CMLL posted video of the Rey Escorpion/Brazo de Plata hair match signing. Rey Escorpion vowed to break Super Porky’s jaw, which I guess is another way for Porky to lose weight. CMLL also sent out the offical Super Libre Plus rules:
- closed fists punches and chokes are legal
- there are no pinfalls
- only win by submission or knockout (or probably still DQ)
- participants will use protective gear on their hands (gloves), mouth (mouth guard) and face
So, MMA rules. The idea is CMLL will allow them to fight a street fight rules, but “respect the essence of wrestling.” (It’s too bad they couldn’t have figured this out for Wagner & Park.) No mention of how many falls, but it’s got to be one.
This is the second gimmick rules match in CMLL in a short amount of time, and it’s a promotion who never does these sort of things. This feels like the start of a pattern and some changes, but it may still depend on how it’s received. (I generally wonder what the fans who chanted Fraude feel about this drift from CMLL’s very old school ways.) It’s also an appeal to people who like MMA or MMA style matches, and I have no feeling for how big or small that is in Mexico (though UFC is apparently coming to the country in April.)
CMLL has also announced the Tama Tonga & Rey Bucanero versus Rush & La Mascara title defense will also take place on 10/18. CMLL is indeed loading up that card to run against WWE.
AAA tapes tonight in Tlahuelilpan (8 pm start.) Generally, it appears to be a running in place show, which could air after Heroes Inmortales takes place and not really change anything. The main event Consejo versus Psycho Circus match is now listed as “lucha en jaula”. That’s how the Naucalpan main was listed, but no cage was ever otherwise hyped, there was no cage for the match and the whole thing was never mentioned again. One Arm Scoria is still listed in the semimain, which is an Atomicos and may be enough to hide him. The best shot at a good match is the Angelico/Jack/probably Suicide vs Psicosis/Daga/Steve Pain tercera.
AAA’s also quietly announced the mystery luchador in the Copa Antonio Pena tournament: it’s Blue Demon Jr., according to the tournament preview they sent out. Blue Demon was a major part of AAA’s build up to both Rey de Reyes and TripleMania, and had not been mentioned since that event. Canek and Villano IV have likewise disappeared for no obvious reason (though it could be “IWL bookings” and “injuries” in that order.) Demon is the AAA Latin American champion, having beat Mesias for it at TripleMania. His block looks very odd – Demon’s against his friend Axel, fellow tecnico Octagon, and rudo with tecnico skills Daga. Maybe they’ll work an all technical match?
Dr. Wagner Jr. was interviewed by Metro about his injury and issues with AAA. (The article includes the graphic picture of his wound.) Wagner says he has no idea why he was attack, and his doctor told him he’d be out a mouth for rest and rehab. Dr. Wagner does not believe the attack has anything to do with his recent troubles with AAA, and there’s a sidebar where Hijo del Santo moonwalks his previous statement, saying he never said AAA and the only problems with AAA are the legal ones. Getting back to the name issue, Dr. Wagner says if AAA presents a Wagner in the US, it will be a fraud. He says he never was told AAA was trademarking Dr. Wagner, and they never asked him for permission.
Info on Casandro, Mascara Dorada, Sangre Azteca and Dragon Rojo’s trip to France on Friday and Saturday. I neglected to link to this earlier, but it’s the obvious explanation of why the three CMLL luchadors were pulled from cards.
The Japanese Vida La Vida blog says he had talked to Dos Caras Sr. back in June, and Dos had mentioned he was having injury issues with one of his feet and was considering moving to Florida to live closer to his sons, which both may explain why he’s retiring. June would’ve been before Hijo de Dos Caras was cut from FCW, which could affect his relocation plan.
AAA has tonight’s full UTDN airing, the second half of Plan Sexenal, up early.
IWL has announced a 12/14 show in Mexico City with a Canek/Hijo del Canek vs Wagner Jr./Wagner III vs LA Park/Hijo de LA Park vs Pirata Morgan/Hijo de Piarta main event for a new IWL Dinastia title. IWL spends more money on title belts then they do on the first two-thirds of their card.
I was on Figure Four Daily with Bryan Alvarez and Dr. Lucha to talk about my Mexico trip one more (last) time, and all the news in lucha libre. It’s a free (gratis!) show if you’d like to listen.
Rob has highlights of 03/22/13 CMLL.
LuchaWorld has KrisZ’s news update and the 30 to 21 of the 2002 LuchaWorld countdown.
Lucha Libre in Japan
Over in Dragon Gate, Tomahawk said a couple of his friends from Mexico would be coming. It appears to be Flamita & Rocky Lobo, who’ve been connected with Dragon Gate previously and said they’d be headed to a foreign country soon on last night’s Tercera Caida.
Lineups
CMLL (TUE) 10/15/2013 Arena Mexico
1) Molotov & Sensei vs Akuma & Herodes Jr.
2) Bam Bam, Eléctrico, Fantasy vs Pequeño Olímpico, Pequeño Warrior, Pierrothito
3) Pegasso vs Boby Zavala [lightning]
4) Delta, Guerrero Maya Jr., Rey Cometa vs Namajague, Shigeo Okumura, Virus
5) Marco Corleone, Máximo, Thunder vs Euforia, Felino, Mr. Niebla
6) La Sombra, Shocker, Titán vs Morphosis, Mr. Águila, Volador Jr.
The returning Shocker and the even more returning Mr. Aguila. Main event VERY subject to change. (Also, Morphosis?)
Fourth is a rematch, so the Cometa/Namajague is an issue going forward. Between this and the possible set up to an Arena Coliseo Tag Team title match on Friday, we may be seeing the beginning of the end for the Japanese Demon in CMLL.
Minis match could be good. Minis matches on Tuesday SHOULD be good; it’s their only reasonable shot of making TV. They’ll still turn up on the internet, but the internet is not TV. The women are in the same position – I don’t think a match from the Dallys turn has made TV – but the women will occasionally get added to a TV show they should not have otherwise been on. The minis are not afforded those courtesies and might as well take advantage of the opportunities they get.
IWL (TUE) 11/05/2013 Arena Aficion
1) Gotita de Plata, Jhonky, Kid Jaguar vs Aspid, Medics I, Sacristan Del Diablo
2) Arceus, Fly Metalik, Fly Warrior, Flyer vs ATM, ATM 1, ATM Gold, ATM Super and Arkanos, Medics 3, Quimico, Shadow
3) Último Gladiador & Último Vampiro vs Dinamic Black & Fresero Jr. [IWL TAG]
Ultimos are champions. First defense.
4) Ángel o Demonio, León Rojo, Ovett, Perico vs Aero Boy, Demente Extreme, Hormiga, Violento Jack [IWL TRIOS]
Los Porros are champions. Trios title on the line in an atomicos.
5) Zumbido vs Fantasma de la Ópera, Carta Brava Jr. (IWL), Freelance, Cerebro Negro, Pantera I, Súper Ratón, Súper Pinocho, Súper Muñeco, Halcón 2000, Tony Rivera, Ninja de Fuego, Suicida, Loco Max [cage, hair, mask]
IWL count: 45! That’s low, they’ll have to add two or three more matches.
Anyone has a chance to lose in an IWL main event, but Halcon 2000 sticks out. He’s worked opening card matches and the name has been recycled by IWRG at least three different times. He really doesn’t belong there.
Trios titles on the line in an atomicos!
I didn’t expect them to go that far with the gimmick. Hopefully it ends up coming across as more intense than silly.
It would be kinda funny if CMLL drew a good crowd head-to-head with WWE, with “Juniors Division” castoff Porky working an über serious MMA-style match.
One could argue the Porky/Escorpion build started in the summer when everyone was doing hair match challenges leading to the July 19th disaster but technically CMLL has only been building it 2/3 weeks full blast recently and I am 100% more interested in that than anything on Heroes Inmortales which AAA had 4 months+ to build.
Next time you are on Bryan Alvarez’s show, ask him why he refuses to acknowledge he trained Jack Evans!
I always said I didn’t really train Jack Evans because I picture a trainer as a guy who you go to him and you and say, “I want to be a wrestler, teach me how.” When I met Jack he was already able to do wrestling matches, I just tried to show him some psychology and how to not kill himself. I always felt I was more a mentor than a trainer. At the end of the day, I am very proud of Jack and how far he’s gone in wrestling, certainly a lot farther than I ever went, and I am very happy that he calls me his trainer.