taped @ Arena Mexico, 01/21/2011
Pólvora vs Sangre Azteca in a lightning match: Bad with a lame finish. Among the high points of Sangre Azteca being a tecnico (which he wasn’t yet here) is cutting down from the low blow dropkicks. It’s still two or three a match, but that’s better than every other move.
Bam Bam, Eléctrico, Mascarita Dorada vs Pequeño Universo 2000, Pequeño Warrior, Pierrothito: As seen on LATV. It was good then.
Diamante, Metro, Stuka Jr. vs Euforia, Raziel, Shigeo Okumura: Diamante screwed up in early, and the fans were done with the tecnicos for the rest of the match. Arena Mexico can be very supportive, but it doesn’t take much for them to loudly turn on someone. Raziel was so thrilled to get a pinfall in the third fall of a major show; it’s been a good fifteen months. Euforia pulling off Stuka’s mask was a fine build to the mask match they’ll surely be having, sometime in 2024. Slooooooow build.
Ángel de Oro, Blue Panther, Valiente vs Atlantis, Dragón Rojo Jr., Último Guerrero: This was the only match on the show that felt like a proper (re)-introduction to CMLL, or even a big match on a big show. There’s no way CMLL planned this week’s TV show to be a big anything – once they knew they were up against a Mexico National Team Futbol game, there’s no sense in that at all – but I also don’t think particularly care that they’re back on in the US and this was the first show. They’ve made no mention of this show (or the LATV show, or the Teleformula show, and the Puebla show is iffy at best); there are surely some people in CMLL who know and care, but those people aren’t the big decision makers or the ones in charge of promoting things.
“There’s no way CMLL planned this week’s TV show to be a big anything –”
Which is why CMLL’s anemic ratings don’t worry me as much as AAA’s. CMLL never really does anything to make their show better, so it’s not like they’re trying and failing.
On the other hand, AAA’s television runs at least one angle per episode, usually more, with angles that are supposed to shock the world(like Octagon being shot, Mesias attacked left in pool of blood), and run-ins in a 50% of televised matches. None of which has done anything to help their ratings.