “Drive to Survive” style reality show they’ve been shopping. There’s also talk about Luchatitlan here – it’s still being mentioned, and comes up later as a place where some AAA wrestlers are working, but there’s nothing new to discuss at the moment.

Jose Manuel Guillen asked him about people leaving AAA, and specifically Fenix working on The Crash. Roldan gives a very long and winding answer involving Lucha Underground and the differences in media rights between Mexico and US which he acknowledges is a very long and winding answer. The specific part about Fenix is everyone in AAA was told in January 2022 that The Crash is off limits, Fenix feels he owes a personal debt to that promoter, but AAA’s policy on not working for them is very clear. That made it sound like Fenix wouldn’t be back soon. On Villano III Jr., the AAA door is very large to come or to go, and he seemed alright with Villano II Jr. deciding to go. Roldan feels most wrestlers are happy working with AAA, bringing up The Crash trying to get Vikingo to jump over to them during the pandemic (!) but Vikingo opting to stay in AAA.

Roldan says the focus for year 32 of AAA is “to grow new talent, new characters for new audiences.” Roldan praises Vikingo for being high on the PWI list again and for the effort he puts in each day. (Vikingo’s status for Saturday never comes up.)

Roldan says he rated the TripleManias in order they happened – Monterrey most, then Tijuana, and Mexico City least. At this point, Jose Manuel Guillen tells Dorian Roldan that he thought TripleMania Mexico City was one of the worst TripleManias in many years. Roldan seems a little taken back, and answers that different fans and spectators see shows in different ways. He brought up friends he brought to a show going crazy for the Vampiro/Konnan confrontation at the end of a Copa TripleMania many years ago as something that hit differently for different people. He thought big moments from this year’s shows were QT Marshall becoming a giant star, Omega/Vikingo proving Vikingo’s top place in wrestling and seeing Alberto, LA Park, and Rush all in the same ring.

Roldan feels that new talent focus needs to be part of next year’s TripleManias, and that an issue is the fans don’t want to see the same wrestlers on all the shows. He also notes there’s been a lot of commentary on how AAA has some great wrestlers, but their rivalries are not followed up on and implies they need to work on that. Roldan says the toughest moment of the year for AAA is when TripleMania is over and they have to figure out what’s next. The results vary. Roldan feels TripleMania 25 (Psycho/Wagner) was great, 26 (four-way) was one of their worst, and 27 (Wagner/Demon) very good. Guillen asked if there would be three TripleManais next year and Roldan said AAA is still working on the plan, but there definitely would be major events in Monterrey, Tijuana, and Mexico City in 2024. They started to wrap up with a chat about Juan de la Barrera and Dorian Roldan talking about all the AAA history in that building. (It was a regular TV taping location for many years, especially in the mid-90s.) Roldan pushed that AAA was focused on championship matches and a strong narrative to finish on the year. He wants to grow new personality, says the luchadoras are part of their upcoming plans, and that they’re looking for new minis. Roldan ends by hinting at big things coming in the first quarter of 2024. Guillen asked about the story of Impact taping in Mexico City this year, which Roldan acknowledged was true but said/joked they were out of time to talk about it now. More on that later.

There are encouraging signs in those answers; a focus on new stars and continuing rivalries is positive. A promise to focus at all is great. Roldan mentioning trying to mix up the talent on the TripleManis is interesting; a reason it’s the same talent is AAA has been running a tournament that requires the same people in key roles on all those shows. Does that mean no tournament in 2024? I do think we may need to retire asking Konnan or Dorian Roldan if they think a AAA show is great. JMG got a good response here, but only after the standard “some people didn’t like it but we consider them a small portion of the fans (that we can take or leave) and here’s a personal story of someone who told me they liked a show” deflection. The only time you’re going to get them to say a show is bad is years after the fact (and I was caught off guard even by Roldan saying 26 was one of the worst.) Maybe asking them once how they decide if a show is good or bad would be a better use of time; how do they tell if they’ve achieved their goal?

Dorian Roldan also has a column in Reforma, but it’s either behind a paywall or the website isn’t working.

There’s an AAA/Mortal Kombat ad. It’s unrealistic; an AAA referee DQing someone for using a weapon seems fake.

AAA EMW’s 09/30 show in Tijuana is not a TV taping but worth putting here:

AAA , EMW (SAT) 09/30/2023 Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Baja California
1) El Rey vs Anton CarrilloÉxtasis
2) Centella, Kitsune, Lady Shani vs Flammer, Lady Lee, Viperss
3) Jack Cartwheel & Rey Horus vs Mr. Iguana & Niño Hamburguesa and Matt Vandagriff & Willie Mack and Myzteziz & Octagón Jr. [AAA TAG, #1 Contenders]
4) Juicy Finau, Laredo Kid, Xtreme Tiger vs Danny Rivera, Rey Misterio Heredero, Silce Boogie
5) Bestia 666, Damián 666, Mecha Wolf vs Antifaz del Norte, Charro Negro (Nuevo León), Toscano
6) Alberto el Patrón, Negro Casas, Pagano vs Daga, Marty Scurll, Texano Jr.
7) Arkángel Divino, Fantastik, Rayo Star, Último Maldito vs Dinámico, Genio del Aire, Kamikaze, Skalibur [cage]

There sure are a lot of people on this card. American Icon isn’t listed on the poster, so this is AAA or EMW bringing in Marty Scurll on their own. Since AAA booking seems entirely frozen in the mid 90s, the main event is probably intended to bring back memories of a “Tijuana star of death” cage match of weapons. Those that were there said it was an outstanding match, impressive photos turned up in a magazine, and it’s an infamous missing match. There were US fans often going to Tijuana to record shows, one who planned to go that show was told nothing special was happening and he could skip and so there’s no known recording of it. 30 years later, they’re doing the same thing – by which I mean hoping someone else records it because the promotion doesn’t seem to be doing it.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 09/21/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, thecubsfan]
1) Psycko Kid b Leo CristianoPríncipe ArkanoAjolotolDragón FlyTorbillno AzulManchasDiablo Jr.Dr. CerebroMagic GirlHip Hop ManBlack Terry Jr.SagitariusAdrenalinaIvan RokovSammy GuerreroOmegaMariachiVampiro AztarothLa MoscaEpidemiaLa MasaMini ScorpióCanibal Jr.El CanadienseBuk DangerCaballero dE PlataHell Boy [Copa Mexico Argentina]
all wrestlers a surprise
2) Avisman b El Mimo [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
3) Judas el Traidor b Aramis [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
4) Hijo de Canis Lupus & Mr. Mike b Dr. Cerebro Jr. & Spider Fly
5) Karaoui b Súper Comando [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
6) Dr. Cerebro b Cerebro Negro [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
7) Galeno del Mal © b Hijo del Pirata Morgan [IWRG IC HEAVY]
first defense

I watched the first four matches, half paying attention the last two. The battle royal was very long and that’s why I want all battle royales to go away. (Maybe the CMLL ones are the good ones?) Photographer Black Terry Jr. was the non-wrestling surprise, as they seem to do every year. He did well. The Canadian guy was awful and everyone was confused on the finish. The grappling matches (“Cueo Cuerdas”) seemed watchable and they sure did a lot of moves in match four. And then I went to bed because the IWRG show started late, I was already sleepy and I thought extra sleep might help me get this post done in a timely matter today. Clearly should’ve just stayed up.

IWRG (SUN) 09/24/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Fussion & Sagitarius vs Diablo Jr. & Maggie Girl
2) Dr. Cerebro vs Karaoui [Cero Cuerdas, semifinal]
3) Hell Boy & Shocko vs Cerebro Negro & Cerebro Negro Jr.
4) Judas el Traidor vs Avisman [Cero Cuerdas, semifinal]
5) Dr. Cerebro Jr., Puma de Oro, Último Legendario vs Ivan Rokov, Relámpago, Súper Comando
6) Hijo de Canis Lupus, León Dorado, Mr. Leo vs Hijo del Fishman, Tonalli, Toxin
7) ? vs ?? [Cero Cuerdas, final]

This tournament finishes up here. “Maggie Girl” is pronounced “Magic Girl”, so either the luchadora or the people putting together the post don’t know how to spell Magic. Could go either way.

Other News

Psycho Clown challenges El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. for the GHC National Champion on NOAH’s show from Nagoya (early) Sunday. You can watch it on WrestleUniverse, (900 yen/~6 USD a month, 1 week free trial for new people.) I’m always intrigued to find out how Psycho Clown can do outside the AAA style. The outcome is in little doubt – Wagner’s surely retaining – but the match itself is really interesting.

The Cassandro movie is up on Amazon Prime. It’s entertaining but still a movie; if you’re looking for something totally realistic, you’re better off with the documentary. There’s a ton of media on the movie, though not anything recent with the principals involved because of the actors and writer’s strikes. The release is probably the biggest wrestling story of the week – even the WWE/SmackDown deal isn’t getting brought up in the New York Times and the Rolling Stone – except it doesn’t seem talked about at all in the wrestling sphere.

Criterio Hidalgo interviews a La Parkita, who says he’s been the one in AAA for the last four years. AAA hasn’t really booked minis for the last couple of years, but they do show up on spot shows. (La Parkita is one gimmick I’ve given up trying to track in the luchadb, because it’s clear there is and have been multiple indistinguishable people using the gimmick at the same time.) The article is more La Parkita’s frustration of over the lack of Hidalgo lucha libre commission. There’s been talk of doing a state-wide once a few times in recent years but it’s never been made official. There are a lot of active luchadors and promotions in the state and no oversight or protections.

There were a lot of “what is lucha libre” articles for Thursday’s 90th Aniversario of CMLL.

Volador and Vikingo unclear injury, Noche de Campeones, Yutaini out of Big Lucha

CMLL

Volador is hopeful of returning to action as quickly as Tuesday. I had to listen to the CMLL Informa segment about this three times before I was sure I heard correctly. Volador suffered a third-degree separation of his AC joint; had it been any worse, he’d need surgery and the doctor probably would’ve stopped the match on Saturday. Quick googling tells me people usually need more than a week of recovery time for a third degree separation; I’m sure he’ll be wearing a brace but he wouldn’t be right for a while.

CMLL (MON) 09/18/2023 Arena Puebla [El Sol de Puebla, Porra Fresa]
1) El Novato & Xelhua b Espíritu Maligno & King Jaguar
2) El Perverso & Prayer b Rey Apocalipsis & Siky Ozama
3) Hera, Olympia, Reyna Isis b La Maligna, Lady Metal, Skadi
Lady Metal replaced La Magnifica, making her CMLL Arena Puebla debut. This is not the Lady Metal of the 90s/00s, but a Puebla luchadora and the first local luchadora to wrestle on a CMLL show here in modern times.
4) Hijo del Villano III & Villano III Jr. b Lince Dorado & Samuray del Sol Facebook video (posted by )
Villanos won with pulls of the trunks
5) Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma DQ Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP Facebook video (posted by )
Romero unmasked Maya.
6) Atlantis Jr., Star Jr., Templario DQ Ángel de Oro, Dragón Rojo Jr., Niebla Roja
Originally a CMLL Trios title match, changed due to Volador injury on 09/16 with Templario stepping in earlier on 09/18. Angel de Oro unmasked Templario, seemingly setting up a singles match

CMLL usually has extra women available on short notice to fill in for an absence in Guadalajara. The same for the Mexico City shows. Puebla was the one stop on the current circuit where one woman missing a show meant someone else had to sit out to keep even numbers. (Other promotions would just book a five way or a three way match, but that’s not how CMLL works.) That seems to have changed now. I don’t know if Lady Metal or the other Puebla luchadoras will have memorable CMLL careers, but just filling in that gap helps the rest of the women. It’s a small thing and it shouldn’t have taken long to figure out, but it’s still good they got there. Lady Metal debuting was a (small) story locally; El Sol de Puebla played up the significance of one of their own luchadoras making to the city’s biggest regular arena.

The Villanos truly did beat the Lucha House Party, you can check the video. I didn’t screw that result up. I think it was Villano III Jr. who pulled the trunks so hard that Lince wasn’t actually pinned but close enough. Samuray & Lince defeating Titan and Soberano and losing to the Villanos is not something I would’ve guessed.

CMLL (TUE) 09/19/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Átomo & Chamuel b Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II
2) Mercurio, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia b Aéreo, Galaxy, Shockercito
3) Futuro & Neón b El Coyote & Pólvora
Polovra ended up with a bloody nose
4) Blue Panther Jr., Dark Panther, Volcano b Akuma, Kráneo, Okumura
5) Bárbaro Cavernario, Hechicero, Terrible b Atlantis Jr., Esfinge, Titán
Terrible was cut underneath the eye in the ending dive sequence.
6) Máscara Dorada b Soberano Jr.
Dorada took 2/3

Because I’m dumb, I kinda got distracted by a search for a super obscure Chicago indie luchador when I should’ve been watching this main event. It’s a mystery why I did that like it’s a mystery why TKG always tweets me at my non-lucha account. Soberano & Dorada seemed to be doing a lot of stuff, and it almost all worked – they slipped trying while both rope walking to set up a Spanish Fly, a spot made famous by Ricochet/Flamita. It was a GIF that was everywhere for a moment, and now I can’t find it at all. I’ll give this a better watch later, but it sounded like people who are better at focusing liked it quite a bit.

CMLL (TUE) 09/19/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, Kaiser Sports, Mas Lucha, thecubsfan]
1) Obek, Rav, Temerario b Fúnebre, Infierno, Mortis
2) Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono b Cris Skin, Demonio Maya, Omega, Principe Daniel
3) Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio, Virus b Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga, Satánico
4) Reyna Isis & Sanely b La Catalina & La Maligna
Sanely beat Catalina with a mask pull
5) Dulce Gardenia & La Fashion b Bestia Negra & Vaquero Jr.
Gardenia & Fashion pushed to become the first exotico team in CMLL history
6) Dark Magic, Lince Dorado, Samuray del Sol b Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico
7) Arlequín, Averno, Místico b Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP
Mistica on Rocky

Seemed like a standard Guadalajara show.

ACG (THU) 09/21/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Alex Romano, Demencía, Roberto Paz Jr., Sobek vs Centauro, Dragón Kid, Olimpo, Santi Betancourt
2) Águila Guerrera, Makabre, Maravilla Azteca vs Kaiju, Rey Plata, Rey Tritón
3) Valkiria vs Sexy SolDulce KittyNáuticaLa PanteraAteneaFríaYemayaXennaAdriaEstrella MalditaLuna [cibernetico]
4) Brian Villa, Colorado, Gallo, Giro vs Delirio, Dr. Clown, Rayman, Xtreme Fly
5) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga

Seems like an unusual Guadalajara show. This is a Dia de Luchador special, with wrestlers from the other Guadalajara arenas pulled in. Everything from Guadalajara ends up streaming.

CMLL (FRI) 09/22/2023 Arena México
1) Kaligua & Pequeño Magía vs Mercurio & Pierrothito

1) Hombre Bala Jr. & Pelon Encapuchado vs Difunto & Espanto Jr.
2) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Skadi vs Reyna Isis, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
3) Virus vs TJP [lightning]
4) Águila Solitaria, Black Terry, Felino, Octagón, Satánico, Solar I vs Atlantis, Blue Panther, Negro Navarro, Pantera, Panterita del Ring, Rocky Santana [cibernetico]
5) Ángel de Oro, Místico, Templario vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Rocky Romero, Soberano Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

This is the Dia de Luchador show; the holiday is on the 21st, the legend’s cibernetico is in their honor. There will also be a blue (red) carpet showing off in various legends. Sobreano steps in for Volador in the main event, which actually works perfectly for the Templario feud. Virus versus TJP is a real treat for the Luchadorks. Samuray, Lince and Kevin Knight appear to have finished up already.

CMLL (SAT) 09/23/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Leono vs Inquisidor [lightning]
2) Max Star, Oro Jr., Valiente vs Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Enfermero Jr.
3) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Sanely vs La Catalina, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
4) Star Black, Valiente, Volcano vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Kráneo
5) Negro Navarro & Solar I vs Blue Panther & Felino
6) Bárbaro Cavernario, Dragón Rojo Jr., Terrible vs Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Templario

You have to show up early, can’t miss that Leono/Inquisidor tilt. Navarro/Solar versus Panther/Felino is a match that should show up as a subscriber bonus.

I was assuming CMLL’s Noche de Champions votes closed today. That’s the normal pattern: they have to announce on the Informa 10 days ahead of time, because the CMLL card will come out before the next Informa. That’s not the case this time: CMLL is leaving the voting open for another week. That means the 09/29 show will have no advertised matches until a couple of day prior. It’s not a first time ever- CMLL used to run cards in the 60s and earlier where the entire show was determined by a battle royal – but it is a unique bit.

The 09/29 card looks like this as the moment, in card order:

1) Mistico vs Virus for the NWA Welterweight Championship
2) Rey Cometa, Dulce Gardenia, Espiritu Negro vs Villano III Jr., Hijo del Villano III Jr., Zandokan Jr. for the Mexican National Trios Championship
3) Barbaro Cavernario vs Esfinge for the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship
4) Stephanie Vaquer vs La Catalina for the (vacant) CMLL World Women’s Championship
5) Mercurio vs Pierrothito for the CMLL Pequeno Estrellas Championship
6) Titan vs Mascara Dorada for the CMLL World Welterweight Championship

Most of this is set. There’s three stories that still seem to exist

  • Mascara Dorada leads Fugaz by 885, a decent amount. Fugaz has picked up an average of 162 votes a day for the last week. If that stayed the same, Fugaz will pass Dorada on Tuesday. It probably won’t stay the same, but going the extra week makes that title match a 50/50 bet.
  • Dragon Rojo has gotten the expected sympathy votes following losing his mask. He’s nowhere near passing Virus for the title match with Mistico (1362 lead to Virus), but those extra votes for Dragon Rojo may help Mistico’s title match to get out of the opener. They’re about a 157 votes behind.
  • The 3/4/5 matches are all close enough in votes that they could change order if people got motivated.

CMLL said they’d have info on the Women’s Gran Prix and Universal tournament on next week’s Informa.

CMLL put up tickets for October Arena Mexico on Ticketmaster. That also is normally a way to figure out which of those shows are the big ones (probably the Gran Prix), but all the Fridays are the same price. The Tuesday 10/31 tickets are a little more expensive than the rest of the month on the low end, but you could’ve guessed that was a Dia del Muertos show just by the date.

LuchaTalk returns to talk about the CMLL Aniversario.

Box y Lucha 3569 has lots of Aniversario coverage.

AAA

Hijo del Vikingo’s status still seems up in the air. AAA’s said nothing and continued to promote Saturday’s card as if it’s still on. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer was doubtful that Vikingo would be wrestling on Komander on that show; it sounded like AAA thought it was unlikely but Vikingo is still trying to rehab his way into still wrestling.

There’s a lot more uncertainty in Vikingo’s situation. It’s understandable if they want to give Vikingo as much time to see if he can make it or not. But AAA could also announce “hey, we’re not sure if Vikingo is going to be medically cleared but, just so you know, we’ll give you a worthwhile replacement if he can go”, and they’ll never do that. The only way we’ll get an update on this before Saturday is if they rule Vikingo out, and even that isn’t a sure thing. If Vikingo can do, AAA historically won’t take advantage of the story to promote around it early – they normally just won’t talk about it until the show starts Saturday. AAA really could use some noise. This isn’t the way they’d want to make it, but it’s weird they won’t take advantage of it.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 09/21/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) 1 vs 23456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930 [Copa Mexico Argentina]
all wrestlers a surprise
2) Avisman vs El Mimo [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
3) Judas el Traidor vs Aramis [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
4) Súper Comando vs Karaoui [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
5) Dr. Cerebro vs Cerebro Negro [Cero Cuerdas, quarterfinal]
6) Hijo del Pirata Morgan vs Galeno del Mal © [IWRG IC HEAVY]
first defense

True IWRG hours: Rey Espectro was IWRG heavyweight champion, IWRG got mad at him for whatever reason, and vacated the title after eight months with no defenses. Galeno del Mal won the title, and IWRG’s getting around to his first defense thirteen months into his reign. Galeno went five months without appearing in Naucalpan until this past week’s RGR show. I first wrote Hijo del Pirata Morgan was champion because no one keeps track or cares about any of these IWRG belts, but also IWRG has no interest in changing.

The Cero Cuerdas tournament is the no ropes “grappling” battle, or at least that’s the idea. Mexican wrestlers have a tendency to ignore the rules in these sort of matches. Mimo seems to have gotten the spot originally announced as Travis Banks. The opening battle royal is a Hip Hop 10th Anniversary match where everyone is a surprise.

Other News

Yutani announced he’d left Big Lucha on Tuesday. He frames it as “to explore new opportunities and grow my career.” Yutani was left off the 09/30 Big Lucha card, which seemed weird for a Mexico versus the World theme. I had wondered if he’d be the mystery person in the main event, but I’m told that’s planned to be someone else. I’m not sure if Yutani is returning to Japan or wrestling elsewhere in North America. Elemental and Extasis are the names that left Big Lucha earlier this year; both have definitely been booked a bit more often on their own, but in the interchangable “action” area with no obvious sign of individual growth or opportunities to move up.

Former CMLL luchador Halcon Negro will be honored in Arena Tigre Padilla on Thursday. I read this news bit praising him and going over his career and I was concerned he must have died but, no, they’re just honoring him while he’s there for it.

Record has an interview with “Alebrije AAA” and “Black Alebrije” about their feud. It doesn’t say where this feud is happening, and comes off usual “newspaper outlet writes about wrestlers as if they’re a big star, without actually checking.” This Alebrije claims he’s been given permission by Dorian Roldan and Marisela Pena to use the gimmick even though they’re not using him on TV “right now.” He appeared as Alebrije AAA TV between 2012 and 2014, so “right now” is going on about a decade. My theory is he’s involved in promoting AAA shows in Puebla somehow and letting him keep the gimmick is part of the promotional agreement (at least until AAA decides they need it again for something.) He works in Puebla a lot on indies, and that’s where the Black Alebrije feud is actually happening The Record interview seems to confirm he’s the former Mascara Divina, as we have in the wiki but not in the database (until now.)

Segunda Caida continues its deep dive into Panamanian wrestling.

Templario unmasked Dragon Rojo, Volador shaved Angel de Oro at Aniverasrio, FantasticaMania UK

CMLL

 

CMLL (SAT) 09/16/2023 Arena México [CMLL, ContraReplicaCriterio HidalgoCronista del RingEl UniversalESTO (Dragon Rojo)ESTO (general)ESTO (Volador)ESTO (women)GradaHeraldo DeportesInfobaeKaiser SportsLa ListaLucha CentralRecordThe GladiatoresThe Gladiatores (video)thecubsfan]
1) Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis b La Jarochita & Lluvia [CMLL WOMEN TAG] ¡Nuevas campeonas mundiales! Zeuxis y S. Vaquer derrotan a Lluvia y Jarochita en el 90 Aniversario (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) 90 Aniversario CMLL: Stephanie Vaquer y Zeuxis ganan el Campeonato Mundial Lluvia y Jarochita (posted by mluchatv) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO  / ZEUXIS - STEPHANIE VAQUER VS LLUVIA - JAROCHITA/ARENA MÉXICO/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
12:58. Vaquer & Zeuxis win the new championships (and vacate the Occidente Women’s Tag Team championships in the process). Salvador Lutteroth III and El Fantasma appeared before the match to sanction the match, and also for Lutteroth to thank the fans.
2) Esfinge b Rugido [Copa Independencia] 90 Aniversario CMLL: ¡Esfinge gana la Copa Independencia al derrotar a Rugido! (posted by mluchatv) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO  / RUGIDO  VS  ESFINGE  / ARENA MÉXICO/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Esfinge sale con el triunfo y se lleva a Jalisco la Copa Independencia 2023 al doblegar a Rugido (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
11:11 via Nudo Egipcia. US ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and Lutteroth appeared; Salazar was heckled.
3) Atlantis, Blue Panther, Octagón b Fuerza Guerrera, Satánico, Virus 90 Aniversario CMLL: Atlantis, Octagón y Blue Panther vs Fuerza Guerrera, Virus y El Satánico (posted by mluchatv) Atlantis, Octagón y B. Panther derrotan a Satánico, Fuerza Guerrera y Virus en el 90 Aniversario (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO/VIRUS-FUERZA GUERRERA-SATÁNICO VS BLUE PANTHER-OCTAGÓN-ATLANTIS/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
11:36.
4) Lince Dorado & Samuray del Sol b Soberano Jr. & Titán 90 Aniversario CMLL: Lince Dorado y Samuray del Sol se llevan la victoria ante Soberano Jr. y Titán (posted by mluchatv) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO  / LINCE DORADO - SAMURAY DEL SOL VS TITÁN - SOBERANO JR. /ARENA MÉXICO/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL: Rocky Romero, TJP y Kevin Knight Vs Samuray del Sol, Lince Dorado y Valiente (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
20:09
5) Atlantis Jr., Máscara Dorada, Místico b Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP 90 Aniversario CMLL: Místico, Máscara Dorada y Atlantis Jr. vs TJP, Rocky Romero y Kevin Knight (posted by mluchatv) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO/KEVIN KNIGHT-TJP-ROCKY ROMERO VS ATLANTIS JR.-MÁSCARA DORADA-MÍSTICO/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Místico, Atlantis Jr. y Máscara Dorada derrotan a New Japan, TJP, Rocky Romero y Kevin Knight (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
20:34. Mistico won cleanly, but Romero unmasked him post match (and his fellow partners followed suit.)
6) Ángel de Oro & Volador Jr. b Averno & Último Guerrero [winners advance] 90 Aniversario CMLL: ¡Volador Jr. y Ángel de Oro se enfrentarán cabellera vs cabellera! (posted by mluchatv) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO  / AVERNO - ÚLTIMO GUERRERO VS ÄNGEL DE ORO -  VOLADOR JR./ARENA MÉXICO/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Llegan a disputar su cabellera en el 90 Aniversario, Averno, Ú. Guerrero, Á. de Oro y Volador Jr. (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
8:12. Guerrero hit Averno twice by accident, Averno clotheslined Guerrero on purpose, leading to their loss. They fought post between matches.
7) Volador Jr. b Ángel de Oro [hairÁ. de Oro y Volador Jr disputarán cabelleras en el 90 Aniversario al derrotar a Ú. Guerrero y Averno (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
13:27. Volador apparently suffered a right shoulder injury in the first minute of the match, off a swing into the barricade. CMLL’s doctor stopped the match twice to check on Volador, but he continued through and wrestled (and won) with one arm. Seconds were Magia Blanca and Niebla Roja. Angel de Oro got his head shaved in the ring.
8) Templario b Dragón Rojo Jr. [mask¡Campeón! Templario se lleva el 90 Aniversario al despojar de su máscara a Dragón Rojo Jr. (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) CMLL 90 ANIVERSARIO  / MÁSCARA VS MÁSCARA/ TEMPLARIO VS DRAGÓN ROJO JR. /ARENA MÉXICO/16-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Dragón Rojo Jr. se quita la máscara al perder contra Templario en el 90 Aniversario (posted by mluchatv)
14:47. Dragon Rojo attacked Templario prior to the match. Seconds were Nitro and Chamuel; Dragon Rojo attacking Chamuel led to his demise. Dragon Rojo Jr. tearfully unmasked as Anselmo Rivas Castro, 42 years old, 22 years a wrestler. His wife and daughter joined him.

This show was outstanding. My top criticism going into the show was that it lacked a hugely historically important match for a 90th Aniversario. What CMLL did instead was making it feel like historically epic. The card went over three and half hours; I can’t think of another recent CMLL show that went even three. Twenty minute matches are rare outside of ciberneticos, and there were two different tag matches that got that much time. (The hair match sequence combined also went over twenty.) Nothing felt cut on time, everything got go about the length it needed to have the best possible show. This could’ve exhausted a CMLL crowd, but it seemed made up far more of diehard fans who knew the characters and less of tourists than normal. I’m not sure hit a consensus MOTYC level – though Angel de Oro/Volador will get some votes – but the show in its entirety blew away any other show in Mexico this year.

On each match:

  • the opener was a “let’s do as many moves as possible” classic, it just happened to be with women instead of men. The two teams had their expected great chemistry and never lost the thread no matter how fast they were going. It might have worked with a little bit more time, but I think the frantic pace of it was part of it. Zeuxis breaking out the Spanish Fly to the floor for the first time in maybe a decade was unexpected, as was the totally clean and totally at the same time victory. (My predictions were so bad on this show, but this likely means Vaquer is coming out of this month as double women’s champion.)
  • Esfinge and Rugido had a well enough constructed match that I remember very little from two days later. This match made it clear the crowd was heavy with people who actually follow the promotion: most anyone can figure out Esfinge’s crazy Nudo Egipica cradle is something important, but you’ve got to be a big CMLL dork to know Rugido’s finish is a German suplex. The crowd reacted as if was a big deal when Esfinge kicked out of it.
  • Blue Panther was the star of the legend’s match, as the only legend on his side who could do anything. Virus took most of the offense because he was the guy who could move. It was a generous crowd who wanted to have fun. The old guys looked old but never were painfully exposed.
  • Samuray del Sol went for a complicated dive at the start of the second fall, it didn’t go right, and then he seemed to be off a bit the rest of the match. I’m not sure if something happened there, and it wasn’t a huge issue, it was just there if you were looking for it. Lince did well, as did the CMLL too. Titan & Soberano losing here when there’s no obvious plan for the ex-Lucha House Party guys is weird. I suspect the idea was to split the CMLL versus outsiders matches and they just didn’t want Mistico to lose, even though it would’ve made more sense to go that way given the directions.
  • The NJPW team played strongly rudo, and did a good of shocking Kevin Knight to make him look like an important inclusion on this show. Just like the other tag match, there was a lot of action and it all was pretty good. Rocky seemed like he planned to take Mistico’s mask, and the other two guys realized they might as well too.
  • The leading tag match got a decent amount of time and a straight enough forward story: the team that couldn’t work together quickly lost. I was wrong about Averno losing his hair here, but the post match brawl made it seem most definitely happening sooner or later.
  • Angel de Oro swinging Volador into the barricade happens a lot in big matches and never much comes of them. (CMLL did put in self-promotional stickers on the barricades, among a lot of other dressing up the building for the 90th Aniversario – but it didn’t seem like the barricades themselves were any stiffer.) CMLL seems like they have two medical staff; the guys who are part of the commission who are slow to check on the wrestlers no matter what has happened (and tend to be involved in worked stuff) and the new-ish medical staff that’s always sprinting out from the back (and seems to get worked by wrestler’s selling from time to time.) This was the new doctor who hurried out and checked, much to Angel de Oro’s visible frustration. Volador wasn’t ever letting the match be stopped, it couldn’t really be stopped given the finish, and the doctor’s attempt at helping wasn’t much help, so maybe that whole procedure could be refined. It did lend some credibility to the drama of Volador wrestling the match with one arm, taking big risks where he would be unable to protect himself if they went wrong, and pulling of pretty much everything he could. We won’t know what got cut out, but it came off like they basically did the match they had planned from the start, a really good match under normal circumstances and a memorable one with one arm.
  • Dragon Rojo/Templario was well put together. He didn’t have to do anything too complicated as far as setting Templario up for moves. (Templario’s big spots were landing on Dragon Rojo or picking him up.) Dragon Rojo’s offensive limitations were fixed by having him use every surprise cradle in the CMLL playbook to tease nearfall after nearfall. Even the finish was the lucha libre classic of a luchador wrestling his perfect match only to make one mistake that immediately costs him. Templario probably could’ve done more with someone else but looked spectacular with what he did, and that match layout worked a lot better with two people than it would’ve with three. Dragon Rojo’s emotions about losing the mask seemed very much real, and probably were to a large extent. It makes a mask match feel like a hugely significant deal if the loser is inconsolable, rather than brushing it off as happens more often nowadays.

You should absolutely watch this one. The VOD is still up for a few more hours as I post this. (Tech nonsense: the video itself still seems to be on the server much longer than tonight, it’s just the page that plays the video gets taken down.) If you don’t get it tonight, you should absolutely sign up for CMLL’s YouTube on Sunday when it’ll go up there.

Dragon Rojo Jr. was highly emotional after his mask loss, sobbing in the ring and in post-match interview. He told the press he was in a lot of (emotional) pain, that the mask let him open up in a way he hadn’t before, and he wasn’t sure how he would continue without it. Dragon Rojo talked about maybe putting his hair on the line against Templario, but that seemed more like just throwing an idea than a real plan. (Likewise, Templario mentioned facing Soberano in a mask match next, but that wasn’t a story CMLL pushed at all.)

CMLL announced Monday afternoon that Volador Jr. is out indefinitely with a right shoulder injury. There was no mention of the severity or specificity of the injury, just a mention there may be more information on this week’s Informa. Templario will replace Volador Jr. tonight in Puebla, and that will no longer be a CMLL trios title match. Voaldor Jr. was also scheduled to team with Templario against Mascara Dorada and Mistico in Queretaro on Tuesday; there’s no replacement for that yet.

Volador Jr. has been incredibly durable with CMLL. He’s never missed a long period with an injury despite wrestling (by my database), an average of 160 matches a year. Volador seemed distraught about his injury status in his post match interview, which seems to foreshadow a long absence.

Boletia/Neerme passed its biggest test: there were no issues with the stream, the VOD was quick and had no issue, and no one really complained about how to use it – when they eventually figured out the show wasn’t on TicketamsterLive anymore. CMLL’s website went down for a time, probably with people trying to find out that new way to order the show at the last minute – it’s still new to most people. We’ll never see the numbers, but I suspect this was the most bought CMLL PPV of all time CMLL’s hotter than last year and this Aniversario the show people will actually try to buy. It also was a rare CMLL show actually to get pirated; I see that with TripleManias but never outside of Aniversarios. People taking screengrabs of action should be more careful to crop out the Facebook “Live” indicator.

Arena Mexico was a sell out, and one where the crowd seemed to be there very early and into the show. The after party at Salon Los Angeles also sold out in advance; La Jornada says it was about 2,000 people. (Guesses for Arena Mexico capacity was all over the place; no one really is sure how much that building holds right now but it’s probably not the old 16,800 number.) This seems like a one-show blip – attendance was back down to ‘normal’ a day later – but it’s a good blip to have. CMLL pushed the Dia de Luchador show for next Friday and the Noche de Campeones for the Friday after that, but no more.

CMLL had announced there’d be a new person debuting at that after-party. The big reveal from that was a new mascot, a red version of the KeMonito outfit with devil horns. CMLL hasn’t mentioned the new character on their social media, the photo was only shared by the party goes and the building hosting the after-party. There’s no name for him yet. The look makes it seem as if he’s a rival for KeMonito, which only makes sense if KeMonito (or a KeMonito) is aorund. There’s no sense in having a third rudo mascot also standing bored in the corner like Mije and Zacarias have been doing since late July. Their bit only works if they have someone to bully. There’s probably more coming.

No one’s saying what the deal is with the original KeMonito. The best chances to get an answer are when CMLL talks about this new guy, or if he does press around the KeMonito La Ultima Comida documentary. He did make it to Poza Rica for the show on Sunday, so he’s healthy enough to get around and so that’s probably not the issue. It feels like KeMonito is gone, but CMLL is weird and it could be some something else. Maybe some double secret suspension for unclear reasons no one knows about, maybe some very Mexican wrestling argument about who exactly owns the rights to the character.

(This is not the first ‘other’ KeMonito. A week after Ultimo Guerrero kick that sent KeMonito flipping into viral GIF infamy, Guerrero debuted Ultimonito – an evil monkey to fight KeMonito. The gimmick, portrayed first by Tzuki and then by the eventual Mini Maximo, only lasted a few months.)

CMLL (SUN) 09/17/2023 Arena México [@robviper, CMLL]
1) Hombre Bala Jr. & Pólvora b Nitro & Sangre Imperial CMLL: Pólvora y Hombre Bala Jr Vs Nitro y Sangre Imperial en domingo de Arena México (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
Polvora replaced Flyer, wrestled the match without issue, then helped the rudos beat up Bala afterwards.
2) Magnus b Blue Panther Jr. [lightningCMLL: Match Relámpago de Herederos: Blue Panther Jr Vs Magnus en la Arena México (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
3) El Audaz, Magia Blanca, Volcano b Kráneo, Misterioso Jr., Okumura CMLL: Kraneo, Misterioso Jr y Okumura Vs Volcano, Magia Blanca y Audaz en domingo de Arena México (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
4) Guerrero Maya Jr., Pegasso, Stigma b Felino, Felino Jr., Rey Bucanero CMLL: Fuerza Poblana con Guerrero Maya Jr, Stigma y Pegasso Vs Rey Bucanero, Felino y Felino Jr (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
Guerrero Maya Jr. replaced Rey Samuray.
5) Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP b Lince Dorado, Samuray del Sol, Valiente
6) Esfinge, Templario, Último Guerrero DQ Ángel de Oro, Averno, Dragón Rojo Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]
Esfinge replaced Volador. Straight falls, Dragon Rojo unmasking Templario in the second.

Not the turnout from the Aniversario show, but the sort of finish you’d expect following it.

Dark Silueta won the vacant CMLL Japan Women’s Championship on Sunday, defeating Kohaku. Silueta encouraged Kohaku to challenge for it in Mexico; it’s a safe bet she’s on the list for the Women’s Gran Prix.

The Tuesday and Friday lineups were out days later than usual, probably because the Aniversario threw everything off.

CMLL (TUE) 09/19/2023 Arena México
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II vs Átomo & Chamuel
2) Aéreo, Galaxy, Shockercito vs Mercurio, Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Violencia
3) Futuro & Neón vs El Coyote & Pólvora
4) Blue Panther Jr., Dark Panther, Volcano vs Akuma, Kráneo, Okumura
5) Atlantis Jr., Esfinge, Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Hechicero, Terrible
6) Máscara Dorada vs Soberano Jr.

Though, CMLL could’ve pretty much released this card on Wednesday. The Dorada/Soberano show was set up last week, and the rest is just filling in names. Soberano/Dorada is a rematch from Guadalajara, and might be subject to Tuesday effort limits.

There’s still no Friday lineup. I left this space blank to put it here and waited and waited. I gave up if you’re seeing this sentence.

Revolution Pro announced the lineups for their FantasticaMania UK shows. It’s two shows on the same day, an afternoon and an evening one:

RevPro , CMLL , 2 pm (SAT) 09/23/2023 Manchester, United Kingdom
1) Magia Blanca vs Levi Muir
2) Audaz (CMLL), Ricky Knight Jr., Zak Knight vs Kid Lykos, Kid Lykos II, Sangre Imperial
3) Capitán Suicida vs Wild Boar
4) Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews vs Okumura & Zandokan [BRITISH TAG]
5) Titán (CMLL) vs Robbie X
6) Hechicero (CMLL), Trent Seven, Último Guerrero vs Atlantis Jr., Guerrero Maya Jr., Michael Oku

These cards are mostly RevPro vs CMLL, or at least mixing it so there’s only one CMLL vs CMLL show between both shows. (It’s on the next one.) Robbie X is a well regarded wrestler who seems to be missing something; maybe he’d have found it under a mask if he grew up in Mexico. You may know Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews from various WWE subpromotions; they’re teaming as Subculture now. Suicida/Boar is a delightfully weird match. The Knights are relatives of AEW’s Sayara; you may have seen them shown at AEW’s All in. The Kid Lykos team wrestled Arez and Latigo and Gringo Loco over this past weekend, so they’re getting a full Mexico experience.

RevPro , CMLL , 8 pm (SAT) 09/23/2023 Manchester, United Kingdom
1) Levi Muir & Trent Seven vs Capitán Suicida & Guerrero Maya Jr.
2) Audaz (CMLL), Ricky Knight Jr., Zak Knight vs Okumura, Sangre Imperial, Wild Boar
3) Magia Blanca vs Robbie X
4) Flash Morgan Webster, Mark Andrews, Titán (CMLL) vs Kid Lykos, Kid Lykos II, Zandokan Jr.
5) Último Guerrero vs Atlantis Jr.
6) Hechicero (CMLL) vs Michael Oku [BRITISH HEAVY]

In true FantasticaMania fashion, the last show is meant to be the best card. The Undisputed British Heavyweight Championship is RevPro’s main belt, so this is a big match for Hechicero in their world. It should be great beyond that. Ultimo Guerrero/Atlantis know each other well, the trios match could be pretty good too.

RevPro has experimented with live streaming, but these are outdoor shows at a taco festival so that seems like a stiff challenge. I expect these probably go up on their VOD service within a few days. European fans always seem to complain about the production quality of these shows so keep maybe keep that in mind.

AAA

Hijo del Vikingo was injured on Saturday’s Ring of Honor taping, needing to be helped to the back midway through match. It appeared to be a leg injury to those in attendance. WOR reported it was actually a hip injury, I’ve seen a mention that it was feared to be a rib injury; there are lot of details missing here, obviously. All I know for sure is he was encouraged to go to the hospital to get it checked out, and passed on that option on Saturday night. Logically, the injury means Vikingo is doubtful for Saturday’s AAA TV taping in Mexico City, where he’s scheduled to defend the Mega Championship against Komander. It is Vikingo though and he’s worked through enough scares and actual injuries that I just default to assuming he’ll find a way to work no matter what. It’d be a surprise if AAA gave any update before Saturday as well (and, to be fair, AAA and Vikingo may still be figuring out Vikingo’s status at this point.)

Vikingo, if he’s in one piece, will wrestle Swerve Strickland on 10/13 in Yakima.

You can skip AAA TV if you’re looking for good matches. AA is airing the full taping after all, which meant we got Baby Love and Reyna Zahori in a green looking match. They also aired Delta, La Momia, Niño Hamburguesa vs El Líder, Medico Brujo, Toscano, which was a comedy match where the referee seemed to count the pinfall when he wasn’t supposed to. Chessman & Antifaz versus Pagano & Vampiro was about what you’d expect for that match, really just building to Alberto interfering to give the tecnicos the win (and give the announcers reason to scream very loudly.) They did air Vampiro’s retirement speech, but cut it off so suddenly I was left wondering if something got cut out.

One thing you can say in favor of this taping is you could hear the crowd. I swear, there crowd reactions came through better on this show than TripleMania Mexico City (and eons better than Orizaba.) The last two matches interest me at all but it was much easier to make the case the fans in the building cared, because you could actually hear the fans in the building.

Alberto el Patron did his own promo during the show, announcing he’d wrestle on the 11/26 Showcenter card.

(My recording has the sound off a bit; I’m not sure I’m going to bother to fix it. I think I generally would’ve bene better off going through a couple more 1957 Box y Luchas; they might have been more relevant to today’s lucha libre than this obvious time filler taping.)

AAA put up Verano de Escandalo as a full show on Sunday. This appears to be the show as it aired live. That means it includes Daga promo and a Sam Adonis attack on Psycho Clown building up TripleMania that didn’t air on the TV version for whatever reason. It does helpfully catch up AAA’s YouTube a bit; they’ll be only three weeks behind now.

Fightful reported QT Marshall was working without a contract with AEW and recently signed a short team deal. QT Marshall confirmed the extension through the end of the year in an interview. He seemed to indicate that was his talent contract (he’s got an additional VP contract.) It would be very funny if a) AAA put a title on a guy (in part) so it’d be on AEW TV and then he was no longer on AEW TV and b) if they had to vacate a title because the champion got scooped up by WWE again, but both of those seem very unlikely. It does seem likely Marshall knew his contract was coming up, wanted to position himself the best, and maneuvered his way into getting a high profile program in AAA in an attempt to raise his value. That’s smart in a way where more wrestlers aren’t as savvy. It doesn’t make me like having a third different guy doing the evil foreigner bit and having uncreative matches in AAA, but credit to him for working the system if the story is true.

Marshall claims he’s trying to reach 33 defenses before losing its title, which would explain his rapid rate of defenses in some obscure places. I hope he’s keeping track of the defenses because I know I’m having a hard time keeping up: add another one on 10/22 in New Jersey.

IWRG

IWRG , RGR (SUN) 09/17/2023 Arena Naucalpan [Mas Lucha]
1) Águila Roja & Histeriosys b Legado & Ryu IWRG EN VIVO  | POR EL CAMPEONATO SUPREMO RGR  |  DIAMANTE AZUL  VS FORASTERO (posted by IWRG tv) RGR | Histeriosis y Águila Roja superan a Legado y Ryu (posted by mluchatv)
2) León Dorado & Mr. Leo b Noisy Boy & Spider Fly IWRG EN VIVO  | POR EL CAMPEONATO SUPREMO RGR  |  DIAMANTE AZUL  VS FORASTERO (posted by IWRG tv)
3) J-Rod & Keyra b Satania & Zyra IWRG EN VIVO  | POR EL CAMPEONATO SUPREMO RGR  |  DIAMANTE AZUL  VS FORASTERO (posted by IWRG tv)
4) Vito Fratelli b Hijo de Canis Lupus [IWRG Rey del RingRGR | Vito Fratelli es el nuevo Campeón Rey Del Ring IWRG tras derrotar a Hijo de Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)
5) Diva Salvaje & Mamba © b Hijo del Fishman & Rey Espectro [RGR TAG]
Mamba left the match injured but Diva won anyway. Lion Brothers asked for the next show.
6) Diamante Azul (Indie) b Forastero [RGR SUPREMO]
went to a draw, asked for an extra fall, Diamante Azul won
7) Coronel VIP L Galeno del MalHell BoyCerebro NegroTonalliDr. CerebroHijo del Pirata MorganJessy Ventura [cage, mask, hair]
Match came down to Pirata & Hell Boy, but VIP came back in to help Pirata, Hell Boy and Pirata escaped, and VIP got shaved.

Mamba got a long and deep cut on the head, so leaving the match was no angle.

There’s no lineup for Thursday’s IWRG show yet, but they’ve announced a no rope “grappling” tournament and a Hip Hop Man 10th Anniversary battle royal. IWRG’s YouTube show announced the eight participants on their YouTube show, and that list included Travis Banks. IWRG then started promoting the names on Instagram, but left off Banks name. My guess was they were just trying to avoid negative responses about Banks, but IWRG’s now posted a teaser with the first round match-ups and there’s no Banks there either. There’s a blank spot instead. Those match ups are

  • Aramis vs Judas
  • Dr. Cerebro vs Cerbero Negro
  • Avisman vs ?
  • Super Comando vs Heddi Karaoui

IWRG did see the note about their other wrestlers in the top 500.

Other Notes

I did go see the Cassandro movie on Friday. I occasionally do the things I say I’m going to do in these columns. I thought it was good and worth your time but I’m not a movie person so it’s hard for me to put in context. The movie debuts on Amazon Video on Thursday and I presume that’s where most people are going to see it, so it seems a better idea to wait to talk about it until then. (The theatre release is apparently an eligibility requirement for some movie awards, but it was nice to see it on a movie screen.) The movie is in English and Spanish (with subtitles in English), and 1h47m minutes long. The length means the wrestling itself gets cut down and simplified; there is still plenty of in-ring scenes in the movie, but the movie is much more interested in how wrestling affects the character than the wrestling itself. They’re going for a character study (and trying for one that can win some awards for the lead character), not a fully accurate depiction of lucha libre. I don’t feel like I can write more without actually talking about the movie, so maybe we’ll pick up here next week.

Segunda Caida watches more 90s Monterrey.

El Sol de Orizaba interviews local Rey Cobra, who estimates there are about 50 “professional” luchadors in the city and the same amount of amateurs.

CMLL Aniversario (tomorrow Saturday), DMT Azul suspended, KeMonito

CMLL

Aniversario is on Saturday. Not today. Saturday. There is nothing today. If you try to watch the show today, you will just see a waiting screen, because the show is Saturday.

This bit of not having a show on Friday is rarer than a blue moon. Not really sure what to do with myself. It feels like I should post this update tomorrow, actually. I’m not sure what CMLL will do the next few years, when Independence day is elsewhere in the week. It’ll probably be a Saturday show in 2028 when that falls on September 16th again. September 16th next falls on a Friday in 2033, which happens to be the 100th year of CMLL’s founding. Seems safe CMLL would run that day.

It seemed less safe CMLL would definitely make it that far a few years ago, and especially during the pandemic, but the promotion seems on pretty solid ground. Attendance is very good on Fridays. It’s not nearly as strong on Tuesdays and Sundays, but it is better than the end of 2010s shows. The tourism linkup should continue to help the company, even if other revenue streams haven’t really grown. There are big changes in ownership elsewhere in the wrestling world this week, but the “serious and stable” promotion seems to be in the handle of stable and serious owners. Salvador Lutteroth II and Salvador Lutteroth III appeared on Informa this week, to talk about the Aniversario, and seemed invested and interested in keeping things going. It’s impossible to know clearly what the next ten years will bring, but CMLL seems as safe a bet to make it through the next 10 years (and to that 100th-anniversary show) as any promotion in the world.

I wrote a preview over at Voices of Wrestling. Aniversario is good to be good, and it’ll probably be great – but that’s mostly because it’s the Aniversario and the atmosphere will make it that way. CMLL could’ve booked a stronger or more important mask match for this show. Instead, it feels like CMLL stumbled upon unmasking Dragon Rojo almost by accident when he was added to last year’s match, and then backed away from doing it in a more interesting way. I’m not convinced about Dragon Rojo coming through and I think that makes me slightly less excited than most. The rest of the card is good; it’s just missing something that feels as exciting as the big Romero/Volador or Mistico matches earlier this year. It’s going to easily be worth the (higher than usual) PPV price, but the bar should be higher for something they spent the year hyping up.

(It’s also still a shame there’s no live English or Japanese commentary. This show will eventually turn up regionlocked on NJPW World or their YouTube channel with Japanese commentary, but fans should get to hear Miki Motoi and others live. It’s an 8 AM start in Tokyo, would’ve been a great starting time.)

There are lots of preview interviews. I’m skipping the “what is lucha libre” explainers, because there are plenty of those too.

Fugaz, Esfinge, Tiffany, Princesa Sugehit, Perico Zacarias and more are scheduled to appear at the official after party.

the rest of CMLL

CMLL (SUN) 09/17/2023 Arena México
1) Flyer & Hombre Bala Jr. vs Nitro & Sangre Imperial
2) Blue Panther Jr. vs Magnus [lightning]
3) El Audaz, Magia Blanca, Volcano vs Kráneo, Misterioso Jr., Okumura
4) Pegasso, Rey Samuray, Stigma vs Felino, Felino Jr., Rey Bucanero
5) Lince Dorado, Samuray del Sol, Valiente vs Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP
6) Templario, Último Guerrero, Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Averno, Dragón Rojo Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

The main event is all the big Gran Alternativa names. The outsiders seem to be sticking around the week. CMLL posted many of the Gran Prix wrestler matches as bonuses, so maybe that’ll happen again.

CMLL continues to put KeMonito on their Sunday posters, despite KeMonito not appearing on any CMLL show in months. This Sunday, KeMonito will actually appear on a show on Poza Rica, Veracruz. This is another one where I don’t know what’s gone on, or if it’s temporary or permanent, but clearly something happened if KeMonito is taking indie bookings.

CMLL (MON) 09/18/2023 Arena Puebla
1) El Novato & Xelhua vs Espíritu Maligno & King Jaguar
2) El Perverso & Prayer vs Rey Apocalipsis & Siky Ozama
3) La Magnifica, La Maligna, Skadi vs Hera, Olympia, Reyna Isis
4) Hijo del Villano III & Villano III Jr. vs Lince Doradao & Samuray del Sol
5) Arkalis, Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma vs Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP
6) Atlantis Jr., Star Jr., Volador Jr. vs Ángel de Oro, Dragón Rojo Jr., Niebla Roja [CMLL TRIOS]
first defense

The tecnicos are so forgettable champions that any defense they have feels like it could be a title change.

CMLL (TUE) 09/19/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Obek, Rav, Temerario vs Fúnebre, Infierno, Mortis
2) Ángel Rebelde, Halcón Negro Jr., Optimus, Trono vs Cris Skin, Demonio Maya, Omega, Principe Daniel
3) Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio, Virus vs Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte, Ráfaga, Satánico
4) Reyna Isis & Sanely vs La Catalina & La Maligna
5) Dulce Gardenia & La Fashion vs Bestia Negra & Vaquero Jr.
6) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs Dark Magic, Lince Dorado, Samuray del Sol
7) Arlequín, Averno, Místico vs Kevin Knight, Rocky Romero, TJP

Guadalajara really likes Arelquin (though I’m not sure who else you’d put there.)

AAA

Space lists this week’s episode as “LUCHA LIBRE AAA EN SHOWCENTER” (yes in all caps.) Perhaps they’ll only be spending one week on this taping and just airing the matches with regular roster members:

  • Delta, Niño Hamburguesa, The Mummy vs Mafioso, Medico Brujo, Toscano
  • Mr. Iguana vs Epydemius vs Belcegor
  • Sexy Star vs Centella vs Lady Maravilla
  • Pagano & Vampiro vs Antifaz & Chessman

That’s Belcegor last AAA match for the moment due to injury. Vampiro’s too, although I’m less certain of that. The more I think about it, the more I believe Vampiro’s “retirement from Mexico” was more a sign about him believing he’s in strong enough with the NWA to give up this gig. This show will air against the second half of the Aniversario show; I don’t think I’ll be monitoring the Space feeds closely.

There’s a taping next week.

Hijo del Vikingo ranked #5 on Pro Wrestling Illustrated annual top 500 list. The list is kayabe focused and heavily weighted towards active heavyweight champions in major promotions. Vikingo was heavyweight champion, and defended the title against Fenix and Omega among many others. Appearing in AEW, GCW and other promotions certainly helped where he finished in the top 10, but he’s probably going to be somewhere in the top 10 as long as he remains champion and keeps defending the title. (This led to some AAA fans on social media noting AAA is definitely going to keep Vikingo champion for another year just to make sure he keeps staying in the top 10.)

The best example of how this list is seen differently in the US and Mexico is IWRG proudly posting about how Vito Fratelli – who won their World Cup tournament but didn’t wrestle much there – was ranked 362. As it turns out, someone ‘fulltime’ IWRG wrestlers also made the list, and I believe IWRG praised only Fratelli because the full PWI list gets far less attention in Mexico. They wouldn’t have known even Fratelli i he didn’t post it himself. Similarly, AAA only praised Vikingo probably because they saw the one social media post with the top 10 and may not know that, for instance, Psycho Clown finished one spot ahead of Rey Mysterio. (I put together a Mexico list here, probably missing a name or something.)

IWRG

IWRG announced their annual Castillo del Terror cage match show will be on 11/02. It’s usually within a day or two of that date.

They were off on Thursday and back Sunday with a previously announced card:

IWRG , RGR (SUN) 09/17/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Noisy Boy & Spider Fly vs León Dorado & Mr. Leo
2) Legado & Ryu vs Águila Roja & Histeriosys
3) Hijo de Canis Lupus vs Vito Fratelli [IWRG Rey del Ring]
4) Satania & Zyra vs J-Rod & Keyra
5) Diva Salvaje & Mamba vs Hijo del Fishman & Rey Espectro
6) Galeno del Mal vs Coronel VIPHell BoyCerebro NegroTonalliDr. CerebroHijo del Pirata MorganJessy Ventura [cage, mask, hair]
7) Diamante Azul (Indie) vs Forastero [RGR SUPREMO]

DMT Azul and Forastero are teaming in Arena Lopez Mateos (in a show going up against the Aniversario) and facing off here. There may be news coming out of those matches, given what else is going on with DMT Azul:

Four Wrestlers Suspended in Tijuana For Outside Brawling

DMT Azul & local wrestler Hereje fought Halloween Jr. & Hijo de Fishman in the main event of the IWT show Sunday in one of the smaller Tijuana arenas. Fought is the operative word; they fought into the crowd, Fishman grabbed a bottle to use, the commission stopped the match for getting out of control, and the participants decided they’d just take their fight outside the building where the commission couldn’t stop it. That was technically correct, though now the commission has suspended both all four wrestlers for six months. The justification is the wrestlers put the fans in danger with their actions.

Out of control brawls are DMT Azul’s gimmick now. He did the same out of control brawl to until the commission stopped with Forastero in Arena Lopez Mateos, he’s done the brawl outside the building on at least one other show. It’s a way to get attention, and it’s a way to get out of anyone having to lose a match in the ring. (Can’t be pinned if you’re far away from the referee.) Every promoter using DMT Azul now has to understand there’s a good chance he’ll do the same in one of their shows and takes a risk it escalates into something that’ll get them all in hot water. A fan got involved in the Lopez Mateos bit, and there likely will be some fan incident if Azul keeps doing impromptu outside-the-building brawls. DMT Azul is going to keep doing this to get attention, and the suspension is more a sign to him that it’s working than a punishment.

This style of match also feels increasingly common. There always have been these kinds of brawling matches on indie shows, even back when “indies” meant “Lucha Libre Independente”/UWA. It feels like there’s been a bigger shift in the last year or so, where the Mexico State buildings have gone heavily towards bar fight lucha libre – lots of crowd brawling, lots of weapons, and a lots of talking post match. Part of it is because the top indie names are the Parks, the Pigs, and the Trauamados, and that’s the style they all feel comfortable working. If you’re into them, it may be great times, and these shows are still drawing well enough that plenty of people are into them. It just seems like there’s an overabundance of that to the exclusion of anything else, and it’s not something that interests me all that much. DMT Azul fighting outside a building is just the latest extension of that, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it outside other buildings soon.

It’s kind of wild that the one guy El Hijo del Santo seems to trust the most to wrestle nowadays (Hijo de Fishman) is also someone who’s always doing these sorts of brawls. I don’t know what to make of that. Maybe it’s just Hijo del Santo is mostly out of the business, many of the people he’d work with are even more done, and so has a small luchador friend circle at this point.

Other News

The Crash announced Bandido for their 11/03 show, which is his first announced booking in Mexico. He’s announced as wrestling the 10/30 Republic of Lucha show. Based on previous timelines, I presumed he was returning well before those shows. I was wrong. I’m told end of October is actually to his return date.

“Cassandro” has been playing in a few movie theatres this week. Reviews are generally very positive. It still seems to have some award buzz. The movie is scheduled to debut on Amazon Prime next week and will probably be the leading the lucha libre subject. If that the movie is the success it appears it’s going to be, I wonder if it’s going to change how strongly exoticos are booked in Mexico. (Example: I presume the QT title run in AAA is scheduled to end with Penta getting revenge, but if “Cassandro” becomes a hit, maybe Dulce Kanela might be the better move? Or at least running a title match to tease the idea?)

Flamita and Torito Negro’s grandmother passed away.

CMLL early week results, El Rostro, Fenix to the Crash?

CMLL

CMLL announced Monday night that the Aniversario is sold out. They released some additional lower bowl tickets early on Monday. Those went quick. I expect they’re will still be plenty of resellers outside of Arena Mexico on Friday, as usual for a big show.

CMLL (MON) 09/11/2023 Arena Puebla [Grada, Porra Fresa]
1) Dreyko & Rey Apocalipsis b Amnesia & Millenium
2) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II b Átomo & Chamuel
3) Meyer b Disturbio [lightning]
4) Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus b Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa, Stigma
5) Máscara Dorada, Soberano Jr., Titán b Crixus, Difunto, Zandokan Jr.
Tecnicos took 2/3
6) Ángel de Oro, Dragón Rojo Jr., Niebla Roja b Atlantis Jr., Star Jr., Volador Jr.
Rudos want a CMLL Trios title match

That main event finish was probably also about Angel de Oro beating Volador leading into the Aniverasrio. I’m still pretty set on Ultimo Guerrero beating Averno on Saturday, but CMLL keeps going back enough to Angel de Oro and Volador that I’m willing to believe they might actually do it someday soon.

CMLL (TUE) 09/12/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser Sports]
1) Acero, Aéreo, Galaxy b Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía #CMLL | Aéreo, Galaxy y Acero vencen a Pequeño Magia, Angelito y Kaligua (posted by mluchatv) Aéreo, Acero y Galaxy Vs. Pequeño Magia, Angelito y Kaligua. Martes de Arena México (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) FUNCIÓN COMPLETA DESDE LA ARENA MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2O23 SOLO MIEMBROS (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
2) Hera, Olympia, Reyna Isis b La Guerrera, La Magnifica, Skadi Amazonas del CMLL: Reina Isis, Hera y OlympiA Vs Skadi, Magnífica y Guerrera (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) CMLL | Reyna I. Hera y Olympia superan a Skadi, La Magnifica y La Guerrera (posted by mluchatv) FUNCIÓN COMPLETA DESDE LA ARENA MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2O23 SOLO MIEMBROS (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
3) Pelon Encapuchado b El Coyote [lightningCMLL | Pelón Encapuchado derrota en match relámpago a El Coyote (posted by mluchatv) CMLL: Pelón Encapuchado Vs Coyote en match relámpago en martes de Arena México (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) FUNCIÓN COMPLETA DESDE LA ARENA MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2O23 SOLO MIEMBROS (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
4) Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado vs Fugaz, Star Jr., Valiente CMLL | Los Malditos derrotan a Star Jr., Valiente y Fugaz (posted by mluchatv) FUNCIÓN COMPLETA DESDE LA ARENA MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2O23 SOLO MIEMBROS (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
Malditos took 2/3.
5) Star Black & Titán b Bárbaro Cavernario & Terrible CMLL | Terrible y Bárbaro Cavernario derrotan a Titán y Star Black (posted by mluchatv) CMLL: Los Malditos: Sagrado, Gemelo Diablo I y Gemelo Diablo II Vs Valiente, Fugaz y Star Jr (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) FUNCIÓN COMPLETA DESDE LA ARENA MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2O23 SOLO MIEMBROS (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
6) Atlantis Jr., Hechicero, Máscara Dorada DQ Euforia, Soberano Jr., Stuka Jr. [Relevos IncreíblesCMLL | ¡Soberano Jr. fauleó a Máscara Dorada! (posted by mluchatv) CMLL Relevos Increíbles: Atlantis Jr, Hechicero y Máscara Dorada Vs Soberano Jr, Stuka Jr y Euforia (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) FUNCIÓN COMPLETA DESDE LA ARENA MÉXICO MARTES 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2O23 SOLO MIEMBROS (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
Soberano unmasked Mascara Dorada for the DQ, and leading to a singles match next week.

I just caught part of the semimain and the main event. Both were fun. Soberano Jr. is still in rudo mode against Mascara Dorada, and a singles match between them next week is pretty exciting. The guys in the semimain were working very hard too.

CMLL (TUE) 09/12/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Mas Lucha]
1) Adira, Alondra, Lady Shadow b Hatanna, La Pantera, Sexy Sol Empresa de Lucha Libre más antigua del MundoArena Coliseo GDL️ Martes 12 Septiembre ‘23 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
2) Centinela, Nexy, Valkiria b Katara, Magia Azul, Náutica Empresa de Lucha Libre más antigua del MundoArena Coliseo GDL️ Martes 12 Septiembre ‘23 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
Nexy replaced Perse (who ended up doing commentary instead)
3) Barboza, Draego, La Fashion, Persa DQ Bestia Negra, Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. Empresa de Lucha Libre más antigua del MundoArena Coliseo GDL️ Martes 12 Septiembre ‘23 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
Dulce Gardenia ran in from the crowd save La Fashion, teasing a feud with Vaquero & Bestia Negra.
4) La Jarochita & Lluvia DRAW Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis Empresa de Lucha Libre más antigua del MundoArena Coliseo GDL️ Martes 12 Septiembre ‘23 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
double pin with Vaquer and Lluvia.
5) Averno & Dragón Rojo Jr. b Templario & Último Guerrero Empresa de Lucha Libre más antigua del MundoArena Coliseo GDL️ Martes 12 Septiembre ‘23 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
6) Místico & Volador Jr. DQ Ángel de Oro & Niebla Roja Empresa de Lucha Libre más antigua del MundoArena Coliseo GDL️ Martes 12 Septiembre ‘23 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
Angel de Oro fouled Volador

The main event might have been leading to something next week, but they cut away while the promos were still going. Dulce Gardenia ran in through the crowd and wearing a baseball cap, so it very much looked like a fan hit the ring until he started doing lucha libre spots. It’s good he turned up somewhere.

Today’s episode of Informa is interviews with many Aniversario participants: Dragon Rojo, Templario, Volador, Angel de Oro, Averno, Lluvia, La Jarochita, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis, Rugido, and Esfinge. No idea why Ultimo Guerrero got out of it.

In a 90th Anniversary article, sports marketing professor Javier Balseca tries to figure out how much money CMLL makes on a normal show. It’s a lot of guessing, some of which are far off my guesses (5,000 PPV buys a week?) and some that make more sense. He doesn’t actually reach a conclusion because there are so many costs to owning Arena Mexico that can’t really be known from the outside.

I can’t remember if I posted about this, but it’s been a while if I did. TicketmasterLive used to include an order number on every PPV purchase. If you faithfully bought the CMLL PPV at around the same time, you could get an a estimate about how many people bought PPVs in the previous week. CMLL was generally the only thing being offered on TicketmasterLive, so it worked as an imprecise buy count. The order number went up between 100 to 300 most weeks, so my hunch is that the PPV buys were about the same. Neerme/Boletia doesn’t have that sort of tell, or at least I haven’t dug deep enough to find it.

Ultimo Guerrero says he has had his current hair style since high school and he wouldn’t leave his house if he got shaved bald.

Euforia talked about his love of baseball to Telediario. His hometown Laguna team is playing Puebla in the championship finals. He played first, second and third baseman growing up, but now feels he only has the mobility to play first.

Mistico hypes his Aniversario match.

Box y Lucha 3568 focuses on the Aniversario.

Heraldo de Mexico’s list of the 10 best Arena Mexico matches are slightly more varied than usual.

At an indie show over the weekend, Tiffany mentioned her retirement was coming close. She’s noncommittal on the timeline – she says “one or two years” – but it was a rare occasion where the wrestler brought up the idea of retirement unprompted.

AAA

Space will air a marathon of TripleManias on Friday, starting with TripleMania Monterrey around 7:30 AM. I believe all these shows are now up on YouTube now.

Record has an interview with Negro Casas, which is the usual bit: he’s so happy he’s in AAA, he never imagined teaming with his wife, he’s got a lot of great new opponents.

Other News

El Rostro (Jaime Urra Medina, 76) passed away on Tuesday, as first announced by Dos Caras. El Rostro was a EMLL regular in the early 70s, then appeared off and on in El Toreo through the rest of the 70s and the 80s. He was a bodybuilder beyond wrestling and had a mask that borrowed from El Santo’s design (and looks like a like what Axel would end up using.) He was familiar but never really made it big; a hair match win over Manuel Robles in Arena Coliseo is his biggest recorded victory. In trying to confirm his real name, I found El Rostro among those listed as past winners of the Mr. San Luis Potosi bodybuilding contest. He won the 1965 contest. Miguel Reducindo mentions El Rostro worked as a lucha libre commissioner at one point; he’d work the Arena Coliseo shows.

The Crash announced Fenix for their 11/03 anniversary show. Fenix has not worked since last year’s TripleMania Mexico City; he hasn’t wrestled internationally since March 2023. The belief is that Fenix is attempting to establish US residency, and the requirements include remaining in the United States during the process. (He’s never publically explained the situation, so this is more an assumption than a fact.) Fenix taking that booking Tijuana means he’s completed the process – or he’s just hopeful it’ll be resolved in two months. It also means that, unless he’s a surprise on one of the upcoming tapings, Fenix will work with AAA’s rival before coming back to AAA. Unlike the rank-and-file guys, I don’t think he’ll be in trouble for working The Crash.

Monterrey’s RIOT launched a Patreon, replacing the Pivotshare that closed down in August. It’s $5/month for their library of videos, with the idea that the 2022 La Rina tournament will (finally) go up this week. RIOT also will continue to appear on IWTV.

GCW announced Arez vs Shigehiro Irie for their 09/22 show in Germany. Arez was originally supposed to face Francesco Akira but that match was quickly deleted. Arez and Latigo are working in Europe for a few promotions in the remainder of September.

Lucha Solos and Vinnie Massaroface Hijo del Vikingo, Misteiorso and Cucuy on 10/28 in San Juse.

An El Paso story about Cassandro mentions he’s suffering from aphasia after his stroke in 2021, and is in therapy to regain the ability to speak.

The San Luis Potosi government will hand out lucha libre awards on September 21st.

SuperLuchas writes about the 1934 death of El Santo’s older brother, Pantera Negra.

This relates to nothing, but you know who has the most pleasant Twitter account? Deathmatch star Miedo Extremo. It’s just a pleasure, especially if you do like you should do every professional wrestler and turn off retweets.

CMLL/NFL Mexico, AAA/Orizaba, Big Lucha

CMLL

Ticketmaster says CMLL Aniversario’s show has sold out. CMLL hasn’t made an announcement yet. This is the second straight year CMLL’s sold out the show prior to the day of the event. Ticket sales seemed ahead of pace early but seemed a little slower to finish out. They got there nearly a week ahead of time. You can still buy it on PPV, and I’m certain there will be a busy reseller market around Arena Mexico on the day of the show.

The Aniversario is on Saturday. There is no Friday Arena Mexico show, and no Saturday Arena Coliseo show as a result. We’ll all forget sometime this week but I may run this explanation into this ground.

CMLL (FRI) 09/08/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Estrellas del RIngExcelsiorKaiser SportsThe Gladiatores (video), thecubsfan]
1) Kaligua & Pequeño Magía b Mercurio & Pierrothito  (posted by riotlucha) CMLL - PEQ. PIERROTH - MERCURIO VS KALIGUA - PEQ. MAGIA / ARENA MÉXICO / 08-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL: Kaligua y Pequeño Magia derrotan a Pierrothito y Mercurio (posted by mluchatv)
8:23
2) La Jarochita & Zeuxis b Lluvia & Stephanie Vaquer [Relevos IncreíblesCMLL - JAROCHITA - ZEUXIS VS LLUVIA - STEPHANIE VAQUER / ARENA MÉXICO / 08-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL: Zeuxis y Jarochita fueron las ganadoras en la lucha de Amazonas ante Stephanie Vaquer y Lluvia (posted by mluchatv) Jarochita y Zeuxis derrotan a Lluvia y Stephanie Vaquer dejando el ring calientito (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
9:35. Both teams had issues in the third fall, and fell back to teaming with their usual partner by the end of the match.
3) Rugido b Capitán SuicidaStar BlackStigmaDark PantherHombre Bala Jr.Max StarZandokan Jr.AkumaHijo del Villano IIIEl CoyoteCrixus [Copa Independencia, semifinalCMLL - 2A. FASE DE LA COPA INDEPENDENCIA / ARENA MÉXICO / 08-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Final entre Rugido y Star Black para disputar el último boleto a la Copa Independencia 2023 (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) Rugido va al 90 Aniversario tras derrotar a Star Black en la segunda eliminatoria (posted by mluchatv)
40:18. Capitan Suicida replaced Dulce Gardenia. Order of elimination: Max Star (by Hombre Bala), Coyote (Crixus), Hombre Bala (Zandokan), Suicida (Villano III), Stigma (Akuma), Villano III (Rugido), Akuma (Zandokan), Zandokan (Dark Panther), Crixus (Star Black), Dark Panther (Rugido), Star Black (Rugido)
4) Volador Jr. b Bárbaro Cavernario [lightning¡Triunfo depredador! 38 segundos antes de finalizar el tiempo, Volador Jr derrota a B. Cavernario (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) CMLL - MATCH RELÁMPAGO / B. CAVERNARIO VS VOLADOR JR. / ARENA MÉXICO / 08-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL: Volador Jr derrota a Bárbaro Cavernario en Match Relámpago (posted by mluchatv)
9:20.
5) Atlantis Jr., Máscara Dorada, Místico b Guerrero Maya Jr., Templario, Titán [Relevos IncreíblesCMLL - GRO. MAYA JR.-TITÁN-TEMPLARIO VS MÁSCARA DORADA-ATLANTIS JR.-MÍSTICO/ARENA MÉXICO/08-09-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL: Místico, Atlantis Jr. y Máscara Dorada vencen a Guerrero Maya Jr., Templario y Titán (posted by mluchatv) Místico, Máscara Dorada y Atlantis Jr se llevan el triunfo ante Guerrero Maya Jr, Templario y Titán (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
14:33. Each CMLL player dressed in the colors and were seconded by an NFL mascot, as part of a promotion with NFL Mexico. Teams: Atlanits Jr. (Dallas Cowboys), Mascara Dorada (Los Angeles Rams), Mistico (Denver Broncos, lead group), Guerrero Maya Jr. (Kansas City Cheifs), Templario (Las Vegas Raiders), Titan (Arizona Cardinals.) Mistico submitted Templario, though Templario’s team would win the Week 1 match up.

In retrospect, Guerrero Maya’s big main event spot was because NFL Mexico requested an all-mask man main event, Maya had Cheifs colored gear, and Maya was available for both this show and the watch party on Sunday. (Maybe it helped that both Maya and the Chiefs are native gimmicks; probably that’s more thought they gave.) Maya did well; this was really more about the NFL. This wasn’t literally a NFL Mexico sold show, but it was fairly close with all the promotional work they were doing before and after the show. Again, it was weird more than it was annoying, and the big matches all had good energy (which isn’t always the case with sponsored stuff.) It’s not a great placement for CMLL to have their final show to build up the Aniversario, but it was also the final show to build up Week 1 of the NFL season, and that took priority. CMLL had a lot of Denver Bronco fans in attendance so they made money that way, and there was likely some other sponsorship payment.

CMLL and the NFL mascots did promotional work on Thursday and Friday, then Templario and Guerrero Maya Jr. appeared at a watch party for Sunday’s Denver Broncos/Las Vegas Raiders game. (Templario’s Raiders won.) Friday’s Arena Mexico show included the mascots doing a pre-show workout. It was basically the same tumbling and basic wrestling drills students do before the weightlifting contest each year (or before the IWRG FILL shows.) Seeing people in mascot costumes doing lockups and jumping jacks was obviously bizarre, but it was fun enough.

The main event was fun, as said previously. Volador and Cavernario worked hard for the time they had. The cibernetico was stretched too long for me, and CMLL does the “one guy beats two at the end to shockingly win” bit too often as an ending, but there were good stretches to be found in there. Zeuxis & Vaquer were great in their tag match and they had a logical build to next week’s bigger one. The minis had a lot of effort, if not the best execution. It was a good Friday night show, even as an advertisement for something non-wrestling.

The best thing about Rugido versus Esfinge is they can cut the time drastically if need be and no one will be unhappy.

CMLL (SAT) 09/09/2023 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II b Mije & Periquito Sacaryas
2) La Magnifica, La Vaquerita, Metálica b Amapola, La Guerrera, La Maligna [Relevos Increíbles]
3) El Coyote, Okumura, Raider b Arkalis, Pegasso, Rey Samuray
Raider replaced Polvora
4) Valiente b Felino [lightning]
5) Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa, Volcano b Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado
6) Ángel de Oro, Hechicero, Niebla Roja b Atlantis Jr., Soberano Jr., Star Jr.

A show.

CMLL (SUN) 09/10/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser Sports]
1) Minos & Pequeño Violencia b Galaxy & Shockercito
2) Astral, Diamond, Valiente Jr. b Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Raider
Tecnicos took 1/3.
3) Blue Panther Jr., Flyer, Magia Blanca b Difunto, El Coyote, Felino Jr.
Coyote replaced Misterioso
4) Reyna Isis b La Catalina [lightning]
5) Blue Panther, Panterita del Ring, Valiente b Magnus, Rey Bucanero, Villano III Jr.
Magnus & Villano III had issues
6) Dragón Rojo Jr., Terrible, Volador Jr. b Euforia, Niebla Roja, Soberano Jr.

Villano III Jr. and Magnus seems like a lightning match set up, though it also seems like two guys who might genuinely not get along. Villano III Jr. jumping to CMLL and getting big spots right away probably is a hard pill for guys who’ve been grinding away there for a long time.

CMLL (TUE) 09/12/2023 Arena México
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía vs Acero, Aéreo, Galaxy
2) La Guerrera, La Magnifica, Skadi vs Hera, Olympia, Reyna Isis
3) Pelon Encapuchado vs El Coyote [lightning]
4) Fugaz, Star Jr., Valiente vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado
5) Star Black & Titán vs Bárbaro Cavernario & Terrible
6) Atlantis Jr., Hechicero, Máscara Dorada vs Euforia, Soberano Jr., Stuka Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

Some very random matches on this show. The main event is a result of Euforia & Soberano having to team, but the semi-main is some people who don’t interact much. I suspect Pelon will not be losing the next couple of months.

The Titan title match moved into the main event spot for the Night of Champions show. It had 27 more votes than than the minis match when I checked this afternoon. (Nothing else is within a thousand votes.) The Titan match moved into the top spot because of Fugaz fans rallying behind their guy. He’s still over 2,300 votes behind Mascara Dorada. I guess the matches will be revealed on the 09/20 edition of CMLL Informa, meaning Fugaz has to pick up at least 230 votes on Dorada every day to catch up. He’s only done that one day so far. Fugaz fans are going to have to stuff the ballot and the Dorada fans are going to have stop for it to have a chance.

Pierrothito has blown past Minos. Less people are voting in that minis category overall, which is why it’s slipped to second. The closest battle for a spot is now Averno and Esfinge, separated by just over 500 votes.

Lady Frost posted that she “won’t be able to compete in CMLL his year“, which presumably means good fortune to her on getting AEW/ROH bookings.

Heraldo Deportes has an interview with Satanico about various topics. He says he’s maybe retiring from the ring a year. He’s not committed to that timeline, just letting how his body and his desire to keep wrestling drive the decision. If he got to pick his retirement match, it’d be him, Averno and Mephisto against Ultimo Guerrero, Rey Bucanero, and another. Satanico claims he was the first person to tie Octagon’s mask to the ropes, a spot that’s been done hundreds of times since (including last Friday on AEW Rampage with Penta.) A lot of rudo bits people credit to Eddie Guerrero and others was stuff Satanico seemed to be doing first, but I don’t know if he was also borrowing it from others before him.

Yahoo! has a wire article on CMLL turning 90. There’s probably more of these coming this week.

CMLL left the 09/01 show free to all on their YouTube channel. That’s supposed to be subscriber only, and one of the primary benefits of being a subscriber. CMLL tends to leave it open to the public when it goes live (around 9 pm on Sunday nights) until someone points out their mistake. No one hand, at least of Monday morning.

AAA

AAA finished off the Orizaba taping this weekend. It wasn’t much. Argenis & Puma King versus Octagon & Myzteziz had a couple of spots go awry but the guys were trying hard and it was the best action of the night. The other matches had effort to, they’re just not enjoyable to watch in the dead atmosphere of this show. It was jarring to hear the announcers voices echo around a very quiet arena, especially in the opener. You don’t need to watch this set of TV unless you’re making a point of watching every AAA show possible, and that’ll probably be the case for the next two tapings. The next TV that ‘counts’ is the October 1st live broadcast of Heroes Inmortales.

The “Dinamico wants Sexy Star to join the Mexicali group” might have been less than it seemed. It played out here with Dinamico attempting to help out Sexy Star in the women’s match, only to get destroyed by Las Toxicas repeatedly. Dinamico complained to Konnan about the Toxicas, and Konnan tricked Dinamico into taking a Fiesta Sorpresa from the Psycho Circus. Dinamico yelled about fighting the Toxicas or the Psycho Circus. Dinamico doesn’t face Las Toxicas or Psycho Circus on any of them in any of the three TV tapings. That’s about normal for 2023 AAA, though it seems worth mentioning Dinamico got humiliated multiple times on TV right after he worked The Crash show that AAA wrestlers are not supposed to be working. There were almost no other angles on the entire taping; the only other notable one was La Hiedra attacking Dalys, which seems like AAA intends to do at some point but don’t have it scheduled.

QT Marshall has AAA Latin American championship defenses on 09/24 in London again TBA, 10/02 at his school in Georgia versus Vary Morales, and 10/31 in Georgia for “Modern Age Grappling” against Rey Horus. (That last one might be a reloaded version of Jonathan Greshman’s Terminus; it’s the same Twitter account if you go far back.)

La Aficion has an interview with Murder Clown, who says he was the one who came up with the Psycho Circus concept. AAA gave him the chance to come up with an idea, he was a big KISS fan and thought off their Psycho Circus tour. Dorian Roldan actually went to a show on that tour, loved the concept, and immediately approved the idea.

Panama’s Prensa has an article on Negro Casas & Dalys, but it’s behind a paywall.

Hijo del Vikingo will make his Japanese debut on 10/12 with GCW. It seems like a huge miss that AAA couldn’t swing that deal themselves, selling VIkingo’s first match in Japan seems like a huge deal, but these are also things which don’t seem to concern AAA much.

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 09/10/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Águila Roja & Histeriosis b Águila Oriental & Blue Win
2) Noisy Boy, Pequeño Arkano, Spider Boy b Centurion, Gannicus, Rey Espartano
3) Hellboy, Shocko, Último Legendario b Cerebro Negro, Cerebro Negro Jr., Rey Halcón
Hell Boy asked for a tag title match. Rey Halcón replaced Kiki Roberts.
4) Ivan Rokov b Sádika
Sadika wanted an extreme rematch
5) León Dorado, Mr. Leo, Tonalli b Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Mamba
Lion Brothers challenged Mamba & Diva Salvaje for the RGR TAG
6) Hijo de Canis Lupus b Toxin [RGR HEAVY]

Sunday, Mas Lucha announced, “today, for one time, we’ll show the excitement of Arena Lopez Mateos.” This was odd, because they air events from Arena Lopez Mateos all the time. The “one time” bit seems to be more about not streaming Arena Naucalpan; neither Mas Lucha or IWRG’s YouTube channel has a broadcast of this show. They were both clearly there, taking photos as normal, so maybe it was some technical issue. I’m not sure, no one said a word. Edit: It was not on Mas Lucha’s channel, but it was on IWRG’s channel – though there were technical issues all show.

No IWRG show Thursday.

IWRG (THU) 09/28/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Sparta vs RyuPríncipe CentauroLatinoHijo De SpartaGravedad CeroRey Spartano
2) Demencia, Hijo De Brazo De Platino, Reptil vs ?, Amenesia, Gaona
3) Oro Blanco, Papelito, Voltio vs Argus, Eurus, Solido
4) Sádika vs CandelaLa BravaMarinaPrincesa AzulJesse JacksonDanessaReina ObscuraMary Caporal
5) Fandango, Hijo De Carta Brava, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly vs Lunatik Fly, Lunatik Xtreme, Súper Boy, Toto
6) Chico Che, Pantera, Último Vampiro vs Black Dragón, Bombero Infernal, Carta Brava (LLBL)
7) Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool vs Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Pandemónium Jr.
8) Hell Boy, Hijo de Canis Lupus, Puma de Oro vs Aero Boy, Cíclope, Miedo Extremo
9) Místico & Octagón vs Averno & Fuerza Guerrera

A typical Lucha Libre Boom card: a main event that will probably draw well and as many people as they can possibly book on the rest of the show.

Big Lucha

Big Lucha announced they’ll be back on 09/30, with a Mexico versus the World theme. Or Big Lucha versus GLEAT

Big Lucha (SAT) 09/30/2023 Arena Big Lucha, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal
1) Nordico vs Sangre Nueva
2) Helios & Urzus Mendoza vs Black Skayde & Odisseo Mendoza
3) 1 vs 2345678910111213141516 [Copa Independencia]
4) Cometa Maya & Radioactivo vs SB KENTo & Takuma
5) Emperador Azteca, Flamita, Orbita, Vengador vs ?, El Potro de Oro, Jack Evans, Watanabe

CIMA will also be there though, apparently, he’s not the mystery person in the main event. Watanabe appears to be Soma Watanabe. The big theme is Mexico versus the World, which puts Jack Evans on the opposite side of his stablemates. Yutani would fit in the main event to do the same with Flamita & Emperador Azteca, but it could be someone from GLEAT I don’t know about.

A creature named Hannya who looked a lot like Takuma feuded with Radioactivo in 2022. They were scheduled to have a mask match on a Mas Lucha show, Hannya got hurt, the commission decided he was too hurt to do the match, everyone decided the match would happen in Big Lucha instead, and then the match just never happened. I’m still bitter! Perhaps more relevantly, the poster seems to suggest that tag match is for the Big Lucha MIXA titles, when Texano & Super Nova were the ones who won their block. No idea what’s going on.

(There is another Hannya running around low level indies; I presume Takuma sold the gimmick when he thought he was going back to Dragon Gate and never needed it again, and then that didn’t work out.)

I don’t really need another long battle royal. I would like to convince the promotions to run ciberneticos, but they want the entrance pops instead. I’m not sure why this card is so short though.  If there’s a pattern to Big Lucha’s uploads, this show will start to go up on October 5th.

I caught up through the last one and one half Big Lucha shows over the weekend. I hadn’t ever gotten through the whole July 29th event, but there’s no much to write about the second half; there were heated matches without great action.

The August 26th show really wasn’t much stronger. The CMLL stuff seemed to work from a business sense – it appeared to be a bigger crowd, they were very into Mistico – but the matches themselves weren’t a success. Voaldor/Templario vs Averno/Mistico did a house show match, and there was no obvious reason to mix the teams up if they were just going to do that anyway. Los Depredadores weren’t totally into their match and still their match with Delta Force was the best of the three. Locos didn’t show anything against the Malditos, and Black Generation/Infenrales didn’t work at all. Three DQ finishes in those matches also just deflated the crowd. I was relieved not to see CMLL participate on the next show.

Potro de Oro and Emperador Azteca was an OK match between two guys who are usually just OK. I understand the importance of making sure the first Golden Ticket winner is a success and the crowd got into the lockerroom coming together to fight off Black Generation and make sure Potro won, but I was not excited for more matches. (Big Lucha leaving in Bandido congratulating Potro de Oro and then abruptly ending the show was weird.) The Viajero/Brujo vs Andromeda/Carito match was well done for that sort of mixed partner match. Forneo/Skayde worked well for the brutality if it still was that very Mexican wrestling stipulation match where the stipulation only comes in to play on the finish. (The finish did look adequetely painful to keep Forneo down for 10 seconds.) The battle royal was very long and had great moments and moments where everyone looked like the inexperienced wrestlers they are. I think ti was enough that you’d be satisfied if you watched Big Lucha every month but there’s nothing here that an occasional viewer has to see.

Other News

Segunda Caida watched more Monterrey lucha libre.

Lucha Va Voom will have a special show in Los Angeles honoring Cassandro on 09/22. Cassandro was a big part of the early days of that show, and I presume it’s tied to some premiere of the film there. Reviews of the movie are starting to turn up, generally positive. The movie is only airing downtown around me and I’m not sure I’m up for a 9 pm showing (especially when I can just watch it on Amazon in a week), but maybe I’ll figure it out.

Box y Lucha did their weekly old issue drop, this time with end of 1957 issues. (They skipped about five months.) There are only 7 issues this time, which seems to be because they’re throwing in a edition of the monthly Clinch magazine and that’s double the size of a usual Box y Lucha. I need a Box y Lucha contact so I can figure out what issues they’re going to publish and plan accordingly.

Some other match recommendations from the weekend

  • Vikingo vs Arez vs Gringo vs Aramis from F1rst Wrestling was Great. It’s a four-way, so it leans heavily on everyone doing their best stuff rather than a bigger story, but everyone has spectacular stuff. It’s way more than the fans and the announcers were expecting. It’s on FITE (13 USD), and there’s an enjoyable Jah-C/Rey Horus match in the opener as well.
  • West Coast Pro Wrestling has a really good Aramis vs Iron Boy vs Black Taurus match on Sunday. Taurus joined midway through due to legit travel difficulties going cross country from Impact; both he and the promotion could’ve understandably given up (and actually did announce he wouldn’t make it at one point), and deserve credit for preserving through. The show is still up on YouTube for free at the moment, though I believe  the stream is supposed to go to IWTV at some point.

I got mentioned some on AEW Colission on Saturday and then got complimented in a quote tweet by Tony Khan on Twitter on a goof tweet. That was weird! So weird that I know I need to write something about but I’ve been struggling to figure out exactly what to write here for about two days. I’m still not sure. I go back and forth on so many things, and you’re going to be stuck with a stream of thought that ought to have been edited or deleted but there’s just no time.

It’s nice to have your note used on cable TV, it’s stressful when the notes you prepared don’t go exactly as you want because something is changed or something just doesn’t come out how you thought you put it down, and you’re stuck replaying how you could’ve put it better. (The “Marvel and DC” thing was a leftover bit from trying to explain the significance of Metalik being on the same team with Aerostar & Drago to people who have no idea what ‘CMLL’ is, only it never made sense when Metalik was no longer on the team.) It’s also nice to be mentioned on the TV show you’re actually watching or be put over on Twitter, but also it’s just internet cred. I think I have enough internet cred to last a lifetime by now, and it doesn’t get me any closer to the things I really want. I’ve also said this before in this space, but while most everyone I know would be thrilled to be put over on TV or a stream or whatever, I’d be cool if I was never even acknowledged or mentioned. I understand this is an insane position to take even as I write it, but I’m OK with my current level of US fame most days.  The only kind of fame I would like is the one where I could post things like “it’s crazy Joe and Larry aren’t calling the Vikingo/Komander title match, AAA should fix that“, and it would actually get done. But no amount of internet fame among English-speaking fans is going get AAA (or CMLL or most anyone else in the promotions I actually cover) will allow me to really affect things the way I’d like.

The other, thorny issue is that…I’m kinda of not a big fan of how lucha libre is presented in AEW a lot of the time. it’s great that it gets part of the party and that they’re not forced to change styles. It’s also a lot of guys in masks losing a lot of the time.  That trios match I got mentioned in – Dios del Inframundo, Aerostar and Gravity versus Bullet Club Gold – is kind of a classic example of a bunch of luchadors being trucked in to be used as enhancement talent. Maybe it’s the start of longer story with Andrade (who was shown watching the match for no obvious reason.) It still fits the greater pattern, of Komander and Griavty being thrown out on TV a lot to take losses, of Fenix and Penta getting one win before they also take a loss. I’ve mentioned this pattern before, in ways subtle and not so much. Maybe we’ll all be shocked in a few weeks when the teased Rey Fenix versus Jon Moxley match ends with Fenix holding the International Championship over his head in triumph. I don’t think there’s a single person who believes that’s hoping though.

The other thing is – it was an all time solid for AEW to put Dios del Inframundo on US national TV a few months after he changed his gimmick. It wasn’t much of a match, but it was enough to get his name out there. Luchadors are extremely fearful of changing their gimmicks and losing all their bookings, Ex-Drago’s seemed like one where he wasn’t finding a lot of work, and now he’s at least got one big high-profile booking to get the word out there that Dios del Inframundo is the same Drago everyone knew, he’s still in wrestling and he’s very open for work. No guarantee it is going work, but at least he’s got a better shot now. It also feels like he was only there because the team making the decisions isn’t aware of anything lucha libre post-Lucha Underground, to their own deteriment. I like Dios del Inframundo. I like Aerostar. I know those would also struggle to work a US TV style in 2023. I like Gravity, it is great for Gravity to be getting all this experience, but he was also among the least ready of all the regular Big Lucha guys when he got swooped up. AEW seems to make very informed decisions about who they pull in from US indies and they seem pretty knowledgable when they pull in from Japan as well. Pulling in Aerostar and Dios seemed more along the lines of finding the first couple of guys with valid US visas they thought their fans might know because that’s all they knew. (I’m sure AAA was/is upset about it, but it’s more a sign of how little AEW knows about AAA – they wouldn’t have known how to ask for.)

One of things about my Twitter account is a guy a fair amount of DMs that go along the lines of “big fan, being following you for years, you’re the person I go to when I need to know about lucha libre, now I’ve got a question:” and the question is something I feel like I’ve written the answer to about twenty different times. Something they definitely would’ve have said if they were reading as much as they said they were. It’s more a frustration for me than towards the other people – what am I failing to do to get my message across? What different ways can I try to do it if the current way isn’t being heard? – but it’s a frustration nevertheless. It’s great to be acknowledged, it’s more powerful to be heard, and it’s frustrated not to figure out how to broach that gap.