fantastic FantasticaMania, Dante bailes on mask match, AEW/VIX

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 06/30/2023 Arena México [AS, CMLL, Es EuroESTOEstrellas del RingExcelsiorKaiser SportsMTPublimetroR de RudoThe Gladiatores, thecubsfan]
1) Dark Silueta, Lluvia, Zeuxis b La Catalina, La Jarochita, Stephanie Vaquer [lightningLas Infernales Lluvia, Zeuxis y Dark Silueta derrotan a Jarochita, La Catalina y Stephanie Vaquer (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) Las Infernales se presentan en la Arena México: Dark Silueta, Zeuxis y Lluvia (posted by mluchatv) Victoria de las Infernales en Fantasticamania en México 2023 (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
5:34. Lightning match stipulation added a show time.
2) Douki & Okumura b Audaz & Capitán Suicida CMLL: DOUKI y Okumura derrotaron a Capitán Suicida y El Audaz (posted by mluchatv) Fantasticamanía México 2023: Okumura y Douki derrotan a El Audaz y Capitán Suicida (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) Okumura y Douki vs Audaz y Capitán Suicida FANTASTICAMANIA (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
10:54. Originally Audaz, Capitán Suicida, Hombre Bala Jr. vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Okumura, changed on 06/14. one fall match
3) Satánico TLDRAW Tiger Mask IV [lightningEl Satánico vs Tiger Mask IV FANTASTICAMANIA desde la ARENA MEXICO (posted by Estrellas del Ring) Empate de maestros en Fantasticamanía México 2023, entre Satánico y el japonés Tiger (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
Satanico 50th Anniversary match. He was honored before the match, then spent most of the match trying to get Tiger Mask’s mask.
4) Máscara Dorada 2.0 b El Desperado CMLL - EL DESPERADO VS MÁSCARA DORADA 2.0 / ARENA MÉXICO /30-06-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL: Máscara Dorada 2.0 derrota a El Desperado en su primera lucha (posted by mluchatv) Empate de maestros en Fantasticamanía México 2023, entre Satánico y el japonés Tiger (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) Máscara Dorada 2.0 llega al ring de la Arena México (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
12:53. Debut of Mascara Dorada 2.0 (former Panterita del Ring Jr., acknowledged as such.) Clean win via SSP.
5) Bushi, Naito, Titán b Atlantis Jr., Místico, Soberano Jr. CMLL - LOS INGOBERNABLES DE JAPÓN VS CMLL / ARENA MÉXICO /30-06-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Los Ingobernables de Japón: Titán, Naito y BUSHI vencen a Místico, Atlantis Jr. y Soberano Jr. (posted by mluchatv) Luego de un golpe al referí, Bushi, Naito y Titán derrotaron a Atlantis Jr, Soberano Jr y Místico (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) Naito, Bushi y Titan vs Místico, Atlantis Jr y Soberano Jr FANTASTICAMANIA MEXICO (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
18:28. Soberano hit the referee by mistake. BUSHI spit mist in Atlantis’ eyes, Naito fouled Soberano, and LIJ got the win.
6) Rocky Romero © b Volador Jr. [NWA WELTERCMLL - ROCKY ROMERO VS VOLADOR JR. / ARENA MÉXICO /30-06-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) Rocky Romero retuvo el Campeonato Mundial Histórico Welter ante Volador Jr. (posted by mluchatv) Rocky Romero sigue siendo el Campeón Mundial Histórico de Peso Welter derrotando a Volador Jr. (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) Rocky Romero vence al Volador Jr y sigue de Monarca Histórico NWA (posted by Estrellas del Ring) Rocky Romero vs Volador Jr FANTASTICAMANIA MEXICO 2023 (posted by Estrellas del Ring)
22:02. Rocky cleanly submitted Volador to keep the title. He briefly confronted Volador’s second Mascara Dorada 2.0 after the match.

This was going to be one of the best CMLL shows of the year if the two singles matches delivered and they got anything else. Those two singles matches delivered and everything else was fun, if short.

Mascara Dorada 2.0 versus Deseperado was a perfect re-introduction. Dorada hit everything, had new ideas in reserve to break out, and Desperado was right there with him. The crowd was into Mascara Dorada 2.0 before the match started, and that’s a crowd that’s normally reluctant to get behind new wrestlers. This could not have gone better for CMLL.

Volador Jr. vs Rocky Romero was proper conclusion to the series of matches. Romero before and after insisted that was going to be the last match between them, and most assumed that meant Volador was winning to bring it full circle. Volador seemed to take more of the match and come closer to winning too, with Romero coming off like he had few answers. Romero blocking a counter of his armbar and locking it back on in the middle of the ring was a totally fair ending while also a shocking one.

The match was excellent, maybe just a shade behind the first match, but it wasn’t what I was left thinking about. CMLL is a land where someone annoys Mistico for two weeks, Mistico defeats him in week three, and that’s the only story that’s told. A guy like Volador doesn’t lose this feud. It says something for him that he was willing to, and that Rocky’s been so good that everyone’s cool with it.

LIJ didn’t show the same effort as the other NJPW guys, but they were there to be stars and they came off as stars. They were having fun, their opponents worked hard, and the crowd seemed to enjoy the experience. The tag match had a bit more work, and some weird music for DOUKI. He seemed happy though.

The two slight flaws were the opener going so short and the Satanico/TIger Mask going long. It’s hard to talk about the “Las Infernales” concept for years and then give them six minutes. Maybe we’ll see them again. The legend’s match was fine and they had no issue going ten, but the crowd was just dying for Satanico to unmask Tiger Mask and get himself DQed, and he ended up spending more time arguing with Olimpico instead. (This also had the “referee refuses to count the pinfall because it’s too close to the time” bit that just gets heat on the referee.) There are points in Satanico’s 50 year career where he would’ve been allowed to listen to the crowd and just do an unplanned mask pull finish, just not at this point.

Satanico didn’t want to address the Los Infernales situation in his post-match interview.

Referee Edgar Noriega was oddly missing, when he’s usually the lead referee on these Friday shows. He was off Saturday too and back Sunday.

CMLL (SAT) 07/01/2023 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía b Full Metal, Minos, Pequeño Polvora
2) Oro Jr., Retro, Robin b Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
3) Hijo del Villano III b Crixus [lightning]
4) Difunto, Douki, Zandokan Jr. b Esfinge, Star Black, Volcano
Rudos took 2/3.
5) Bushi, Naito, Titán b Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Terrible
LIJ took 1/3.
6) Bárbaro Cavernario, El Desperado, Volador Jr. b Máscara Dorada 2.0, Místico, Rocky Romero [Relevos Increíbles]
Volador won via mask pull on Mistico

A good turnout. Naito again stated he doesn’t recognize Angel de Oro, Niebla Roja and Terrible as real Ingobernbles. No one else does.

This is the source of some controversy. CMLL did promise to air this show for people who subscribed to their YouTube channel. They did not say when. Fans assumed it would be live, signed up, and were upset to find the show didn’t air as promise. CMLL could’ve fixed this by simply saying “we’re airing this at a later date”, but instead got people to pay for a few days of a subscription service where’s there’s absolutely no subscription content. My expectation is there will be a curt “we never promised live” explanation on Informa this week, and then the show will turn up something next weekend. You can trust that CMLL does not care about any subscriber complaints in this matter.

You should expect some streaming announcement sometime this week. This Friday’s card no longer has the “on TicketmasterLive” wording that’s been on every show since the pandemic restart. It simply says the shows will be available as paid per event. I know people are hoping it’ll be added to the YouTube subscription package, but I wonder if that wording means it’s a PPV on some other site. We probably won’t know until Informa.

CMLL (SUN) 07/02/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Bengala, Cachorro, Retro DQ Enfermero Jr., Grako, Raider
rudos DQed for attacking Monito
2) La Magnifica b Metálica [lightning]
3) Diamond, Flyer, Stigma b Ángel Rebelde, El Novato (Puebla), Neón
Team Stigma took 1/3. Novato’s debut in Arena Mexico; he’s a recent debutee in Arena Puebla.
4) Kráneo, Magnus, Rugido b Esfinge, Fugaz, Valiente
Rudos took 1/3. Magnus & Rugido beat Fugaz & Esfinge again, setting up a tag title match.
5) El Desperado & Hechicero b Douki & Templario [Relevos Increíbles]
Desperado/Hechicero took 1/3.
6) Star Jr., Tiger Mask, Volador Jr. b Bushi, Naito, Titán
Tecnicos took 2/3.

That wraps up FantasticaMania. Feels like CMLL could’ve bigger more big matches but everyone seemed to have a fun time.

CMLL (TUE) 07/04/2023 Arena México
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía vs Mercurio, Minos, Pierrothito
2) Leono vs Sangre Imperial [lightning]
3) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora
4) Astral, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
5) Blue Panther, Octagón, Panterita del Ring vs Felino, Fuerza Guerrera, Virus
6) Místico, Soberano Jr., Templario vs Niebla Roja, Titán, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

This turns out to be the first YouTube subscriber only show. It’s not that much better than a usual Tuesday show. Seeing Fuerza and Octagon is meant to be a treat, though maybe it’s more of an indication to what kind of fans CMLL feels like they’re going to pull in.

Titan remains a sort of rudo even with LIJ gone. Hair match feud continues on Tuesdays with Fridays booked up. Leono and Sangre Imperial had weird issues last week.

CMLL (FRI) 07/07/2023 Arena México
1) Acero & Aéreo vs Kaligua & Pequeño Magía
2) Volcano vs Kráneo [lightning]
3) Lluvia vs AmapolaLa JarochitaReyna IsisSanelyTiffanyLa VaqueritaHeraSkadiOlympiaLa MagnificaValkiriaLa GuerreraNáuticaLa MalignaMetálica [MEX WOMEN, semifinal]
vacant title (Silueta injury/Japan trip)
4) Valiente vs Star Black [lightning]
5) Averno, Euforia, Mephisto vs Bárbaro Cavernario, Hechicero, Templario
6) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Terrible vs Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Último Guerrero

Averno teaming with Euforia & Mephisto is the idea Infernales teamed on Informa, and they’re together here.

Marcela and Princesa Sugehit are among regulars missing from the tournament. Marcela has mentioned an injury. Sugehit has said nothing. Hera may actually have an injury as well. Nautica and Valkiria are in from Guadalajara to round out the field.

The free show sponsored by the Cuajimalpa’s Mayor Office was to have draw 3,500 people. This has been reported as a way for this borough’s mayor to raise his profile before running for a bigger office.

AAA

AAA TV this week was ok. The Octagon/Arez/Aerostar vs Villano/Psicosis/Parka Negra match would be a fine heat up to any of those singles matches if there was any reason to believe they were happening. The Mexicali/Tijuana match was a good one to half pay attention to, because the flaws were visible if the most you paid attention. The main event was a fine enough house show main event style match.

The big angle on the show was Pagano returning with a new look, and getting attacked by a mystery person again. In a show closing (and badly miced) segment, Pagano told Konnan he believed Vampiro must be behind these attacks. Vampiro is the only other character involved in this storyline so that seems like a solid assumption. AAA is spending a lot of time building towards what’ll be an surely terrible Pagano/Vampiro match, but there’s hope – they spent a lot of time building to a plenty of other matches that never happen.

On his podcast, Konnan explained the Puma King challenge to Fenix. He says that match was going to happen at Verano de Escandalo, as Puma King said. Konnan was then subsquentally by Fenix (and Penta and Komander) that he was needed on the Ring of Honor show instead, and essentially puts the blame on the wrestlers for not letting AAA know sooner. ROH’s been advertising that date for months with the current ROH tag team champions the Lucha Brothers on the poster, so the idea is Fenix didn’t specifically let Konnan he’d be on it.

Konnan did not have an update on Rush and TripleMania. That show is 13 days away.

Drago appeared on Mas Lucha’s Relevos Suicidas show to announce he was no longer Drago. He’ll now be going as “Dios del Inframundo.” This is being reported as Drago leaving AAA but I think it’s a more of a sliding scale. He’s not working there much and he might work there even less, but nothing’s preventing him from doing both gimmick. Drago hasn’t been on AAA TV since late 2021. Drago has been working spot shows, he may continue to show up on them, but the name (and slight mask) change is so he can work his own bookings without AAA getting a cut. Drago had taken AAA out of his social media names and changed them to Dios Drago way back in August 2021, so it’s something he’s been thinking about for quite a while.

Psycho Clown and Hijo del Vikingo are announced for a show in Israel on September 14th, which reads like it won’t ever actually happen or the promotion will be running out of money after show one and never run again.

IWRG

IWRG , RGR (SUN) 07/02/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Mr. Leo b Cerebro NegroJhon Tito KICKOFF🔴| CABELLERA VS CABELLERA: Jessy Ventura vs Pimpinela Escarlata (posted by mluchatv)
2) Keira & Rey Halcón b Fussion & Princesa Azul KICKOFF🔴| CABELLERA VS CABELLERA: Jessy Ventura vs Pimpinela Escarlata (posted by mluchatv)
3) Aster Boy, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly b Brazo Celestial, Brazo Cibernetico, Brazo de Oro KICKOFF🔴| CABELLERA VS CABELLERA: Jessy Ventura vs Pimpinela Escarlata (posted by mluchatv)
4) Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool b Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Pandemónium ¡La Puerquiza Extrema derrota a La Pandemia con la traición del Hijo de Pirata Morgan! (posted by mluchatv)
Pirata betrayed his parnters
5) Diva Salvaje & Mamba b Hijo de Canis Lupus & Tonalli [RGR TAG, final]
6) Jessy Ventura b Pimpinela Escarlata [hairJessy Ventura ganó la cabellera de Pimpinela Escarlata (posted by mluchatv)

Strong turnout for this show. I’m told the second match is good and I might pause long enough to watch it.

Pimpinela teased a retirement after the hair loss, and I’m sure I’ve typed that exact combination of words before.

Big Lucha

The next gym card:

Big Lucha (SAT) 07/29/2023 Arena Big Lucha, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal
1) Helios vs ReieylMorfosisSteel Dragón
2) ? & India Sioux vs Diosa Nix & La Brava
3) Carito, Mr. Win, Tirano vs Andrómeda, Macho I, Máscara Año 2000 Jr.
4) Skayde & Viajero vs Brujo De Iztapalpa & Forneo
5) Bendito, Flamita, Yutani vs Elipse, Iku, Orbita and Gravity, Potro, Rey Horus and Monsther Clown, Panic Clown, Parka Negra [tlc]
6) Emperador Azteca © vs Negro Casas [BIG LUCHA CHAMP]

This is the pre-Anniversary show. Big Lucha’s first show was July 17th, 2021, so doing the Anniverasry in August only makes lucha libre sense. The same sense that there’s a random TLC match on this show. Forneo/Skayde and Carito/Andromeda continue their feuds.

Other News

The concept of the Mas Lucha Ruleta Suicida tournament was the fans would choose which wrestlers move on each round, essentially picking the final two. The fans eventually picked Dante and Ultimo Legendario, and the mask match was scheduled to take place Saturday night. The result of that match was Mr. Leo defeating Camaleon for his mask. You may notice those are two different names and realize something went horribly wrong.

The in-ring bit started with Ultimo Legendario and special guest referee Hijo del Tirantes coming out, then Legendario announcing Dante did not show up for the match. He asked for Dante to be counted out, which Tirantes started and then stopped. Hijo del Tirantes, the unlikely voice of reason, noted the fans had paid for a mask match and demanded other Ruleta Suicidas come out. Mr. Leo & Camaleon, who had wrestled against earlier in the show, came up to make a new three way mask match. Mr. Leo defeated Camaleon in the final, and Camaleon was unmasked as Erick Alejandro Serrano Ramirez, 42 years old. Camaleon could be retiring; he wasn’t wrestling much before this tournament.

It wasn’t immediately clear what happened. Mas Lucha didn’t say anything about Dante no-showing until the in-ring angle, and it felt like an angle. It appears Dante was scheduled to lose his mask, and just didn’t show.

Dante posted his side of the story in many places on Facebook on Sunday morning; here’s one. His version is neither Mas Lucha nor the Mexico State commission ever presented with him a mask match contract. He also says the promoters dared to offer him money to lose the match, and he’s offended they weren’t just going to let them go and fight it out. (Yes, Dante is going with the idea that wrestling matches are real fights and accusing Mas Lucha of asking him to throw a real fight.) Dante says Mas Lucha threatened him, said they were going to ruin his career, and warned him about how much power they had. Dante challenges Mas Lucha to show a contract that he agreed to put his mask up, and says none exists. He’s content with his career coming to an end if it meant it protected all the work he’s put into this point.

Camaleon seemed to be the person Mas Lucha wanted to lose the Ruleta de la Suicida all along, and Mas Lucha may have had some agreement to take his mask – they seemed to be setting up that match with Mr. Leo for another show, and they may have just moved up the timeline.

Dante was completely unprofessional in how he acted and Mas Lucha deserves some sympathy for a wrestler pulling such a boneheaded move. I even have some sympathy for Dante not wanting to lose his mask – but then don’t be in a mask tournament where you can lose your mask! Dante deserves most of the blame, but Mas Lucha needs the share too. I’m sure no one know one knows more horror stories of Mexican wrestlers being absolutely dummies like Dante was here than the guys who film every show, they knew the fire they were playing with, and they got burned. Mas Lucha will definitely have time to show a contract later on if one exists, but they’re also the ones who decided Dante was trustworthy enough to include him in something like this. Mas Lucha promised something, charged people for it, and then was unable to deliver on it.

The other part of this is all of the Mas Lucha work to promote the Ruleta Suicida tournament and the final match this week ended up adding up to not much. This show had a bad turnout; this concept that caused all this drama wasn’t a draw either. Mas Lucha has the subscriber numbers we don’t have, but they’d have to be out of this world for anything like “fans pick the mask match” again. The fans who are picking the match on Facebook aren’t so invested to buy tickets to the show, or at least they weren’t here.

(Ironically, Mas Lucha posts results for all other shows but didn’t for their own. I put together some of them off the broadcast in the database.)

Lady Apache told Milenio that she’s banned from CMLL. Her story is that she got into a custody battle with the father of her daughter, but that man was also the head of CMLL’s union and used his power to block her from appearing. That man has since passed away, but she’s under the impression the block will not be lifted. Lady Apache never says the man was Brazo de Oro but that’s who she’s describing. Lady Apache says this has inspired her to fight for woman’s rights, though he wishes the luchadoras were more united.

AEW appears to be back on screens in Mexico. There’s a lot of brands here that may be unfamiliar to you unless you live in this sphere already, I’ll go slowly. “TUDN” is Televisa’s sports production arm. “Vix” is Televisa’s owned streaming service. It’s a FAST type service with round the clock channels (think PlutoTV), and one of those channels is TUDN. Promotional art for the VIX TUDN channel this weekend includes the AEW logo. A Televisa announced subsuqentially confirmed Dynamite and Collision would be airing on VIX live. Dynamite has only been available on FITE TV in Mexico recently, and Collision has been blocked on that service for no known reason.

There has been no confirmation of this story by AEW or TUDN as far as I’ve been able to find. We’re missing a lot of details; no one seems to know if this is a Mexico deal or a Latin American deal. I can’t find any mention of AEW on Vix itself, though it’s hard to find much on there. The Televisa announcer said the commentary would be “from the origin”, but no idea if that means Spanish or English. Vix has both a free and paid tier and that’s another open AEW question.

If this is true, this is a nice help for AEW. I’m not sure if it’s strong enough to actually run shows in Mexico, but it’s much better than they were at. VIX to have 25 monthly users , though it wasn’t clear if that was worldwide and the LigaMX moving on there is going to change things.

(The bigger story is there’s an arms race between Azteca & Televisa to beef up their cable and streaming offerings, which involves a lot of LigaMX games disappearing from their over the air homes, the UEFA’s Champions  League games moving around, and other sports properties being scooped up. This would be a good time for CMLL or AAA to have extra TV. It’s also is probably a boon for WWE if their Mexico deal comes up soon; both Azteca and Televisa are likely to be much more involved as bidders now that they more hours to fill.)

07/22 RIOT

El Destape has a profile of Martin Karadagain.

Chilango visits Mexico City’s Gladiadores free wrestling school. There’s a trainer who talks about wrestling for years in Japan, which does not appear to be true.

FantasticaMania Arena Mexico tonight, CMLL new subscription plan, AAA/Azteca

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 06/30/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser Sports, thecubsfan]
1) Dark Silueta, Lluvia, Zeuxis vs La Catalina, La Jarochita, Stephanie Vaquer
2) Audaz & Capitán Suicida vs Douki & Okumura
Originally Audaz, Capitán Suicida, Hombre Bala Jr. vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Okumura, changed on 06/14.
3) Satánico vs Tiger Mask IV [lightning]
Satanico 50th Anniversary match.
4) El Desperado vs Máscara Dorada 2.0
5) Bushi, Naito, Titán vs Atlantis Jr., Místico, Soberano Jr.
6) Rocky Romero © vs Volador Jr. [NWA WELTER]

I wrote a longer preview over on VOW. This is a really good show. Romero/Volador feels like they missed their peak but they’re still great against each other. Mascara Dorada/Desperado could be a huge deal. The semi-main will probably be the best we see out of the LIJ trio. If those go as planned and anything else delivers, this will be among the best Arena Mexico shows this year.

In addition to the matches, expect a big ceremony for Satanico during the show.

The Ticketmaster ticketmap showed the floor almost completely sold out as of 11 AM US Central Time. This is going to be a huge crowd.

It’s 199 pesos (about 12 USD) on Ticketmaster. It’ll go up on CMLL’s YouTube on July 16th.

CMLL (SUN) 07/02/2023 Arena México
1) Bengala, Cachorro, Retro vs Enfermero Jr., Grako, Raider
2) La Magnifica vs Metálica [lightning]
3) Diamond, Flyer, Stigma vs Ángel Rebelde, El Novato (Puebla), Neón
4) Esfinge, Fugaz, Valiente vs Kráneo, Magnus, Rugido
5) El Desperado & Hechicero vs Douki & Templario [Relevos Increíbles]
6) Bushi, Naito, Titán vs Star Jr., Tiger Mask, Volador Jr.

More NJPW (though Rocky seems to be leaving early to make it to Japan for thhe NJPW Strong shows.) El Novato has barely wrestled in Puebla so far so it’s very strange to see him in Arena Mexico.

CMLL (MON) 07/03/2023 Arena Puebla
1) Amnesia, Astro, Xelhua vs El Malayo, Fénix SO, Rey Apocalipsis
2) Black Tiger, Perverso, Prayer vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
3) Capitán Suicida, Rey Samuray, Volcano vs Difunto, Furia Roja, Zandokan Jr.
4) Atlantis vs Satánico
5) Hechicero, Magia Blanca, Rugido, Volador Jr. vs Pegasso, Stigma, Templario, Último Guerrero [Relevos Increíbles]

CMLL is pushing this as the start of a month of Arena Puebla Anniversary celebrations. Perhaps the main event is setting up a title match.

Xelhua showed up once in Guadalajara two months ago, wonder what’s going on there.

CMLL added a paid subscription tier to their YouTube channel. CMLL says it costs 199 pesos, though it appears to 9 USD for me. The Tuesday Arena Mexico shows will switch from free streaming to subscriber-only. CMLL will also offer this Saturday’s Arena Coliseo show as a free bonus. CMLL talked about the switch at the end of Informa, mentioning plans to add historical content similar to what was posted during the pandemic. No timeline was mentioned. There was also a tease of news coming soon about the Friday Arena Mexico broadcasts, which are currently airing on Ticketmaster Live.

This announcement was CMLL declaring they were going to start charging for something that had been for free. It was received as poorly as you’d expect. There is a great case for a CMLL subscription service: they’re taping two or three events a week that they don’t currently stream and could easily offer them as an added bonus. 199 pesos a month for four shows, usually of lesser quality, is a hard ask when CMLL is also asking their fans to pay 396 pesos a month for four Friday shows. That’s about 35 USD each month to keep up with CMLL, though not even all of CMLL. It’s way out of line with other wrestling promotions; almost all of them are much more popular with people willing to pay for wrestling.

I’m going to subscribe to this CMLL plan because of this blog; I’m not entirely sure I’d regularly bother otherwise. If you just want to watch some CMLL on a Tuesday night, the Guadalajara stream will still exist for free. There are plenty of Tuesdays when that’s the better show. Maybe the news on the Friday shows is CMLL will add them as well, because that’s the one thing that could make this deal worthwhile.

(I’m not sure if I’m posting these on the Drive. I definitely will not be posting them before the matches air on TV, so that’s at least a two week delay. I do it for Friday in part because most of the show is going to be made available for free anyway and the other matches disappear entirely. That’s not the same situation here.)

CMLL will officially reopen its training school on Saturday. It’s been closed since the start of COVID, and CMLL loosening their COVID rules fits with the timing.

There was a benefit show for La Comandante in Arena Aficion a few weeks back. Talking with Criterio Hidalgo, La Comandante says she has cervical injuries and has lost feeling in one hand. She says she looks normal, so no one understands she’s actually hurt, but she’s been told she may end up a wheelchair if the condition worsens. She’ll have another MRI this July and get more information on her condition then. She’s been told the operation they believe she will need now costs 250,000 pesos (around $15,000 USD) and says CMLL is not helping her despite this being the result of years of wrestling.

AAA

This week’s AAA on Space finishes of the Chihuahua taping

  • Arkángel Divino, Fantastik, Último Maldito vs Genio del Aire, Kamik-C, Skalibur (Baja California)
  • Aerostar, Arez, Octagón Jr. vs Parka Negra, Psicosis, Villano III Jr.
  • Aramis, Mr. Iguana, Willie Mack vs Emperador Azteca, Látigo, Toscano

TV Azteca, AAA’s over-the-air home, had a bunch of announcements this past Wednesday. They’re pushing out the “TV Azteca Internacional” as the new export brand. Part of their plan included the launch of a new cable channel “Azteca Deportes Network” on Wednesday. Lucha Libre AAA is included in the list of programming on the new channel. It’s not a huge deal in Mexico – if you’ve got cable, you might already be watching AAA on Space or Multimedios or Claro. Azteca’s plan here is to sell that channel internationally, though, which would mean the US first and foremost. That would quietly put AAA back on TV in the US, if they can get cable systems to pick it up. I wonder if Azteca has US (or international) transmission rights for AAA? No idea, but maybe a question someone’s asked this week.

TV Azteca had a big announcelaunched Azteca Sports Network this week. It’s a cable channel that’ll carry programming, including showing AAA. I think it’s the same situation as CMLL/Televisa, where the show airs on an over-the-air network and then gets repeated later in the week on the sports channel. Given AAA’s post-midnight timeslot, more people might see it on the cable channel. I haven’t seen a schedule for the network yet.

Hijo del Vikingo is advertised tonight for Warrior Wrestling in the Chicago area and TAO Lucha in Queretaro. He’s probably working Warrior Wrestling.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 06/29/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Centvrión b Lunatik Fly LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)
Lunatik Fly replaced Baby Star
2) Puma de Oro b Águila Roja LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)
3) Asterboy b Rey Astaroth LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)
4) Tonalli b Fussion LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)
good match
5) Dr. Cerebro DQ Cerebro Negro Jr. LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)
Cerebro Negro (Sr.) ran in for the DQ. Dr. Cerebro Jr. also got involved, setting up a tag title match
6) Hijo de Canis Lupus b Jhon Tito LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)
7) Noisy Boy DQ Hijo del Pirata Morgan LIVE🔴 | El EXAMEN de IWRG: 7 luchas en mano a mano y tu calificas el desempeño (posted by mluchatv)

This was an IWRG show I was interested in watching and I was in no condition to watch it. I am feeling better today so maybe I’ll find time to catch up this weekend.

Sunday’s show is the RGR show with Pimpinela and Jessy Ventura in a hair match. That’s a Mas Lucha subscriber-only show.

Other News

Mas Lucha announced Hijo del Tirantes as a referee for their Ruleta Suicida final. That show (full card) takes place on Saturday and airs on their streaming network. They’ve had Ultimo Legendario and Dante doing a lot of press to promote their mask match.

Dragon Gate’s Kobe World show is early Sunday morning. Diamante puts up his mask in the main event five-way mask match, and is the one most seem to expect to lose. That’ll air on Dragon Gate’s Network, which recently changed its policy to allow shows to stay on the service for a full year (in Japanese, the English ones are there forever.)

DEFY posted their “Heathens” show with Aramis vs Laredo Kid vs Gringo Loco and Vikingo vs Komander on WreMix. You can watch it for free on demand.

Komander is off the GLEAT show this weekend.

‘farewell’ to Panterita del Ring Jr., Satanico 50th anniversary celebration in Guadalajara

I am struggling with some other illness today, so this may even less readable than normal. I had a plan to stream AEW Fight Forever Thursday morning as it launches on PS5, but that seems less likely right now.  Just trying to stay upright.

CMLL

CMLL (MON) 06/26/2023 Arena Puebla [El Sol de Puebla, Porra Fresa, SuperLuchas]
***FantasticaMania 2023 (Puebla)***
1) Rey Apocalipsis, Siki Osama, Sombra Diabólika b Centella Roja, El Novato, Hijo de Centella Roja
Rudos took 1/3.
2) Nitro, Perverso, Prayer b Astral, Black Tiger, Oro Jr. Facebook video (posted by )
Rudos took 1/3.
3) Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus b Fugaz, Pegasso, Stigma
Rudos took 1/3.
4) Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido, Volador Jr. b Bushi, Naito, Rocky Romero, Titán Facebook video (posted by )
Depredadores took 2/3. LIJ weren’t thrilled to team with Rocky. Blanca beat BUSHI and Rugido beat Naito in the deciding fall.
5) Averno, Mephisto, Satánico b Atlantis, El Desperado, Tiger Mask IV Facebook video (posted by )
Satanico pulled Atlantis’ mask to win. Satanico was honored for 50 years of wrestling prior to the match.

Seemed like a strong crowd here.

CMLL (TUE) 06/27/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser Sports, thecubsfan]
1) Minos b Último Dragóncito [lightningCONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
sudden end
2) Gallero, Vaquero Jr., Vegas b Fuego Leono, Sangre Imperial, Valiente Jr. CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
3) Astral, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa b Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr. CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
Astral replaced Dulce Gardenia. Straight falls, Cometa & Espritu cheating to win. Both them fought after.
4) Virus b Fugaz CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
Virus took 1/3.
5) Dark Panther, Panterita del Ring, Valiente b Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
6) Atlantis, Místico, Panterita del Ring Jr. b Dragón Rojo Jr., Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr. CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
A Panterita del Ring Jr. highlight video aired before the match, with his father urging him to do well under the new name. He went out with a win.

A good main event, and a lot more energy from the crowd than usual. The Panterita video surely helped.

Roberto Olivera Lopez ended the CMLL broadcast by teasing news about CMLL’s streams soon. I don’t know what that means. I do know fans have been asking for the return of the Puebla stream since they started running that arena again, but I don’t know if that’s it.

CMLL (TUE) 06/27/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Mas Lucha]
***FantasticaMania 2023 (Guadalajara)***
1) Gallo Jr., Ráfaga Jr., Último Ángel b Obek, Rav, Temerario 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
2) Estrella de Jalisco I (2000s), Flash, Pepe Aguayo DQ Exterminador, Maléfico, Okumura 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
Estrella & Flash betrayed Pepe Aguayo for the DQ.
3) Barboza, Draego, Persa b Bestia Negra, Cris Skin, Ráfaga 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
4) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico b Arlequín, Leo, Omar Brunetti 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
5) La Catalina, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis b La Jarochita, Lluvia, Maligna 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
6) El Desperado, Rocky Romero, Tiger Mask IV DQ Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Satánico 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
Satanico was honored for 50 years of wrestling before the match. Satanico fouled Tiger Mask
7) Bushi, Naito, Titán b Averno, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero 🫵: 64 ANIVERSARIO DE LA ARENA COLISEO, 50 AÑOS DE TRAYECTORIA DE SATÁNICO. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )

Very strong crowd for Satanico and the NJPW guys. The matches weren’t much but everyone seemed to have fun. The Satanico tribute was well done.

CMLL aired a bunch of tribute videos for Satanico before the show as well. Andrade el Idolo sent one in. It’s best to read that as Mexico City letting Guadalajara act independently and no more. Earlier in the day, CMLL brought in the NJPW wrestlers for an Arena Mexico interview session. Naito and BUSHI were asked about the current version of Los Ingobernables. CMLL’s translation of Naito’s response had him saying he didn’t know who was in the current group and didn’t have an interest in them. Dr. Landru of the Gladaitores was at the press conference and was pretty sure he heard Naito mention Rush and La Sombra a couple of times in his response, and CMLL’s translation left those names out. That’s probably more indicative of the current relationship.

In a bit of a name from the past actually being mentioned, CMLL aired a video from original Tiger Mask Satoru Sayama. He praised Satanico for making it to 50 years and hopes that he can go 60 or 70.

The other bits of note from that press conference was Rocky Romero declaring he and Volador were done after Friday before suggesting he’d defend against Mascara Dorada 2.0 next. Tiger Mask also pushed the idea that NJPW would like these FantasticaMania in Mexico tours to be longer and go more places. CMLL originally promoted these guys as appearing just through Friday, and that appears to be a misdirection:

CMLL (SAT) 07/01/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Angelito, Kaligua, Pequeño Magía vs Full Metal, Minos, Pequeño Polvora
2) Oro Jr., Retro, Robin vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
3) Crixus vs Hijo del Villano III [lightning]
4) Esfinge, Star Black, Volcano vs Difunto, Douki, Zandokan Jr.
5) Bushi, Naito, Titán vs Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Terrible
6) Máscara Dorada 2.0, Místico, Rocky Romero vs Bárbaro Cavernario, El Desperado, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

Over in AEW, Sanada and Jungle Boy Jack Perry did a bit where they talked about not knowing anything about each other before their match and then it was clear they had actually studied each other. I don’t know if it’s the same thing for the two Ingobernables but I’d be interested to see how that goes. The real dream match there is DOUKI versus Volcano though.

Friday’s show is up to buy as a PPV. As expected, it’s the elevated 200 pesos (around 12 USD) price.

Informa has the NJPW crew, Mascara DOrada, La Infernales and Okumura as guests. No sign of the Aniversario celebration, though they could always spring that as a surprise.

AAA

AAA announced the stream start time for TripleMania Tijuana. The FITE show will start at 6:30 pm local; that’s 8:30 pm US Central Time. Space & Claro Sports will pick up the show 90 minutes in. That first hour and half will air the following week on TV.

FITE’s stream currently lists TripleMania Tijuana as starting at 6 pm US Central Time. That’s 2.5 hours early. Let’s see if they can figure it out without help this time.

IWRG

IWRG (TUE) 06/27/2023 Arena Naucalpan [Mas Lucha]
1) Súper Cometa b Adamantium LIVE (posted by mluchatv)
2) Cosmic & Rosel b Sumed Black & Último Caballero LIVE (posted by mluchatv)
first match for Rosel here since December.
3) Carnicero, Rey Gato Jr., Skanda b Aqueo, Centella Salazar, Cheff Benito LIVE🔴 | TORNEO FILL 106: GYM Naucalpan vs GYM Hércules (posted by mluchatv)
4) Águila Oriental, Legado, Súper Boy b Arceus, Milagro, Skanda LIVE🔴 | TORNEO FILL 106: GYM Naucalpan vs GYM Hércules (posted by mluchatv)
Results differ on if Skanda (Mas Lucha) or Thunder Storm (IWRG) wrestled here.
5) Blue Win, Chaflan, Charifas, Latino, Perseo, Rey Espartano, Ryu, Shere Khan b Águila Roja, Baby Star, Fussion, Golden Power, Jhon Tito, Kenji, Rey Aztaroth, X-Devil [Copa Higher Power] LIVE🔴 | TORNEO FILL 106: GYM Naucalpan vs GYM Hércules (posted by mluchatv)
Gym Hercules beat Gym FILL with some help from their trainers, the Lion Brothers.

I think it was Thunder Storm, according to the commentary. I didn’t have time to figure this out. Too many shows on a Tuesday night.

IWRG (THU) 06/29/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Hijo del Pirata Morgan vs Noisy Boy
2) Hijo de Canis Lupus vs Jhon Tito
3) Dr. Cerebro vs Cerebro Negro Jr.
4) Tonalli vs Fussion
5) Asterboy vs Rey Astaroth
6) Puma de Oro vs Águila Roja
7) Centurion vs Baby Star

An interesting concept: all singles matches, fans rate the matches. Not sure about the order.

Las Toxicas are coming back on July 9th, and July 16th will be the Festival de las Mascaras show.

Other News

Lucha Libre Femenil says they’re returning to Monterrey on June 30th. The standoff between the wrestling community of Monterrey and the lucha libre commission has ended, and it appears the wrestling community won.

Ultimo Legendario talked to ESTO to promote his 07/01 mask match with Dante (airing on Mas Lucha.) Ultimo Legendario, in a conversation about vices that come to a successful luchador, was asked if he was ever offered drugs at a show. Legendario said it happened one time in Tijuana. I would bet large sums of money it’s happened more than one time in Tijuana.

The Cuajimalpa mayor’s office is sponsoring a free show for 07/01, using CMLL wrestlers. They put out a promotional bit on TikTok, which both wrestling and political fans are upset about for being too silly. That is the idea.

07/22 RIOT matches so far

  • Laredo Kid vs Erik Ortiz for the RIOT championship
  • SB KENTo & Takuma vs Kratoz & Prometo
  • Willy Banders vs Core vs Chris Carter

Hijo del Santo wrestles in Martinez Entertainment on 08/12.

Box y Lucha #3557 has a million things on the cover.

Segunda Caida writes about more Panamanian wrestlers.

There’s a new edition of the Lucha Talk podcast.

CMLL results, Verano de Escandalo lineup, Vikingo/Metalik

CMLL

CMLL (FRI) 06/23/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser SportsMedioTiempoR de RudoThe Gladiatores, thecubsfan]
1) Astral b Inquisidor [lightningAstral lleva al conteo de tres a Inquisidor en un match relámpago que duro 8:45 (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre) CMLL | Astral venció en match relámpago a Inquisidor (posted by mluchatv)
9:14
2) Brillante Jr., Max Star, Neón b Capitán Suicida, Fuego, Valiente Jr. CMLL | Max Star, Neón y Brillante Jr. derrotaron a Fuego, Capitán Suicida y Valiente Jr. (posted by mluchatv) Neón, Max Star y Brillante Jr. derrotan a Fuego, Capitán Suicida y Valiente Jr. (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
11:37. 2/3.
3) Magnus b El Audaz [lightningCMLL | Magnus derrota en match relámpago a El Audaz (posted by mluchatv)
8:13
4) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa DQ Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr. CMLL -Espanto Jr.-Dark Magic-Akuma VS Dulce Gardenia-Espíritu Negro-Rey Cometa/ARENA MÉXICO/23-06-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL | La Ola Negra se lleva la descalificación ante Los Dulces Atrapasueños (posted by mluchatv) La Ola Negra cae luego de un faul ante Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa y Dulce Gardenia (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
10:34. Straight falls, Akuma fouling Cometa in the second.
5) Gran Guerrero, Hechicero, Último Guerrero b Bárbaro Cavernario, Euforia, Mephisto CMLL -G. Guerrero - U. Guerrero-Hechicero VS B. Cavernario - Mephisto-Euforia/ARENA MÉXICO/23-06-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL | Hechicero, Gran Guerrero y Último Guerrero vencen a Euforia, Mephisto y Bárbaro Cavernario (posted by mluchatv) Hechicero da el triunfo a Ú. Guerrero y G. Guerrero derrotando a Euforia, Mephisto y B. Cavernario (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
13:12. 2/3. Hechicero feuded with ex pratners.
6) Dragón Rojo Jr., Titán, Volador Jr. DQ Místico, Soberano Jr., Templario [Relevos IncreíblesCMLL -Dragón Rojo Jr. - Volador Jr. - Titán VS Templario-Soberano Jr.-Místico/ARENA MÉXICO /23-06-23 (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL) CMLL | Titán, Volador Jr. y Dragón Rojo Jr. vencen por DQ a Místico, Soberano Jr. y Templario (posted by mluchatv) Con un faul Titán, Volador Jr y D. Rojo Jr se llevan la victoria ante Místico, Soberano y Templario (posted by La Tijera Lucha Libre)
16:29. 1/3. Titan tossed his mask to Mistico to draw the DQ.

Every match had some bit that didn’t go quite right or just didn’t work as well. Ola Negra/Atrapsuenos was the exception, working well as a match and even better as a way to heat up that feud going into the hair match. Ola Negra came more aggressive than usual.

Titan continues to play rudo towards Mistico, leading into the LIJ match next week. Templario and Soberano had issues earlier in the match and then were great friends at the end, shaking hands and hugging. Dragon Rojo went after both of them but that issue was again secondary to Mistico. Soberano does his own thing at the end of lot of matches (with CMLL usually doing their best to ignore it), so I’m not sure that Soberano and Templario being friends means anything and that the three way mask match is still on. We’ll know soon enough; I’m told CMLL has an Aniversario press conference planned for Tuesday. They haven’t officially announced it as of press time.

Max Star wore a Deperdadores mask to the ring, which wasn’t brought up by the announcers. Not sure if he got Diamond’s spot as “the fourth Depredador who never teams with the other guys” or if there’s more to come.

CMLL drew really well again and seems safe to do so again this upcoming Friday.

CMLL (SAT) 06/24/2023 Arena Coliseo [CMLL]
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II b Átomo & Mije
Chamuel & Micro Sagrado announced, then pulled a few hours later.
2) Amapola & Tiffany b La Guerrera & La Magnifica
3) Flyer, Magia Blanca, Oro Jr. b Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Okumura
4) Hijo del Villano III b Rugido [lightning]
5) Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado b Dark Panther, Star Jr., Valiente
6) Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. b Euforia, Místico, Soberano Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

Nothing notable here.

CMLL (SUN) 06/25/2023 Arena México [CMLL]
1) Cachorro TLDRAW Bengala [lightning]
2) Enfermero Jr., Grako, Nitro b Diamond, Leono, Sangre Imperial
rudos took 2/3
3) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico b Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
tecnicos took 1/3
4) Volcano b Misterioso Jr. Rey Bucanero [lightning]
5) Kráneo, Magnus, Rugido b Esfinge, Fugaz, Valiente
straight falls, though the Depredadores used mask pulls in the second. Set up a rematch for next week.
6) Atlantis, Star Jr., Volador Jr. b Mephisto, Niebla Roja, Terrible
Tiger Mask IV appeared to wave at the crowd before the main event.

Looks like they’re headed to another Los Depredadores tag title challenge.

CMLL (SUN) 06/25/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Mas Lucha]
1) Odisis & Rav b Barakai & Shezmu  (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
2) Dulce Kitty b Sexy Sol [lightning (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
3) Atilus, Maximus, Rey Urano b Bello Antuan, Black Boy, Johnny Dinamo  (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
4) Flash, Neutrón, Pepe Aguayo DQ Exterminador, Javier Cruz Jr., León Blanco 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 25 junio 2023 Domingos Familiares. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
5) Gallero, Lince Del Bajio, Optimus, Trono b Gallo Jr., Leo, Omar Brunetti, Ráfaga Jr. 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 25 junio 2023 Domingos Familiares. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
6) Crixus & Vegas b Halcón Negro Jr. & Vaquero Jr. 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 25 junio 2023 Domingos Familiares. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
Crixus beat Halcon Negro with a mask pull. They continue to feud.
7) Ángel Rebelde, Panterita del Ring Jr., Star Black b Hijo del Villano III, Ráfaga, Soberano Jr. 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 25 junio 2023 Domingos Familiares. (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )

Attendance looked pretty low on this show, so these Sunday shows disappeared. Not sure if was specifically this lineup; the usual Arena Jalisco show seemed down as usual. Doesn’t help either way.

Today kicks off FantasticaMania week. Naito, BUSHI, Desperado, Rocky Romero are making their way to Mexico now. Tiger Mask IV is already there. DOUKI is joining up later.  They start in Puebla; Natio is confused to be teaming with Rocky Romero. More people will see them Tuesday in Guadalajara. The PPV page for Friday is still not up; CMLL’s been late on it when it’s the expensive show in the past, so it’s not something to get worried about until about Wednesday.

CMLL (TUE) 06/27/2023 Arena México
1) Último Dragóncito vs Minos [lightning]
2) Fuego, Sangre Imperial, Valiente Jr. vs Gallero, Vaquero Jr., Vegas
3) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
4) Fugaz vs Virus
5) Dark Panther, Panterita del Ring, Valiente vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado
6) Atlantis, Místico, Panterita del Ring Jr. vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr.

Fugaz/Virus is listed as a normal match (no ten minute time limit.) Atrapsuenos/Ola Negra keep busy on Tuesday. Match 2, like match 2 on Friday, is listed as “CMLL versus Nueva Generacion.” I know they mean ‘the existing guys versus the Torneo Escuelas’ guys, but it’s amusing to see one-year vet Valiente Jr. opposing the ‘new wrestlers.’

The latest mystery group to bring CMLL wrestlers to Tijuana is Lucka Libre on 07/22. None of these seem to last very long. Mistico & Mascara Dorada 2.0 versus Rugido & Volador Jr. headline. The undercard includes the Chavez Brothers against Che Guevara and Tito Escondido. That looks like Escondido’s first match in Mexico in many years, but not his first match against CMLL wrestlers; Tito Escondido is NJPW’s Bad Dude Tito, who faced Virus & Barbaro Cavernario on the recent Strong show.

AAA

Not much to this week’s AAA TV. The Psycho Clown/Sam Adonis match was the most notable match, something that got better at the end. Adonis had a USA flag, Psycho had a AAA flag. Adonis also had a bunch of rudos running interference for the entirety of the match. The vignettes on this show were just to build up the matches airing there, which is better than nothing. AAA also advertised the Orizaba and the Tijuana show during the episode with QR codes to buy tickets; they’d only do that with TripleMania level events prior. AAA wasn’t selling the tickets for this taping – it was just whomever got in the fair got to hang out – but it didn’t look like a big crowd.

AAA also announced the 07/21 Verano de Escandalo in Aguascalientes. It’s just a normal TV taping:

AAA TV (FRI) 07/21/2023 Arena San Marcos, Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes
***Verano de Escandalo, 2023***
1) Diva Salvaje, Dulce Kanela, Jessy Ventura vs Dinámico, Kamik-C, Skalibur
2) Jack Cartwheel, Laredo Kid, Willie Mack vs Antifaz del Norte, Látigo, Tosscano
3) ?, Dalys, Negro Casas vs La Hiedra, Nicho el Millionario, Puma King
4) Forastero, Hijo de Máscara Año 2000, Sansón vs Abismo Negro, Psicosis, Toxin
8th defense, 5th on TV. Hijo de Mascara 2000 replacing Cuatrero (jail).
5) Octagón Jr., Pagano, Vampiro Canadiense vs ?, Daga, Taurus
6) El Patrón Alberto, Hijo Del Vikingo, Psycho Clown vs Cibernético, Gringo Loco, Sam Adonis

Trying to keep the AAA schedule straight in my head is rough, but I think I’ve got it. TripleMania Tijuana is July 15th, which means the build to TripleMania Mexico City starts right after. There will probably be an AAA press conference between July 16th and the 18th to announce the top matches: Psycho/Adonis (unless something truly strange happens) and any other major match. Vikingo/Gringo’s hair match counts, so we’ll know by the time this show happens if that is a real thing or another feud to finish in the indeterminate future. Adonis beating Psycho in the main event is about is safe a lock. I wonder if the people in AAA realize that this show looks to air after TripleMania Mexico City, and the heavy heat angle they’re going to do anyway is kinda worthless. This show got announced in May, the lineup came out in June, it will take place in July, and it looks like it will not air until the last week of August and the first week of September.

If you really want to get nerdy about it:

  • next 5 tapings in order they’ll happen: Chihuahua, Orizaba, Tijuana, Aguascalientes, Mexico City
  • next 5 tapings in how they’ll air: Chihuahua, Tijuana, Orizaba, Mexico City, Aguascalientes

The Puebla taping going away made this less confusing.

Los Vipers asked for a trios title match over a year ago, so AAA’s on it at their usual pace. The only reason to run that title match is to cut the losses and get the titles off NGD.

Puma King going on Mas Lucha and challenging Fenix to a title match six days before he gets announced in a trios match is weird even for AAA. I don’t think Fenix is showing up as a surprise wrestler in the third match, and I don’t think Puma King is getting a singles match on a TripleMania show. The Vampiro/Pagano teams is more conventionally weird: it seems like they should be rivals if Pagano is friends with La Rebelion but who knows. Antifaz and Laredo Kid exists again as a feud but all the way down in the second; that doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

IWRG

IWRG (SUN) 06/25/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Rey Aztaroth b Golden Power LIVE🔴 | Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Tiniablas Jr. c/Alushe + Hellboy y Puma de Oro vs Tonalli y Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)
2) Avisman, Fussion, Jhon Tito b Águila Roja, Centvrión, Mr. Mike LIVE🔴 | Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Tiniablas Jr. c/Alushe + Hellboy y Puma de Oro vs Tonalli y Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)
3) Jhon Santos, León Dorado, Rey Halcón b Hijo Del Enigma, Leo Cristiani, Súper Mario 47 LIVE🔴 | Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Tiniablas Jr. c/Alushe + Hellboy y Puma de Oro vs Tonalli y Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)
4) Noisy Boy & Spider Fly DQ Cerebro Negro & Cerebro Negro Jr. LIVE🔴 | Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Tiniablas Jr. c/Alushe + Hellboy y Puma de Oro vs Tonalli y Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)
5) Hijo de Canis Lupus & Tonalli b Hell Boy & Puma de Oro [RGR TAG, torneoLIVE🔴 | Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Tiniablas Jr. c/Alushe + Hellboy y Puma de Oro vs Tonalli y Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)
Canis Lupus & Tonalli face Diva Salvaje & Mamba for the vacant titles on 07/02
6) Asterboy, Relámpago, Tinieblas Jr. b Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Rey Wagner, Shocko LIVE🔴 | Dr. Wagner Jr. vs Tiniablas Jr. c/Alushe + Hellboy y Puma de Oro vs Tonalli y Canis Lupus (posted by mluchatv)

I have nothing useful for this show. I also have nothing useless to say about Big Lucha but that show didn’t stream.

IWRG is doing a live version of their news show today, to celebrate 50 episodes.

Vikingo and Metalik

A long time ago, CHIKARA had Skayde and (Internacional) Pantera as wrestlers and trainers. They thought it would be a great idea to have those two maestros have a singles match. It did not turn out great, and it ended in a draw. The problem there is both realized that spots for Mexican wrestlers in the US at the time were very limited, one guy winning would mean the other was the definitely second most important maestro in the group, and the second most important person is the first to go when budgets get shifted elsewhere. That tension over not having a result and being graded against each other even beyond the finish weighed on the match, it ended in a draw, it was not as good as it could’ve been, and almost no one remembers it exists.

I remembered that match Friday night, in watching Hijo del Vikingo versus Metalik match in GCW. There’s no battling for a limited spot there – Vikingo’s the regular in GCW, and Metalik hasn’t worked there much in recent months. (It’s probably more Komander has Metalik’s spot.) The tension instead was their promotional allegiances: Vikingo the AAA champion, Metalik with CMLL. (Notably, Metalik’s immigration paperwork came through after he accepted this match with Vikingo; he wasn’t a CMLL guy when he said yes and was a CMLL guy again by the time the show happened.) And so, the first and probably only Metalik versus Hijo del Vikingo matches had some hitches in it. GCW expected Vikingo to get his arm raised, and Metalik waited until show time to make it loudly clear that he would not be losing to an AAA wrestler. I don’t believe CMLL put any pressure on Metalik that night, nor would they need to – he worked there long enough to know their expectations. Vikingo couldn’t lose as an AAA champion either, so GCW was left with no finish. They elected to have Blake Christan attack Vikingo just as he set up for his finish, then attack Metalik to make it a no-contest. To my eye, Metalik placed his outside leg under the bottom rope as when Vikingo went up, as if he was worried he would get double-crossed on the finish. GCW (and you know, the people who paid to see this match) lost out due to Metalik, but Metalik refusing to lose was a foreseeable risk from the moment the match was booked because of the CMLL/AAA dynamic. This is not even the first time Metalik and an AAA wrestler have gone to a draw because neither can lose. GCW gambled and they lost. It happens.

The tension in that finish seemed to hurt the match, the same as it did for Pantera/Skayde. The vibes were off. Metalik worked heel – both in the ring and out of it, I suppose – but it was a fair bit of your turn/my turn. They were also two guys not used to working each other and some parts didn’t come out as clean as either guy with better opponents. Vikingo went for a gigantic rope running spot that he also came nowhere close to hitting. Vikingo is also working a heavier US schedule than expected when he first got his visa while still wrestling in Mexico, and I think that’s starting to catch up to him. Metalik’s also not the same wrestler everyone fell in love with in his pre-WWE days. He’s cut down what he does in the ring and hasn’t added new wrinkles to compensate. Metalik isn’t the first guy to get by on memories of what he was, but it does put a ceiling on how great his matches are going to be. (I kept hoping he’d find that higher level again, but it’s a year and a half, it hasn’t happened.) I still got something out of Vikingo/Metalik, and it’s probably the best they’ll do because I don’t expect them ever to wrestle again, but it came short of what Metalik/Vikingo is in people’s imaginations. Arez/Cartwheel was the best match on the card for me.

Other News

Hijo del Santo claims that when he first started dating his now wife Gabriela, he went on the dates while still wearing his mask. Only when he came to visit her at work did he use his real name and identity (though she knew it already), because he felt she loved him for him and not for what he looked like. Hijo del Santo is advertised as wrestling in Arnea Olimpico Laguna on August 3rd, which is said to be his first show there in 16 years. Hijo del Santo wrestling anywhere is notable at this point.

Demasiado talked to Milenio about being part of the LGBT+ community in wrestling. He did not like wrestling and only started training because to support a friend also starting. He felt the trainers were trying to run him off because he’s gay and fought harder to stick around.

Mesias, who previously said he was too ill to make it to the WWC show (much less wrestle), turned up at rival Puerto Rico promotion IWA’s show instead on Saturday night. At least he’s looking better. The WWC show did draw very well regardless.

Blue Demon Jr. celebrated one year of his art gallery.

Dralisico accidentally posted an unmasked photo in an Instagram stories, before deleting it. It’s not the first time he’s done this.

CMLL Aniversario match main event set tonight?, Fantastica Mania, Vikingo/Metalik tonight

CMLL

CMLL held a private sponsored show to promote the Mexico City Half Marathon on Wednesday. The marathon itself takes place on July 16th (and they’ve moved up the start time because it’s so hot in Mexico City.) We only find out about these if someone posts a poster or a photo on social media. There was another private show on Thursday for the IMSS government agency.

Today’s show:

CMLL (FRI) 06/23/2023 Arena México
1) Astral vs Inquisidor [lightning]
2) Capitán Suicida, Fuego, Valiente Jr. vs Brillante Jr., Max Star, Neón
3) El Audaz vs Magnus [lightning]
4) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa vs Akuma, Dark Magic, Espanto Jr.
5) Bárbaro Cavernario, Euforia, Mephisto vs Gran Guerrero, Hechicero, Último Guerrero
6) Místico, Soberano Jr., Templario vs Dragón Rojo Jr., Titán, Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

The main event mixes the Mistico/Titan issue (heading to FantasticaMania next week) and the Templario/Dragon Rojo/Soberano potential Aniversario main event. CMLL often likes to have a main event announced by the time they put tickets on sale and Aniversario tickets go on sale next Saturday. Making the match almost official tonight, then doing the contract signing next Wednesday would fit that pattern. On the other hand, stuff like Mephisto/Hechicero seems to exist to still cloud the issue or even to set up another tournament, so maybe they want to draw it out longer. I also don’t think CMLL needs to advertise a match to move tickets to the Aniversario show; those are going to move, and it’s going to sell out if the prices are even close to reasonable.

The semi-main has the ex-Infernales colliding: Euforia & Mephisto teaming with Barbaro Cavernario versus Hechicero, Gran Guerrero, and Ultimo Guerrero. Euforia & Hechicero appeared separately on Informa, both saying they’re leaving the decision for the future of the Infernales to Satanico. That answer might come next week. JCR pushed the idea of Averno teaming up with Mephisto & Euforia as the new team, which we be great if Averno appeared in Arena Mexico more than twice a month.

(The Euforia part of the show brought up Nosfeartu and Soberano in a discussion as past and future partners. It clicked to me that the only way Sobearno could draw more girls is if he was also somehow a vampire.)

Match four is another Atrapsuenos and Ola Negra, on the road to the double hair match on 07/14. Match two could be spectacular or a spectacular mess.

This show is on TicketmasterLive as always. It’ll go up on YouTube on July 9th.

CMLL mentioned Tiger Mask IV will be signing autographs before Sunday’s show. He’s not wrestling that day. None of the other NJPW wrestlers are mentioned as being there. I do not expect Desperado, Naito, BUSHI, DOUKI, or Rocky Romero to be in Mexico on Sunday.

CMLL (MON) 06/26/2023 Arena Puebla
***FantasticaMania 2023 (Puebla)***
1) Centella Roja, El Novato, Hijo de Centella Roja vs Rey Apocalipsis, Siki Osama, Sombra Diabólika
2) Astral, Black Tiger, Oro Jr. vs Nitro, Perverso, Prayer
3) Fugaz, Pegasso, Stigma vs Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus
4) Magia Blanca, Magnus, Rugido, Volador Jr. vs Bushi, Naito, Rocky Romero, Titán
5) Averno, Mephisto, Satánico vs Atlantis, El Desperado, Tiger Mask IV

Deperdadores versus LIJ & Rocky would be fascinating if it was streaming (and if LIJ weren’t battling jetlag.)

CMLL (TUE) 06/27/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara
***FantasticaMania 2023 (Guadalajara)***
1) Gallo Jr., Ráfaga Jr., Último Ángel vs Obek, Rav, Temerario
2) Barboza, Draego, Persa vs Bestia Negra, Cris Skin, Ráfaga
3) Estrella De Jalisco, Flash, Pepe Aguayo vs Exterminador, Maléfico, Okumura
4) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs Arlequín, Leo, Omar Brunetti
5) La Jarochita, Lluvia, Maligna vs La Catalina, Stephanie Vaquer, Zeuxis
6) Averno, Rey Bucanero, Último Guerrero vs Bushi, Naito, Titán
7) Blue Panther, Fuerza Guerrera, Satánico vs El Desperado, Rocky Romero, Tiger Mask IV

The top matches had been announced previously. Maligna replaces Princesa Sugehit, who has not wrestled since May 8th.

Satanico is doing a lot of press ahead of his 50th anniversary show. Mas Lucha has a long interview cut up into a lot of bits on their channel. In Mural, Satanico’s asked about how much longer he expects to wrestle. He says he’s been retiring for 25 years. He notes he actually did stop wrestling in 2009, feeling the programmer in Arena Mexico didn’t like him and started putting him too low on cards. Paco Alonso suggested Satanico take over the school in Guadalajara, he moved there, local promoters started asking him if he would return, and he ended up wrestling again. Tthe same people who were down on booking Satanico 14 years ago are now building a week of shows around him, in theory.

AAA

AAA starts the 05/25 TV taping this week. No idea which three of these matches will air this week:

  • Arkángel Divino, Fantastik, Último Maldito vs Genio del Aire, Kamik-C, Skalibur
  • Dalys, Drago Kid, Sexy Star vs Chik Tormenta, Kempo Jr., Maravilla
  • Aerostar, Arez, Octagón Jr. vs Parka Negra, Psicosis, Villano III Jr.
  • Myzteziz & Zorro vs Argenis & Gringo Loco
  • Aramis, Mr. Iguana, Willie Mack vs Emperador Azteca, Látigo, Toscano
  • Psycho Clown vs Sam Adonis [flag]

It’s the usual 6:30 pm CDMX start time. This is the show where a dog hanging out in the front row went viral, wonder if we’ll see the dog on TV. It was an event at a fair, so it might be a different look than usual.

Dralistico fired back at Konnan in a Facebook, saying Rush didn’t quit AAA over the promotion refusing to give La Besita del Ring work. Dralistico said the proof is he himself had still been working there of late; Dralistico would’ve left to support his father if that was the issue. Dralistico didn’t reveal Rush’s real issue, saying it was Rush’s personal reasons, but didn’t think their father should be blamed. He also defended his father against (fairly regular) negative criticism, saying Bestia del Ring was much better than many who get regular work.

The only problem here is that Konnan didn’t say anything about Besita on his podcast. It’s not in the clip that’s being passed around. Konnan’s complaint there was mostly about the price and a bit about Rush not handling things professionally. This seems like a game of telephone where people aren’t talking directly and things are getting misconstrued.

The clip of Konnan criticizing Rush and Bandido was pushed out on the podcast’s YouTube channel, then transcribed and circulated social media Thursday. The bit about Konnan wanting to book Cuatrero as soon as he’s out of jail has gotten criticism.

AAA’s social media play of inviting Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to have a domo de la muerte match at TripleMania Tijuana has gotten slightly more attention the previous Christian Pulisic attempt. They’ve at least got Mexican sites to pick it up as a story.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 06/22/2023 Arena Naucalpan [IWRG, Mas Lucha]
1) Kenji & Rey Aztaroth (Estado de México) b Latin Boy & Rey Esprtano LIVE (posted by mluchatv)
2) Águila Roja & Johnny Santos b Caballero de Plata & Jhon Tito LIVE (posted by mluchatv)
3) Puma de Oro © b Rey Halcón [IWRG REY DEL AIRE] LIVE (posted by mluchatv)
4) Diva Salvaje & Mamba b León Dorado & Mr. Leo [RGR TAG, torneoLIVE (posted by mluchatv)
5) Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool b Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Pandemónium Jr. LIVE (posted by mluchatv)
Team Pirate Pandemia won with a foul and a mask pull, then unmasked their opponent post-match.

Las Shotas were total faces in the post-match, shaking hands and hugging their opponents (and trying to get people to throw in money). Maybe the bit on Sunday was not a rudo turn but something that just didn’t go well.

IWRG (SUN) 06/25/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Golden Power vs Rey Aztaroth
2) Fussion, Jhon Tito, Tirano vs Águila Roja, Centurion, Mr. Mike
3) Hijo Del Enigma, Leo Christianni, Súper Mario 47 vs Jhon Santos, León Dorado, Rey Halcón
4) Cerebro Negro & Cerebro Negro Jr. vs Noisy Boy & Spider Fly
5) Hell Boy & Puma de Oro vs Hijo de Canis Lupus & Tonalli [RGR TAG, torneo]
6) Asterboy, Relámpago, Tinieblas Jr. vs Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Rey Wagner, Shocko

Not sure why Wagner and Tinibelas are on a random Sunday show but the crowd should be good for this one.

IWRG’s news show announced a FILL trainee show for Tuesday.

Other News

GCW tonight in Chicago (8 pm CT) has matches, including

  • Komander vs Jordan Oliver
  • Arez vs Komander
  • Ciclope & Miedo Extremo & Rina Yamashita vs 1 Called Manders, Mance Warner and John Wayne Murdock
  • Metalik vs Hijo del Vikingo
  • Blake Christian vs Gringo Loco

I’ll be there; kinda have to be there if they’re doing Metalik versus Vikingo in driving distance for all the obvious reasons (AAA/CMLL and also it should be good and also it’s two guys who were the same person at different points in time.) Going to a third wrestling show in a week is very WrestleMania-ish, and I’m pretty sure I’m heading out to a movie theatre watch Forbidden Door on Sunday. I miss my home. You, a smarter person, can just watch on Fite+.

Big Lucha announced their pre-anniversary show will be on 07/29. Big Lucha also said they’re discounting their tickets to their spot show this Sunday in Amecameca. They’re also offering rebates to the new price for anyone who bought the tickets early, which I can’t think of another promotion doing.

RIOT announced Laredo Kid vs Erik Oritz for the RIOT championship on July 22nd. If RIOT pulls off this show, they’ll have run more 2023 events in Nuevo Leon (2) than both KAOZ and AAA combined (1) despite RIOT being run by goofballs.

Daga & Chris Ridgeway won the GHC Junior Heavyweight tag championships on NOAH’s Show Thursday.

NOAH announced Rey Escorpion, Dante Leon, and Hayata versus Dralistico, Ninja Mack, Amakusa for their 07/15 showHijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. is also part of their N-1 Victory tournament, as should be expected every year at this point.

Box y Lucha will be part of an exhibition of Mexico boxing, wrestling, and soccer media at the Mexican National Newspaper Library. Did I tell you about when I happened to be at the Mexican National Newspaper Library, which would have newspaper archives covering all these old lineups I like, but I didn’t have enough of the grasp of Spanish to figure out how to access those newspapers? That’s pretty much the entire story.

AEW’s Tony Khan, in a traditional pre-PPV press call, was asked if the Forbidden Door successful co-promotion could lead to other AEW pair ups. Khan specifically mentioned he’d like to do more with lucha libre, really enjoying the style and the guys who are already on the roster. He noted the complex relationships, where NJPW works closely with CMLL and AEW with AAA, making some plans difficult. He said he didn’t want to get involved in any issues between CMLL and AAA and mess with either of their business, driven in part from his experiences of others messing with AEW. However, it was clear that if CMLL and AAA would ever allow it, Khan would also like to use stars from CMLL in AEW. It is the impossible dream.

Khan mentioned being a fan of CMLL in post-WCW era (early 2000s), bringing up the Los Infernales feuds from that time period. Tarzan Boy, Ultimo Guerrero, and Rey Bucanero versus Satanico (and eventually Averno & Mephisto) were great matches. It’s what got me into watching lucha libre as well; there’s a pretty good chance you wouldn’t be reading this blog if not for that rivalry. There are also some obvious comparisons between 2000s Tarzan Boy and 2020s Jungle Boy beyond the name.

Box y Lucha mentioned Argentina luchador Tutumba el Enterrador (Juan Enrique Arias, 68) passed away on Thursday. The obit mentions he wrestled under many names and started using the Undertaker-inspired character in the Lucha Mundial promotion in 1993.

A wire story profiles Miss Gaviota as the first Mexican transexual wrestler. (There’s an English language video as well.) I think this article gets re-written every year for Pride Month. Gaviota hasn’t worked as much this year – really not at all before May – so I wonder if they had an injury.

That reminder of Pride Month is a rare one for Mexican wrestling. There was at least one all exotico show for that reason but not much else. There are wrestlers – especially in CMLL – who are wearing rainbow patterns on the gear either as support for the LGBT+ community or because they’re a member of it. The announcers bring no attention to it, though also the promotions don’t seem to have an objection to it. I don’t know that many major wrestling promotions outside of the US acknowledge the month.

We also got the yearly “Tacubo, the anti-bullying luchador” article this week. Just missing a cholita story.

Zeta has an interviewer with Oscar Fernandez, author of “El Color de La Lucha.” The concept here is this is a fiction novel, but based on the real stories of a luchador from the 80s, 90s, and early 00s, and who passed away in 2022. The identity of the luchador is unrevealed. This is an ebook for 99 pesos. I’m intrigued enough to buy it and see if it matches up with someone lucha fans might be know.

El Sol de Orizaba has a profile of local wrestler El Ausente.

TripleMania changes (Penta/QT now 1v1, Rush still booked), CMLL early week results, Big Lucha

CMLL

CMLL (MON) 06/19/2023 Arena Puebla [Porra Fresa]
1) Amnesia, Brave Star, Meyer b Dreyco, Fénix SO, Rencor
2) King Jaguar, Rey Apocalipsis, Siki Osama b Asturiano, El Novato, Millenium Facebook video (posted by )
3) Sanely b Hera [lightning]
4) Flyer, Rey Samuray, Volcano b Difunto, Kráneo, Zandokan Jr. Facebook video (posted by )
5) Guerrero Maya Jr., Stigma, Titán DQ Dragón Rojo Jr., Fuerza Guerrera, Hechicero Facebook video (posted by )
Fuerza Guerrera unmasked Titan.
6) Místico b Stuka Jr. Facebook video (posted by ) Facebook video (posted by )
Stuka tried faking a foul but it didn’t work. A mask pull also failed to get three, and Mistico won with a Destroyer and a top rope senton soon after.

Mistico gets two singles matches and a tournament win in four days.

CMLL (TUE) 06/20/2023 Arena México [CMLL, Kaiser Sports, Zona Ruda]
1) Full Metal & Pierrothito b Fantasy & Galaxy CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
2) La Magnifica, La Vaquerita, Skadi b Hera, Metálica, Olympia CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
Hera hurt her right shoulder either on a Vaquerita dropkick or on the elbow drop to the floor that followed. It didn’t look serious.
3) Pegasso, Rey Samuray, Stigma b El Coyote, Okumura, Pólvora CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
4) Panterita del Ring b Rey Bucanero [lightningCONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
5) Cancerbero, Luciferno, Virus b Esfinge, Fugaz, Star Black CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)
straight falls, Virus pinning Fugaz. Fugaz demanded a singles match next week. Virus slapped him and unmasked him (which may be a yes.)
6) Ángel de Oro, Niebla Roja, Terrible b Atlantis Jr., Blue Panther, Valiente CONSEJO MUNDIAL DE LUCHA LIBRE PRESENTA FUNCION DE MARTES DE ARENA MEXICO CON STREAMING GRATUITO (posted by VideosOficialesCMLL)

Terrible seemed fine in his return (and Valiente appeared normal.) Terrible was clearly happy to be back in his post match interview. He said his doctor told him that if he didn’t get the knee surgery that year (2022), he’d need a prothesis next year. That motivated him to get it done, though rehabbing a new knee was a lot of pain.

There were some out-of-control fans on camera for this one.

CMLL (TUE) 06/20/2023 Arena Coliseo Guadalajara [Mas Lucha, thecubsfan]
1) Black Boy, Thunder Boy, Yaky Boy b Luminoso, Mortis, Quka 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 20 junio 2023 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
2) Astro Oriental, Gallo Jr., Ráfaga Jr. b Johnny Dinamo, Minotauro, Temerario 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 20 junio 2023 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
3) Micro Gemelo Diablo I, Micro Gemelo Diablo II, Micro Sagrado b Átomo, Chamuel, Mije 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 20 junio 2023 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
4) Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Enfermero Jr. b Arlequín, Furia Roja, Guerrero de la Muerte 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 20 junio 2023 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
5) Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Rey Cometa b Leo, Omar Brunetti, Vaquero Jr. 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 20 junio 2023 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )
6) Místico & Panterita del Ring Jr. b Stuka Jr. & Último Guerrero 📍Arena Coliseo GDL 🗓️Arena Coliseo Guadalajara, 20 junio 2023 (posted by Martes de Glamour Oficial )

No challenges or anything built up, just matches. Looks like a good crowd though.

CMLL (SAT) 06/24/2023 Arena Coliseo
1) Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II vs Átomo & Mije
Chamuel & Micro Sagrado announced, then pulled a few hours later.
2) La Guerrera & La Magnifica vs Amapola & Tiffany
3) Flyer, Magia Blanca, Oro Jr. vs Dr. Karonte I, Dr. Karonte II, Okumura
4) Rugido vs Hijo del Villano III [lightning]
5) Dark Panther, Star Jr., Valiente vs Gemelo Diablo I, Gemelo Diablo II, Sagrado
6) Euforia, Místico, Soberano Jr. vs Gran Guerrero, Stuka Jr., Volador Jr. [Relevos Increíbles]

That quick sub was weird.

CMLL (SUN) 06/25/2023 Arena México
1) Cachorro vs Bengala [lightning]
2) Diamond, Leono, Sangre Imperial vs Enfermero Jr., Grako, Nitro
3) Adrenalina, Explosivo, Fantástico vs Apocalipsis, Cholo, Disturbio
4) Volcano vs Misterioso Jr. [lightning]
5) Esfinge, Fugaz, Valiente vs Kráneo, Magnus, Rugido
6) Atlantis, Star Jr., Volador Jr. vs Mephisto, Niebla Roja, Terrible

Los Magnificos back in town.

CMLL Aniversario tickets officially go on sale July 1st at 11 AM Mexico City time. Ticketmaster Mexico does not list prices ahead of time, or at least it doesn’t for CMLL shows. There’s also no pre-sales, as common in the US. The 2022 Aniverasrio ticket prices ran from 360 to 2160 pesos.

Liga MX announced its fall schedule earlier this week. Of note, the two most famous teams in Mexican club soccer, America and Chivas, will play in Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on September 16th. As best I understand Mexican soccer, that’s the biggest regular season game possible. No time is announced, but big Liga MX games tend to start late in the evening. It probably takes place after the Aniversario wraps.

CMLL’s Lucha Tour will have Naito, BUSHI, and Titan as wrestler guests for their 06/30 show. This is an occasional Friday deal, where people get a mask, a ticket for a beer, a seat around the 8th row. The ticket costs 1,100 pesos, which is actually cheaper than the 06/16 show that had Templario and edecanes Gaby Bau and Sandy as guests (1,300 pesos).

NJPW World has a deal with AEW to post redubbed versions of AEW TV on their service; only people with a Japanese IP address can see those matches. They put up Dynamite and Rampage, including the June 2nd all-championship edition of Rampage. That means there’s an AAA Mega Championship with Hijo del Vikingo, Komander and Dralistico on NJPW World. At least for now.

Okumura talks about Los Chacales and Fantastica Mania. He hopes both are successes.

CMLL Informa has Hechicero & Euforia (Infernales split), Terrible (injury return), Volador Jr., Rugido, Magnus, Magia Blanca (some Depredador thing?), Max Star, and Brillante Jr. (Friday match)

AAA

Puma King went on Mas Lucha’s show to celebrate one year of Fenix’s one-year reign as Latin American and Cruiserweight champion with a birthday pastry. This was sarcasm; Fenix has not defended either of those title since winning them. Puma said he wants to challenge for the Latin American one any time and anywhere, but seemed certain it would take place on Verano de Escandalo on July 21st. As best I can figure out, Fenix hasn’t been back in Mexico because he’s working on his US immigration status. (This is what Metalik went through and affected Daga and Blue Demon Jr. championship reigns.) Puma doing this would normally suggest that Fenix’s situation is resolved. However, it’s AAA. Ring of Honor’s Death by Dishonor is July 21st; if Fenix is going to defend a title on that day, it will be the ROH tag team championship. Maybe AAA will just have Fenix vacate their titles and hold some other match on that day.

AAA posted a QT Marshall promo, where he demands the tag team ambulance match be changed to a singles match because he doesn’t care about Laredo Kid & Taurus and there’s no reason to having them in the match. The rudos are the ones who always make the correct points in AAA. Pentagon Jr. agreed and it’s now a singles match. Laredo Kid and Taurus have been added to Copa TripleMania, which fits with Konnan saying two roster people would be added. The new poster continues to lists Rush as wrestling.

IWRG

IWRG (THU) 06/22/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Latin Boy & Rey Esprtano vs Kenji & Rey Aztarothh
2) Caballero de Plata & Jhon Tito vs Águila Roja & Johnny Santos
3) Puma de Oro © vs Rey Halcón [IWRG REY DEL AIRE]
4) Diva Salvaje & Mamba vs León Dorado & Mr. Leo [RGR TAG, torneo]
5) Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool vs Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Pandemónium Jr.

Interesting to see if the Pigs can draw big on a Thursday. Halcon won the title shot on Sunday.

IWRG , RGR (SUN) 07/02/2023 Arena Naucalpan
1) Cerebro Negro vs Jhon TitoMr. Leo
2) Fussion & Princesa Azul vs Keira & Rey Halcón
3) Aster Boy, Noisy Boy, Spider Fly vs Brazo Celestial, Brazo Cibernetico, Brazo de Oro
4) Pig Decapitador, Pig Destroyer, Pig Destructor, Pig Pool vs Gran Pandemónium, Hijo de Pandemónium, Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Pandemónium
5) ? & ?? vs ??? & ???? and ????? & ?????? [RGR TAG, final]
6) Pimpinela Escarlata vs Jessy Ventura [hair]

This is a Mas Lucha Premium show. Perhaps this match was some part of the thought behind Las Shota turning ruda last Sunday; the crowd is always going to cheer for Pimpinela.

There’s no mention on the poster of who’s in the RGR tag title final, and I can’t figure it out based on the matches they’ve run so far.

  • 2023-02-26 RGR BH Event Center, Laguna Hills, California – Fulgor I & Fulgor II b Arkángel Divino & Último Maldito [RGR TAG, torneo]
  • 2023-06-08 IWRG Arena Naucalpan – Hell Boy & Puma de Oro b Heavy Metal & Rocky Casas [RGR TAG, torneo]
  • 2023-06-11 IWRG Arena Naucalpan – Hijo de Canis Lupus & Tonalli b Noisy Boy & Spider Fly [RGR TAG, torneo]
  • 2023-06-15 IWRG Arena Naucalpan – León Dorado & Mr. Leo b Cerebro Negro & Cerebro Negro Jr. [RGR TAG, torneo]
  • 2023-06-15 IWRG Arena Naucalpan – Diva Salvaje & Mamba b Asterboy & Travis Banks [RGR TAG, torneo]
  • 2023-06-22 IWRG Arena Naucalpan – Diva Salvaje & Mamba vs León Dorado & Mr. Leo [RGR TAG, torneo]

Maybe I’m missing a match? Maybe the tournament doesn’t make a lot of sense? I put it as a three way tag just to be safe but I don’t even know.

VAR Deportes has a profile of recent IWRG guest wrestler Hijo del Engima. He’s born from Puerto Rico, was a big fan of Mecha Wolf, and Mecha Wolf told him he should go train at Bandido’s Gym.

Big Lucha

Big Lucha (SAT) 06/17/2023 Arena Big Lucha, Iztapalapa, Distrito Federal [thecubsfan]
1) El Machote & Máscara Año 2000 Jr. ?? Reiyel & Steel Dragón Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
finish didn’t air on stream.
2) Mr. Win & Viajero b SBK & Takuma [BIG LUCHA MIXA, quarterfinal] Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
3) Súper Nova & Texano Jr. b Elipse & Orbita [BIG LUCHA MIXA, quarterfinal] Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
4) Abismo Negro Jr., Andrómeda, Lady Maravilla b Carito, Dalys, Potro Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
5) Forneo, Sol, Torito Negro b Black Skayde, Skayde, Vórtice Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
setting up a Forneo/Skayde match
6) Súper Nova & Texano Jr. b Mr. Win & Viajero [BIG LUCHA MIXA, semifinal] Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
Brujo attacked Viajero to set up the Sangre Texano win. Delta Force made the save.
7) Cibernético & Látigo b Ciclón Ramírez Jr. & Gravity Big Lucha | BIG GATE 2023 | MIXA Champions Bloque B (posted by )
Card was changed around a bunch, but this match had Ciclon Ramirez returning to the promotion to replace Bandido (wrist injury.) Gravity accidentally dropkicked Ciclon leading to Ciber speaking Gravity for the win. Ciclon attacked Gravity after.

The show wasn’t as much bad as boring. You don’t need to see any of the matches. The depth here isn’t strong enough to support Bandido being out hurt, Black Generation being in Japan, and Delta Force only doing a run-in. (They could’ve used Komander still being here.) That ends up with Ciclon Ramirez Jr. coming back and turning rudo, to align with his character in other indies. I don’t give Sangre Texana enough credit; I’m not excited to see them but the difference in their professional level and pretty much everyone else here is noticeable.

I think Dragon Gate fans assume SBK and Takuma are going to do interesting things while hanging out in Mexico, but that result is about where they stand. (SBK doing a butt version of the Joey Ryan spot didn’t make me want to see him more.) Mexican promotions do not believe anyone in any serious numbers outside of Mexico will watch their promotions, so the thought of ‘let’s do something with the guys who were stars in Japan’ just doesn’t even seem to occur to them. Takuma & SBK are also like 45th on an AAA depth chart where about 30 people are booked per show. They may be good enough to work their way into relevancy but it’s going to be tough for a while.

The Big Lucha stream started late and cut out during the opener, then returned for about six minutes of bad sound in the second match. It was generally fine once they got that worked out, except somehow a Black Generation promo to close the show was played upside down. I don’t know how that it even possible, it was sort of impressive. Big Lucha is back on Sunday for one of their monthly spot show, and they’re teasing an announcement on that event.

Other News

I’m headed to AEW Dynamite tonight, as long as I can keep it in my head that it’s at Wintrust (downtown Chicago) and not the NOW Arena (definitely not downtown Chicago.) Chicago people get a lot of AEW shows but remembering where they are each time is challenging. This is the last Dynamite before Forbidden Door and I’ve been led to believe I may see some familiar people around.

Mesias is currently hospitalized in Miami. He explained that he went into the hospital in late May for surgery on his hand, but an infection got in. He’s had to undergo a second surgery to deal with that. He was scheduled to appear at Puerto Rico’s WWC 50th Anniversary show this Saturday and will obviously not be there.

New Exotic is promoting their 7/15 Gimansio Juan de la Barrera show with “the last time we’ll see Cien Caras and Rayo de Jalisco Jr. face to face.” Rayo is wrestling the NGD. Cien is seconding the NGD. I guess they idea is Cien Caras is tired of doing these sort of appearances so this might be the last one.

There’s a teaser for an Aeroboy documentary that looks very good. There’s no sign when it will be released (and the video link looks it’s been up for over a year.)

The Spider-Man spin off “El Muerto” movie is officially on hiatus. Bad Bunny was supposed to star as a luchador character, Bad Bunny mentioned he had no idea about the film in an interview a few months ago, and the movie was supposed to be released in seven months but hadn’t started filming yet. Not a surprise it’s on indefinite hiatus, maybe a surprise if he ever turns up. Bad Bunny is also in the Cassandro movie, and that movie was actually flilmed, so we may hear about him again and lucha libre around then.

Box y Lucha 3556 has Panterita & the 90th Aniversario on the cover.

Juventud Guerrera says he’s teaching a lucha libre course for 10 beginners and 5 trained wrestlers starting August 23rd in Mexico City. The wrestlers will participate in a show he’s running on 10/28 and which will air on FITE. The trainees will all live in a house supplied by Guerrera, and will be filmed for reality TV. The post has all the info but it and Juventud Guerrera does not inspire great confidence. The press release announcing the project is among the least proofread things you’ll ever see; there’d be memes for years if it popped up in front of the right people at the right time. Juventud Guerrera’s 2021 attempt at running a promotion/training school/reality show lasted four events and then faded away without explanation. I think Guerrera wants to do all of the things he’s bringing up in the post but I’m less confident they’ll actually get done as promised.