Tag: Lucha Libre

AAA Makes Wrestling Fun Again -or- How I learned To Stop Worrying And Love Lucha Libre | Opinion

Posted on by Jeff Moss

Like most things in life, wrestling is cyclical and in a lot of ways, we’re currently at the bottom of the circle. 

WWE is in a creative place where the corporate aspect of being part of TKO is the lead story. WWE as a company is the star and it very much feels like characters and performance are secondary. AEW is putting on quality shows, but they are upwards of 7 hours long, which is a lot for even the most hardened of us to take. Ring of Honor, TNA, NXT, these shows all seem to be putting on decent matches, but the stories and characters can come across as listless and repetitive. 

So, where does that leave a wrestling fan like myself? It leaves me aching for something new and different and in spite of my previous comments about WWE, they have managed to plop it directly into my eyeballs. 

Granted, I’m a little late to the game, but AAA has blown the doors off a whole world of wrestling that was missing from my life. When AAA began to air on Fox in Latin America, I was tasked with doing the weekly live recaps and immediately I fell in love with AAA, the Mexican fans and lucha libre in general. To understand why, we have to go back to the beginning. 

The Birth of Lucha Libre

Lucha libre (which translates to “free fight”), has origins that trace back to the early 20th century, exploding in popularity in the 1930s when Salvador Lutteroth established the Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL, known today as CMLL or Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre). 

During this “Golden Age,” the narrative of the técnico (the noble hero) versus the rudo (the villainous rule-breaker) became a reflection of social struggles and morality, captivating audiences across Mexico and elevating wrestlers to the status of living legends. This is probably best personified by El Santo, the “Silver Masked Man,” who became a folk hero through both his prowess in the ring and his prolific career in cinema. 

A luchadore’s longevity is frequently preserved through the sacred tradition of the mask; even as an individual athlete ages or retires, the persona can be passed down through generations, allowing iconic characters like Blue Demon or El Santo to remain eternal figures in the public consciousness.

For many luchadores, the mask is sacred, representing an ancestral lineage and a secret identity that is only revealed if lost in a high-stakes Lucha de Apuestas (bet match). One of these such matches is coming up in AAA as “Real” El Grande Americano will face “Original” El Grande Americano in a Mask-vs-Mask match on May 30th. 

What Makes AAA So Different?

Today’s lucha libre (AAA in particular) has taken all the legacy, excitement and athleticism and amped it up big time. They have amazing characters, incredible matches and an audience that’s hotter than a ringpost around Kane. 

In AAA (and lucha libre in general), the past is not only remembered, but celebrated and factored into the matches and shows happening currently. This makes AAA feel like not just wrestling, but culturally relevant historical moments, which as a viewer, just draws me in more. 

The audience is also a big factor. Not since the heyday of the romanticized “Attitude Era” have I seen weekly crowds that are as hot as a Saturday night AAA crowd. They not only live and die with the performers in the ring, but the reactions and noise they produce makes every episode of AAA feel full of tension and excitement that adds to the incredible work going on in the ring. 

Outcomes feel like wins and losses instead of booking decisions. Interference and run-ins happen naturally and make sense within the story of the match. These may not seem like crazy innovations, but in today’s wrestling world of 15-minute entrances, 45-year olds beating each other up and endless screwy “swerves,” the simple act of telling a story is a novelty. 

What You Need To Know

In addition to the aforementioned El Grande Americano Civil War, AAA is running programs in which El Hijo del Vikingo is desperately searching for success with Omos backing him up, Flammer, the Reina de Reinas Champion (Women’s Champion), is about to battle the newly-signed Catalina, who’s looking to end Flammer’s almost 1000-day title reign and there is major Clown drama, as Pagano and Psycho Clown (holders of the AAA Tag Titles) are about to be at each other’s throats. 

On commentary, Corey Graves and JBL (who has a surprisingly deep level of lucha-knowledge) are joined by Rey Mysterio Jr, who translates any Spanish that needs translating. They work as a great team and I was not a big JBL commentary fan in WWE, so that’s saying something. 

I’m not pretending to have discovered Lucha Libre or present it as something new, but, for the first time in a long time, I spend my weeks thinking about wrestling not in the context of business deals, ratings or news, but thinking of it in terms of fun. Just like I did when WWE and WCW were at their hottest. If for nothing else, I thank AAA for that. If a jaded old wrestling fan like me can rediscover the joy in wrestling through their program, then telling everyone else to watch it is the least I can do.

WOL: Sam Adonis on the differences between American & Mexican wrestling fans

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s WWE SummerSlam Saturday and we hope your home’s air conditioned.

On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Jim Valley gives you the rundown on night one. At first glance, it looks like a lot of babyface wins, but that can’t be right, right? WWE always throws in some surprise victories.

Earlier this week, you may have seen the AAA crowd in Mexico go crazy for Dom Mysterio and El Grande Americano. If you haven’t watched a lot of lucha, you may be wondering why Mexican fans are cheering Americano when he’s seemingly making a mockery of lucha libre.

Enter Sam Adonis, once called “the most hated man in Mexico.” He’s wrestled there for years in virtually every promotion including AAA, CMLL, The Crash and more. On today’s show, he offers his perspective on the differences between American fans and Mexican fans, and why some reactions in Mexico can be unexpected.

If you’re a fan of lucha or want to learn more, this is a great interview.

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Subscriber exclusive: Dave Meltzer on the life & times of Rey Misterio Sr.

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Subscribers can now read Dave Meltzer’s obituary on Rey Misterio Sr. from the upcoming Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The uncle of WWE star Rey Mysterio Jr. passed away last week.

Here’s an excerpt:

“You could arrive at 3 p.m., get front row tickets for less than $10, because in those days, nobody bought tickets in advance.  You’d think this show is going to bomb when you could get front row the day of the show.  You’d come back five hours later and see a giant line for tickets. By 8:30 p.m., when the show started, there would be a packed house of 5,000 fans drinking and screaming their lungs out in seeing the precursor of a style that would change the look of wrestling worldwide. The building looked run down back then, but even today, some 30 years later, it’s still around, and may be the only place left in the world where independent shows can still regularly draw 3,000 to 5,000 fans.

This was all built on the foundation of the original Rey Misterio and promoter Benjamin Mora and later wrestlers and promoters who followed in their footsteps, many of whom owed their business roots to Rey Misterio. 

The promotion of the shows in the 70s and into the 80s, with no wrestling on television, was mainly through newspapers and large murals around the city with the names and drawings of the headliners for the weekly shows.  People would see the show murals and posters.  In many cases, they didn’t even know the promotion or the promoter.  It wasn’t at all about brand loyalty. It was the name value of the guys in the main event.

The key figure who led to so much of this happening, Miguel Lopez, the original Rey Misterio (or Rey Sr. after his nephew became a huge star as Rey Jr.), passed away on 12/20 at the age of 66.”

Click here to read.

AEW promoting lucha libre match prior to Jacksonville Jaguars NFL home opener

Posted on by Josh Nason

Tony Khan is fusing two of his primary jobs — AEW and the NFL — together this Sunday.

Ahead of his Jacksonville Jaguars’ home opener, there will be a two-out-of-three falls lucha libre tag team match held at Flex Field, the NFL team’s indoor practice area that is part of the Khan family’s complex that includes Daily’s Place and EverBank Stadium where the Jaguars play.

The match will be held in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and will feature Ring of Honor Tag Team Champion Sammy Guevara teaming with Hologram against The Beast Mortos and Matt Taven.

It’s unknown if AEW will release the footage of the match on YouTube and their social media channels. The bout is the only one announced as of this time.

It will take place from 11:30 AM to noon Eastern with the kickoff for the actual game starting at 1 PM.

The franchise has been owned by Shad Khan, Tony’s father, since 2012. This will be Tony’s 13th year with the team and his fourth as chief football strategy officer.

AAA/CMLL issues ‘worked out’ for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

Posted on by Ian Carey

The issues preventing AAA and CMLL affiliated wrestlers from appearing on the same AEW shows have been worked out.

Previously, the longstanding rivalry between the two lucha promotions put limitations on wrestlers from one company appearing on the same show as wrestlers from the other company, although not necessarily at the same taping. AAA-affilated luchadors such as Andrade, Rush, and The Lucha Bros have also been prevented from performing at the 2022 & 2023 Forbidden Door pay-per-views since AEW co-promotes the events with NJPW.

However, our own Dave Meltzer is reporting that perhaps the most forbidden of all the forbidden doors in wrestling has been opened, at least a little, for this year’s event.

Meltzer had the following to say on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Tony Khan said that they have pretty much worked it out. So, that means that Forbidden Door that Rush and Fenix and all these guys can appear on it,” Meltzer said on the show. “Money talks, I guess.”

“(Tony Khan’s) really been a good partner for New Japan, he’s trying to be a good partner for CMLL and, I guess, CMLL got less stubborn,” Meltzer continued. “As they are trying to expose their guys in this country. I mean, it makes more sense for them. CMLL guys are getting more and more work in this country. There’s even talk of CMLL trying to do shows in this country. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, I don’t think they’ll do one on their own but time will tell.”

“As far as Forbidden Door goes, it looks like MJF and Rush is going to be at Forbidden Door and I would presume that Mistico and some of the top guys from CMLL will be on that show.”

AAA and CMLL affiliated wrestlers were both featured on AEW Dynamite last night. Rey Fenix earned a future International Championship match by winning a four-way on the show. Rush confronted MJF during his in-ring promo and CMLL’s Volador Jr., Magnus, Rugido, and Esfinge wrestled the Blackpool Combat Club in an eight-person tag.

Atlantis reflects on four decades in wrestling, CMLL loyalty

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

On Saturday, lucha libre and CMLL icon Atlantis celebrated his 40 year anniversary at NJPW’s Fighting Spirit Unleashed in Las Vegas. 

In an eight-man tag team match, he, Atlantis Jr., Hiroshi Tanahashi & Mistico picked up a win over Adrian Quest, Tiger Mask, Soberano Jr, and Rocky Romero.

The legend has never lost his mask which is considered the most valuable mask in lucha libre right now. Throughout the years, he has won multiple championships in CMLL including the company’s light heavyweight title twice, the Tag Team titles five times, the Trios titles four times, and others.

In 2000, he won match of the year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards for his bout against Villano III in Mexico City. He is also part of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame class of 2013. 

I recently talked to the legend about his four decades in wrestling, his son, taking the masks of other wrestlers and more. which you can watch for free above. Please note that it’s in Spanish with the following transcribed into English by Luis Pulido in addition to subtitles on the video.

“I didn’t want to be a professional wrestler”

Given that 40 years in any business is a long time, especially a physical one like wrestling, I asked if he ever thought he would go on to have such a lengthy career and one that is still unfolding.

Atlantis went on to reveal that he was actually planning on quitting after two years because his interests were geared more towards amateur sports. 

“I spent eight years in the gym of the best teacher in Mexico, in the whole world, a teacher called El Diablo Velasco, who trained many national and international stars. I trained, but I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to be a professional wrestler.

“My teacher would say to me ‘Kid, are you ready for your wrestling exam?’ and I would answer ‘Professor, I’m not interested in professional wrestling.’ I liked amateur sports. Then a friend of mine once invited me to a small venue. I got excited and went to Mexico City and that day, I made my debut.”

“I had this mask in my hand and a very famous man from CMLL, El Güero Rangel, told me, “Kid, are you going to wrestle with a mask or without a mask?” and I said “With a mask” and he responded, “Well, put it on because you are going to go up.”

“And he asked me, ‘Are you afraid of wrestlers or the fans?’ I said, ‘No, I’m not more afraid of the public than the wrestlers.’ I know how to fight, but the public, facing the seven-headed monster is very difficult.'”

“I just thought about it for two years and then I retired. I’ve been a professional wrestler for 40 years and I don’t want to retire from wrestling. If I die, if I come back in the flesh, I want to be a wrestler because Atlantis is my idol.”

Atlantis said the reason he didn’t give up is because pro wrestling is “addictive.” 

“I take off my mask and I’m an ordinary person. I have no complexes or traumas, but I put on the mask and I am a flesh and blood superhero who is Atlantis. I fight for the character of Atlantis. I have no barriers. I have no boundaries.”

Taking the masks of nine wrestlers

In his 40 years of lucha libre, Atlantis has taken the masks of nine wrestlers like La Sombra, Ultimo Guerrero, Villano III, Talisman, and others. 

“For me, the nine masks that I have won are very, very important. When you lose the mask, it is the most important fight of your life because you are failing yourself, you are failing the press, you are failing the public.”

Atlantis says that if he were to ever lose his mask, he would be brought to tears. He also explained that all nine masks are different, and that they all cost him sweat, tears, and no sleep at nights. 

“Because I know that those fights are very, very, difficult, they are very complicated. But, thank God, I end up with the mask of my rival in my hand with the hand up of a great winner.”

Atlantis Jr.

Like many luchadors, his son is also following in his footsteps. Atlantis Jr. made his wrestling debut in December 2017. Since then, he has gone on to win the NWA Historic Light Heavyweight title, the CMLL Trios title, the Mexican National Tag Team titles, and the 2022 La Copa Junior. 

He also won his first ever mask vs. mask match at the CMLL 89th Anniversary Show on September 16, 2022, when he defeated Stuka Jr in Mexico City, Mexico.

Father and son have teamed up together in the ring multiple times and travel the world together. The father said they are are good friends and are basically the same person. 

“There are no lies, no bad words, no, nothing, just advice. And I tell him, ‘You watch out. You are a very lucky guy. Thank God, you are a son of Atlantis.'”

He said what he learned in 40 years of being in the professional wrestling business, he has been able to teach his son in two years, adding that he trains with him three times a week. 

Why he never left CMLL

Throughout his entire career, Atlantis has been loyal to CMLL. He revealed that he has always been happy in CMLL and should he ever change companies, there should be “six fights and more money.” 

He also shared that AAA has tried getting him over the years and still are to this day.

“I’ve never been interested in belonging to AAA. Maybe one day, but I don’t think so. In my 40 years in CMLL where I am the head of the lion, I don’t want to be the tail of the mouse. So as the song by Vicente Fernandez goes, ‘I am still the king.’”

Gringo Loco on the challenges of booking GCW’s The Wrld on Lucha

Posted on by Denise Salcedo

As is tradition, the GCW Collective is taking place during WWE WrestleMania 39 weekend in Los Angeles. 

Multiple shows will be taking place at the Ukrainian Cultural Center, one of which is the second-ever The Wrld on Lucha on April 1st at 9 PM Pacific — live on FITE.tv.

I talked with Gringo Loco who is booking the event, chatting about the challenges he faces in putting the show together and what he likes about the card thus far.

In our 40-minute interview, seen above on YouTube, we talk about other topics like how he got into wrestling, being accepted, his love for lucha libre, and more.

“Anxiety always sets in”

Loco said the anxiety to put on a good show is a challenge of putting together lineups in addition to staying as authentic as possible — all because he wants the event to be good.

“I just I have nightmares of just running a really bad show. And thank God, last year was fantastic. I got nothing but great reviews afterwards.

“People still talk about it (and that it was their favorite show of the weekend. I really take that to heart because I put a lot of energy into it last year, meticulously putting the card together and the same thing with this year. I just want it to be special and you run into a lot of mental roadblocks because there’s only so many spots.”

To him, one of the most difficult parts of booking a show is handling which spots on the card go to who. 

“You figure whatever the number is and you want to get all these people on and, you know, they’re going to knock it out of the park. But if you don’t have a spot for them, I think that’s the most difficult part for me so far while running a show, because not everybody can get on and everybody definitely deserves the chance.” 

However, he wants to make sure to build the best card possible so the fans will want to comeback. 

“I’m just trying to bring the best card possible, try to bring memories for the fans so that they’ll want to come back and then this could be like an ongoing thing for the world of lucha. But, so far so good. Last year went really well, and I think that people are loving the idea of a lucha libre promotion.” 

The card

To date, several matches have been announced that include these:

Himself vs. Psycho Clown

“The rematch is going to happen from the crazy bloody match that we had in Dallas. I think you know what to expect from that one.”

El Hijo Del Vikingo vs. Laredo Kid 

“So, we have a crazy match for you. It is Laredo Kid, who is just coming back from injury vs. Vikingo. And I don’t know if you’ve seen these guys work together, but they are maniacs. And I think that if you are in the building in L.A., you’re going to be seeing something very special with those two.”

Los Macizos vs. Familia de Tijuana

“All four of those guys are just crazy maniacs.”

Negro Casas vs. Tony Deppen 

“A clash of styles.”

Dulce Tormenta vs. Sexy Star 

“If you know anything about those two, these are two of the hardest working luchadoras that there is right now. I think they’re hard hitting and I know they’re crazy.” 

Loco explained that he wanted to make sure the show presents lucha libre authentically. 

“When it comes to hardcore stuff, we’re really trying to give you just a nice jumble of authentic lucha. I have had a couple of ideas thrown at me and it wasn’t exactly super authentic lucha, so I said no to them. I just want to bring lucha…and put it on a big stage.”

Daily Update: WWE stock, Trent Barreta, AAA on TV Azteca

Posted on by F4W Staff

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: WWE’s WrestleMania main event decision

While the first women’s WrestleMania main event is all but official at this point, WWE still has a huge decision to make about who will be in it.

In a sense, WWE is playing with house money. Both options that they have are good ones. Whether the main event is Ronda Rousey vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship or a triple threat between Rousey, Lynch, and Charlotte Flair for the title, it will be the most heated match on the card and fully deserving of its place in the spotlight on WWE’s most important day of the year. 

WON NEWSLETTER: February 11, 2019: NJPW New Beginning in Sapporo review, more

I have no idea how this issue got done. I had surgery on my left little finger which was broken in three places on 1/30, and it seemingly went well.

NJPW – New Beginnings: The two nights together did 10,957 paid with one sellout up from 10,002 last year. Tanahashi & Okada as The Dream Team vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale did the same as Tanahashi vs. Suzuki did last year for the IC title but paid was much higher this year for Naito vs. Taichi in Taichi’s hometown than for Kenny Omega vs. Jay White for the U.S, title last year, although both were sellouts.

At Smackdown on Tuesday, several talents with contracts coming due were asked to sign new long-term deals after Dean Ambrose told the promotion he wasn’t going to sign a new contract. 

Ian Riccaboni signed a new contract with ROH to continue as their play-by-play announcer.

UFC held a press conference today. The big heat seemed to be between Tyron Woodley and Kamaru Usman, building up their Welterweight Title fight at UFC 235 on March 2nd. Jon Jones is facing Anthony Smith on that show.

Conor McGregor will not be fighting Donald Cerrone in April. Khabib still claims he is not fighting for a year.

Jose Aldo defeated Renato Moicano, 44 seconds into the 2nd round. First round was very close. But it was the “old Aldo”, just destroyed him. Aldo is still talking about retiring at the end of this year. 

Filthy Tom Lawlor is the new MLW champion defeating Low Ki at their super fight one hour Bein Sports TV special from the 2300 (ECW) Arena in Philadelphia.

ORDERING INFO:  Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered  via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by  mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell,CA  95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

by Bryan Rose and Joseph Currier

WWE

  • After WWE released their fourth quarter/full year 2018 financial report today, WWE stock closed the day at $83.51 per share. That’s up 4.70 percent on the day and gives the company a $6.52 billion market capitalization.
  • WWE announced a stock repurchase program of up to $500 million of their common stock. WWE’s George Barrios said about the announcement: “The authorization of a stock repurchase program underscores our commitment to the Company’s shareholders. The decision is supported by WWE’s strong financial performance and demonstrates our confidence in the Company’s future. We believe we can continue to invest for future growth, maintain financial flexibility and return excess capital to shareholders, all of which should keep us on the path toward building long-term value.”
  • Dean Ambrose will be a guest on Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder’s podcast tomorrow.
  • The Richmond Coliseum, which opened in 1971, is reportedly being shuttered and there are plans to demolish the venue. It was home to several WWE events, most recently Backlash 2016 where AJ Styles pinned Dean Ambrose to win the WWE title.
  • Ronda Rousey made an appearance to help with the opening of the new Didi Hirsch Suicide Prevention Center in Los Angeles.
  • The Rock said he was the Academy’s first choice to host the Oscars, but had to turn it down due to filming the next Jumanji movie.
  • Seth Rollins reflects on his early run in NXT and FCW.
  • Alexa Bliss has been training with Mike Quackenbush at the Performance Center.
  • WWE uploaded video of Eric Bugenhagen’s “encore performance” after his NXT TV debut.
  • There is also a history of Elimination Chamber match winners on WWE’s YouTube page.
  • Bruce Feldman reported that Pep Hamilton is expected to be named the head coach and general manager of the XFL’s Washington D.C. team. Hamilton was the University of Michigan’s assistant head coach/passing game coordinator until leaving this week. He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts and Stanford University.

Pro Wrestling

  • From Dave Meltzer on Trent Barreta/AEW/NJPW: “New Japan is not upset at AEW over Trent Barreta. The issue is that they felt Baretta had made a commitment to them for 2019 to key people and then decided to leave but they have no beef with AEW over them signing him.”
  • AAA will start airing on TV Azteca on 2/15, with Lucha Central reporting it will air at 4:30 Central time every Friday. This comes after AAA announced recently that they and Televisia had split.
  • Impact has announced a press conference with former NFL players Floyd Little, Morton Greenwood, Tom Barnt and Lawrence Pinson to formally launch their alliance with the NFLALV’s charity programs ‘Caring for Kids’ and ‘Care for our Own’. It will take place on 2/15 starting at 5:30 p.m. PT at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.
  • Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler and Shane Helms have been added to Starrcast II.
  • NJPW’s website has removed Cody Rhodes, Young Bucks, Hangman Page, Trent Barreta, Chucky T and KUSHIDA’s profiles from their website. However, Kenny Omega and Jericho’s profiles are still up.
  • A video by Shaun Ryan is out hyping the feud between David Starr and Jordan Devlin ahead of their OTT match on 2/17.
  • Cody Rhodes and Madison Rayne appeared on this week’s episode of The Ross Report.
  • Ilja Dragunov has been announced for this year’s PROGRESS Super Strong Style 16 tournament, which is taking place from May 4-6. He’s the second wrestler to be confirmed for the tournament, joining Travis Banks.
  • Ian Riccaboni has this weekend’s ROH shows off because he and his wife are expecting the arrival of their second child: “Now feels as good of time as ever to mention this: My wife is pregnant. All signs point to a happy and health birth… this weekend. One of the reasons I re-signed with ROH was because they walk the walk with ‘Family First’. I have off this weekend.”

UFC/MMA

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Money Inc. win WWF Tag Team titles

Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):

  • Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
  • Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Bandido signs with Ring of Honor

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Ring of Honor is continuing to sign new talent heading into 2019, as Bandido has signed with the promotion.

Luchablog is reporting that Bandido has signed with ROH and will start with the promotion in early 2019. They also reported that he was a part of a WWE Performance Center tryout a few months ago that was never made public, but passed on signing with them at this time.

Dave Meltzer has also confirmed the signing.

It is expected that he will finish up his remaining dates with other independent promotions. He will finish up with Dragon Gate at the end of their current tour. ROH’s deals don’t apply to Mexico, so he’ll continue to work there with his tag team partner Flamita.

Bandido, 23, has made a name for himself this year worldwide wrestling for PWG, Progress, Revolution Pro, CZW and a number of other promotions. He also wrestles regularly for The Crash in Mexico.

Rey Mysterio booked for AAA show in June

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Rey Mysterio is heading back to AAA this summer.

The company announced today that Mysterio will appear at the Verano de Escandalo event which will take place on June 3 at Plaza de Toros La Monumental in Monterrey, Mexico. It wasn’t announced who he would face, with AAA saying that more details would be announced at a later time. Mysterio last wrestled for AAA back in 2016 during a tour of Japan.

This does not seem to affect the chances of Mysterio potentially heading back to the WWE, as he has kept himself open to a number of dates in different promotions all around the world. In addition to appearing at this year’s Royal Rumble, he has also been named owner of Aro Lucha and has appeared on shows that they have taped. He is also set for the Greatest Royal Rumble event later this month and has expressed interest in doing dates for New Japan Pro Wrestling, though nothing has been confirmed.

Mysterio is currently recovering from a torn biceps injury, though he is expected back shortly.

Brazo de Oro passes away at 66 years old

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Jesus Alvarado Nieves, best known as Brazo de Oro, a member of one of the most noteworthy trios of all-time, Los Brazos, passed away today from a heart attack. He was 66.

Brazo de Oro was the older brother of Super Porky, Brazo de Plata, who was one of the biggest and most enduring stars in modern Lucha Libre. The two started as a tag team in the late 70s and then became a trio when adding a third brother, El Brazo. Other brothers they on occasion teamed with included Brazo Cibernetico, Brazo de Platino, and Super Brazo.

As the son of Shadito Cruz, the Alvarado family has produced at least 17 major name pro wrestlers, including current stars La Mascara, Maximo Sexy, Psycho Clown, Goya Kong, and Muneca de Plata.

Brazo de Oro & Brazo de Plata, when they were first starting out, were a tag team known for speed and crispness, and in California, during the dying days of the regional territory, they held both the Americas tag team and World tag team titles in the early 80s.

While they worked Lucha Libre shows in the U.S. regularly for more than a decade, because of the death of territories, they never worked for any major U.S. promotion on a regular basis after 1982.

Eventually they joined with a third brother, El Brazo, to form one of the most famous trios in wrestling history. Originally they were known for being super heel workers, but as Plata gained more and more weight, and transformed into Super Porky, and they got older, they added more and more comedy into their matches.

For years they feuded with Los Villanos, building to a triple mask vs. mask match on October 21st, 1988, which Los Villanos won, which is among the most famous matches in Mexican wrestling history.

They also achieved fame in Japan from their matches airing on World Pro Wrestling on TV-Tokyo. However, the Brazos remained a star trio for several more years. When Lucha Libre style matches live started to be a thing in Japan in 1990, Los Brazos were among the first stars brought in. During the early 90s, they continued to hold World Trios Championships in CMLL, UWA, and WWA. They were among the key stars during the heyday of the UWA promotion.

Later Brazo de Oro headed the wrestlers union and also worked as a booker for CMLL.

La Mascara, one of CMLL’s current headliners, is the son of Brazo de Oro and Lady Apache. Maximo, the current CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, is his nephew.

He also may hold a dubious record for a name wrestler, as he lost at least 17 different hair matches over a 30 year period.

AAA TripleMania XXIV results: Psycho Clown vs. Pagano

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Australian Suicide won a battle royal for the 2016 Copa TripleMania featuring La Parka, Elegido, Taurus, Hernandez, Pimpinela Escarlata, El Hijo del Pirata Morgan, Daga, Super Fly, Zorro, and Mamba

Battle royal didn’t last very long, with La Parka being the final man eliminated. Last two in the ring were Daga and Australian Suicide, and it turned into a singles match. I guess this is similar to the Gauntlet for the Gold TNA used to do.

Lots of fast-paced action. Suicide hit a really cool shooting star press to the floor.

Australian Suicide won with a corkscrew but Daga had his foot on the ropes. He was awarded the cup after the match, but Daga jumped him, destroyed the trophy, and took off his mask.

Averno & Chessman went to a no contest with Mary & Faby Apache

This wasn’t bad when it was just a wrestling match, but it was also full of interference and weapons and there wasn’t a finish to boot. Gran Apache was the special referee. The women jumped the men at the start and ran wild.

Heel ref action started as Gran Apache stopped his daughters from doing anything, allowing the men to jump them from behind. Faby did a cool hurricanrana to the floor but was posted by Averno. Averno was about to hit one of the sisters with a bottle, but Gran Apache stopped him, which got him sent packing by the rudos.

Faby was about to pin Chessman after a hurricanrana but Averno hit her with a light tube. Gran Apache made the save, but then Ricky Marvin came out and laid him out with a chair. Marvin then bit his forehead when he was busted open. Faby was somehow busted open as well. No finish it seems as Faby was stretchered out and Gran Apache went to the back.

Drago & Aerostar defeated Paul London & Matt Cross, Hijo del Fantasma & Garza Jr., and AAA Tag Team Champions Angelico & Jack Evans to win the titles

Fenix no-showed, so Garza Jr. took his place. Largely a stunt show, but a fun one with a bunch of cool dives. Aerostar has the coolest entrance gear. Fantasma and Garza did stereo moonsaults to wipe out two teams.

Matt Cross did a Sasuke special that connected on the outside. London hit a shooting star press but Fantasma broke it up. Fantasma took him to the outside and did a suicide dive, then Aerostar followed with a huge tope that largely sent him into fans past the barricade.

Aerostar did a big corkscrew dive, wiping out most of the teams as London went to do something on the top rope but Drago misted him, kept rolling him around, then pinned him to with the match.

They did their Hall of Fame ceremony next. They inducted “Love Machine” Art Barr, as well as Dorian Roldan himself in what I guess was a surprise. I didn’t know you could induct yourself in your own hall of fame.

Johnny Mundo defeated Latin American Champion Pentagon Jr. to win the title

Solid match. Taya cut a promo before the match saying tonight would be Perromania. A lot of it was Mundo working on Pentagon and taking him out with some big moves, including a corkscrew to the outside.

Mundo missed Starship Pain, which allowed Pentagon to lay him out. Hernandez grabbed Pentagon but Mundo superkicked Hernandez, then superkicked the ref. Pentagon hit the double footstomp and went for the Pentadriver, but the referee was still down.

Taya came into the ring and turned on Pentagon, hitting him with a low blow. Mundo covered for the win and the title.

Vampiro came out with the Lucha Underground guys for the next match and cut a promo, then introduced Rey Mysterio Jr.

Rey Mysterio Jr., Prince Puma, & Dragon Azteca Jr. defeated Matanza Cueto, Mil Muertes, & Marty “The Moth” Martinez

Another match that had a lot of good action. Dragon Azteca in particular looked really good. Matanza and Muertes were good in playing the heel monsters. Muertes and Matanza were going for stereo powerslams, but Azteca and Puma slid from behind and managed to send them to the outside. They tripped up the Moth then did a double dive to the floor.

Mysterio, Puma, and Azteca picked up the win.

Simon Pegg was on the video screen doing a short promo for Star Trek Beyond, or as it’s known in Mexico, Star Trek: Sin Limites.

AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion Texano Jr. defeated Brian Cage and Dr. Wagner Jr. in a triple threat match to retain his title

This was also pretty solid, though the stream wasn’t perfect for all of it. Cage was going for the screwdriver when Texano transitioned into a roll-up and got the win, retaining the title.

Psycho Clown defeated Pagano in a mask vs. hair match

I wouldn’t say this was a bad match, but it was more spectacle than a wrestling match. Tons of weapons and dangerous moves used throughout, sometimes to the point of overkill. It’s something different enough that it stands out, but it went just a little too long for what it was supposed to be.

They took each other out with a bunch of dives in the early part of this match. Psycho Clown’s mask was ripped up and he was already a bloody mess as there were steel chair shots and barbed wire already in play.

They brawled to the outside where Psycho Clown laid out Pagano with a Spanish fly from on top of the barricade on top of a bunch of chairs… ouch.

Big senton to the floor by Psycho Clown took out Pagano. Both guys were busted open now. Psycho Clown, channeling Abdullah the Butch, grabbed a fork and stabbed Pagano on the forehead.

Pagano went for a splash on a prone Psycho Clown, but he dodged at the last moment and was sent through the table. Pagano countered back with a back suplex onto a table in the corner of the ring. Psycho Clown splashed Pagano from the top rope while covering himself in barbed wire, then hit a Canadian Destroyer. He followed that with a powerbomb onto two chairs, then took out another table.

Oh, here we go — thumbtacks were introduced and Psycho Clown suplexed Pagano through the table. Psycho Clown was about to make the cover when suddenly Damien and Nicho (original Psicosis) hit the ring and laid him out.

Dr. Wagner Jr. then came out to make the save. They hugged it out, but it was a swerve as Wagner laid him out as well. Pagano covered and heel ref Tirantes Jr. made a fast count, but Psycho Clown still kicked out. They set a table on fire. As they were setting this up, Psycho Clown recovered and speared Pagano through the table and pinned him, saving his mask.

Dr. Wagner cut a promo after the match challenging Psycho Clown to a mask vs. mask match. They did the same promo last year but with Caristico and Rey Mysterio Jr. and that never came to fruition. These kind of challenges usually don’t pan out. After both Psycho Clown and Pagano cut promos, Pagano’s hair was cut.

Not a bad show at all. Can’t speak for those that listened to English commentary, but aside from some stream issues here and there this was was a million times better than the trainwreck that was last year’s show.

I should mention that I watched the version with Spanish commentary. From what I understand, I picked the right choice as reports were that this was not Matt Striker’s night. Just all of his normal quirks that turn people off were well represented, apparently.

WOL 11/27: Eva vs. Bayley, Dave Meltzer talks TLC, Steve Sims talks Lucha Libre!

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive returns today with our Black Friday show! Tons to talk about including NXT from Wednesday with a masterful troll job in the Eva Marie vs. Bayley match, plus Dave Meltzer appears to talk TLC and Dr. Lucha joins us to talk all the news in Lucha Libre! A fun show as always so check it out~!

Right click save

DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Show Biography Series: Huracán Ramírez

Posted on by F4W Staff

He’s on the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame ballot and one of the most popular moves of the high flying era is named after him. He was literally a movie character come to life. On this edition of the DragonKingKarl Classic show, I take a look at lucha libre legend Huracán Ramírez, who he was, and what impact he had on lucha libre and popular culture in Mexico.

Right click save