stereo Brillo Dorada

Argenis, Bugambilia, Dinastía vs Argos, Mamba, Mini Abismo Negro: Argenis had a bad match and then used two straight piledrivers to beat his brother, in the opener of the show. So dumb. Not enough Mini Abismo vs Dinastía and too much of everyone else. Exoticos are very much opening match luchadors. You didn’t miss a lot if you didn’t watch the UTDN version of this show.

suplex machine

Atomic Boy, Flamita, Jinzo vs Gran Apache, Lucky Boy, Niño de Ébano: A good match that had a rough start and went too long. Niño de Ebano and Lucky Boy stood out as guys who looked very overwhelmed by the crowd early on, though they weren’t the only ones. The match did pick up as it went along, but it turned into a Alto Impacto special where every spot just must be gotten in (there was no reason for the last bit of dives except they hadn’t gotten to do those dives, for instance.) They’ve given Atomic Boy a look that stands out a bit more, but they’ve worked hard enough on his look that maybe they’re not keeping his mask anymore.

Dragon Suplex for the win

Blue Demon Jr. vs Texano Jr.: This was another good solid match. It’s still a lot technical title match and not a lot of brawling, and they made good use of the time they have. (Weird that they gave the opener more time though.) Rey de Reyes match was a little bit better but this was still good. Finish is an unexpected big move from Demon, but a lot of what he’s done has been unexpected.

AAA starts the first half of a two taping weekend tonight in Puebla. The main event is Electroshock, Blue Demon and Mesias versus Silver King, Mascara Ano 2000 Jr. and Texano Jr., where the tecnico team might have problems getting along and the champion might be distracted by challengers.  Of note, there’s a mystery person scheduled to be teaming with Halloween & Psicosis vs Los Mirreyes. That seems like the spot for Ricky Marvin’s AAA first in-ring match since returning, but AAA oddly edited off his previous appearance from the Televisa broadcast, so maybe something is up. (I always seem to be thinking up.) AAA has two more TV tapings between this and TripleMania and a month to go, but it’s about time for the main matches to be sorted out so they can start hyping them. The heavyweight title match should be clear by Sunday, and maybe tonight.

AAA published an interview with Mesias, where he blamed Blue Demon Jr. for their fighting last time they were a tag team and said he wouldn’t start anything tonight if Demon behaved. Whatever those two are doing for TripleMania – either facing off for the new Blue Legacy championship or something else – should be clear by the end of tonight’s taping.

Jinzo tweeted about going to the Puebla show; maybe he’s been added to the opener?

The Puebla commission held some tryouts for the dark match at tonight’s taping. The winners were Jeygo & Zaeta Rojo Jr. (tecnicos) vs Avaricia & Mini Espiritu (rudos). Someone named Israel Ramírez is listed here as co-ordinator for AAA events; unclear if that’s all AAA events or just those in Puebla.

CMLL’s show kicks off En Busca de un Idolo. All matches will air on Terra.mx, in similar fashion to the shows on Sundays. Those matches should take place around 9:20pm CT, but we’re not quite sure when the feed will actually go live. Terra lists a start time of 8:30pm, the start of the CMLL show. It’d probably be easier for CMLL just to air the whole show on the internet, but their TV deals may not make that possible. We’ll have a better handle on it in a week. Tonight’s Busca matches are Stuka vs Tiger and Fuego vs Vangellys, and I’ll pick Stuka and Vangellys to win.

The actual main event has Sombra teaming with Diamante Azul and Maximo vs Negro Casas, Nakamura, and Pierroth. Nakamura says Sombra thinks he’s good, but Nakamura is the best in the world (and he’s so little interested in the other two as to not bother insulting them.) Namajague and Cometa remain linked together in the undercard. The show is a 7 match card – as Friday cards will be for the duration of the tournament – so matches might be shorter than usual.

Silueta is off the ChilangaMask show on Sunday. Sounds like CMLL pulled her off to work another show.

Vivaelhoy has a good interview with Casandro, talking about his career and his appearance in Chicago for the recent Lucha Va Voom show.

There’s a story saying “luchador Azteca Negro killed his brother.”  I can’t find a single match Azteca Negro had; he could be a very low level luchador, but he probably was a lot of other things too.

Rob has his En Busca de un Idolo picks.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

Links

• AAA and sponsor Pelon Pelo Rico are holding a lot of autographs signings starting today, and help you create your luchador name.
• SLP luchador Astro Latino won the IWL Junior Championship from Cerebro Negro.
• Volador is running a raffle.
• Tips for selling things FROM Mexico.
• AAA posted the first part of their interview with Crazy Boy and Nino Hamburguesa.
• Herejia talks about his “strategic” (read: cheating) AULL Light Heavyweight Championship.
• Rompe Huesos has a bio of Ultimo Dragon.
• Hijo del Santo talks about his trainer.
• Cassandro talks about karma.

taped 2013-04-06 @ Arena Lopez Mateos

super swinging neckbreaker

Flamita, Jinzo, Lanzeloth vs Eterno, Lucky Boy, Niño de Ébano: Usual Alto Impacto match; a hundred spots, most of them done well, some of the not so well, most of which wash over you by the end of the match. Still a good match. They did save the biggest spot for the end, which is always nice. Right guy won.

Canadian Destroryer not sold so Fenix can take a clothesline bump on his head

Electroshock, Fénix, La Parka vs Chessman, Parka Negra, Pentagón Jr.: I found it hard to stay interested in this match. La Parka also found it hard to stay interested in this match, and he was in the match. The epitome of bloated AAA main event trios matches, going twice the length it needed to go and generally being a drag to watch. You could probably make a nice highlight video of it, but that’s sort of point – if you cut it down, there was decent stuff there, but there was a lot of not great stuff done to fill out the time. Finish was amazing in that two guys who can do some great moves did an easy one in a very substandard way to end the match.

double double springboard tope con giro

IWL airs this Sunday night on TVC Deportes in the usual IWRG slot. Not sure which show it is. TxT does not appear to be on Cadena3 schedule this week.

The Gimnasio Nuevo Leon show from last week airs sometimes Sunday on the local TV Azteca channel (7). I thought I had a way of getting a feed of that show, but no luck.

No promises on recording Terra this week.

== AAA ==

AAA-Televisa: The rest of the Durango taping – Apache vs Atomic Boy, the great Chessman vs Heavy Metal match is made and definitely won’t change no way no how, and Consejo vs Clowns.

AAA-Fusion: these guys should be off to the Puebla taping already. Opener is a sure thing, the rest is a guess.

== CMLL ==

Galavision/Televisa: Cometa/Namajague trios, Dragon Rojo vs Angel de Oro (farewell for now) and the exciting debut of Pierroth.

FOX: the exciting debut of Gran Guerrero and the women’s trios.

52MX: Blue Panther vs Virus, other stuff you saw on Terra already.

C3: TRT vs Cadetes, more Signo vs Metalico in an early amtch

MegaCable (Guadalajara): Not sure, this was a rerun last week.

TVC Deportes (Puebla): Still no way of recording this right now, but I do know this should be the 04/29 taping, with Negro/UG/Volador vs Atlantis/Dorada/Titan in the maine vent.

Terra: Cadetes vs Casas/Roja/Guerrero. Find out who replaces Bam Bam in the segunda!

== Other ==

IWRG-AYM Sports: Rey del Ring, if a new episode airs.

Noches de Coliseo: maybe the Skayde match from this past week?

OUT

Sangre Azteca – enjoy France!

Vangellys – actually best chance for someone totally changing how people look at him, because he’s a guy who has gotten much better (including in ways CMLL over-rewards) in the last few years, but being the unknown may hurt him in getting credit.

Tiger – Puma & Tiger never do well in these. I have no idea why but it’s a good straw to grasp when you need to cut four.

Fuego – first, I almost put Misterioso here before realizing all four rudos would be out. It came down to Fuego or Fantasma, two guys who are very dedicated to having the same match each time out, and Fantasma is a tiny bith flashier.

IN

Hijo del Fantasma – biggest danger: Mephisto being added to judging panel. second biggest danger: using the Phantom Attack in every match, causing the judges to turn on him badly by match 3.

Stuka Jr. – will remain excitable, should have extra popularity and confident from H2L

Misterioso Jr. – will give Stuka Jr. a Rosa Driver at least once.

Valiente – the best. Closest thing to a favorite – not just a win, but to get Sangre Azteca to have a good match.

AAA (THU) 05/30/2013 Gimnasio Agustín Millán

Air Date: maybe 06/09? maybe 06/16? Any date in June?

I made this joke before, and it wasn’t really that funny, but it’s not stopping me: Texano’s group should really should stop being El Consejo and start going with El Toreo. It’s an Aguayo, a Villano and the Canek. Maybe Silver King could switch to a Fishman gimmick.

Unsure why Texano is facing off against Heavy Metal when he’s defending Chessman at TripleMania. Maybe this is just a light warm up match!

The first four matches all look like they could be very good. That’s probably the best looking Atomic Boy match in a while. Angelico & Jack appear to be a tag team going forward. AAA has some good tag teams, they probably could use some tag team titles.

This looks like the last taping before TripleMania, but AAA is full of surprises.

taped 2013-04-05 @ Arena Mexico

Pegasso goes splat

Pegasso, Starman, Tritón vs Cancerbero, Raziel, Virus: Fun speedy match between two teams very used to working each other. Rudos were their usual great stuff and the técnicos kept up well. They even did a Starman finisher reversal sequence for the both of us who know Starman’s finisher. Raziel is almost too good, in that it’s obvious he’s setting up his opponent’s (especially Triton’s) moves, but there’s a lot more he does well.

Maximo well aimed tope

Máximo vs Tiger in a lightning match: standard lightning match. They did try to fit everything in, but it was nothing special as a match. Tiger has a lot of técnico offense for a rudo and needs to be more aggressive.

unending sentons!

Atlantis, Shocker, Thunder vs Averno, Mephisto, Mr. Águila: An okay match. Thunder didn’t do a lot, didn’t look good doing any of it. The parts of the match where the rudos were in control were the best parts. I’m still not feeling the Aguila/Shocker feud but this was fine for that.

Angel de Oro’s Facebook, via CFan Deportes, announced last night that Oro will be out ten weeks due to a right knee injury. He’s been visibly dealing with knee problems for some time. Ten weeks long sounds like surgery, but the post only mentions rehabbing the knee. Oro was listed as working Sunday in Guadalajara, but Super Porky will take his place.  A 10 week absence would put Angel de Oro’s return around early August.

This week’s TerceraCaida is up. Rey Bucanero was on the show, announcing he’d be taking Rush’s place in the match with Masada. He seemed unfamiliar with Masada but promised a good match. Bucanero also promoted the CMLL vs Indy show coming up and Gimnasio Juan Barrera (which turns out to have less CMLL guys than you’d expect.) It’s concerning Rush is missing shows right after having that car accident on Monday, but Rush did work as scheduled Tuesday in Guadalajara. It’s just as possible CMLL pulled Rush off the show due to a more expensive sold show being run; CMLL seems to be running a lot of them (one last Saturday, one yesterday, both at Arena Mexico) and they even pulled Sombra off their own Arena Puebla show to work at a bigger fair show a few Mondays ago. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on Rush and Mistico’s performance the next couple times out.

Billy el Malo, Aerostar and Crazy Boy were also on the show, promoting Billy el Malo’s benefit show. Billy said the doctors have told him he’ll be out one year, but he’s hoping to be back in 2 months. They gave credit to La Hechicera for organizing the show.

The highlights of the TxT show also include an offical explanation of the women’s tournament: Esther Moreno & La Chola were “disqualified by the commission after the match for excessive violence.” That’s a perfectly acceptable finish if they didn’t want that team to actually lose, but there was nothing like the usual excessive violence spots which usually lead to a DQ in what we saw, and the match ended with referee Mano Negra raising Esther & Chola’s hands. (And, also, the half a million times a commission could’ve overturned a finish for one reason or another and didn’t, including the main event on that same show.) The disqualification was never announced to the crowd, which suggests disorganization or no one coming up with the reason until everyone pointed out how silly it was later on. The controversy over the main event being one fall or three falls was skipped over, though you could briefly see the rest of the women being hustled out of the ring. Cadena3 is usually more causal about leaving these things in, so maybe it’ll make more sense when airs there, but at least they came up with a reason.

This week’s AAA Fusion already started airing matches from this past weekend’s Durango show.  The main event and the opener of the taping aired, so the middle portion will be air on Televisa (and UTDN.) That means the Puebla show taped tomorrow will start airing next week and probably likewise be split between the two shows. I have not watched Fusion, but I was told that the opener – with IWRG regulars Carta Brava and Dr. Cerebro – had the announcers go out of their way not to mention IWRG or Naucalpan when talking about their background. Not sure what’s going on, but happened between IWRG and TVC Deportes.

LuchaMania Monterrey talked to WWL to clear up the June 16th date in Monterrey which had been mentioned by Llaves and Candados. WWL clarified they’re only coming in on the July 7 date, because WWL be appearing at TripleMania. AAA sent wrestlers to WWL’s debut show, and this is part of relations between the two company. WWL only has run that one show, with four dozen people, so it’s not easy to figure  out who this would be (and if it’s a good or bad thing, except in the more general “anything that keeps AAA guys off TripleMania for outside guys who the crowd doesn’t know” bad thing.) It does fill AAA’s usual TripleMania bit of bringing in a foreign promotion without using TNA.

Babe Richard, with many retired wrestlers, announced a new association to support retired and injured wrestlers. It’s called Lucha AC. They’re supported by LEGEND promotions, the group running the benefit show for Lasser on 06/01, and some masks will be auctioned off to support the new group. This kind of group is always needed, but groups like it have had hard times gaining a lot of traction.

Nakamura told Ana Gutierrez @ R de Rudo that the big difference he’s found this trip to Mexico are guys who were novatos when he first came to Mexico are now the stars. He’d like to defend his NJPW IC title in Mexico, but he doesn’t know if he can find anyone worthy of a chance – he beat Sombra, and Rush is just not on his level.

Terrible is headed to Guatemala on Sunday.

LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update.

Rob has highlights of 04/16/2013 CMLL

Bill has highlights of 04/12/2012 IWRG

taped 2013-04-05 @ Arena Mexico

Maya is uncatchable

Blue Panther, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Olímpico, Puma, Vangelis: two really short falls and a very long rudo dominated third fall. Not a lot of interesting team work by the rudos and a sudden finish, but the match itself was overall okay. The finish seemed rather sudden.

uhhh

Ángel de Oro, Diamante Azul, Stuka Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Pólvora, Rey Escorpión: rudos looked like an actual team (and not just because Pólvora finally ditched his Cancerbero-era gear), but there was some peculiar sloppiness in the second fall and it never escaped the feeling of being just a random trios match. No sense Escorpion and Stuka knew they were about to be feuding during this. The hat must’ve not told them yet.

triple tope

taped 2013-04-09 @ Arena Mexico

Zayco flying elbow drop

Génesis & Metatrón vs Herodes Jr. & Zayco: This match was so boring when the técnicos were in control and moderately interesting when the rudos took over. And then it ended and we all moved on.

Really, Tigre Hispano?

Pequeño Halcón, Shockercito, Último Dragoncito vs Demus 3:16, Pequeño Violencia, Pequeño Warrior: less than expectations, and only helped by following a truly boring match. This was not great shakes on it own and a rough back to back to start the show. Violencia vs Shockercito didn’t seem to have anything and Violencia only seemed to half care the entire match.

Hooligan being Hooligan

Fuego, Metálico, Sagrado vs Hooligan, Nitro, Skándalo: continuing the pattern of slightly better, but still not very watchable matches. Metálico getting a win is nice a way to help a guy who may be in a mask match soon, in the unlikely event someone thought about that. Hooligan was fun.

TRT!

Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Tiger vs Blue Panther, Diamante, Stuka Jr.: The best match on the show, but that’s not saying much and shouldn’t be saying much. Probably just reaching ok. TRT was back together, but didn’t feel like a team outside of the stretch at the end of the first fall. Still, nice that they didn’t lose in the first team match (which again shouldn’t be considered some big achievement but is around here.) I’d be okay with never seeing a two or three man faceslam turned into a cradle again.

Maximo and Negro

Felino, Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas vs Diamante Azul, Máximo, Super Porky: This match might have done nothing for me either, but the crowd seemed to like it and it was nice that someone seemed to like one of these falls. Comedy entertained the fans there, but this was overall another low effort match, especially that finish. This is probably one of the worst shows of the year, especially since it was a two hour one.