All my picks for the best matches of 2018 are on this page. Listing of the best matches from a single promotion is good material for a day where I may not be around. There’s still a CMLL show to watch (and maybe more if I figure out how to watch the old ones on NJPW World) and I’ve got a few more indie matches to write about. AAA is done for the year, so let’s do some half decent internet list.
This is only including stuff that streamed on an official AAA outlet.
excellent (among the best of the year, the must-see matches)
- 04/20: Black Danger, Mirage, Último Maldito vs Arcángel Divino, Black Destiny, Genio del Aire – YouTube
- 05/18: Látigo & Toxin vs Aramis & Astrolux – YouTube
- 08/02: Flamita vs Bandido vs Fénix – YouTube
- 08/25: Aerostar & Drago vs Golden Magic & Laredo Kid and Bandido & Flamita and Andrew Everett & DJZ in a ladder match – YouTube
The three-way is the best all-around match but suffers from a crowd they just couldn’t reach. The 04/20 match gets the opposite reaction. I might have liked the ladder match more than most everyone, including the people in it.
Most of the people in these matches were not full-time AAA wrestlers. It might say something about the full-time AAA wrestlers, or it might say something about AAA being surprisingly willing to let people come and go when they had time and interest.
It was notable when AAA did not have a single match in VOW’s length poll in 2016. They had entries in 2017. They’re going to have plenty in 2018, including a few that might not have even made the next part of the list
Great (among the best of the year, possibly with a flaw, worth watching if you want to watch more lucha)
- 01-26: Lady Shani © vs Faby Apache in a AAA’s Reina de Reinas championship match – YouTube
- 01-26: Psycho Clown vs Rey Escorpión in a bull terrier match – YouTube
- 04-20: Aerostar & Drago vs Rey Escorpión & Texano Jr. © for the AAA World Tag Team Championship – YouTube
- 05-18: Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana – YouTube
- 06-03: Arkángel Divino, Dinastía, Hijo Del Vikingo, Star Fire vs Arez, Belial, Lady Maravilla, Último Maldito – YouTube
- 06-03: Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana for the hair – YouTube
- 07-13: Dragón Bane, Lady Maravilla, Starfire vs Arez, Chica Tormenta, Keyra – YouTube
- 07-21: Dr. Wagner Jr., Hijo del Fantasma, Psycho Clown vs Electroshock, LA Park, Puma King – YouTube
- 08-10: Hijo Del Vikingo, Iron Kid, Niño Hamburguesa vs Black Danger, La Parka Negra, Low Rider – YouTube
- 08-25: Psycho Clown vs Hijo del Fantasma, LA Park, Pentagón Jr. for the mask and in a cage match – YouTube
- 09-09: Fénix vs Laredo Kid vs Cage – aired on Twitch, hasn’t been put on AAA’s YouTube
- 09-21: Faby Apache, La Hiedra, Lady Shani vs Keyra, Lady Maravilla, Starfire – YouTube
- 10-31: Pentagón Jr. vs Puma King – Facebook
- 11-07: Drago vs Laredo Kid – Facebook
- 11-14: Golden Magic vs Fénix – Facebook
- 11-28: Pentagón Jr. vs Golden Magic – Facebook
- 12-02: Hijo Del Vikingo, Laredo Kid, Myzteziz Jr. vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana © for the AAA World Trios Championship – Twitch ($)
- 12-08: Hijo Del Vikingo, Laredo Kid, Myzteziz Jr. vs Australian Suicide, Jack Evans, Taurus – Twitch ($)
- 12-08: Averno, Chessman, Súper Fly vs Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana – Twitch ($)
- 12-12: Drago vs Hijo Del Vikingo – Facebook
- 12-19: Pentagón Jr. vs Australian Suicide – Facebook
Averno, Chessman, Super Fly vs Carta Brava, Mocho Cota and Tito Santana shows up 3 times. That’s pretty good. Electroshock makes the list one more time than I thought. One more time than Pagano. You are still allowed to love the TripleMania garbage match without me.
It is a little weird there’s not a 1v1 match on either of these lists past January outside of the Lucha Capital stuff, but it is not so surprising when you watch AAA. It is also weird that the women’s division has generally been Good post-April but rarely great. Glad at lesat one trios match made the list.
There were a lot of shows between January and April. There were not a lot of good matches. I’m not sure if/when the December matches will go up on AAA’s YouTube; not everything from Twitch is making it up.
Feel free either to watch some of these or yell at me for not including something, whichever you prefer.