AAA Mini Line - 01/31/09 (#869)
Recap: 01/22/09 - time travel! (or I got the Mexican version)

Video Package/Promo: Abismo Negro is back. Actually, this sounds like a pre-departure promo, vowing to go it alone and still get revenge on the Vipers who wrong him. I guess he's been frozen in time for the last few months.

In Ring Promo: El Mesias. I'll be over here taking a nap. Mesias' catchphrases are the same a a tecnico. The Mega title isn't his - it's AAAs, because he just loves everyone so much. Except the Legion. Konnan out to go face to face an interrupt. This is a title match I will not pay to see. Konnan says he's got a physics and psychological advantage, and calls out La Seta. That's not smart, they just get clobbered by Mesias without even getting in a shot. Konnan gets away clean. Espiritu isn't here, I guess I should point that out.  

Promo: Chessman explains his current status quo with the help of t-shirts. AAA? No, he's not AAA, as he throws that one down and steps on. Legion? He's still a Mexican, so that's not the way to go. Chessman challenges Mesias for a shot, and promises to be no friend of Zorro tonight, and yells at Charly for costing him the title. Vampiro, Mesias, Parka, Zorro aren't important - only Chessman getting that title is. This goes on 50% too long.

Match 1: Chessman vs Zorro
Arena Xalapa, 12/17/08

Winner: Zorro (by CO)
Match Time: 5:34
Notes: Yet another match with no tecnico. Even better, Hijo de Tirantes is Zorro's new BFF for no apparent reason, so we have a rudo referee for a rudo/rudo match, in case you weren't clear on the screwjob happening here.

I don't want to do play by play, because then I have to spend time proofreading it later (I actually do it, even if it doesn't seem that way) and however this match ends, it's not going to deserve that time. Zorro brings a chair in play after just over a minute, rams Chessman's head with it, and whips him into a chair shot. At least Hijo de Tirantes as rudo referee works to explain why they're ignoring DQs here, and you've got a pseudo tecnico in Chessman.  Crowd goes with it. I've never seen a promotion put up a phone number to call for bookings before, but there it is. I wonder what the prank phone call percentage? Chessman randomly gets control and gives it up, missing a top rope twisting moonsault. He hit a back elbow to set it up and then arguing with Hijo de Tirantes for a half minute, so of course he rolled out of the way. Crowd loud for Chessman as Zorro has him down and readies to cane him. Cane misses, Zorro sort hits himself, and Chessman gets the cane. Swing, miss, miss, blocked and Zorro stops him with a headbutt. That was at least exciting. Counter spots lead to a Chessman's spear, which means it's time to run the angle. Charly Manson limps out to the ring - he's not close and looking less mobile than GdT (selling the injury from a previous taping? No, must be legit.) Charly pulls out Chessman to have a word. Chessman tries to explain he's trying to win the match, but Charly keeps pulling him back. Chessman has no choice but to knock him down and stomp the leg again. Vampiro out of the save, but Chessman shoves him down (Vampiro with the absurd oversell!) In the middle of this, Zorro does a tope con giro onto Chessman, and the camera mostly misses it. AAA production at work. Vampiro helps up Charly and tires to talk him to the back. Zorro crawls back to the ring, Chessman behind him, but gets grabbed by Charly and doesn't make the twenty count. Someone must've fell in love with countouts this month.

Chessman pounds Charly, Vampiro being pretty ineffective in breaking it up. Zorro cerebrates his personal awesomeness. Charly and Chessman have to separated on the outside. 

luchalibreaaa.com add

Noti AAA
- upcoming schedule. Reina de Reinas is scheduled for February - will they have enough women? Of the major events, Alas de Oro doesn't seem to be listening.
- luchalibreaaa.com
- new Dos de Tres
- KENTA! A guy from elsewhere
- upcoming tapings.

Promo: why is Konnan yelling at Zorro? Zorro won! Oh, I think he's upset about the whole 'not winning the title' thing. Live in the now, Konnan, live in the now! Electroshock is also here, looking like he jacked a mask from one of the Traumas. Also, they're getting audited. Electro has the ability to realize a camera is there when there is no camera supposed to be there.

Match 2: Jack Evans, Teddy Hart vs Nicho el Millionario, Joe Lider vs Extrme Tiger & KENTA in a ladder match for the AAA World Tag Team Titles
Arena Xalapa, 12/17/08

Winner: HX 
Match Time: 16:39
Notes: No entrances. Is KENTA a tecnico? No one else is last time we saw, though Tiger might have turned off-screen by now. Still not doing play by play for ladder matches. In an upset, Arturo Rivera knows KENTA's name, but this leads to them brining up every Japanese wrestler they can think of. Hijo de Tirantes is ref.

They work this as three ways early, Jack/Lider/Tiger and Nicho/Teddy/KENTA. Crowd rallies behind Nicho for the lack of anyone else to rally behind, and so they work the match with KENTA as the tecnico. In a series of dives which only slightly connect with their targets, Jack is the best. He's also super flipping overselling everything early. Break about 7:00 in, with no team having taken control and the ladders not yet coming into play. 

The post break segment starts of with teams taking turns having runs. First HF2 (with Jack flipping Lider into rolling into place for Teddy's SSP), then Tiger/ KENTA, and finally the hermandad, who break out the ladder for the first time. It seems taller than usual, and the belt is up higher than usual. Maybe it's the camera angle. 

Teddy Hart move check list: powerbomb backcracker, shooting star press. Hijo de Tirantes cheats for HF2 this week., even shaking the ladder when Kent's on it. KENTA does not take a bump off it the first time - Tiger stops Jack from attacking him, and KENTA kicks Jack off Tiger's shoulders. KENTA and Tiger both trying climbing ladder at the same time, which is doubly dumb - only one guy needs to get the belt, and the side KENTA is climbing doesn't really have rungs. You'd think, on the fifteenth try, AAA might spring for some ladders that have rungs on both sides and don't fall apart the first time they hit the mat, but nope. Hermandad shove the ladder over, so there's KENTA taking the ladder bump after all.

Much position of props and setting up spots follow. There's more attempts at climbing the ladder to actually win the match than usual, though they have the ladder set up far away form the belts for a while and keep on trying to grab the belt while being 3 feet to the side of it. Crowd deadly quiet between spots, and there's always time in between setting up spots. Lider gives Tiger his running jumping piledriver onto a ladder (overkill much?) and Tiger's pretty done after that, getting stretchered eventually. A doctor rushes out to check him, but minutes later. Why don't they just have the doctor stay at ringside during these matches (if not always?) 

The cheap ladders almost get their revenge. As jack climbs one side (still not lined up under the belt, but closer), Lider first tries stopping Jack from climbing, then tries to climb up the other side. Those are metal bars are really only for preserving the frame, not for bearing weight, and they fall apart as Lider is halfway up the ladder. Which means the ladder also splits apart, and Jack and Lider have an uncontrolled fall to the mat. Lider is okay, landing on his feet, but Jack looks to bounce his head off the mat and grabs his right leg. That sucked.

Jack quickly recovers, and he and Lider fight on top of an actual two sided ladder. Well, maybe an actual two sided ladder - which is shorter and doesn't look to be that strong either. Jack's bump off the ladder from a punch is clipped, but Lider climbs to the peak of the ladder and carefully (slowly) untied the belts. Tirantes first tries lamely grabbing at Lider, then (carefully) shakes the ladder. Lider stands up there for what seems like forever, but can't actually get the belts untied. They start playing his music anyway and he starts to celebrate, but Hijo de Tirantes points out they eventually need to get the belts. Lider goes back to trying to get the belt untied and - break? 

That's how the leave the match, Lider not actually ever getting the belts. What a joke.  

Vignette: Mesias, tecnico. If you like sap, this is for you. 

Match 3: El Padrino, Konnan, Electroshock vs Alan Stone, Mesias, Abismo Negro
Arena Xalapa, 12/17/08

Winner: Tecnicos
Match Time: 8:32
Other Match Notes: El Padrino is a surprise. A surprise no one cares about, sure. Staggered entrances, and Padrino coing out first means even AAA isn't really sold on him. No big reaction for Abismo, who gets his entrance before Konnan. Rudos jump the tecnicos. Pepe Casas is referee.

Beatdown lasts about 3:30 minutes, until Padrino sets a chair down in front of Abismo Negro as he kneels on the mat. Padrino charges, but Abismo just picks up the chair and hits him with it. Padrino is not a smart man. Electro takes a chair shot, but Konnan takes off without taking his. Alan tries to beat him up on the floor, perhaps because this is that time of the match, but Konnan just no sells him and throw shim into the barricade. Tecnicos don't really get comeback, it just goes to one ones with Abismo and Padrino staying. Alan gets more offense on Elector in about 9090 seconds then Super Fly did the whole feud. And then Konnan gives him a crappy chokeslam. Mesias comes in to face Konnan, but more bounces around the other two until Konnan can get in a cheap shot. Other four mix it up until the rudos get the tecnicos in time killing submissions (usually the other way.) Mesias and Konnan have a punch battle where neither guy budges an inch, and Konnan very awkwardly fouls Mesias. Pepe Casas saw it, of course, and argues with Konnan, while allows Mesias to inside cradle him for the win. Crowd cheers big for the finish.

Psicosis, Black Abyss, and Histeria hit he ring and stomp down Abismo Negro - they realized he's in the match, even if whoever laid out the match didn't seem to care. The Sect and HF2 are out after them to take care of Mesias and Alan Stone, in that order. Padrino and Electro are their to stand around. Vampiro leads out Super Porky, Oriental, Cinthia Moreno, Super Fly, Pimpinela, Laredo Kid, and maybe one or two more I'm missing. to run the rudos out of the ring. Super Fly does get to chop Electroshock without immediately being killed. Rudos bail without much of a problem.

That's it.