Tag: CMLL news

Mistico returning from injury, AEW names set for CMLL Arena Mexico card

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mistico is officially set to make his in-ring return this Friday night.

After spending a couple of weeks on the sidelines due to a knee injury, Mistico said he hoped to make his CMLL return on the June 5 Arena Mexico card. That has now been confirmed with CMLL announcing that Mistico, Mascara Dorada & Neon vs. Zandokan Jr., Difunto & Furia Roja will headline Friday’s show.

The injury Mistico suffered happened during a May 17 trios match, and he appeared on CMLL’s Informa talk show last week with his knee in a brace. Mistico said he’s been doing physical therapy twice a day so he can return on June 5. It was noted during the appearance that Mistico has pending dates for both AEW and NJPW coming up. He is under a dual contract with CMLL/AEW and competes for NJPW through the partnership these promotions have. In NJPW, Mistico currently holds the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles with El Desperado.

CMLL’s June 5 Arena Mexico card —

Friday’s CMLL show also has matches with AEW wrestlers Komander, Sammy Guevara, and Beast Mortos scheduled. Komander will be in singles action against Soberano Jr., while ROH Tag Team Champions Guevara & Mortis will team with Black Tiger (the former Magnus) against Barbaro Cavernaro, Villano III Jr., & El Hijo del Villano III.

Here is the full lineup:

  • Mistico, Mascara Dorada & Neon vs. Zandokan Jr., Difunto & Furia Roja
  • Soberano Jr. vs. Komander
  • Barbaro Cavernaro, Villano III Jr. & El Hijo del Villano III vs. Sammy Guevara, The Beast Mortos & Magnus
  • Lluvia, Garra Negra & Kira vs. Lady Frost, Dark Silueta & Keyra
  • Brillante Jr., Diamond & Oro Jr. vs. Polvora, El Coyote & Vaquero Jr.
  • Rey Cometa & Espiritu Negro vs. Infarto & Cerebro Negro Jr.

Mistico appears in Mexico World Cup squad announcement video

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mistico, the top star in CMLL, helped play a part in announcing Mexico’s team for the 2026 World Cup.

The official 26-man squad for Mexico has now been unveiled ahead of the World Cup kicking off on June 11. In one of the two announcement videos released, a variety of athletes and celebrities made appearances and listed off the names of the players included in the squad. Mistico and boxer Canelo Alvarez were among those to appear. Fullback Mateo Chavez was the name unveiled by Mistico.

Mexico’s Group A match against South Africa is the opening game of the World Cup. South Korea and Czech Republic are the other teams in the group.

Mistico’s participation in this video comes just a few weeks after CMLL and its wrestlers Mascara Dorada & Soberano Jr. collaborated with the NFL to announce a San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings game that’s taking place in Mexico City this November.

CMLL is currently on a hot streak that saw it voted Promotion of the Year and Mistico named Wrestler of the Year in the 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards. With Arena Mexico becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, we’ve seen celebrities show up to events and CMLL even put on a Pokemon-themed show last year.

Mistico’s injury status —

A knee injury has kept Mistico out of action since the middle of May, but he’s hoping to make his CMLL return later this week. He is under a dual contract with CMLL/AEW and also competes for NJPW in Japan, where he currently holds the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team titles with El Desperado.

CMLL collaborates with NFL for Mexico City game announcement

Posted on by Joseph Currier

For the international portion of its 2026/2027 schedule release, the NFL enlisted the help of CMLL and a couple of the promotion’s wrestlers.

It was revealed today that the NFL will return to Mexico City on November 22 when the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. The announcement was made via a video with CMLL’s Mascara Dorada and Soberano Jr. representing the respective teams. Estadio Banorte (Estadio Azteca) will be hosting the game.

“Whether you’re a rudo or tecnico, the showdown awaiting us on November 22 at Estadio Banorte will be unforgettable!,” NFL Mexico wrote. “Are you Team Vikings or Team Niners?”

CMLL had a stellar business year in 2025 and was voted Promotion of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards. The oldest active promotion still in existence, CMLL also collaborated with Pokemon for a show last year and recently had the South Korean K-pop supergroup BTS attend one of its events.

Lucha masks for each NFL team are currently on sale through a licensing partnership between the NFL and Tony Khan’s AEW.

The NFL revealed its slate of international games for the 2026/2027 season today ahead of the full schedule being unveiled this Thursday.

South Korean supergroup BTS attends CMLL Arena Mexico show

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Friday nights at Arena Mexico are becoming an increasingly popular tourist attraction, and CMLL had some very special guests in attendance on May 8.

South Korean supergroup BTS — one of the most popular music acts in the world — were in attendance for Friday’s event in Mexico City. Suga, Jimin, Jungkook, and Jin of BTS wore masks as they watched on from the front row. They got a shout out from top CMLL star Mistico, who wore a BTS jacket to the ring for the main event. Mistico then teamed with Titan to defeat Angel de Oro & Barbaro Cavernario.

Titan took notice of Suga wearing his mask and thanked him for it.

“Tonight, a band that’s extremely popular worldwide came to the show, and one of them was wearing my mask,” he tweeted. “Thank you so much.”

BTS have more than 80 million subscribers on YouTube. The K-pop band is currently on a world tour where they played Mexico City on Thursday and have two more stadium shows there this weekend. The next stops on the tour are in California and Las Vegas, including three nights at WrestleMania 41 and 42 host venue Allegiant Stadium.

In the 2025 Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards, CMLL won Promotion of the Year, Mistico won Wrestler of the Year, and Salvador Lutteroth III took home Promoter of the Year. The long-standing promotion drew more than one million fans to its home venue Arena Mexico in 2025. Last year also saw CMLL collaborate with Pokemon for an event, and music star/WWE celebrity Bad Bunny was in attendance for a show in December.

CMLL announces departure of La Catalina

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CMLL issued a statement on Tuesday announcing that a member of its women’s division has departed the promotion.

La Catalina exited CMLL when her contract expired at the start of April 2026. In the company’s statement, CMLL said it was Catalina’s decision not to renew. CMLL concluded the statement by wishing Catalina well in her future endeavors.

There has been no news on why Catalina made the decision to leave or what her next move in pro wrestling will be. She shared CMLL’s statement on social media but has not addressed the situation yet.

In 2024-2025, Catalina worked CMLL matches against AEW stars Toni Storm and Mercedes Mone. But given that AEW and CMLL are working together to offer dual contracts to talent, it would appear unlikely that AEW is her next destination.

Catalina, 25, is originally from Chile and spent some of her early career with WWE, where she was known as “Carolina” during a brief pairing with Sin Cara on the main roster and later used the name “Katrina Cortez” in NXT. Working for WWE fulfilled a dream for Catalina, but she has spoken negatively about her time with the company. If she were to return to WWE, it would presumably be for a role in Lucha Libre AAA.

New Don Callis Family member revealed ahead of AEW Trios title match

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new member of the Don Callis Family has been revealed ahead of challenging for AEW gold this Friday night.

In a video uploaded late on Monday, Rocky Romero announced that CMLL wrestler Volador Jr. has joined the Don Callis Family ranks. The faction will attempt to gain the AEW Trios titles on Friday when Volador, Hechicero & El Clon take on Mistico, Kevin Knight & “Speedball” Mike Bailey in the main event of CMLL’s Arena Mexico show.

The 45-year-old Volador is a long-time CMLL star who has made frequent NJPW appearances over the years, including featuring in multiple Best of the Super Junior and Super Junior Tag League tournaments. He debuted for AEW in 2024 and MLW in 2025.

Mistico, Knight & Bailey became the new AEW Trios Champions when they defeated Don Callis Family’s Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis this month at Revolution 2026. That same night, it was announced that Mistico is now under a dual contract with AEW and CMLL.

Last week, the Don Callis Family was dealt a blow when it was announced that Josh Alexander will need to undergo knee surgery and miss an extended amount of time. Fletcher also could be dealing with an injury as he was wearing a walking boot after wrestling on AEW Collision this past weekend.

The April 3 Arena Mexico card also includes AEW’s Thunder Rosa teaming with Marcela & India Sioux for a six-woman tag match against Persephone, Princesa Sugehit & Olympia.

NJPW grants CMLL wrestler permission to use Black Tiger gimmick

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CMLL wrestler Magnus is officially adopting a classic NJPW gimmick.

On this week’s edition of CMLL Informa, it was revealed that Magnus will now be going by the name “Black Tiger.” He is the ninth wrestler to don the mask, which was originally introduced in the 1980s as a rival to Tiger Mask. The character has been portrayed by the likes of Mark Rocco, Eddie Guerrero, and Rocky Romero.

NJPW chairman Naoki Sugabayashi appeared on Informa and gave the character change his blessing. This comes after Magnus wore the Black Tiger mask during this year’s NJPW & CMLL Fantasticamania tour. The final night of the tour included a singles match where Tiger Mask defeated Magnus.

Along with competing in CMLL, Magnus has made appearances for AEW/ROH and MLW. He is a former MLW Tag Team Champion and recently wrestled at MLW’s TV taping in Atlanta on March 14.

The babyface Tiger Mask character in NJPW is currently played by Yoshihiro Yamazaki, who will be retiring from the ring this July. He is the fourth iteration of Tiger Mask, following Satoru Sayama, Mitsuharu Misawa, and Koji Kanemoto.

Claudio Castagnoli’s next CMLL World title defense set

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Claudio Castagnoli will have two challengers when he makes his next CMLL World Heavyweight Championship defense.

CMLL has confirmed that Castagnoli will defend his title against Euforia and Akuma in a three-way match at Arena Mexico this Friday night. The match was set up by Euforia and Akuma both answering an open challenge that was issued by Castagnoli.

This will be Castagnoli’s fifth defense since winning the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship from Gran Guerrero in November 2025. So far, the AEW star has successfully retained against Ultimo Guerrero, Roderick Strong, Xelhua, and Josh Alexander during his reign.

“I know I’m the best CMLL World Heavyweight Champion that you’ve ever seen,” Castagnoli said in the promo where he issued this open challenge. “Now I want to know who is going to step up when I come back to Arena Mexico next Friday, February 27 to defend this prestigious title.”

Friday night’s Arena Mexico show is still scheduled despite civil unrest in Mexico forcing CMLL to cancel an event that was supposed to be held in Guadalajara tonight. Along with Castagnoli working the show, AEW’s Johnny TV is set to compete in a hair vs. hair match in the main event against Angel de Oro.

CMLL airs its Friday night shows on YouTube for subscribers at the two highest subscription levels.

CMLL cancels event following violence in Mexico

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CMLL has officially canceled one of its upcoming events amid a period of civil unrest.

The promotion issued a statement today announcing that Tuesday’s event at Arena Coliseo in Guadalajara will not go forward as planned. It’s a decision that comes after a wave of violence in Mexico following the army’s killing of “El Mencho,” a cartel leader from the Cartel de Jalicso Nueva Generacio gang.

CMLL said the decision was made to prioritize the safety of fans and everyone involved in the event. Information regarding other events will continue to be provided through CMLL’s social media accounts.

“In light of the events of the last few hours in our country, and following the recommendations of security authorities, we have made the decision to suspend our event scheduled for Tuesday, February 24 at the Arena Coliseo in Guadalajara, prioritizing the safety of the best fans in the world,” CMLL announced.

“This decision reflects our commitment to ensuring a safe environment for the audience, the talent, and all personnel involved in the event’s operation. We sincerely appreciate the understanding, support, and trust of our fans. We will continue to provide updates through our official channels.”

Tonight’s CMLL event at Arena Puebla is still being advertised. Among the other shows CMLL has coming up is this Friday’s Arena Mexico card, which is set to feature Johnny TV vs. Angel de Oro in a hair vs. hair match.

CMLL reveals Claudio Castagnoli World title challenger

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Claudio Castagnoli is heading down to Mexico City for a title defense this Friday — and we now know who his challenger will be.

Last night, CMLL shared a promo with Castagnoli issuing an open challenge for his CMLL World Heavyweight Championship. He wanted “a young luchador who thinks they have what it takes” to step up and answer the call. The 21-year-old Xelhua has now responded and will be facing off against Castagnoli at Arena Mexico on Friday (January 30).

Castagnoli was crowned the CMLL World Heavyweight Champion by defeating Gran Guerrero for the belt on November 28. His two title defenses since then have been split across Mexico and the United States, defeating Ultimo Guerrero and Roderick Strong. The latter of those headlined this past Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision.

Xelhua, an up-and-coming technical star, also recently got an ROH Pure Championship shot but came up short against Lee Moriarty when they faced off in Mexico.

CMLL streams its Friday night shows on YouTube for subscribers at the two highest subscription levels.

NJPW announces details for Fantasticamania 2026

Posted on by Joseph Currier

NJPW has announced the schedule for Fantasticamania 2026, along with the CMLL wrestlers that will be appearing.

Fantasticamania is an annual collaboration between CMLL and NJPW that brings some of the top stars from Mexico to Japan. The 2026 tour begins on February 18 and will feature seven events:

  • February 18 in Tokyo at Yoyogi Stadium second hall
  • February 21 in Kochi at CHRES Seliz
  • February 22 in Osaka at ATC Hall
  • February 23 in Aichi at Prefectural Budokan
  • Febraury 24 in Osaka at EDION Osaka B
  • February 26 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall
  • February 27 in Tokyo at Korakuen Hall

The following talent from CMLL will be competing on the tour:

  • Mistico 
  • Mascara Dorada
  • Titan 
  • Atlantis 
  • Atlantis Jr. 
  • Templario
  • Stigma 
  • Ultimo Guerrero 
  • Hechicero 
  • Averno
  • Soberano Jr.
  • Okumura 
  • Magnus
  • Futuro
  • Valiente Jr.
  • Hijo de Stuka Jr.

Ring announcer Ivan Salguero from CMLL will also be making the trip to Japan to perform his duties at Fantasticamania.

CMLL is one of NJPW’s most important international partnerships, with the two promotions also working closely together with AEW in the United States and Revolution Pro Wrestling in the United Kingdom.

CMLL & Stardom announce official business partnership

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CMLL is continuing to expand its international ties by announcing an official partnership with Japanese women’s wrestling promotion Stardom.

The business relationship was announced on Wednesday night during CMLL’s weekly Informa talk show. CMLL boss Salvador Lutteroth Lomeli and Stardom president Taro Okada both appeared for the announcement. Kounosuke Izui of Japanese wrestling magazine Lady’s Ring — who helped bring the two promotions together — also appeared.

In the partnership, CMLL and Stardom will exchange talent with the goal of benefitting both promotions and advancing women’s wrestling worldwide.

“This partnership was made possible through the efforts of LADYSRING’s Kounosuke Izui who has long served as a bridge between CMLL and the Japanese women’s professional wrestling world,” Stardom wrote.

“In addition, Stardom’s sister organization, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, also has a partnership with CMLL, and Stardom’s entry into the organization will further expand their ties.”

CMLL now has official working relationships with AEW, NJPW, Stardom, and MLW.

This Friday, CMLL is presenting its annual Women’s International Grand Prix at Arena Mexico. Stardom’s Hazuki and Koguma are two of the participants. There will also be representatives from AEW/ROH (Mina Shirakawa, Skye Blue, Julia Hart, Thekla, and Diamante), MLW (Shoko Nakajima), and Revolution Pro Wrestling (Kanji).

CMLL star undergoes successful knee surgery

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Zandokan Jr. has undergone successful surgery to repair the knee injury that recently forced him out of action.

The injury happened when Zandokan & Difunto lost to AEW Tag Team Champions Bandido & Brody King at a CMLL event on September 12. Zandokan did briefly continue to work matches after that before it was revealed that he would need to have surgery. That operation has now been completed.

“Thank God the operation was successful,” Zandokan posted on Instagram. “I’ll be back with you all soon!”

Along with forcing Zandokan to miss time for CMLL, the injury caused a change to MLW’s Opera Cup 2025 tournament. He defeated Blue Panther Jr. in the first round and was slated to face Volador Jr. next. Instead, Star Jr. replaced Zandokan and lost to Volador in the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be Volador vs. Satoshi Kojima and Mistico vs. Austin Aries.

Zandokan is a member of Galeon Fantasma — a heel trio with Difunto and Barboza.

Mistico would like to have ‘double contract’ with CMLL & US promotion

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Mistico would like to sign a wrestling contract in the United States while remaining a top star for CMLL in Mexico.

Since AEW & CMLL formed their close working relationship, we’ve seen luchadors like Hechicero sign AEW deals while remaining contracted to CMLL. A dual contract is also something that interests Mistico, with him telling WrestleZone that he has ambitions of doing more in the U.S. promotions where he competes (AEW and MLW).

“I’m looking for an opportunity in any promotion in the world. If I receive an opportunity, I will take it. I proved that I love lucha libre,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s in Mexico, London, Japan. I think that I’ve shown what I’m made of, and now I think it’s time to look for new things.”

“And if I have an opportunity for a championship in an American company, I’m going to do it in AEW and MLW with all the pleasure of the world,” Mistico added. “Like other teammates who have a wonderful double contract, I would like to have that kind of contract. Or also to have new rivalries with other superstars. So I’m looking for new opportunities and new challenges in my career.”

Mistico was previously signed to a U.S. contract when he competed as Sin Cara for WWE in the early 2010s.

The WrestleZone interview was done through a translator and was to promote MLW’s Slaughterhouse event that’s taking place this Saturday, where Mistico will be facing Ultimo Guerrero in the Opera Cup tournament quarterfinals. Mistico was the 2024 Opera Cup winner and is also a former Middleweight Champion for MLW.

Mistico has been one of 2025’s best wrestlers in the ring and at the box office. At CMLL’s 92nd Aniversario in September, he regained the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship from AEW star MJF.

CMLL wrestler to undergo knee surgery

Posted on by Joseph Currier

CMLL star Zandokan Jr. will be spending some time on the sidelines as he recovers from a knee injury.

On Instagram this week, Zandokan indicated that he would be out of action after suffering a knee injury on CMLL’s September 12 event. He worked a couple of dates after the injury, including still competing at the CMLL 92nd Aniversario, but Dave Meltzer confirmed that Zandokan will now be having surgery.

“He’s having knee surgery from the injury that he suffered a week ago Friday in the match with Bandido & Brody King against Zandokan & Difunto. So he’ll be out of action for a while, which is too bad. He was really having a year,” Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“He was a guy that they were really focusing on to build to being one of their top stars. He had had a really big year this year. He beat Star Jr. for his mask. He won the Copa Junior, beating Mascara Dorada in the finals. He’d gotten the championship match with MJF. He’d gotten the [AEW] Tag Team Championship match. Headlined a lot of shows. The trio [Galeon Fantasma] was on fire, but they’re going to have to pause for a while until he gets back.”

Along with his CMLL work, Zandokan is an entrant in MLW Opera Cup 2025 and has been set to appear at Fantastica Mania UK for RevPro next month. There haven’t been any announcements made by MLW or RevPro regarding his status.