Robert

Bucks were super over when they worked CRASH about 2 years ago. Before you could argue their popularity in the US exploded with the BTE stuff.

In terms of the major shows this weekend I thought Rey De Reyes completely eclipsed H2L. Not really surprising as the CMLL card wasn't too hot on paper so you would need a good crew of workers to salvage it. CMLL just doesn't have a good roster any more & the few who are left that try are quickly beaten down by the system that discourages effort. It's kinda funny how CMLL has evolved into the pure entertainment for the simple fan company the hardcore fans always associated with AAA. Neither show had any standout MOTYCs or anything like that. Probably best of the bunch was the Rey de Reyes match itself or the CMLL semi-main if you don't watch regularly and haven't seen those teams do that same match but much better in the past. AAA appeared to draw a good house but not a sellout & of course the most interesting thing to the outside world is the Bucks getting absolutely zero reaction to both appearing and eventually winning the belts. But that match/angle was only done for various political reasons so it accomplished it's goal & is nothing some audio overdub can take care of. CMLL drew great for a nothing card which is not surprising and only makes it all the more frustrating that they can literally draw with anyone since their major shows are considered big events to be at... yet they still manage to pick the worst people possible and not even throw a bone to the guys who work hard and show up for every Puebla/GDL show they are booked on weekly.

If Chris DeJospeh recent drunk tweeting is any sign of things... this thing is DOA. Which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. I hope we're at the point now where people can speak open & honestly on their version of the truth behind LU. Because once we have many versions we can piece together the actual truth.

Shows... not really (until the RIOT show from 2/2 gets uploaded) but in terms of matches CMLL had a fun semi-main this past Friday with Caristico/Mistico/Valiente vs Ultimo Guerrero/Euforia/Gran Guerrero. Good to see some new eyes on AAA. They've had a good year so far and are running more regularly (back on 3/3 before Rey de Reyes on 3/16). The undercards usually have tremendous talent and when it clicks it's really great stuff.

AAA show tonight was the best show I've seen from any promotion this year. 6 for 6 with multiple MOTYCs including shockingly the main event above anything else. The show very much exemplified the reason why AAA has always been my favorite promotion.

Not the first nor the last wrestler Ivelisse will have pissed off. She is not a fan of not getting her own way.

Oh man that post by clint is sad. I always think back to WrestleCon 2016 & 2017 where the LU guys were the most over (except the Hardyz) & we had to basically beg them to consider doing a show which would have easily been super successful only for them to back down each year. It's understandable though since the entire concept of LU seemed to be how to not make actual money. (Anyone remember the lame fair shows which used talent not even in LU at the time like Garza Jr.?) Shitty situation. Happy some wrestlers took action, just wish it didn't have to come to this. I truly believe LU was never going to return but I was kinda hoping we could string it along long enough for Vamp to keep insisting it was and making himself look progressively dumber each passing interview. But something like this will surely be the nail in the coffin. The day it's officially cancelled I'll re-watch seasons 1 & 2 which, in my humble opinion, were the best wrestling TV shows since the original ECW was around.

Not all. ?

Feel free to call me a clueless idiot when "the Bulgarian guy" bets on himself & leaves to find the success he will never get in WWE. Until then, he's had 2 contract renewal options & for a guy who is always talking shit about how he deserves more he couldn't re-sign fast enough. WWE-lifer syndrome to a 'T'. That's one of the bonus great things about AEW existing. It will expose a lot of WWE-lifers who talk big but have zero initiative or real belief in themselves. Just cogs in a machine no matter what they privately/publicly.

I can't say all this is inaccurate but I can say for certain at least half of it is so I'm skeptical of the other half. Lucha Bros are tied up in a contract issue & right now appear to be being used as bargaining chips. Will see how it plays out but entirely possible even *if* they were on AEW's radar & wanted to be involved it won't be possible in 2019. Which is fine. The last thing you wanna do is sign everyone available at once. They're gonna need a rotating cast of fresh faces & surprises if this thing gets off to a hot start. My opinion is they need to be careful with possibly bringing in WWE guys who have deals that run up or ex-WWE guys that are already out there. You don't want to come off like TNA did every time when they'd rush to bring in the first ex-WWE guy available & immediatly position him at the top of their roster which just tells fans we're the minor league if this D level WWE guy can instantly be our top star. A team like the Revival would be an exception with the built-in feud & they haven't really suffered through years of being buried but the last thing a new "cool" group needs when it comes to attracting a casual fanbase is to be using (insert your favorite wrestler who is just too darn good to be working Main Event weekly) as their new star. Also you gotta remember a lot of these WWE guys who bitch about their position have had plenty of chances to leave & never do so. Yes, now it's different with a real player out there but I'm always skeptical. Especaily be careful with the WWE lifers who have known nothing outside that system for all their lives. Like the Bulgarian dude for example. He's never going anywhere. He wouldn't last a day outside WWE on his own without being told where to go, what to do, what to say. He's not the only one but he's the best example of someone people have the wrong impression of because he does funny videos. The smarter WWE guys will use AEW to leverage better financial deals to stay where they always intended on staying, but even so... WWE spends years instilling a certain mentality in these guys where a "Wrestlemania moment" or something even dumber like being a given a title as fans chant "you deserve it" is better than actual money.

A rare case where being a minority in the WWE would work to your advantage!

Legit when I was going over my MOTYC list I was blown away that Sam/Casas match was in 2018. Felt like at least 2 years ago. Shouldn't we be more mad at Sam for injuring Casas which began his downward spiral of injuries throughout the year? ? My top 20 MOTY list & top 20 from Mexico:

CMLL live in an hour on YouTube with possibility a WMOTYC. Yes, I know it's only January 1st but... it's Camorra & Signo involved. Mas Lucha will likely be streaming the IWRG show around same time which is a show with all cage matches incase you thought reading AJ Styles was about to ask for his WWE release would be the dumbest thing you'd read on these forums today. Not Mexico related but a great lucha style 4 way Cubsfan uploaded from Sunday in Chicago:

He's a mess. He does DJ stuff & sometimes runs his own terrible shows when he can find someone to pay for them. I believe his last show had him, a woman & a mystery partner vs Steve Pain, a woman & a mystery partner in the main event and they just did a tag with no mystery people and no announcement why. The shows only exist so Juvy can feel like he's still a star. He gets the occasional international bookings for nostalgia sake but always leaves a bad impression. Last year he didn't work on WM weekend because he refused to take the medicals to get licensed.

I haven't seen the wrestling this bad at Arena Mexico in a long time. That company needs a fresh face backstage who can either motivate the wrestlers or start making changes that forces them to work harder whether via incentive or some other way. There's a lot of shit wrestlers on the roster but even the somewhat capable guys have just given up lately.

That's a lot of money to spend on such an insignificant match. I guess they could be setting up for Rush vs Taven at MSG which would be hilarious.

I think one of the bigger things we will remember from 2018 is how it was the year the bubble burst on so many legends. Negro Casas is done at the level he had maintained for way longer than is humanly possible. He will still be around on a reduced schedule but working a softer and slower style. Blue Panther can't travel much for health reasons and has no more stamina. He's settled into a behind the scenes role outside of rare matches. Negro Navarro has to worry about his heart condition and is on strict orders as relates to how much activity he can do. Could barely get up and down on Friday. Black Terry didn't get surgery on his shoulder which he needed. He's back working some shows after a long time off but he can't do much and one wrong bump will put him out again for months if not a year if not forever. Atlantis finally got hurt after a career of being the iron man & of course it had to be his knee. He came back early which didn't help & has clearly struggled since. He's working in tons of pain and by all accounts just trying to tough it out until his son debuts so he can help him out and carry the load in matches. Cien Caras wasn't exactly working regularly but he finally got pulled from ever being allowed to work in a CMLL ring again & hasn't done any indy shows either so read into that. Solar can probably still move the best out of anyone listed but even he's dramatically slowed down from the guy we knew even a year ago & he was also completely gassed on Friday after just one fall. It's kinda sad. It was inevitable at their ages but to all fall apart in the span of a year makes it worse.

Why would people be mad you guys are just telling it like it is?

I was told he thinks it was the first flying splash but then he felt it get much worse when he tried to sit out doing his finisher (the Valagueza out of the corner right before the finish) and just couldn't do it.

Fenix vs Cavernario tonight was lunacy. Pretty sure the June match was better overall (though some disagree) but tonight they went all out with the insanity and it looked like Fenix was legit hurting at the end which caused it to end abruptly. Still a super high end Arena Mexico match & cements Cavernario as the MVP CMLL wants. The main event was also really good with the MA2K/NGD foursome vs Guerreros + new member Templario. I loved it.

https://twitter.com/RobViper/status/1065079424364597249

Thought Titan vs Cuatrero from CMLL last night was one of the better CMLL matches this year. Incredible finish. That & Sanson vs Templario are the matches to check out from this week's Dia de Muertos show. Oh and of course MICRO MAN!

Bittersweet. Tonight is the final Lucha Underground episode ever (IMO). Seasons 1 & 2 were my favorite TV wrestling shows since ECW 1997. How we ended up with what the show is this season is beyond me. Fascinated to see how they decide to go out & who the inevitable blame gets passed onto when people do post-show interviews.

Unforseeable circumstance. AAA was in charge of buying a calendar for the show.

He's young... really green. I'm sure they will protect him. If he does tags with his dad I assume it will be against Ultimo Guerrero/Gran Guerrero who will make him look way better than he probably actually is. Kinda like how Santo doesn't let his kid wrestle against anyone, only his friends who know their role is to make him look good. I think Rush skipped out to take U.S. bookings during that time period.