top six stories of the last two weeks

  • Maria del Angel and mask maker Bucio passed away.
  1. WWE announced Sin Cara was released from his contract. There’s confusion as to what this means for his ability to be on TV, but his upcoming show schedule has increased and it seems like he may show up on next weekend’s AAA TV Taping.
  2. The En Busca de un Idolo tournament got underway. This year’s format appears to be a eight man round robin format, though no one’s quite sure what happens when the round robin stops. Hechicero is off to the early lead, as expected.
  3. Blue Demon Jr. defied US immigration and/or the Gregorian calendar by appearing on the AAA taping in Ciudad Victoria. He gave Chessman his Latin American championship, as promised, and asked for a chance to win the title back. Chessman took the belt but not the challenge. Other feuds continued to run in place, though upcoming lineups suggest they’ll finally advance in upcoming weeks.
  4. Pequeno Halcon, a third tier mini in a second rate division, lost his mask in a cage match as the main event of the Arena Coliseo Anniversary show. Atlantis defeated Mr. Niebla in the semimain.
  5. Black Terry took Tony Rivera’s hair in IWRG in the culmination of a many month feud between the promotion and Rivera’s Neza outsiders.
  6. Opening match Mexico City rudo Camorra took Guadalajara local Leo’s hair, for some reason.
  • Guerreros Laguneros defeated Estetas del Aire to win the CMLL trios titles, though Mistico kept his own welterweight title a few days later.
  • Amapola won a cibernetico to challenge for the CMLL-REINA championship against the visiting Syrui.
  • Volador Jr. kept his NWA Welterweight title over Negro Casas
  • A series of Invasors versus rudos feuds took place in Arena Puebla to set up Mr. Aguila versus Mephisto, for some reason.

05/04 AAA TV Lineup (Villahermosa)

source: http://www.luchalibreaaa.com/images/stories/utilizadas/NuevoSitio/carteles/2014/Mayo/lucha-libre-aaa-cartelera-teatro-aire-libre-parque-villahermosa-tabasco.jpg

AAA TV (SUN) 05/04/2014 Teatro Al Aire Libre del Parque Tabasco, Villahermosa, Tabasco
1) Faby Apache & La Jarochita vs Mary Apache & Taya Valkyrie
2) Crazy Boy, Joe Lider, Niño Hamburguesa vs Dark Cuervo, Dark Scoria, Dark Spíritu
3) Angélico, Australian Suicide, Jack Evans vs Daga, Eterno, Steve Pain
4) ?, El Elegido, Fénix vs Hijo del Fantasma, Pentagón Jr., Texano
5) Blue Demon, Electroshock, La Parka vs Chessman, Silver King, Villano IV

Air Date: 05/24. AAA’s can take a three week break in tapings after this one. They’ll also be most of the way to Verano de Escandalo.

Main event is going to be really awkward, what with Villano IV defeating Blue Demon in DF and being the top contender to Chessman’s title. (Or maybe not.) It is surprising to see so few of the top guys from the taping two days prior. Everyone from the main except La Parka (and maybe Luchadora Sorpresa) is off this show. The rest of the show is a lot of repeats, normal for two tapings in three days.

All those changes may mean this is a different mystery luchador than the previous show. It’s an odd place for Elegido. Maybe the Fenix/Fantasma feud gets restarted?

Tercera should be good. Daga teaming with the anarchists might be fun. No Juvi to be found.

05/02 AAA TV Lineup (Minatitlán)

source: http://s28.postimg.org/px8no10f1/1aaa.jpg

AAA TV (FRI) 05/02/2014 Centro de Convenciones, Minatitlán, Veracruz
1) Australian Suicide vs Pentagón Jr.
2) Drago & Faby Apache vs Dark Cuervo & Mary Apache
3) Crazy Boy, Joe Lider, Niño Hamburguesa vs Dark Ozz, Dark Scoria, Dark Spíritu
4) Angélico & Jack Evans vs Daga & Steve Pain
5) Monsther Clown, Murder Clown, Psycho Clown vs Hijo del Fantasma, Silver King, Texano Jr.
6) ?, Cibernético, La Parka vs Black Warrior, el Hijo del Perro Aguayo, Psicosis

Air Date: 05/10 & 05/17

Nothing’s completely made sense since Sin Cara came back to town, so there are no certainties. That mystery partner spot, opposite Black Warrior, seems designed for Sin Cara’s in ring debut, but nothing with him is for sure until he gets to the ring. Including his name. It generally makes more sense to announce a surprise main eventer – if he’s a big enough deal to be in the main event, he’d probably sell a few tickets if you advertised his name – but AAA may literally not have a name to announce right now.

We’ll probably know more on 04/19. If Sin Cara is on track to wrestle here, they’ll definitely have him show up again in Mexico City next weekend.

Elsewhere, Pentagon Jr. will learn his lesson about picking a fight with Austrian Suicide, because he got sent all the way down to the opener to feud with him. The mixed title feud (not including Pentagon Jr. & Sexy Star) is in the segunda, behind two matches which have very little in ongoing issues to them. It’s great AAA is moving forward, but it diminishes their own work when you build to important confrontations, and then put them in the least important spots. The point of feuds is to get someone (or everyone) more over, you’re not achieving that if you’re holding the matches in the spots fans have been taught not to pay attention to.

Suicide versus Pentagon Jr. should still be good, as should the Angelico/Jack vs Pain/Daga tag match. And that main event will be interesting.

AAA says two lineups will be announced today, so 05/04 in Villahermosa should be released soon.

Mistico keeps title, Hechicero defies death, Amapola wins ciberentico, Porky/Kraneo

photo by Alexis Salazar/CMLL

CMLL (TUE) 04/08/2014 Arena México [@robviper, @therealfredo, CMLL]
1) Leono & Metatrón b Espanto Jr. & Zayco Leono & Metatron vs Espanto Jr. & Zayco, on DailyMotion (posted by thecubsfan)
2) Dragon Lee, Oro Jr., Pegasso b El Rebelde, Hooligan, Súper Comando Dragon Lee, Oro Jr., Pegasso vs El Rebelde, Hooligan, Super Comando, on DailyMotion (posted by thecubsfan)
3) Amapola b Dark Angel, Marcela, Estrellita, Goya Kong, Lluvia, Princesa Blanca, Tiffany, Princesa Sugheit, Dalys [cibernetico, #1 Contenders, CMLL-REINA INTL] 10 Women Cibernetico from CMLL on Terra on DailyMotion (posted by thecubsfan)
Rudas vs tecnicas teams. Order of elimination: Lluvia (Blanca), Tiffany (Goya Kong), Princesa Blanca (DQ for shoving ref for slow counting her pinfall on Marcela), Marcela (submitted by Dalys), Goya Kong (Sugehit), Sugehit (Estrellita), Dallys (Dark Angel), Estrellita (Amapola) and Dark Angel (Amapola). Amapola gets a shot at Syuri sometime during her trip (but apparently not next week.)
4) Hechicero b Cavernario [En Busca de un Idolo] Hechicero vs Cavernario in a En Busca de un Idolo match, on DailyMotion (posted by thecubsfan)
Guest judge was Euforia. Hechicero won with his rolling half crab. Tirantes said Hechicero was the best he’s seen in the three years of this competition (which is a awkward when he gave Euforia, sitting right there, a 10 and did not give Hechiero a 10.) Scores were 10, 10, 9, and 7 for 36. Cavernario scored 9, 10, 8, 7 for a 34.
5) Súper Halcón Jr. b Guerrero Negro Jr. [En Busca de un Idolo] Super Halcon Jr. vs Guerrero Negro Jr. in a En Busca de un Idolo match, on DailyMotion (posted by thecubsfan)
Super Halcon won via moonsault. Halcon earned judges scores of 6, 6, 6, 2 for a total of 20. Tirantes also received advice from Tirantes, who told Halcon was missing only one thing: “a change of profession.” Guerrero Negro got a 6, 6, 8, 3 for 23.
6) La Máscara, Rush, Stuka Jr. b Herodes Jr., Mr. Niebla, Negro Casas
Straight falls, Casas fouling Rush in the second.
7) Mistico b Averno [CMLL WELTER]
Mistico took 2/3 to keep the championship, though there was some issue with the La Mistica finish (Averno said he didn’t actually give up? It’s unclear.) First defense.

I wasn’t around during the show, and planned I was going to watch the entire Terra broadcast later last night. The opener and other events prevented that from happening as scheduled. (This might be a day where Ultimo Guerrero wish he picked a different name as to avoid being listed as dead in dozens of Spanish language articles which unwisely translate a proper name. And I wonder what facepaint Rey Bucanero will have on Friday.) The Terra broadcast did start at the start of the show this time. It’s tough to count on anything with CMLL, but if you’re looking to watch even more live wrestling from Arena Mexico, it might be worth checking around Terra around 7:30 pm on Tuesdays going forward.

Hechicero

Busca de un Idolo Points Standings, Week 1, before the poll:

56    Hechicero
46    Cachorro
44    Dragon Lee
40    Super Halcon Jr.
34    Cavernario
23    Star Jr./Soberano Jr./Guerrero Negro Jr.

CMLL made no substantial changes with the fan polling system, so it’s been easily compromised and Hechicero is running away with it. I still thing Hechicero would go to the final whatever they did, but this appears to be going exactly to form after the first matches.

Again, I didn’t see the Hechicero match yet and I know everyone is high on Cavernario, but I wonder if Hechicero is so good that everyone is going to end up with a good judging score when they go against them. They’re probably going to be good matches, and the judges have only rarely given one participant a lot more credit for the quality of the matches than his opponent.

CMLL (TUE) 04/08/2014 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [@acogdl]
1) Smaker b Espectrum
2) Black Metal, Esfinge, Leo b Camorra, Cholo, Disturbio
Cholo replaced Ramstein. Tecnicos took 2/3, Leo pinning Camorra.
3) Zeuxis b Silueta
Zeuxis won with a martinete variation (Rush Driver?) and Silueta was strechered out.
4) Kráneo, Mr. Águila, Rey Escorpión b Máximo, Rey Cometa, Super Porky
Rudos took 1/3, Kraneo sneaking in a foul on Porky. Porky challenged him to a hair vs mask match.
5) Titán, Valiente, Volador Jr. DQ Gran Guerrero, Mephisto, Último Guerrero
Straight falls, Mephisto yanking Valiente’s mask.

That’s Cholo’s first appearance in Guadalajara since February 2012. Kraneo/Porky seems reasonably possible.

Porra Fresa confirms Kamaitachi, not Misterioso, was in Puebla’s tercera. They also mention rudos Espiritu Maligno & Blue Center had problems with each other after their loss.

Rob has highlights of 01/30/14 AAA and three things Mexico should copy from WrestleMania weekend.

Psycho Clown wants a title rematch with no crooked referee, fast count, or illegal maneuvers. So does that mean he won’t be using the Canadian Destroyer?

Eric R @ Segunda Caida reviews CMLL on LATV on 03/17/14.

Video of the Villano kids. I hope the two Villano 3 kids are great, but lucha libre would be a greater place if sons of famous luchadors weren’t automatically promoted as big stars. (Those two are in the semimain event on AULL’s show.)

Drago says the mixed tag title match will please the fans and they’ll keep the tag titles.

Dr. Wagner Jr. is headed to Japan on 07/07? Not sure which group.

Lineup

CMLL (TUE) 04/15/2014 Arena México
1) Bengala & Molotov vs Camorra & Disturbio
2) Eléctrico, Fantasy, Último Dragoncito vs Mercurio, Pequeño Olímpico, Pierrothito
3) Estrellita, Silueta, Syuri vs Amapola, Dalys, Tiffany
4) Dragon Lee vs Star Jr. [En Busca de un Idolo]
5) Cachorro vs Soberano Jr. [En Busca de un Idolo]
6) Atlantis, Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr. vs Rey Bucanero, Terrible, Virus
7) Marco Corleone, Máximo, Stuka Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Misterioso Jr., Rey Escorpión

Star Jr. is what CMLL seems to think Dragon Lee is, so that should be interesting. Cachorro and Soberano could be really good. Syuri debuts in a build up trios versus Ampola. Guerreros de la Atlantida are a Tuesday exclusive trio. Stuka and Misterio get the midcard main event slot for the week.

CMLL (TUE) 04/15/2014 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
1) Virgo vs Demonio Rojo
2) Angelito, Astral, Stuka Jr. vs Demus 3:16, Pequeño Nitro, Pequeño Violencia
3) Esfinge, Magnus, Stigma vs Canelo Casas, El Rebelde, Maléfico
4) Fuego, Gallo, Tritón vs Arkángel de la Muerte, Boby Zavala, Sangre Azteca
5) Super Porky vs Kráneo
6) La Máscara, La Sombra, Valiente vs Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto

Main event and semimain will be slightly different matches.