Tag: cmll arena mexico results

CMLL Arena Mexico results: La Gran Alternativa tournament continues

Posted on by Chris Aiken

Images: CMLL

An annual lucha libre tournament continued at Arena Mexico on Friday night in Mexico City where veteran stars teamed with younger luchadores.

Caristico teamed with Soberano Jr. to win the B Block of the Gran Alternativa tournament, advancing to the grand final next week where they meet the A Block winners. Soberano got victories over some very established stars on the way to him and Caristico winning the block.

Dragon Lee and Volador Jr. were home again in Arena Mexico after being in Japan and having taken part in the Best of the Super Juniors. Volador had already appeared on the card this past Tuesday since returning to Mexico, but this show was the first appearance for Dragon Lee at Arena Mexico since the conclusion of the Super Juniors tournament.

Volador found himself in yet another tournament, whereas Dragon Lee teamed with two of the promotion’s top stars in a trios match against Los Guerreros Laguneros. The matchup was a departure for the Guerreros, whose routine lately is beating up Niebla Roja and taking his mask. Ultimo Guerrero even stole his mask again this past Monday night at Arena Puebla. On this Friday night show, though, they just had a heck of a match without all the theatrics of their ongoing storyline.

Instead, someone else unmasked Niebla Roja during a tag team match in the tournament. After that particular match, Vangellys attacked Pierroth in a follow up from the angle last week where Vangellys tried in vain to join Los Ingobernables.

The rest of the tournament arguably was far better than last week, with the pairings of the B Block giving great performances in intriguing matchups. Pitting high flyers against each other resulted in some incredible displays of movement and aerial artistry.

Although the tournament’s battle royal was again unnecessary, the match itself was even much better than last week despite one terribly botched spot.   

The show itself opened with a tag match where Tiger replaced Arkangel de la Muerte for a late substitution.

Metalico & Tiger defeated Principe Diamante & Robin

In the first fall, Tiger pinned Diamante with a sunset flip powerbomb, and Metalico then pinned Robin after a sit-out powerbomb. Into the second, Robin pinned Metalico with a senton bomb. Diamante then pinned Tiger after a plancha.

They went into the third fall where Tiger catapulted Diamante into the air for Metalico to powerbomb him. Tiger then finished off Robin with a Canadian Destroyer to conclude the third fall of the opener.

Estrellita, Marcela & captain Princesa Sugehit defeated Amapola, Zeuxis & captain Dalys

The focus of the match was on the ongoing feud between Sugehit and Zeuxis. The tecnicas won the match in two straight falls. The rudas looked to gain an advantage as they cut off the tecnicas in the second fall, but it was to no avail.

During the first fall, Sugehit springboarded into a plancha on the ramp to dispatch Zeuxis. Meanwhile, Estrellita pinned Amapola with a backslide into a bridging cradle, and Marcela submitted Dalys with the Romero Special to end the first fall.

For a tecnica sweep in the second fall, Sugehit submitted Zeuxis with a hold similar to a Black Widow. Moments after being eliminated from the match, Zeuxis got the rest of the ruda team disqualified by jumping back in the ring to attack Sugehit.

Guerrero Maya Jr. vs. Misterioso Jr. ended in a double countout

This was a lightning match, meaning one fall with a ten-minute time limit.

Misterioso tried to tear at Guerrero Maya’s mask. They were fighting outside the ring when the referee counted them both out. They just kept fighting, so the ref went to break them up only to get chopped and thrown into the barricade by Misterioso.

The brawling continued as they simultaneously​ unmasked each other. They each put on the other’s mask, and squared up to proceed fighting. The ref finally broke them up. Judging from a finish like that, THIS FEUD MUST CONTINUE.

Gran Guerrero, Euforia & captain Ultimo Guerrero defeated Dragon Lee, Atlantis (w/ KeMonito) & captain Mistico

During his entrance, Dragon Lee wore football shoulder pads with spikes looking like a wickedly cool mashup of Bruce Lee and the Road Warriors.

Los Guerreros Laguneros took a break on this night from what has become their usual beatdown and unmasking of Niebla Roja. The rudo faction instead had a good match with an accomplished team of tecnicos, just like they used to do before the vendetta with Niebla Roja recently consumed them.

The first fall ended with a triple submission in what could be described as a Gory Special do-si-do square dance. Now turn your partner round-and-round as the trifecta of submissions gave Los Guerreros Laguneros an early advantage.

The second fall gave way to stereo dives with Dragon Lee and Mistico each doing a tope con hilo. Evening the falls at one apiece for each team, tecnico captain Atlantis submitted rudo captain Ultimo Guerrero with La Atlantida.

Going into the third fall, the crowd was hot. Dragon Lee got to shine with a flurry of flying moves. Mistico showcased his aerial arsenal as well. The wily veteran Atlantis even joined the parade of flying as he did a tope suicida through the ropes, showing the youngsters a thing or two.

The finish saw Euforia powerbomb Mistico as Gran Guerrero gave Dragon Lee a wacky release pumphandle suplex. Winning the deciding fall for the rudos, Euforia pinned Mistico and Gran Guerrero pinned Dragon Lee.

Gran Alternativa B Block Battle Royal

Oro Jr. & Soberano Jr. were the survivors of this melee. That began a big night for Soberano. The order of elimination determined the seeds for the tag team tournament. Being eliminated first meant that luchador and his veteran teammate were first to wrestle, and so on in descending order.

Canelo Casas was eliminated first in a spot he botched. Astral was eliminated next, followed by Drone and Akuma. Flyer was the next-to-last elimination, and the final luchador sent over the ropes was Raziel.

B Block quarterfinals —

Negro Casas (w/ El Perico Zacarias) & Canelo Casas defeated El Valiente & Astral

Astral went for a moonsault on Casas only to eat knees as they went into the finish. Casas countered with La Casita to roll up Astral for the pin. Canelo Casas submitted Valiente with a guillotine choke.

Pierroth & Akuma defeated Niebla Roja & Drone

This got more time than the previous tournament match, giving them all ring time since neither team would actually go on. An angle afterwards ensured even the winners ended up losing out on advancing further.

Akuma gave Niebla Roja a modified muscle buster, but Drone made the save on a pinning attempt. Drone then began putting together a flurry of offense that led to him getting a pin on Akuma.

However, Pierroth cut him off to deliver an inverted Gotch piledriver to pin Akuma. Behind the referee’s back, Pierroth then kicked Niebla Roja with a low blow before he also unmasked him. With Niebla Roja trying to cover his face while selling his groin, Pierroth covered him just as the ref turned around to make a three count.

Pierroth looked unstoppable, but it wasn’t for long. Suddenly, Vangellys attacked Pierroth on the ramp with a baseball bat. Vangellys was in street clothes that included a leather jacket. Dude, it is freaking summer time. Anyway, this was a violent attack where Vangellys targeted an arm. He threw Pierroth into the barricade and generally administered a beatdown.

Vangellys cut a promo in the ring. He was also in a pre-taped promo earlier in the show plugging the card for next Friday in a bit of foreshadowing. More likely, it was CMLL revealing their hand before the bets are placed. Either way, Vangellys has beef with Los Ingobernables.  

Volador Jr. & Flyer defeated Mephisto & Raziel

This was wild with good sequences and flying. Fittingly, there was flying since one of the luchadores was indeed named Flyer. He and Volador popped the crowd with stereo running flip dives over the ropes to the floor.

In another crazy spot, Mephisto gave Flyer a neckbreaker while Raziel had Flyer in a Rito Romero Special. For a close near fall, Volador kicked out after taking a Falcon Arrow off the top from Raziel. Flyer executed a Spanish Fly on Raziel before covering him for a pin. Volador then did a Frankensteiner off the top rope to score a pinfall on Mephisto​.

Caristico & Soberano Jr. defeated Angel de Oro & Oro Jr

This was wilder than the previous wild match. They started slow before quickening the pace and throwing in a lot of near falls. Soberano did a crazy corkscrew plancha from the top to the outside.

For the finish, Soberano springboarded into a guillotine lionsault to pin Oro Jr. while Caristico submitted Angel del Oro with La Mistica. Medical personnel with a stretcher came into the ring tending to Angel de Oro. Caristico helped him to his feet and Oro stumbled out of the ring and limped away.

B Block semifinals —

Negro Casas (w/ Zacarias) & Canelo Casas defeated Pierroth & Akuma by default

Still selling his arm during his entrance, Pierroth was met on the ramp by an official from the commission. He would not allow Pierroth to compete after the injury angle earlier. Pierroth & Akuma protested to no avail as the official forced them to forfeit by default. Los Casas basically received a bye to the B Block final. 

Caristico & Soberano Jr. defeated Volador Jr & Flyer

This was a spectacle of flight. All four involved were high flyers, so they took to the air early and often. Amid all the flying around, Flyer ripped and tore at the mask of Soberano.

The crowd was buzzing as they went into the finishing sequences, which included a hip toss over the ropes to the floor, planchas, an escape of La Mistica, a moonsault, a Canadian Destroyer, a reverse rana, and a backdrop over the top.

To conclude the chaos, Soberano pinned Volador after a Frankensteiner off the top before Caristico submitted Flyer with La Mistica.

B Block final —

Caristico & Soberano Jr. defeated Negro Casas (w/ Zacarias) & Canelo Casas to advance to the grand final of the Gran Alternativa tournament

Not nearly quite as spectacular as the other B Block matches, the atmosphere along with the work of Negro Casas kept the match interesting. Zacarias got involved at one point. In a surprisingly quick conclusion, Soberano and Caristico scored consecutive pinfalls with dual la magistral cradles.

Caristico and Soberano Jr. advance to meet Ultimo Guerrero and Sanson in the grand finale of the tournament next week.

CMLL Arena Mexico results: The next generation and new renovations

Posted on by Chris Aiken

Images: CMLL

The next generation of luchadors and new renovations at Arena Mexico were seemingly the themes for the CMLL show on Friday night in Mexico City.

Although the card included plenty of veterans, the younger luchadors got to shine on a lot of the undercard. Nevertheless, tradition is still a major influence on the entire culture, so many in the younger generation carry on family legacies with the personas or characters they portray. Someone with a junior suffix even won a title in the most exciting match on the show.

That title change (in a thrilling high-flying spectacle) stole the show. Up-and-comer Soberano Jr. continues to get a push with him winning the Mexican National Welterweight Championship on this show after also winning the Copa Junior tournament several weeks ago.

In hindsight, the title match arguably should have closed the show. Nonetheless, the main event was a trios match featuring established stars and veterans. However, even they had a generational aspect as Rush was teaming with his father. What actually got featured most on the show was something newly renovated.

Sometimes in superhero stories, locations or facilities take on such a prominent role in a narrative that the places almost become characters altogether. For example, the Batcave in the realm of the Batman universe epitomizes that role. Likewise, Sherwood Forest is ever present in the story of Robin Hood.

On this show, the Freedom Sports Bar & Grill took on a similar role by getting more camera time than anything else as a prominent fixture throughout the broadcast.

The Freedom Sports Bar & Grill is a new restaurant inside Arena Mexico that opened this week. This show itself opened with a view of the restaurant from inside the arena, which has seating that includes a bird’s eye view of the ring. The new facilities include a great new mural that was commissioned as part of the renovation project.

Leono & Sensei defeated Artillero & El Hijo del Signo

The tecnicos won the first and third falls. In the first, Sensei submitted Artillero with a head-and-arm choke. Leono then pinned Signo after dropkicking him as he was draped in the ropes.

Evening the score in the second fall, stereo leglock submission holds by the rudos led to them getting their win back as Artillero submitted Sensei and Signo made Leono submit. Into the third fall, Sensei submitted Signo with a cross-armbreaker and Leono submitted Artillero.

Cancerbero, Raziel & captain Virus defeated Astral, Principe Diamante & captain Robin

Cancerbero started the match by taking Diamante to the proverbial woodshed before he fired up on him. Likewise, Astral squared off with Raziel. Then, the two captains faced off.

The rudos ran roughshod in a flurry late in the first fall as they left Robin reeling. They then used teamwork to score pinfalls. Virus assisted with a dropkick as Cancerbero was hoisting up Astral for a powerbomb, followed by a pin. Cancerbero then submitted Astral to clinch the first fall for the rudos.

In a short second fall, the tecnicos made a comeback leading to team captain Robin submitting rudo captain Virus. By the way, Robin’s gear was a throwback to Los Brazos.

The tecnicos all got to shine heading into the third fall. The rudos shut them down, and Raziel jumped off the top rope with a guillotine legdrop as Cancerbero held Robin in position. Raziel then pinned the tecnico team captain to win the deciding fall.

Cuatrero, Forastero & captain Sanson defeated Drone, Esfinge & captain Guerrero Maya Jr.

The story of the match was that the rudos, Nueva Generacion Dinamita, were simply a better team with them all having a connection to a legacy that began with the legendary Los Hermanos Dinamita (“The Dynamite Brothers”). The rudos would win the first and third falls using teamwork, even if it was underhanded at times.

The rudo faction took the first fall as Forastero pinned Esfinge after Sanson assisted with a flying knee drop. Sanson also assisted Cuatrero in executing a version of the old Demolition finisher, and Cuatrero pinned Drone to take the fall.

The rudos continued their onslaught heading into the second​ fall with a series of triple-team attacks. The tecnicos rallied into a comeback that led to Drone pinning Cuatrero after a modified Spanish Fly. Guerrero Maya moments later used a neckbreaker similar to an ushigoroshi, then he pinned Forastero for the tecnicos to win the second fall.

Late into the third fall, the two captains faced off. Having dispatched the other two tecnicos, the rudos then ganged up on Guerrero Maya like predators on prey. Guerrero Maya was held in place for Forastero to run down the ramp, springboard off the top rope, and hit a missile dropkick. Rudo team captain Sanson pinned tecnico captain Guerrero Maya to score the deciding pinfall.

Marco Corleone endorsed a pineapple flavored beverage in a commercial. The ad spot even had a caricature of Corleone as a flexing cartoon pineapple.

Soberano Jr. defeated Rey Cometa to win the Mexican National Welterweight title

For the seconds, Dragon Lee was in the corner of Soberano and Fuego was in Cometa’s corner. Everybody involved was a tecnico except for the rudo referee, Tirantes. His heel antics would play a part in the match later on.

Two falls ended rather quickly, giving way to a climactic third fall. The defending champion, Cometa, took the first. Soberano ran the ropes and charged towards him only to run into a Spanish Fly. Cometa then scored a pinfall to end the initial fall. Soberano fired up again in the next fall, pinning Cometa after springboarding into a guillotine moonsault. That evened the falls in short order.

They upped the ante in the more lengthy third fall with high-risk moves. Cometa springboarded into a corkscrew plancha, and Soberano leapt into a Fosbury Flop. Cometa jumped off the apron to catch Soberano with a hurricanrana on the floor. Cometa connected on a tope suicida, but wiped out when he crashed into the barricade. Leaping off the top turnbuckle, Soberano did a crazy corkscrew plancha to the floor.

As the action eventually returned to the ring, both got near falls with the heel referee doing a slow count. While the seconds in the corner and the crowd grew more angry over the slow counts, Tirantes progressively counted slower in an even more exaggerated manner. That was the only thing slow about the match.

The high flying still continued at a rapid pace. Cometa did an Asai moonsault and got a close near fall after a Spanish Fly off the top rope. Soberano also got a near fall in the closing moments with a sit-out tombstone.

Out of nowhere, Soberano struck with a Canadian Destroyer to score the deciding fall. Tirantes had no choice but to count the pinfall as Soberano cradled Cometa to win the title. In a show of good sportsmanship, the former title holder strapped the belt around the waist of the new champion.

Angel de Oro, Dragon Lee & captain Valiente defeated Negro Casas, Cavernario & captain Mr. Niebla

The rudo faction, La Peste Negra (“The Black Plague”), started off strong en route to taking the first fall as Cavernario splashed and pinned Dragon Lee. Casas then applied a scorpion deathlock to submit Angel de Oro, quickly ending a short fall.

The second fall was shorter than the first. The tecnicos launched into a rally. With Cavernario hanging in the ropes, Dragon Lee jumped off the top rope with a double foot stomp. Lee pinned Cavernario and the other rudos were counted out of the ring, awarding the fall to the tecnicos.

In a micro showdown, El Percio Zakarias and KeMonito slugged it out. KeMonito fell off the apron for a plancha on Zakarias. From there, they all went home and headed into the finish.

Dragon Lee got to shine with a flurry of high-flying offense in the closing moments with the tecnicos finishing strong in the third fall. Valiente applied La Tapatia for a submission on Casas while Oro cradled Niebla for a three count, winning the match for the tecnicos.

Stuka Jr., Diamante Azul & captain Atlantis defeated Pierroth, La Mascara & captain Rush

Of course with the rudos being Los Ingobernables, they were unruly rule breakers as usual. Rush renewed his rivalry with Atlantis in this match. I’m still crossing my fingers that a singles match between them with major stips is the main event of this year’s anniversary show, but that is merely wishful thinking on my part for the time being. 

The first fall of this bout began with a brawl as Los Ingobernables attacked the tecnicos just as the ring announcer was wrapping up his introductions​. The rudos went on to pummel the tecnicos throughout much of the match. Unlacing the strings on their masks, Los Ingobernables tied all three tecnicos to the ropes with the laces of their own hoods. That led to a disqualification, though rudo ref Tirantes took his time in calling for the DQ.

Undeterred by technically losing the first fall, the onslaught by Los Ingobernables continued into the second fall with even more of a beatdown. They went about trying to annihilate the tecnicos one at a time. Rush charged into a corner and dropkicked Atlantis. La Mascara then pinned the tecnico team captain, so the rudos evened the falls. The last fall began with Los Ingobernables continuing their beatdown.

Rush and his Los Ingobernables cohorts taunted Atlantis, leading to Atlantis hulking up. The tecnicos all then fired up into a comeback. From there, the match settled into a more traditional structure as opposed to a brawl. However, Los Ingobernables soon instigated more brawling in living up to their “ungovernable” moniker.

Rush ripped at Atlantis​’ mask. A few moments later, Atlantis fired up again and ran wild with tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. Stuka sailed off the top to the floor with a torpedo splash. Azul got a running start in leaping off the ramp into a senton.

The team captains headed into the finish in the ring, where Atlantis submitted Rush after applying La Atlantida, winning the final fall with a captain submitting another captain. The heroes vanished the villains in the end, yet the rudos live on to fight another day.

CMLL returns to Arena Mexico today with a matinee show and the following card:

  • Caristico vs. Euforia
  • Atlantis, Marco Corleone & Maximo Sexy vs. Mephisto, Luciferno & Ephesto
  • Titan, Blue Panther & Johnny Idol vs. Gran Guerrero, Kraneo & Dragon Rojo
  • Stigma, Esfinge & Pegasso vs. Disturbio, Puma & Sangre Azteca
  • Electrico, Stukita & Fantasy vs. Mercurio, Pequeno Olimpico & Pequeno Violencia

CMLL Arena Mexico results: A son’s tribute to his legendary father

Posted on by Chris Aiken

Images: CMLL

A son honored the memory of his father with a tribute inside the cathedral of lucha libre in Mexico City on Friday night. For the main event, La Mascara and Volador Jr. headlined a CMLL card at Arena Mexico in what became a memorial to Brazo de Oro on the day of his passing.

The Friday card was only the beginning of a busy weekend for lucha libre with Children’s Day (el Dia del Nino) on Sunday. CMLL also has a show that day with a heavily-promoted mascot tag team match geared towards drawing kids. Likewise, countless smaller independent shows in various rather random venues over the weekend are all part of festivities related to Children’s Day.

Plans for a weekend of focusing on youth became altered upon the death of a legend. Fate intervened in changing the theme of the Friday night card from focusing on the children to honoring the legacy of a father.

Legendary luchador Brazo de Oro passed away yesterday morning. That evening his son, La Mascara, was scheduled to headline against Volador Jr. in the main event at Arena Mexico.

Though he could have understandably canceled because of the death in his family, La Mascara instead chose to honor the memory of his father by performing in a venue where Brazo de Oro is known as a beloved figure in the history of lucha libre. He is from the the legendary Los Brazos trios and the famed Alvarado family. La Mascara looked to carry on that legacy as the show must go on.

The legacy of family was on display elsewhere on the show during a weekend that celebrates the next generation. The finals of a tournament involving second generation luchadors culminated in Soberano Jr. winning La Copa Junior Nuevo Valores. In addition, the rest of the undercard featured trios matches with a minis tag match opening the show.  

Joining the announce team as the opening match began, luchadora Amapola provided guest commentary during the card.

Electrico & Fantasy defeated Pequeno Olimpico & Pequeno Nitro

The tecnicos won after dropping the first fall then winning two straight. For the first fall, Nitro assisted with a dropkick so Olimpico could pin Electrico. Meanwhile, Fantasy was counted out of the ring to give the rudos the opening fall.

The tecnicos evened the score in the second fall with Electrico pinning Olimpico after a Spanish Fly while Fantasy submitted Nitro. To end the third fall and decide the match, Electrico jumped off the middle rope with a guillotine lionsault to pin Nitro. Olimpico was also counted out.

La Metalica, Sanely & captain Estrellita defeated Marcela, Zeuxis & captain Dalys

The story of the match was Marcela’s teammates turning on her. Their opponents swept them in two straight falls.

They all took turns squaring off at the start. The rudas then went on to dominate in the first fall. Estrellita took out Dalys with a tope suicida before Sanely rolled up Zeuxis for a pin after a sit-out bomb. Metalica also flew into a senton bomb and pinned Marcela.

The tecnicas made a comeback heading into the second fall, or at least they all seemed like tecnicas at first. Dissension within the team emerged after some miscommunication stirred the pot. It boiled over when Marcela inadvertently hit Dalys with a missile dropkick, and they began to fight amongst themselves.

The ruda team swooped in as Estrellita rolled up Zeuxis with a schoolgirl as Sanely did the same to Dalys for dual pinfalls, winning the match in two straight falls. Angry over losing and blaming Marcela for the loss, Zeuxis and Dalys put the boots to her afterwards as they stomped on Marcela.

Soberano Jr. defeated Sanson to win La Copa Junior Nuevo Valores tournament

For the finals of the tournament, the luchadors had seconds in their respective corners. Dragon Lee was the second for Soberano and El Cuatrero was in Sanson’s corner. En route to winning the Copa Junior tournament final, Soberano won the first and third falls.

Soberano executed a guillotine lionsault to pin Sanson in the first fall. Quickly retaliating, Sanson jumped off the top rope with a guillotine knee drop to pin Soberano in a short second fall.

They went on to trade big moves in the third fall. They even brawled on the ramp, where Sanson took a running powerslam. Soberano followed that by leaping high off the stage into a plancha. Back at ringside, Soberano leapt off the barricade into a senton in the aisleway dividing the ringside seats.

Soberano practically flew all over the place heading into the closing moments. Sanson had cut off Soberano only for Soberano to launch into a quebrada. From there, he hoisted Sanson for a jumping sit-out piledriver before pinning him in the deciding fall.

Winning the tournament of second generation luchadors, Soberano celebrated with his trophy commemorating La Copa Junior Nuevo Valores. The cheerful atmosphere was remarkably different a few moments later.

The triumph of the Copa Junior gave way to a more somber occasion afterwards. Officials and fellow luchadors joined La Mascara in the ring to honor the memory of his father, Brazo de Oro. A video tribute aired and Mascara said a few words. Other luchadors also joined him in a chant for Los Brazos.

Marco Corleone, Diamante Azul & captain El Valiente defeated Kraneo, Ripper & captain Hechicero

After some shenanigans at the outset, the rudos dominated a quick first fall. Hechicero pressed mascot KeMonito overhead and teased hurling him into the crowd. In the ring, Kraneo pinned Corleone and Ripper pinned Valiente to capture the fall.

The rudos continued their onslaught until Corleone fired up as the tecnicos made a comeback. Azul and Valiente rushed into the ring and Corleone ran down the ramp to leap over the ropes into a crossbody on all the rudos. All three tecnicos covered the rudos for a dogpile pinfall, winning the second fall.

The mascots got involved again when KeMonito splashed Kraneo. The rudo mascot, Mije, taunted Corleone at one point. Later during the finish, Corleone press slammed Mije high into the air and he crashed down onto Kraneo.

Corleone then covered Kraneo while Azul used a German suplex with a bridge on Hechicero. They simultaneously pinned them to end the third fall and win the match. The tecnicos fought back from defeat to win a crowd-pleasing trios match.

Dragon Lee, Caristico & captain Mistico defeated Mephisto, Barbaro Cavernario & captain Negro Casas

Though the match itself was entertaining enough, arguably the most spectacular flyer in the match was mostly overshadowed by his teammates. The story of the match involved Dragon Lee slugging it out with Casas while Mistico and Caristico got to shine with their flying arsenal.

Despite only being part of a subplot within the body of the match, Dragon Lee did eventually get to shine in the finish by scoring the deciding fall.

The tecnicos were like a proverbial house of fire at the outset, leading to a dive by Dragon Lee. The rudos quickly put out the fire as Mephisto pinned Mistico and Cavernario pinned Caristico in the first fall.

A brawl erupted in the second fall and the rudos had a triple-team advantage on Dragon Lee. Caristico flew in to make the save, followed by Mistico flying in as well. In a double submission to win the second fall with each applying La Mistica, Mistico submitted Cavernario and Caristico submitted Mephisto.

As the third fall began, Mistico and Caristico mirrored each other again with both doing planchas leaping off the stage with major hang time as they glided down to the entrance ramp.

Caristico and Mistico did more dives as the action built to Dragon Lee squaring off with Casas. Perched on the turnbuckles, they fought into the finish. Dragon Lee jumped off the top rope with a double foot stomp as Casas hung in the ropes. Lee covered Casas for a pinfall on the team captain to win the third fall.

La Mascara defeated Volador Jr.

No matter what outcome was originally planned nor what direction was intended for this main event singles match, that all changed with the passing of Brazo de Oro. Whether or not he would have otherwise done so, La Mascara almost had to go over here in this match on an emotional night where the promotion was paying tribute to his late father.

Mascara and Volador went on to showcase their talents in a good enough main event considering the circumstances. Normally a rudo as part of Los Ingobernables, the character dynamic for La Mascara was different than usual with the crowd sympathetic to him over the loss of his father.

Before the horn sounded to start the match, Volador rushed towards Mascara on the ramp and they began brawling. Not long into the first fall, Mascara was pummeling Volador until suddenly Volador caught him with a superkick. Volador followed with a lung-blower to score a pin in the opening fall.

Having taken the first fall, Volador went into the second doing handsprings, followed by a running leap over the ropes into a dive on the floor. Mascara countered with superkicks along with running double knees in a corner, scoring a sudden pinfall on Volador in another quick fall.

The climactic final fall began with them brawling around ringside and out into the crowd. They whipped each other into the barricade and fought in the front row before eventually getting back into the ring. The action spilled outside again when Mascara did a tope suicida, followed by a plancha off the top to the floor.

Mascara climbed the turnbuckles and missed a senton bomb with Volador rolling out of the way. Volador went up the ropes to spring into a quebrada, but Mascara got his feet up to block it.

They traded near falls and Mascara argued with the referee about the count. Mascara held on and stayed hooked after delivering a superplex, rolling through to execute a brainbuster for another near fall. Mascara ran up the turnbuckles again only to get caught with a spectacular Frankensteiner.

They each went to the air once more before Mascara tied up Volador in a submission hold. Volador submitted and Mascara won on an emotional night for himself and his family.

The crowd showered Mascara with love and chants for his father as the show closed. Before leaving, Mascara went into the crowd to grab a banner with a message about Brazo de Oro. He brought it in the ring and displayed the banner. Mascara left the ring clutching the banner that honored his legendary father, ending a tribute to Brazo de Oro on the day of his unfortunate passing.

CMLL Arena Mexico results: Reyes del Aire

Posted on by Chris Aiken

Images: CMLL

Lucha libre from Arena Mexico on Friday night featured the Reyes del Aire tournament showcasing the “Kings of the Air” in a high flying spectacle.

The 2017 Reyes del Aire featured one lengthy mesmerizing elimination match with a group of tecnico high flyers joined by rudos as their solid bases for an arsenal of high spots. The format allowed for almost constant action as the 16 participants tagged in and out with eliminations occurring via pinfall or submission.

Though not technically on teams like in a Survivor Series match, the tecnicos and rudos did mostly work as two factions throughout the match. The teamwork began to deteriorate as the match progressed and more eliminations whittled away at the field. Much like The Highlander, in the end there can be only one. That sole survivor won.

The main event was also supplemented with an undercard.

Pequeno Nitro & Mercurio defeated Aereo & Acero

After dropping the first fall, the rudos went on to win the last two falls. In the first, an assist from Acero led to Aereo landing a flying dropkick and pinning Nitro. Acero then springboarded into a quebrada and pinned Mercurio.

In the second fall, Nitro pinned Acero after a plancha off the top rope before Mercurio powerbombed and also pinned Aereo.

The third fall built to Aereo applying an armbar, leading to Mercurio breaking the hold by jumping in. That started a series of saves with Acero making a save and so did Nitro.

A series of intricate spots in the closing moments led to Nitro cradling Aereo, scoring a pinfall for the rudos. For the tecnicos, Acero swooped in to score a pin on Nitro only for rudo Mercurio to subsequently deliver a package piledriver for the deciding fall.

Silueta, Skadi & captain Princesa Sugehit defeated La Metalica, Reyna Isis & captain Dalys

The first fall built to the captains squaring off. Dalys begged off, backpedaling from Sugehit. Her teammates then scored pinfalls with a moonsault press by Silueta on Reyna and Skadi also delivering a backbreaker on Metalica.

Dalys instigated a brawl at the start of the second fall, benefiting the rudas. Team captain Dalys caught the opposing captain in a submission hold to even the falls.

The rudas continued to dominate into the third fall. Sugehit led the charge for a tecnicas comeback. After a parade of dives, Sugehit submitted Dalys to win the deciding fall.

Special edition drink cups featuring Dragon Rojo are available, and continued to get plugged weekly with a sexualized commercial in addition to women modeling the drinkware live in the arena.

Sam Adonis defeated Rey Cometa

Cometa holds the Mexican National Welterweight Championship, but this was a lightning match so it was non-title and had a 10 minute time limit. It ended after the nine minute mark.

During his entrance, Adonis waved an American flag with Donald Trump’s face on it as part of his over-the-top heel American character. That got him a ton of heat in Arena Mexico.

As the match got underway, Adonis flipped over the ropes on a dive to the outside sending Cometa reeling. Cometa quickly recovered with an Asai moonsault. Back in the ring, Cometa sailed into a corkscrew plancha only to get cut off on a tilt-a-whirl.

Adonis briefly got heat on Cometa until Cometa fired up. He climbed the turnbuckles but Adonis tripped him up to set up a superplex.

They traded near falls. Cometa applied a submission hold but Adonis got a rope break. Moments later, Adonis put his feet on the ropes for leverage as he underhandedly pinned Cometa to win the non-title lightning match.

Stuka Jr., Diamante Azul & captain Atlantis defeated Kraneo, Negro Casas & captain Ultimo Guerrero

The rudos overtook the tecnicos​ at the outset when they jumped them at the start of the first fall. Guerrero ripped at Atlantis’ mask, playing on their rivalry where Guerrero previously lost his mask to Atlantis. The rudos took the first fall as Kraneo pinned Stuka and Guerrero submitted Atlantis.

The rudos maintained their advantage heading into the second fall. Tearing at his mask again, Guerrero revealed a portion of Atlantis’ face. An angry Atlantis fired up and tore into Guerrero. Suddenly the tide turned.

Stuka splashed and pinned Kraneo, followed by Azul gorilla pressing Casas into a falcon arrow for another pin to take the second fall.

During the third fall, Guerrero and Atlantis built anticipation for their showdown. Guerrero either begged off or powdered out whenever Atlantis tried to square off with him as the fall began. They would eventually collide in the ring.

Meanwhile, Azul ran down the ramp and leapt into a senton on the floor. Casas followed that with a dive off the apron. In the ring, team captain Atlantis applied La Atlantida on opposing captain Guerrero for a submission to win the deciding fall.

Afterwards, Atlantis cut a promo on Guerrero. He challenged him to a title match for the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship. Ultimo Guerrero accepted the challenge.

Angel de Oro won the 2017 Reyes del Aire in an elimination match

The tecnicos and rudos stood across from each other outside of the ring at the start. In the ring, the lucha was one-on-one with a rotating cast hopping on the apron to tag in. The tag rules eventually gave way to bedlam. It was definitely one of those don’t blink or you’ll miss something kind of matches.

Soon into the match everybody got involved as a melee developed with a parade of dives and wild moves. For the first elimination, Volador pinned Luciferno after a superkick and a backstabber.

The parade of high flying continued into the next elimination. Mephisto launched Titan in the air for Cavernario to annihilate him with a flying dropkick. Cavernario then pinned Titan.

Angel de Oro was bumping around and looked on the brink of being eliminated when Gran Guerrero walked into a superkick by Oro. Guerrero fell backwards and Maximo Sexy flew into the ring to splash him. Maximo pinned Gran Guerrero for an elimination.

Teamwork played into two luchadors getting eliminated next. Dragon Lee superplexed the much larger Mephisto while Hechicero simultaneously powerbombed Lee. For dueling eliminations, Volador leapt off the middle rope into a quebrada to pin Mephisto as Hechicero tied up Dragon Lee and submitted him.

Valiente got major hang time moonsaulting off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Cavernario did his infamous crazy splash off the top to the outside. That started a chain of dives seeing Mistico fly and Niebla Roja sail through the ropes. Maximo joined in too.

La Mascara tried dispatching Volador by whipping him into the barricade. Mascara went on to target Valiente with superkicks and flying knees in a corner. Mascara pinned Valiente for an elimination.

Mistico next eliminated Cavernario by submission with La Mistica. That led into a series of exchanges and big moves, one after another in succession.

Hechicero eliminated Maximo Sexy via pinfall when he executed a swinging backbreaker after being kissed by Maximo.

Caristico submitted La Mascara using La Mistica. The rudos then jumped Caristico for a beatdown. Mistico flew in for the save. Oro once again just fed into a high spot as his star would not shine until the end.

Volador pinned Hechicero after delivering a backstabber to eliminate him. Tecnicos squared off when Volador and Caristico had issues that led to Volador ripping Caristico’s mask. Mistico tried to make peace and a shoving match began. Euforia took advantage of the tension among the tecnicos. He caused Caristico to accidentally superkick Volador. Euforia then submitted Caristico to eliminate him.

Soon after, Niebla Roja eliminated Mistico with a flapjack bomb off the ropes. That left the final four. Volador tried a frankensteiner that almost went horribly wrong on Roja. Nevertheless, Volador still pinned Roja for an elimination and three luchadors remained.

Volador was shining the most when Oro trapped him in a submission hold and Roja broke it up. Oro did a dive onto Volador on Roja. They caught him and threw Oro into the first row. Euforia also found himself deposited into the first row for a setup to Volador springboarding into a plancha to ringside.

Volador ate boots when he went for a moonsault on Oro. Euforia then applied a submission hold to eliminate Volador.

Angel de Oro swooped in to submit Euforia for the final elimination to win the 2017 Reyes del Aire.