top six stories the last two weeks

  1. Both promotions did not have a show on Televisa. CMLL moved it’s big matches over to Fox Sports, but kept it top secret. AAA actually got a two hour slot on regional Televisa channels, a vast improvement assuming their fans found it. With the PanAm games over, things go back to normal (1 hour shows that are cut down to about 40 minutes after commercials) on Galavision.
  2. CMLL drew horribly the last two weeks. This is sounds like a droning point this year, but it’s gotten noticeable worse since June and sunk to new levels the last few shows. It may have cost Pato Soria his job in Guadalajara, after a loaded Friday night show there did no particular business, and the Sunday show was strangely canceled.
  3. Many luchadors worked out for WWE during their trip to Mexico. Their are varying reports on who, who well they did, and what they were offered, but CMLL has not appeared to taken any action against their own wrestlers who tried out and no one has said they’re leaving WWE. Yet.
  4. A&E’s El Luchador series first two episodes aired, following the “real” lives of Felino, Rey Bucanero, Shocker and Magnus. It’s obviously scripted in areas, and the show weirdly decided Panico would be a better fit on reality show if he wore a black mask, but it’s still interesting in itself. CMLL is hoping it will help their business, but it’s not clear watching the show how they expect to work.
  5. Lucha Libre USA seems to be canceled again, replaced with shows that have been repeated on MTV2 many times over. The promotion says they’ve taken themselves off air looking for a better timeslot. Previously, they said 10/22 episode was not the season finale as listed on on screen guides, but they don’t appear to actually be airing any episodes any time soon. They did tape more than a dozen episodes which haven’t made it to air.
  6. Octagon & La Parka explained their rudo turns. Octagon was offended by booking low on cards or not at all, while La Parka was angered by the fans repeatedly cheering rudos LA Park and Cibernetico over him.

Other Stories

  • AAA announced their November TV schedule, which indicated AAA thinks they’ll be back to two hour TV shows in the near future.
  • Marcela finally beat Amapola for the CMLL Women’s Championship. It only took 13 tries and 4 years!
  • Ozz & Cuervo improbably won the AJPW Tag Team Titles when the team they were facing turned on each other.
  • Tinieblas and Hijo del Santo are hyping shows built around them, which they say will save lucha libre
  • IWL ran a show with 65 luchadors over 13 matches, though their best young wrestler (Daga) somehow only did a run-in.
  • Oficals are feuding with newer Oficials in IWRG.
  • Silueta won the CMLL REINA International Juniors Title
  • Low Rider had a TNA tryout, thanks to Hernandez, unless you ask Hernandez, who says Low Rider didn’t.
  • People who kept titles: Palacio Negro, Trauma I, Jushin Liger, Golden Magic, Sadico

top six stories of the last two weeks

  • Dr. X was shot and killed.
  1. Psychos beat Perros in their Heroes Inmortales cage match. The other big news was long running tecnicos Octagon & La Parka turning rudo. Abyss & Chessman picked up the tag titles, Casandro returned to AAA, and Mesias & Sting had a bad match with no particular finish.
  2. Volador defeated Jushin Lyger to win the Leyenda de Plata
  3. WWE came to town. They drew a surprisingly low number of fans in many places, but did well in drawing luchadors to try out
  4. WWE explained the backstory to the Sin Cara/Sin Cara feud for the firs time, and then resolved the whole thing in two weeks.
  5. CMLL is hyping a new new new new wrestler
  6. AAA’s Taboo beat AAA’s Silver King to win the IWRG Heavyweight Title by being the second to last escape a cage. This was the main event of a show to honor Dr. Wagner Sr.

Other Stories

  • IWL ran shows with Necro Butcher and Davey Richards and about 11 matches per show; the first three shows were said to average about 200 people
  • DTU and Lucha POP both ran shows, the DTU seeming to draw significantly more. Negro Navarro beat Nicho in that main event, Joe Lider beat Daga in the other.
  • EAW also turned up to run a show.
  • A big AAA/indy show was announced for Palacio de los Deportes in November.
  • Mano Negra retired.
  • Santo announced a Todos x el Todos in November, which might be his mask match with Tinieblas. Show appears to included recent retiree Mano Negra.
  • Oficials kicked out new Oficial Spartan for behavior unbecoming of an evil police officer.
  • People keeping titles: Hijos de Averno (CMLL Trios), Perros del Mal (IWRG Trios), Dr. Wagner (UWA Heavy), Fuego & Stuka (Arena Coliseo TAG), Davey Richards (ROH)
  • Team DTU Trainees beat Team IWRG Trainees

top six stories of the last two weeks

  1. CMLL held it’s Anniversario show. A hall full Arena Mexico saw Rey Bucanero lose his hair to Felino, who’d had been feuding the most out of the ten involved.
  2. AAA filmed a pilot episode of a Return of Abismo Negro reality competition show, where the winning luchador will be Abismo Negro. AAA had previously said they’d never have another Abismo Negro. Fan reaction was poor.
  3. Atlantis beat Ultimo Guerrero in a singles match, which appears to end their feud for now. Atlantis is now feuding with Mr. Niebla instead.
  4. Volador & Jushin Lyger will meet in the Leyenda de Plata final.
  5. AAA’s Heroes Inmortales will have no AAA mega title match, but does have every important person without a match in the Copa Antonio Pena.
  6. CMLL is heavily teased a debut of a new wrestler, suspected to be Magnus with a new look.

Other news

  • The Perros del Mal won both their matches on the lame duck show before Heroes Inmortales.
  • Lucha Libre USA returned to TV.
  • in other 09/30 cage matches, Palacio Negro gave Loco Max his yearly haircut, and Pirata Morgan lost his hair in Neza.
  • IWL announced a set of four shows for mid October, featuring Davey Richards, Necro Butcher, Mad Man Pondo and 2 Tuff Tony as foreign talent
  • The Tijana commission announced Chavo Guerrero Sr. was banned for a year (just from there) due to refusing to take a drug test at his last show.
  • People keeping their titles: Temerarios, Mascara Dorada, Golden Magic, Los Traumas, Polvora, Hijos de Averno, Los Perros del Mal

top six stories of the last two weeks

too vital to be numbered
Rush, Angel de Oro and Diamante lost their trios titles to Volador, Psicosis and Olimpico

top stories

  1. AAA announced Mesias vs Sting and Perros vs Psychos (team vs team) in a domed cage match for Heroes Inmortales.
  2. CMLL announced a ten man cage match for their Anniversario main event. Reaction ranged between yawning and disgust. Even their own announcers were bagging on the main event.
  3. Both CMLL & AAA’s main shows on Televisa appear limited to a one hour format for the duration of the NFL season
  4. CMLL also announced a cage match for Guadalajara for the same night. That show may end up better than the DF one
  5. Sombra beat Averno in the CMLL Universal Tournament, then went on to defeat Volador to keep his own title a few days later
  6. Lucha Libre USA announced they’d return to MTV2 on 10/01 at 10am Eastern.

other stories

  • CMLL’s Leyenda de Plata tournament, honoring El Santo and originally built around his son, returns for the first time in a few years this Friday
  •  Demus took Pequeno Warrior’s hair
  •  Dos Caras’ 40th Anniversary show, featuring him teaming up with his brothers, sold out Arena Naucalpan
  • IWL’s #3 iPPV took place, and I still don’t know of anyone who bought it.
  • Ultimo Guerrero beat Atlantis in their first singles match, in Puebla
  • Avisman lost his hair.
  • Golden Magic won the IWRG Welterweight Championship
  • Japan’s Ray won the new CMLL-Reina International Junior Championship
  • Lady Apache won back the PWR Women’s Championship
  • Pierrothito, Princesa Blanca and Okumura kept their titles

top six stories of the last two weeks

  1. CMLL seems headed to a hair match with Hector Garza, Blue Panther, Rush, Terrible, Texano, Rey Bucanero, Negro Casas, Felino and others. They still haven’t announced it, or announced a date for the anniversary show.
  2. La Sombra won the first block of CMLL Universal Tournament. He’s probably facing Tanahashi, Ultimo Guerrero or Averno next week.
  3. in their first big meetings since splitting, Ultimo Guerrero & Dragon Rojo kept the tag titles over Atlantis & Guerrero Maya, and UG defeated Atlantis in a singles match in Puebla
  4. Perro Jr. returned to AAA (again), losing to Wagner by DQ and challenging Wagner and the Payasos to apuesta matches
  5. AAA announced Sting, Rosita, and the British Invasion are all coming in, probably all for Heroes Inmortales
  6. Rey Bucanero may have stolen Tiger (Kid) from Felino, and Felino fouled Bucanero in the resulting singles match.

Other stories:

  • Damian is not retiring after all
  • Leono took Exterminador’s hair
  • Los Perros won the IWRG trios titles
  • Rush beat Aguila to keep his LH title.
  • Lucha POP and Lucha USA both ran shows

top six stories in the last two weeks

  1. X-Fly lost his hair in the Psycho vs Perros main event cage match of Verano de Escandalo.
  2. Other matches saw Jeff Jarrett retain a title, Pimpi win the women’s title, and Chessman win the Monster’s Ball after Nicho returned again to attack Joe Lider. Show drew 9,000.
  3. The role of Sin Cara is now being played by Incognito. I believe this counts as “dramatic irony”. Maybe Mistico will be back, maybe he will not.
  4. Fresh of winning the trios title, Averno defeated La Mascara again to keep the NWA Middleweight championship, though this one involved a little cheating.
  5. Rush defeated Yoshihashi for his hair. This was less surprising than the X-Fly loss.
  6. Hector Garza turned on everyone, is generally a jerk.

Other News

  • Mr. Niebla won the Leyenda de Azul, which involved the son of Blue Demon but not Blue Demon Jr.
  • Lady Apache returned to CMLL
  • Dr. X left CMLL. Most lucha media treated this like this was about the #4 story.
  • CMLL announced a minis apuesta tournament for 08/21
  • Atlantis & Ultimo Guerrero continue to talk to the media as if they’re about to turn on each other, and then not really do anything in the ring.
  • Other people keeping their titles: Amapola, Morgan
  • IWL held their second iPPV, with a good Daga/Suicida match and lots of complicated finishes.
  • IWRG debuted New Temerarios
  • Elsewhere in IWRG, Dr. Cerbero turned on Black Terry
  • Sombra has fared well in the G1, at least compared to poor Strong Man.
  • Lucha Libre USA continues to exist.
  • Jack & Aero did not win the NOAH Juniors Tournament, but did win the “Technique Prize”
  • Atlantis & Rey Bucanero made a random cameo in CHIKARA