04/14 news: Arena Mexico preview, Nacho Libre sneak preview

CMLL (FRI) 04/14 Arena Mexico
1) Crazy Boy, Tony Rivera vs Artillero, Super Comando
2) Mascara Purpura, Satánico, Volador Jr. vs Hombre Sin Nombre, Misterioso II, Nitro
3) Dr. Wagner Jr., Heavy Metal, LA Park vs Olímpico, Pierroth, Universo 2000
4) Rey Bucanero, Tarzan Boy, Último Guerrero vs Damián 666, Héctor Garza, Mr. Águila
5) Dark Angel vs Amapola [hair, mask]
6) Averno, Mephisto vs Mistico, Negro Casas [CMLL TAG]

While they might set something up with the four match (and they’ll probably heat up a feud in the third; see Acapulco note later), all the focus is on the top two matches.

Dark Angel vs Amapola [mask, hair]: Hair does grow back, but I don’t believe that’s a concern here. Amapola’s done quite well for herself – from being used as a side filler to the top ruda based on her work. She won’t lose that spot, but she will be losing her mask. The drama here isn’t the outcome, but the response; do they have a good match? does the crowd accept them at this position and get into the match? does this match draw?

Mistico & Negro Casas vs Averno & Mephisto [CMLL TAG]: This seems to be the spot for Black Warrior to cost Mistico the chance at the tag team titles to set up the mask match. There’s some mitigating factors:
– Negro Casas has been chasing the tag team titles for about six months by now, and they’ve been pushing him and Mistico as the pair that’ll finally do it. It’s certainly possible there will be a title change.
– there’s been no talk about the Mask match since Mistico/Warrior’s single match two weeks ago
– there’s been no talk about Warrior since the Mistico/Warrior’s singles match. Normally, Warrior would be working with Mistico all around Mexico to work off the rivalry before and after the mask match; Warrior hasn’t been working at all since 04/03, compared to the 3-4 times he’d show up on my lineups per week. There’s plenty of reasons someone could stop working for two weeks (vacation, out of the country, injury are the first that come to mind), but I haven’t heard anything about this.

If they’re still doing a major show on 04/28, they ought to be announcing (or at least heavily leaning towards) a main event tonight. If Warrior shows up, that’s it, but there seems like a chance he might not be showing up (and we all know this wouldn’t be the first mask/mask seemingly agreed to on a Friday show and never followed thru), and then I’m completely lost on what’s happening.

Ovaciones wonders if we’ll see “Dark Angel, bald as a bowling ball.” There’s a NOTIMEX preview, but nothing new there. The writer is 100% sure Dark Angel is winning.

Wagner is putting up his mask versus Pierroth’s hair, next Wednesday in Acapulco. (Wagner is not losing his mask to Pierroth in Acapulco.)

Atlantis and Sangre Azteca are off to Japan today. Sangre’s got New Japan, and I think Atlantis is working Ultimo Dragon’s El Dorado promotion.

There will be a special sneak preview/Q&A of Nacho Libre in Austin, Texas on May 27th (a month before it actually debuts) at an outdoor theatre. Tickets are $5, but anyone wearing a lucha mask gets in free. And, of course, you can buy a Nacho Libre mask already. I think I’m sticking with my Rey Bucanero mask.

Speaking of lucha libre merch, there are some lucha shirts here, but I have no idea how you’d actually buy them.