AAA On FOX
Date: July 18, 2026
Location: Arena Potosi, San Luis Potosi, Mexico
Commentators: John Bradshaw Layfield, Corey Graves

We’re on the way to Verano de Escalando and three week event has a trio of main event matches set. This is the last big push towards the show and we have the new oddball team of Dominik Mysterio and El Grande Americano being ready to face off against Los Perros del Mal. That has a long way to get us to TripleMania but they need something to bridge the gap. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Rey Mysterio for a chat. He gets right to the point of making amends, which starts with bringing ring announcer Andrea Bazarte into the ring to rehire her for more money. Bazarte is rather happy with the whole thing and is officially back (JBL doesn’t approve). With that out of the way, Mysterio moves on to the vacant Latin American Title. There are going to be four triple threat matches and a four way at TripleMania will crown the new champion Here are the lineups:

• La Parka vs. Mecha Wolf vs. Dragon Lee
• El Fiscal vs. Cruz del Toro vs. Psycho Clown
• Omos vs. Damian Priest vs. Galeno

The fourth match starts right now.

Latin American Title Qualifying Match: El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Abismo Negro vs. Texano Jr.

Abismo jumps the other two to start fast and Wagner is sent outside. That leaves Wagner to fight up and knock the other two down, only for Texano to get two off a backbreaker. Wagner breaks that up and slugs it out with Texano. Abismo’s Tombstone is broken up and a superplex drops Abismo again. Wagner’s top rope splash gets two with Texano having to make a save of his own. Texano is sent outside and gets punched out by Abismo and his foreign object. Another swing misses Wagner though and it’s the Wagner Driver to pin Abismo at 8:34.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here with Wagner getting to move on as a former champion. Abismo seems a lot more likely to go up against El Fiscal in the big showdown at TripleMania and Texano…well he exists too. I’m not sure if Wagner is going to be winning the title, but he does fit into the match rather well.

La Hiedra and Laredo Kid mock Mr. Iguana and Lola Vice about how they’re going to win the Mixed Tag Team Titles. Vice says Hiedra still loves Iguana, who does a spit take.

Someone films the Psycho Circus.

La Hiedra/Laredo Kid vs. Faby Apache/Joaquin Wilde

For a shot at Lola Vice/Mr. Iguana, who are at ringside. Wilde sunset flips Kid to start and it’s quickly off to the women. Apache kicks Hiedra down and hammers away in the corner, followed by stereo STF’s to Hiedra and Kid. With those broken up, Hiedra gives Apache a hip attack to take over, leaving Wilde to tornado DDT Kid.

Wilde gets choked in the corner though and Kid gives him a brainbuster for two. That’s shrugged off and Wilde dives over for the tag to bring in Apache to clean house. Apache’s big dive takes out the other three on the floor, followed by a high crossbody for two on Hiedra. Wilde’s backbreaker drops Kid for two more but Apache is back in. Kid grabs her leg though and Hiedra gives Apache a Stunner for the pin at 9:55.

Rating: C+. The Mixed Tag Tam Titles have become a fun idea as they aren’t meant to be taken seriously in the slightest and the teams feel thrown together every time. There is no pressure on them but they have been made to feel important enough because teams want to come after them. That’s more than you get sometimes and I kind of want to see the title match at Verano de Escalando. I wouldn’t have bet on that happening with these belts so well done.

We look back at Dominik Mysterio saving El Grande Americano from Los Perros de Mal.

Rey Mysterio wants to see where this goes and runs down the Verano de Escalando card. Finally, Octagon Jr. is hurt and has a long way to recover but his spot will be waiting for him.

Here are Los Perros del Mal for a chat. The team was around a long time ago and they’re here to go after the weak. They know how to fight and now they’re back because when you’re a dog, you’ll always be a dog. Daga introduces the team and says they’re here to be the nightmares to everyone in that locker room. This includes Dominik Mysterio and they’re ready to face he and El Grande Americano at Verano de Escalando. Cue Mysterio and Los Americanos for the big brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was about getting us ready for Verano de Escalando and the best thing they managed to do was not get dull at the last step. That has been an issue for the company’s previous go home shows but they made it work pretty nicely here. The brawl at the end was the big highlight and at least we have something to get us to a new Latin American Champion over the next few weeks. As usual, it might not be a must see show but it does a good job of keeping me wanting to come back.

Results
El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Texano Jr. and Abismo Negro – Wagner Driver to Abismo
La Hiedra/Laredo Kid b. Faby Apache/Joaquin Wilde – Stunner to Apache

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: May 16, 2026
Location: Auditorio General Jose Maria Arteaga, Queretaro, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield

We’re two weeks away from Noche de los Grandes and the likely main event is set, with the battle of the Grande Americanos. Other than that, we have the issues between Pagano and Psycho Clown, both among themselves and with the War Raiders. That could go in a variety of directions so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Tokyo Bad Boys vs. Money Machine vs. La Parka/Mr. Iguana vs. NGD

The Boys are Kento/Takuma, Machine is Oro/Plata and NGD are Forastero/Sanson. Oro and Sanson start things off with an exchange of arm cranking until Sanson takes over. Forastero comes in for a triangle choke but Oro manages a hurricanrana to escape. Plata comes in and gets superkicked down but Takuma tags himself in. The Boys double hiptoss Plata but Iguana comes in for a running hurricanrana.

Parka launches Takuma into the air for a big crash but he’s right back with a tornado DDT to put Parka down. Everything breaks down (yep) and Parka gets double teamed but Money Machine is up with some dives to the floor. Takuma hits a big corkscrew dive and Parka follows with a middle rope moonsault. Iguana comes back in with the stuffed iguana, which is used to pull him face first into the buckle. A hurricanrana gives Iguana two and Parka is back in with a springboard crossbody to Forastero. The Bone Breaker finishes for Parka at 10:09.

Rating: B-. You knew what you were going to get with this match and that’s not a bad thing. There were a lot of people flying around and it made for a bit of a mess, but that’s all this was supposed to be. The flips and dives were entertaining and the fans are still into Iguana so it was pretty much a layup. An athletic layup mind you but a layup.

Post match the War Raiders come in and wreck people.

Dorian Roldan can’t get a meeting with his mom about being the new GM, but does find Texano Jr. who basically tells him to scram.

TripleMania will be a two night event. First night’s location still to be announced.

We look at Rey Fenix beating Laredo Kid two weeks ago.

Post match, Fenix said the fans loved that and wanted another shot at the title. Kid called him jealous of Penta, but Fenix said he was proud of his brother. Anyway, the title match is set for next week.

Galeno vs. Drago/Chris Carter

Galeno runs them both over for daring to double team him to start and throws them outside. Back in and Galeno backdrops Drago over the top and punches him in the face on the way down (that was awesome). Cue Omos to watch as the Galeno Special (kind of a spike double arm DDT) is enough for the double pin. Galeno looked good here and that backdrop punch was great.

We look at last week’s brawl with Bayley and Lola Vice saving La Catalina from Las Toxicas.

The six woman tag is set for Noche de los Grandes.

Cibernetico wants to be GM and Dorian Roldan is nervous.

Creed Brothers vs. El Fiscal/Aerostar

Julius takes over on Fiscal to start but Fiscal takes over on Brutus’ arm. Aerostar does the same and gets gorilla pressed into a splash onto Brutus for two. It’s back to Julius, who gets knocked to the floor and the Creeds get to catch a diving Aerostar. They also slam him onto the apron for a huge crash and Brutus steps on Aerostar’s head back inside.

The neck crank doesn’t last long so it’s back to Brutus for a hard shot to the face. The referee has to check on Aerostar, who flips out of a belly to back suplex and gets over to Fiscal to fight back. Fiscal sends the Creeds outside for a big dive and Aerostar hits a springboard dive of his own. Back in and Aerostar gets caught in the ropes, meaning it’s a powerbomb into an ankle lock for the quick tap at 7:20.

Rating: C+. This was a bit more like a regular tag match, as the Creed Brothers got to actually have some success for a change. They’re not exactly the best team on the main roster, but at least they have something to do here at the moment. If nothing else, they’re worth having around for the sake of offering a different style around here and that should serve them well.

Post match the beatdown is on until Los Americanos run in for the save. The Original El Grande Americano runs in to go after Bravo’s mask but El Grande Americano runs in for the save. Well kind of, as he can’t touch Original and has to wait for Rayo to jump Original, allowing Americano to go after the Creeds. Original calls this his house (the fans approve) and the match is going to be about Mexican pride. The match is going to have to work, but Americano’s work building this up has been excellent.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say about this show is it has me wanting to see Noche de los Grandes. They’ve built up the main event very well and the six woman tag should be good. As usual, this show flies by and it has me wanting to see where things go next. Solid effort here, with more than enough stories that I want to see keep going to call it a success.

Results
Mr. Iguana/La Parka b. NGD, Money Machine and Tokyo Bad Boys – Bone Breaker to Forastero
Galeno b. Drago/Chris Carter – Double pin
Creed Brothers b. El Fiscal/Aerostar – Ankle lock to Aerostar

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: April 25, 2026
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield, Rey Mysterio

We’re still in Mexico City and this time we have the English commentary back. The big question coming out of last week is who is attacking the Psycho Circus, with Pagano looking like a suspect. That also might be a ruse and maybe we’ll find out something about it here. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Money Machine vs. La Parka/Rey Fenix

The Machine jumps them from behind to start but get sent outside for stereo dives. Back in and Parka hits a top rope splash for two on Plata with Oro making the save. Parka suplexes both of them at once and it’s off to Fenix, who gets double superkicked for two more. Plata’s powerbomb is broken up but Oro breaks up a diving tag attempt.

A top rope splash gives Oro two and Plata drives in some elbows to the head. Fenix fights up and fires off some kicks, allowing the needed tag off to Parka. Everything breaks down and Plata misses a Swanton, as does Parka’s springboard dropkick, which grazes Oro’s leg. Oro gets caught with a better connecting kick on top and Parka adds a big dive. That means the Mexican Muscle Buster can finish Oro at 6:27.

Rating: B-. They had a fast paced tag match between the perfectly acceptable Money Machine and the makeshift good guys. I’m not sure I can imagine this being a meaningful tag team going forward but there are worse uses for Parka and Fenix. It made for a fine opener though and sometimes that’s all it needs to be.

Video on Texano Jr. vs. El Mesias, who started fighting back in 2011 and they’ll be in the main event tag match tonight.

We look at AAA’s involvement in Wrestlemania Week.

We see the recently debuted Catalina at Wrestlemania, where she met John Cena (who of course spoke to her in Spanish) and Dominik Mysterio, who wasn’t impressed. She was in WWE a few years ago but it didn’t work out, so she has reinvented herself and is back for the Reina de Reinas Title. Pretty basic stuff here without much being added.

Laredo Kid vs. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.

Non-title. Wagner blocks a whip to start and avoids a charge into the corner. Kid gets in a superkick on the floor, setting up the big flip dive to send him into the barricade. Back in and Kid stomps away, with Wagner having to get over to the rope. A corkscrew moonsault misses though and Wagner grabs a quick Death Valley Driver for two.

They head outside again with Kid superkicking him again and hitting a 450 from the apron to the floor. Wagner is right back up with a slam from the apron tot he floor, with Kid somehow getting up at two. A quadruple jump moonsault gives Wagner two and the Wagner Driver finishes Kid at 6:57.

Rating: B. I was a bit surprised at the result as I wasn’t expecting one of the champions to actually take a fall. The good thing is they had a heck of a match with Kid giving everything he had to try and slow Wagner down. This was a rather nice surprise and I’ll take that any week.

Post match respect is eventually shown.

We look at more of Texano vs. Mesias, this time in 2016. They’re making this feel big.

Rey Fenix offers support to Laredo Kid, who says Fenix is just jealous that he doesn’t have a title like his brother. Ouch.

The new General Manager will be announced on May 23. That likely won’t end well.

El Mesias/Mecha Wolf vs. El Grande Americano/Texano Jr.

Americano and Wolf start things off as we have to wait for the legends to clash. A leg lariat puts Wolf down early and he gets pulled into a hammerlock. Americano grabs a handstand hammerlock before it’s off to Texano to stay on the arm. That’s enough to bring in Mesias for the slugout and everything breaks down. Texano and Americano clear the ring but Wolf goes after Texano’s bullrope.

The distraction leaves Texano to get caught in a Hart Attack for two and we hit the chinlock. Texano’s tilt-a-whirl backbreaker drops Mesias though and it’s back to Americano to take over on Wolf. A middle rope clothesline gives Americano two with Mesias making the save. Everything breaks down and we get some dives to the floor, with Americano getting the better of things. Wolf loads up the mist but Americano knocks it out of his mouth. The running headbutt and La Cavernaria finishes for Americano at 8:20.

Rating: B-. Another perfectly nice tag match here as Americano continues to be the hottest thing in the promotion. It’s awesome to see him having this kind of success as the whole gimmick was little more than a joke that took off. Mesias vs. Texano certainly felt big as well as they tapped into the pre-WWE history and it worked as planned.

Post match Americano lets Texano have the ring but the Original El Grande Americano runs in to give Texano an ankle lock. The other Americano makes the save.

Overall Rating: B. The best thing I can say about this show is one of the most important aspect to any series: it’s easy to follow. At no point do I feel lost, confused or anything else and that’s a great sign. They aren’t exactly doing revolutionary stuff but it all makes sense and ties together, with stories getting to rotate in and out every few weeks to keep them fresh. That was the case again here and it made for a rather good show, as usual.

Results
La Parka/Rey Fenix b. Money Machine – Mexican Muscle Buster to Oro
El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Laredo Kid – Wagner Driver
El Grande Americano/Texano Jr. b. El Mesias/Mecha Wolf – La Cavernaria to Wolf

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AAA On FOX
Date: April 18, 2026
Location: Gimnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Jose Manuel Guillen, Roberto Figueroa

We’re back to Mexico but in this case the commentary is in Spanish as WWE didn’t upload the show to their YouTube channel (likely due to a case of Wrestlemania). There is no telling what we’ll get around here, but the show has been one of the more consistently entertaining series in recent months so hopefully that continues. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Aerostar vs. Lince Dorado vs. Joaquin Wilde

Dorado knocks both of them down to start and backbreakers Aerostar for two. Aerostar is sent outside but comes back in for a double superkick to Dorado. Wilde sends Dorado into a DDT from Aerostar, who gets taken down with a neckbreaker. Back up and Aerostar is sent outside for a heck of a flip dive from Dorado but Wilde takes both of them out with an even bigger dive.

Back in and Wilde poses on Aerostar and gets his picture taken until Dorado breaks it up. Dorado is sent outside and Wilde superkicks Aerostar, who catches Wilde on top. A powerbomb out of the corner gives Wilde two, with Dorado shooting starring in for the save. Aerostar knocks Dorado outside for a suicide dive and then takes Wilde out as well. Back in and Aerostar gives Dorado a rolling cutter but Dorado rolls through a super hurricanrana for the pin at 7:05.

Rating: B. This was, pardon the expression, total nonstop action and that’s what the match should have been. It was a case where any of the three winning would have been fine, though Dorado is probably the biggest name out of the three. Good opener here as they certainly started the show fast.

The War Raiders and Psycho Circus get in a fight before tonight’s main event.

Dorian Roldan appeals to his mother about Mini Vikingo costing El Hijo del Vikingo the Intercontinental Title last week. Things have been insane and the company has no leadership so he should be the new GM. She wants a week to think about it.

Mixed Tag Team Titles: Dinamico/La Hiedra vs. Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice

Iguana and Vice are defending. Dinamico isn’t sure what to make of the stuffed iguana and Iguana flipping around and having a seat makes it worse. It’s quickly off to the women with Hiedra working on the arm but getting pulled into an armbar. Hiedra pops up and shakes her hips, only to get pulled into a cross armbreaker. Iguana gets the same thing on Dinamico but both of them are broken up.

Iguana is sent into the corner for a running hip attack and Hiedra gives Vice something like Shattered Dreams. The fans react to Hiedra giving Vice a spank but Vice is right back with a suplex. Iguana comes back in for a big spinning headscissors on Dinamico, who is right back with a running cutter. It’s back to Vice, who gives Dinamico the running hip attack but gets rolled up to give Hiedra two. Vice kicks Hiedra in the face, leaving Dinamico to powerbomb Iguana for two. Iguana gets caught in an electric chair but spins out into a DDT to retain at 7:57.

Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here but these titles are hardly the most serious thing in the world. It’s fine to see something like this, with a bunch of comedy spots and the fans mainly there for Iguana and Vice’s shtick. You could do just about anything here and it would have been fine, which was on display with this one.

We look back at the battle of the Americanos last week, with the mask vs. mask match being set.

El Grande Americano talks about how what he said at Rey de Reyes came from the heart. El Texano is with him and says all the titles and accomplishments mean nothing if you won’t fight. Americano is ready to fight and Texano respects him for accepting the mask vs. mask match. They seem ready to team up.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We look at the Psycho Circus vs. the Viking Raiders at Rey de Reyes with the match ending in a double DQ.

Ivar vs. Psycho Clown

They start fast with an exchange of clotheslines in the corner until Clown takes over. Clown knocks him outside and hits a big suicide dive but Ivar is back up with a Tour Of The Islands. Clown’s comeback is cut off by Ivar sitting on him out of the corner but Clown knocks him down again. A split legged moonsault gives Clown two and he hits a running corner boot.

Ivar spinebusters him out of the air but misses the Doomsault. That’s shrugged off and Ivar kicks him in the face, followed by a tiger bomb for two more. Clown fights out of a superplex attempt and hits a sunset bomb, followed by a Code Red for another near fall. The referee gets bumped so Clown’s Samoan drop doesn’t get a count. Cue Erik to lay Clown out and a double powerbomb gives Ivar the pin at 8:43.

Rating: B. This was two big men hitting each other really hard until…well until it took a bonus big man to cause the pin. That’s all this was supposed to be and since we haven’t seen anything close to it on the show, it stood out that much more. I liked this a good big and it was a rather fun way to wrap up the show.

Post match Pagano runs in for the late save. The Raiders leave and Clown yells at Pagano for not being there. They keep arguing to the back and violence seems likely but they go different ways. Clown finds Murder Clown attacked with a Pagano shirt to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show continues to be simple, easy to follow, and entertaining. Part of that is due to it not taking up too much time every week, but I have more fun watching this show than just about anything else. I’m glad to see it finding its groove while giving some WWE stars something to do. Another good show this week with above average wrestling.

Results
Lince Dorado b. Aerostar and Joaquin Wilde – Sunset flip to Wilde
Mr. Iguana/Lola Vice b. Dinamico/La Hiedra – Spinning DDT to Dinamico
Ivar b. Psycho Clown – Double powerbomb

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Rey de Reyes 2013
Date: March 17, 2013
Location: Plaza de Toros Monumental Lorenzo Garza, Monterrey, Mexico
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Jesus Zuniga, Andres Maronas

This is another request from…oh about thirteen years ago and I needed to get to it sooner or later. This is from AAA, with the main event being the show’s namesake tournament final for a really big sword. To have a final we need to have some qualifying matches though and that’s the meat of the show. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that the commentary is in Spanish so I’m kind of flying blind.

Fusion Title: Fenix vs. Crazy Boy vs. Daga vs. Juventud Guerrera

Elimination match for the inaugural title. Daga kicks away at Fenix to start but can’t get very far before handing it off to Guerrera and Boy. An exchange of superkicks sets up an exchange of chops before they’re both pulled outside. That lets Daga and Fenix slide in for a dive each before all four get back inside. Guerrera takes over until Fenix is back with a double springboard dropkick.

Daga kicks away at Boy, who is back with a Zig Zag for two. Guerrera comes back in to steal a rollup for two but Daga kicks everyone down. Daga Death Valley Drivers Guerrera on the apron but Fenix is up with a big corkscrew dive. Back in and Boy rolls Guerrera up for two, only for Daga to give Boy a middle rope Canadian Destroyer for the elimination at 7:45.

Guerrera clotheslines Daga for two and Fenix is back in to drop Daga with a springboard flipping Stunner. Fenix sends Guerrera into the corner and hits a top rope double stomp, with Daga getting the pin at 8:58. We’re down to Daga vs. Fenix with Fenix grabbing a Michinoku Driver for two but Daga’s tiger suplex gets the same. Daga heads up top but gets pulled down with a super Spanish Fly for the title at 10:37.

Rating: C+. This was good enough with a fast paced four way, including Fenix and Daga getting to do their rather impressive stuff. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done better, but for an opening match, I’ve seen far worse. Granted the Fusion Title wouldn’t wind up meaning much, as Fenix would hold it for about a year and a half before it was unified with the Cruiserweight Title.

Post match some women come down to present the title, despite having some serious issues dealing with the steps. Fenix celebrates with the title and fist bumps Daga for the respect.

Fenix seems happy with his win.

Daga doesn’t seem happy with his loss.

Los Inferno Rockers vs. Los Psycho Circus

The Circus’ Six Man Titles aren’t on the line. That would be Devil Rocker/Machine Rocker/Soul Rocker vs. Monster Clown/Murder Clown/Psycho Clown and you might know Machine as The Beast Mortos. The Rockers come out with a table while the Circus comes out with a bunch of circus acts. The Rockers jump them to start but gets sent outside for the dives, with a Rocker dive being pulled out of the air by Murder. He holds up I believe Soul so the other two Clowns can dropkick him down for a cool looking spot.

The other Rockers get back inside and manage to dump Murder but wind up hitting each other by mistake. Monster ties up Devil in quite the hold until Soul makes the save. Psycho is back in to sunset flip Soul for two and we settle down to Devil chopping at Murder. This doesn’t work in the slightest as Murder just destroys him with a Last Ride. Machine and Soul come in to cut Murder off and it’s back to Psycho to clean house. Monster is sent outside for a running flip dive, leaving Murder to gorilla press Devil. The table is brought in and a middle rope triple bomb puts Monster through the table for the pin at 8:15.

Rating: C+. This was the usual six man brawl and it was good enough while it lasted. The Clowns were a team who worked well together and that’s why they would be around for such a long time. On the other hand you have the Rockers, who I don’t think I’ve seen before but were a nice group of….I think villains? It’s not entirely clear but they worked either way.

Post match the Rockers beat up a smaller clown because they’re not that nice.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: El Mesias vs. Heavy Metal vs. Octagon vs. La Parka vs. La Parka Negra vs. Pentagon Jr.

Elimination rules and Pentagon Jr. is better known as Penta. For the sake of simplicity we’ll go with “Parka” and “Negra” to differentiate the skeleton guys. Thankfully there are tags here and it’s Mesias starting with Metal. They go to the mat with Mesias working on the arm with Metal armdragging him away without much trouble. Another armbar sends Metal over to the ropes before he grabs his own armbar, with Mesias going to the ropes.

It’s off to the two Parkas, with the fans certainly approving. Negra misses a kick to the face and gets kneed down, allowing Parka to fire off some right hands. Pentagon charges into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before Octagon comes in for one of his own. It’s back to Negra to help Pentagon with Octagon and a double stomp What’s Up finishes Octagon off at 6:31. Metal comes in and gets taken down with a quick Sling Blade, allowing Pentagon to stomp away. A quick la majistral gives Metal the pin on Pentagon at 8:23 to get us down to four.

Mesias can’t powerbomb Metal so instead it’s a pair of spears for the pin at 9:22. Parka and Mesias double team Negra in the corner until Mesias is sent outside. Parka’s clothesline gets two on Negra and Mesias adds a top rope elbow for the double pin at 10:50. That leaves us with Parka vs. Mesias and they slowly slug it out until Mesias hits an enziguri. Parka is right back with a reverse DDT for two, followed by a flapjack for the same. Mesias avoids a charge in the corner and hits a Downward Spiral for two of his own, followed by a Backstabber for the pin at 14:37.

Rating: C+. There is only so much you can get out of a six way match as there are so many people moving around. The tags helped a lot, though the eliminations didn’t exactly have a ton of drama. It was more like “this guy is gone and this guy is gone and then this guy wins”. That’s only getting you so far and hopefully the other two matches don’t go the exact same way.

Post match respect is shown.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: Villano IV vs. Psicosis vs. Jack Evans vs. Drago vs. Chessman vs. LA Park

Elimination rules again. It’s a brawl to start with Drago getting at least double teamed, including a powerbomb dropped into a Codebreaker. Chessman comes back in for the save but gets kicked in the face by Evans. Park comes back in so Evans uses him as a launchpad for a hurricanrana and flipping splash to Chessman. We settle down to Villano armdragging Psicosis to the floor but getting dropkicked by Drago.

It’s off to Park, who sends Drago to the apron and stops to dance, but catches a diving Drago and dances again. Fenix sends Park outside and it’s time for the series of dives, with Evans diving onto the rest of the pile. Back in and Drago kicks away at Psicosis before rolling him up for the first elimination at 4:57. Chessman comes in and powerbombs Drago, followed by a backbreaker for the elimination at 5:41.

Villano comes in with a rolling headbutt to Chessman but gets knocked down by Evans. The standing corkscrew moonsault gets two on Villano, who powerbombs Evans for the pin at 6:33. Park knocks Villano down and goes up but gets knocked off by Chessman. The ensuing moonsault misses though and Villano covers Chessman for two. Park is back in with a chair to Chessman though and Villano grabs a small package for the pin at 7:50.

We’re down to Park vs. Villano and the referee takes Park’s chair away. Villano shoulders him down for two, followed by Park’s DDT getting the same. They slug it out from their knees and Villano rips Park’s mask apart. A Stunner gives Villano two but Park grabs a Backstabber and hammers away for the final pin at 11:23.

Rating: B-. This match felt like it had more star power involved and that helped a bit. Park certainly feels like a bigger name and the fans seemed to be rather happy with the result. The match felt similar to the opener with the rapid fire eliminations, but that’s kind of what you have to do in something like this. It’s not a great match, but it’s certainly not boring.

Marisela Pena, the widow of company founder Antonio Pena, makes a big announcement: AAA will be split into two groups. Going forward, AAA Fusion will be the group in Mexico while AAA Evolution will be in the United States.

Rey de Reyes Qualifying Match: El Hijo del Perro Aguayo vs. Electroshock vs. Cibernetico vs. Canek vs. Silver King vs. Toscano

One more time with the elimination rules. Cibernetico stomps on Aguayo to start and knocks him out to the floor. Canek and King come in but Electroshock takes Canek’s place and hammers on King. Toscano adds a missile dropkick to King and Electroshock’s cutter gets rid of King at 1:50. Well that was quick. Canek comes back in to shoulder Toscano over but gets dropped with a missile dropkick. A suplex and elbow drop finish Toscano off at 3:13.

Aguayo is back in to chair Cibernetico in the head and stomp away before grabbing a table. Cibernetico is able to slam him through the table instead and then chairs Aguayo in the head. Security comes out to break it up and it seems that they’re both eliminated at around 7:30. Canek clotheslines Electroshock and hits a side slam for the win at 8:05.

Rating: D+. This felt like a way to get Canek into the tournament final despite him not exactly doing much. That being said, the point of Canek is to have a legend in the finals and that worked well enough. The Aguayo and Cibernetico brawl was good enough, but that was pretty much the only interesting spot.

Earlier today, three wrestlers sat down together and talked for a bit. And unfortunately that’s about all I can give you.

Faby Apache, Lufisto and Taya are ready to win the Reina de Reinas.

Reina de Reinas Title: Lufisto vs. Mari Apache vs. Taya vs. Faby Apache

Elimination match (of course) for the vacant title. Faby gets triple teamed to start but she manages to dropkick Lufisto outside. Mari hits Taya by mistake and Faby takes Mari down with a running hurricanrana. Taya and Lufisto have a staredown, with Lufisto kicking her in the head for two as Mari makes a save. Mari kicks Lufisto down and drop toeholds Faby, setting up a surfboard. Taya runs back in to cover Mari for two before rolling Mari up for two more. Lufisto is back in to choke Mari out for the elimination at 5:17.

Taya northern lights suplexes Faby for two and cuts her off again with a big boot. Taya’s moonsault misses though and a Fairy Tale Ending gets rid of her at 7:11. Lufisto is back in with a reverse chinlock to Faby, who comes back with some running shoulders. They knock each other down until Faby charges into a Downward Spiral into the corner.

The cannonball and a running boot connect in the corner to give Lufist two but Faby is back with a German suplex. Lufisto’s Saito suplex gets two more but Faby catches her up top. A Tree Of Woe double stomp gives Lufisto two more, only for Faby to grab a dragon suplex out of nowhere for the pin and the title at 11:49.

Rating: C. I have seen a lot of Faby Apache over the years and I just do not get the appeal. She’s technically fine but I’ve never gotten any kind of attachment to her. There wasn’t much to this one as the first to were eliminated and then Faby got beaten up until she snapped off a suplex to win. I wasn’t into this and that is the case a lot of the time that this title is involved.

In the back, Faby is happy with her win.

Video on Cibernetico and El Hijo de Perro Aguayo, who seem to still be fighting backstage. I’m not sure if this is supposed to be a package from before or if this is after their pull apart brawl earlier, though I think it’s the latter. Apparently Aguayo demanded a hair vs. hair match and got his request. This would go on to headline TripleMania a few months later so it was absolutely the biggest story in the company.

We look at Mega Champion Texano Jr. sitting down and going face to face with challenger Blue Demon Jr. I believe Demon says he’s going for the title and they seem to argue about their fathers. Either way, the title match is on.

Mega Title: Texano Jr. vs. Blue Demon Jr.

Texano is defending and they chop it out to start. Demon takes him down and starts working on the leg before grabbing a bow and arrow. That’s broken up and Texano goes after the leg, with Demon getting out just as fast. Now it’s Demon working on the leg, including something like a Lasso From El Paso. With that not lasting long, they trade legsweeps for two each and then trade chops.

Texano is knocked outside for the baseball slide and then the suicide dive to the back to leave them both down. Back in and Demon hits a running shoulder in the corner but gets knocked outside, with Texano hitting a dive of his own. They head back inside, with a fireman’s carry backbreaker giving Texano two, so he yells at the referee. A Codebreaker gets two more as Demon gets a foot on the rope and he reverses a powerbomb into a hurricanrana for two.

Demon catches him on top for a super hurricanrana, followed by a DDT for two more. Demon’s lifting Pedigree gets another near fall and he ties up Texano’s leg, while pulling on a double underhook at the same time (that’s a weird one but it has to hurt). That’s reversed into an ankle lock but Demon kicks his way out, meaning it’s time for more chops in the corner. Texano goes up and gets armdragged back down and they both need a breather. The referee almost gets bumped before Demon hits another lifting Pedigree. Demon tries another but gets reversed into an Air Raid Crash to retain the title at 16:36.

Rating: B-. It felt like a big showdown, but it never hit that higher gear. That being said, title matches aren’t as important in Mexico so it isn’t that big of a surprise that it was just good instead of some blow away match. Texano has grown on me over the years and Demon is better than I remember him, so this was a nice showdown. If nothing else, it was nice to have a singles match for a change.

Post match Demon seems to want a title vs. mask match at TripleMania but Texano isn’t interested. That match didn’t wind up happening.

In the back, Demon seems upset by his loss.

Texano is a bit happier with the result.

Rey de Reyes: El Mesias vs. Canek vs. LA Park

Elimination rules. Canek gets double teamed to start fast, with Mesias punching him in the face and Park hitting a running boot to the chest. Park starts untying Canek’s mask before turning on Mesias. Canek gets a double arm crank on Park but a rope is reached for a fast break. Mesias is back up with a running corner clothesline but Parka takes off his belt for a whipping. Canek is back in to drop Park and grab a Figure Four on Mesias, with park using a chair to make the save.

Park chairs both of them down but Canek catches Park with a kick to the face out of the corner. A middle rope elbow connects, with Mesias pulling the referee. Park rips Canek’s mask off and gets the pin at 6:42. So it’s Mesias vs. Park, with the two of them colliding to give Mesias an early two. Park gets a Backstabber in the ropes for two of his own and it’s time to strut. A charge hits the post though and Mesias hits a middle rope hurricanrana to the floor.

Mesias follows with a SCARY running flip dive (as he basically stops flipping and is upside down as he crashes into Park) and they go back inside, where Park knocks him down again. A running boot sends Mesias outside, with Park getting in a running knee from the apron. Back in and Park gets crotched on top and a super Codebreaker brings him back down. The delayed cover gets two so Park takes him up top, where Mesias reverses into…I have no idea. Either way, they come crashing down and Mesias is up first with a top rope splash for the pin at 15:38.

Rating: C+. It was another case of the match being fine but not exactly great. I’m guessing that was supposed to be a super Spanish Fly at the end, but they really just kind of crashed down. The match didn’t feel like some kind of a big showdown, though Mesias feels like a big star and having him win an important competition is a good idea. All in all, just an ok final, with Canek not adding much.

Post match Mesias is presented with the sword for winning the tournament. Celebrating ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There were good parts in here, but the bigger issue here was a lack of variety. Save for one match, everything was an elimination match with some not so thrilling eliminations. That didn’t make for the most thrilling show and while it did feel important to have Mesias win the tournament and setting up Aguayo vs. Cibernetico, a lot of the show felt like it just came and went. Not bad, but nothing memorable whatsoever.

 

 

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TripleMania XXV
Date: August 26, 2017
Location: Arena Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Kevin Gill, Gabe Ramirez

This is of course AAA’s biggest show of the year and heck if I know why someone requested it. Granted it might have been more than a few years ago that someone wanted me to look at it so there is probably something big that stuck out. I have no idea what is going on here but these shows have been hit or miss to say the least. Let’s get to it.

Keep in mind that I don’t follow the promotion so I have no idea what is going on with characters, backstories etc.

A bunch of men, I believe the broadcast team, is introduced.

The ring announcer (one of the four) introduces a bunch of people in costumes. I’m guessing these are sponsor mascots or something? Wrestlers are with them and handing out things to the fans so they’re certainly supposed to be good.

We get some English commentary from Twitch, which confirms that we are still on the preshow here and yes those are sponsor mascots.

La Parka, Faby Apache and Vampiro seem to be judging the first match. Ignore the arena being mostly empty, with almost no noise whatsoever for an almost eerie feeling.

Pre-show: Llave de Gloria: Dragon Solar/Pardux/Solaris/Ashley vs. Hahastary/Bronco Gonzalez/Chicano/Fetiche

This seems to be the finals of some kind of tournament as independent wrestlers are fighting for a contact. It’s a brawl to start with Ashley’s dive being left short on the floor. She’s fine enough to get back in and hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on…someone commentary doesn’t feel the need to identify (which makes me think they don’t know who is who here). Instead they give a basic explanation of rudos vs. technicos as everyone gets in a shot to just about everyone else. Even commentary points out that there is one winner to the whole thing so the team aspect is pretty much worthless.

Ashley dropkicks Chicano (thank goodness for names on the back of gear) down but Chicano elbows her in the face. Solaris comes in for a save with a hurricanrana but gets dropkicked out of the air. Everything breaks down the Chicano team takes Ashley down, including a slingshot powerbomb.

Solar gets in some hurricanranas for a breather and it’s Ashley coming back in to pick up the pace. Solaris and Pardux come in with stereo missile dropkicks and Ashley hits a big dive onto most of her opponents. Fetiche is backdropped onto a pile of people on the floor, followed by a corkscrew dive from Solaris. Back in and Solar rolls up Gonzalez for the pin at 6:40.

Rating: C. This was a VERY weird one as they didn’t bother trying to do anything more than have a big exhibition of spots. Ashley stood out a bit more than anyone else but commentary clearly had NO idea what was going on here or who was who. That makes things all the more confusing, and I spent most of the match trying to figure out their names. Granted there wasn’t anything more here than having a bunch of people trying to get noticed, which only worked well enough.

Pre-Show: Llave de Gloria: Angel Mortal Jr./Tiger Boy/Villano III Jr. vs. Angelikal/The Tigger/El Hijo del Vikingo

Same idea as the first match but three on three and thankfully there are a lot more fans in the building for the entrances. For some reason we start with music in the background as Tigger and Villano get things going (commentary seems a lot more familiar with this batch). They flip around to start and neither can get anything more than a fast one, as you might have expected.

Angelikal comes in to hurricanrana Mortal as the pace stays fast. Angelikal clears the ring by himself before being pulled outside, allowing Vikingo to come in. Vikingo climbs the rope for an anklescissors out of the corner to Tiger. Mortal comes in and launches Vikingo into a hurricanrana to tiger on the floor.

Back in and Villano and company start taking over on Tiger’s arm. A double electric chair missile dropkick hits Angelikal and a springboard Codebreaker into a wheelbarrow suplex gets two. Angelikal is right back up with a hurricanrana, leaving Vikingo and Tigger to hit running flip dives to the floor. Back in and Tigger and company hit a 450/moonsault/shooting star press for the triple pin at 7:33.

Rating: C+. Much like the opener, this was a bunch of people trying to get in as much as they could to showcase themselves. Unlike the opener, this one didn’t have as many people around and it made things that much easier to follow. If nothing else, commentary knowing who they were watching helped just as much. Do this alone instead of both matches and it’s a much better pre-show.

The ring announcer (as translated by Ramirez) welcomes us to the show and pitches the official program. The Spanish broadcast team is introduced (the matching ties are nice) and so is the president of the company.

The National Anthem is played, with a live military band.

The announcer hypes up the crowd about the main event.

The opening video (with the camera just pointed at the screen) looks at TripleManias past, set to Dream On by Aerosmith.

We get some banners of various deceased legends, including company founder Antonio Pena (whose wife, the president, is holding his urn, because that’s not at least a little creepy).

Hernandez/La Hiedra/Mamba/Mini Psycho Clown vs. Big Mami/Dinastia/Estrella Divina/Mascara de Bronce

This is an Atomicos match, which I believe means a man, a woman, an exotico (man dressed as a woman) and a mini. Bronce starts with Clown (not that much shorter) and sends him outside for a good looking step up flip dive. Mami comes in but gets dropped by Hernandez, only to come back with a kiss. Everything breaks down fast and Bronce breaks up Hernandez’s slam attempt on Mami (and he was struggling).

Clown sends Bronce outside for a bit flip dive, followed by a springboard corkscrew dive from Dinastia. Hernandez cuts off Bronce’s dive and powerbombs him onto the pile, followed by Hernandez hitting his own huge dive. Mami dives off the middle rope to crush everyone and it’s time to head back inside. Hernandez and Bronce fight to the back and Clown rolls Dinastia up for two. Dinastia’s standing moonsault gets two, with Mamba making the save. Hiedra gets in a chair shot to Mami though and Mamba steals the pin at 6:56.

Rating: C. This was all over the place and in this case, that’s exactly the point. These things are designed to be pure chaos with everyone going all over the place and it went well enough. The dives were impressive and the fans were into a lot of it, making it a rather fun opener. Just maybe don’t have the villains win to kick off the show?

The ring announcer again polls the fans about the main event.

Reina de Reinas Title: Lady Shani vs. Ayako Hamada vs. Rosemary vs. Sexy Star

Star is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Of note, Rosemary is from Global Force Wrestling, because that was a thing at this point. Rosemary suplexes Star to the floor to start but Shani and Hamada take Rosemary down. Back up and Rosemary slugs away but Star is right back for some shots to everyone. Hamada grabs a chair and takes out Star, only to have Shani kick the chair into Hamada’s face.

Now it’s a trashcan being thrown…well in the vicinity of the ring, as Hamada doesn’t clear the top rope in a bit of an embarrassing miss. Rosemary grabs a full nelson with her legs on Shani and Hamada cranks on one of Shani’s legs for a tap….but that doesn’t count because it’s a double submission so we keep going (I’ve always thought that should be an elimination or something, as it’s hard to fathom tapping to two people not having some kind of consequence.).

Shani is put in a chair and has a trashcan put on top of her but topples over due to unconsciousness. Star comes back in and gets WHACKED with a trashcan lid. She’s fine enough to powerbomb Hamada out of the corner for two, with Rosemary having to make the save. Shani is back up with some kicks to Rosemary, who pulls her into something of a Last Chancery. That’s broken up by Star, who gets Stunnered by Rosemary. Star is able to Iconoclasm Rosemary off the top and grabs a cross armbreaker to retain at 9:57. She takes her sweet time letting go too.

Rating: C-. It was pretty much just a bunch of weapons stuff while commentary praised Sexy Star as being this huge deal. As for the match, there was little to no flow or story to it other than Star making a comeback at the end. Rosemary and Hamada are capable of more and I’ve seen Star be ok. Shani was billed as a hardcore specialist and that was only kind of on display here. It wasn’t horrible, but the ending was out of nowhere and it felt like they were told “go do stuff and then finish it now”.

Oh and one more thing: the armbreaker that Star used on Rosemary wound up being a shoot, legitimately injuring Rosemary and more or less banishing Star to the indies for the rest of her career. Pretty much, no one of note was going to put up with her attacking a wrestler for no valid reason and that was it. The title would be vacated a few weeks later as Star was done with AAA. If a wrestler legitimately attacks someone else in the ring without just cause, I’m not sure what kind of a future they would be expecting to have.

With THAT out of the way, Martha Villalobos, a legend and former champion, comes out to present Star with the belt in a moment I’m sure AAA won’t want to have back immediately.

The ring announcer shills the program.

Vampiro and someone who seems to be a sponsor are here to announce the winners of the Llaves a la Gloria. Third place is Ashley, second is El Hijo del Vikingo and the winner is….Angelikal. As a bonus, Vampiro has the rest of the contestants get inside, where they are told they will be the first group of students at the new AAA school.

Tag Team Titles: Andrew Everett/DJZ vs. Monster Clown/Murder Clown vs. Aerostar/Drago vs. Dark Cuervo/Dark Scoria

Cuervo/Scoria are defending and this is one fall to a finish. The Clowns whip out a belt to start the whipping but Aerostar and Drago take over on DJZ. An assisted tornado DDT gets two on Everett but the champs are back in to double clothesline Drago. Back in and the Clowns get to clean the ring save for Aerostar, who gets whipped with the belt. Aerostar fights back and sends the Clowns outside for the suicide dive.

Cuervo and Scoria hit dives of their own, followed by the rather large Murder Clown hitting his own big flip dive. Back in and Murder Clown gets caught on top with a Tower Of Doom. Aerostar is raised up the lighting grid and then asks to go even higher. We get some near falls but keep cutting up to Aerostar as they keep going up. He finally hits the dive to clear out the pile and three wrestlers run in for a beatdown.

Commentary doesn’t know who they are and they’re ejected just as fast (Apparently they’re El Poder del Norte, a heel stable. Thanks review from someone else, because commentary is rather worthless on this show.). The champs fight back but a third Clown (he has purple hair) comes in to help take them out. Cuervo and Scoria fight back, only to have Marty Martinez (from Lucha Underground) run in and help the Clowns as well. A top rope splash gives Murder the double pin on the champs for the titles at 13:28.

Rating: D+. The huge dive was impressive looking and there were some cool spots, but this was another match where it felt like they weren’t really doing much of anything until the ending when everything went nuts. The Clowns felt like the bigger deal but the whole match felt like a bunch of teams thrown out there for the sake of having a Tag Team Title match. Well that and so Aerostar could do a crazy dive because he seems to be a little nuts.

Post match the Clowns keep up the beating and Marty leaves with the purple haired clown.

We get a speech from the President of the company (the widow of founder Antonio Pena), who talks about wrestlers who have passed away during the TripleMania years.

We get a video on the wrestlers who have passed away. Nothing wrong with something like that.

BUY MERCHANDISE!

Torneo TripleMania XXV

So from what I can tell this is a ten trios (30 people) battle royal with lumberjacks. It also seems that there are teams from different eras to give it a bit of a theme. We’re also doing staggered entrances ala the Royal Rumble (90 second intervals), so it’s Team Ex-AAA (Heavy Metal/Pirata Morgan/Villano IV) in at #1 and Relevos Incredibles (Australian Suicide/Faby Apache/Pimpinela Escarlata) in at #2 to start. It’s a brawl to start as the lumberjacks (with straps) get into it on the floor.

Los OGT’s (Averno/Chessman/Super Fly) are in at #3 and a lot of stomping/near eliminations ensue. Granted I’m not completely sure who is almost out as, again, commentary seems to have no idea who is who, but why let that stop you? Los Vipers (Histeria/Maniaco/Psicosis), who even I’ve heard of, are in at #4 and Psicosis has a huge snake around his neck. The Vipers start cleaning house as I don’t believe anyone has been eliminated yet. Los Guapos (Decnis/Scorpio Jr./Zumbido) are in at #5 as this is rather hard to keep track of, a statement commentary makes as well.

A high crossbody completely misses for I believe Histeria and Los Perros del Mal (Halloween/Joe Lider/Mr. Aguila) are in at #6. We get some rapid fire pinfalls (no names mentioned and no word on if those individuals or their teams are out) and the Mexican Powers (Crazy Boy/Lanzelot/Nina Hamburguesa) are in at #7. They get to clean house for a bit, including the nearly 400lb Nino coming off the top with a missed Swanton, until La Parka y sus Amigos (La Parka/Argenis/Bengala) are in at #8.

As they come to the ring, everyone gets on Nino for the pin, followed by Los Vipers getting to clean some house. Los Leyendas (Blue Demon Jr./El Cobrade/El Intocable, the Legends) are in at #9 and get to clean more house. Team GFW (Moose/Bobby Lashley/Jeff Jarrett) are in at #10 to complete the field….or at least they should be, as it’s just Lashley on his own.

Lashley gets to wreck some people on the grounds of he’s Bobby Lashley, but the clock starts counting down again. Commentary is confused (it’s not that hard) and it gets even worse when no one comes out. Moose comes out on his own and just kind of stands around awkwardly, which isn’t his style.

Jarrett finally comes out and…..yeah there’s no way around it: Jarrett was very out of it (quite possibly drunk) at this show, to the point where he can barely get down the steps to the ring. To his credit, he would take time away from the ring shortly after this (and at least one other incident) and reportedly got clean, so good for him for dealing with his problems. As for tonight though, Jarrett takes FOREVER to get to the ring, as he is throwing tortillas to the crowd, which isn’t going well whatsoever. For some reason Moose and Lashley are fighting each other on the floor as Jarrett gets inside. Jarrett punches a bunch of people and kicks Parka low, leaving him the only one standing.

Parka finally gets up and slugs it out with Jarrett as we actually have something resembling a match for a second. A DDT plants Jarrett for the pin (POP) and we pause for Parka’s music, even though the match isn’t over. Commentary isn’t sure what is going on (shocking) as Jarrett is yelling at fans. The rest of the OGT’s clear house and go for Parka’s mask….until Chessman shoves Super Fly (his partner) off the top and out. So we’re down to Chessman, Averno and Parka, but Averno hits Chessman (again, his partner) low for a pin. Then Parka small packages Averno for the final pin (thank goodness) at 26:41.

Rating: F. I spent the better part of half an hour watching this and I have no idea what was going on. The problem is that commentary didn’t seem to either, to the point where there might have been five names mentioned here, with most of them being Team GFW. I’m sure this was about getting Parka a moment and having a bunch of names in there, but it’s a case where if you aren’t already a fan, this isn’t going to make things better. The fact that the only reason I knew most of the names was the show’s Wikipedia didn’t help, but it isn’t like there was commentary or a graphic to tell me who was involved.

On top of that, it was a terrible battle royal, where the rules weren’t clear, some people (Lashley/Moose) just left, I had no idea who was eliminated (or how to eliminate someone for that matter) and nothing was clear in the slightest. You can do something like this with the Gimmick Battle Royal, but that was about four minutes, not almost twenty seven (longest of the show so far). Absolutely horrible here and one of the worst matches I’ve seen in a very long time for more reasons that I can count (ok I can count them but I don’t want to waste any more time on this mess).

Post match La Parka, Bengala and Argenis get a belt, with Parka getting all of the glory.

El Mesias vs. Pagano

Street fight and they start in the aisle (as commentary didn’t seem to think this match was scheduled next) with Mesias knocking him into the ring. Pagano scores with a spinwheel kick, as commentary is surprised he included a wrestling move. A springboard bulldog drops Mesias again but he’s back with a shot to the face. Back up and Pagano knocks him into the corner, only to get sent outside.

Mesias gets in some chair shots as we get at least the third arena wide shot of the match (about five minutes in). The beating goes around the ring, with Mesias sending him into a trashcan. They go up the aisle with Mesias getting a suplex but having a beer thrown into his face. Back to the ring they go, with some barbed wire being brought in because of course it is. Pagano gets the better of a slugout and runs him over, setting up a Russian legsweep.

Mesias is knocked outside so Pagano hits a running flip dive, followed by a hanging piledriver back inside. And now the barbed wire, which Pagano puts in front of his chest on a missed moonsault. Pagano is back with a Regal Roll into a Lionsault, which has commentary questioning the impact of the barbed wire. Mesias is knocked outside for an apron dropkick as things slow down.

They get back inside with Mesias whipping out a barbed wire bat, which is kicked away. The fans are rather displeased as Mesias hits a faceplant onto the bat. Back up and Pagano gets in a bat shot to Mesias’ knee….which is enough to warrant a referee stoppage at 16:40, because I guess just covering Mesias was out of the question?

Rating: D. This was slow, plodding, didn’t get overly violent until near the ending and then had a dumb finish on top of that. If Mesias is hurt then it’s understandable, but it was his leg. Have Pagano cover him for a fast pin instead of just stopping everything cold in a street fight. Other than that, this just wasn’t good and both guys appeared to be moving in slow motion for a lot of it. If you want this to be some violent match then go there rather than do something this lame.

Post match Rey Escorpion, in street clothes, comes in to deck Pagano and then go after Mesias, who is on a stretcher.

AAA World Title/AAA Latin American Title/AAA Cruiserweight Title: Johnny Mundo vs. El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Texano Jr.

Mundo (John Morrison/etc) is defending, comes out to Born In The USA, and this is a ladder match. Fantasma would go on to become known as Santos Escobar while Texano would go on to continue to be known as Texano Jr. The challengers chop it out to start and Mundo gets knocked down for trying to bring in some weapons. Texano grabs a chair to blast Fantasma and starts ripping at the mask, allowing Mundo to add a top rope elbow.

Mundo dropkicks a ladder into Texano and superkicks Fantasma for a bonus. A pair of tables are set up at ringside but everyone realizes that there are belts to grab and go for the ladder. Texano clears the ring, leaving Fantasma to load a table against the barricade. Mundo dropkicks Texano off the top but gets knocked off a ladder (which was nowhere near high enough anyway as the belts are WAY up there). Fantasma hits his great dive into Texano into (but not through) the leaning table.

Texano is back up and sends Fantasma through the table, followed by a Swanton onto Fantasma onto the broken table. With Fantasma VERY busted open, Mundo goes up but gets pulled down by Texano. Mundo bridges a ladder on the middle rope but takes too long posing, allowing Fantasma to dropkick him down. Fantasma drops Texano onto the bridged ladder, seemingly busting him open too.

The ladder is set in the middle as the belts come down a bit. Mundo’s climb takes too long as well and Texano shoves the ladder over, sending Mundo down and onto (not through) a table at ringside. Fantasma dives over a ladder bridged into a standing one to forearm Texano, only to get knocked into the ladder. More tables are set up in the ring, with Fantasma backdropping Texano onto the bridged ladder for a nasty crash.

Cue Kevin Kross (Karrion Kross, Mundo’s lackey) to make the save but Mascara de Bronce comes out to stop Kross, who was climbing for some reason. Now it’s Hernandez (another Mundo lackey, or stooge as commentary puts it) to get knocked outside as well, leaving Bronce to hit a heck of a springboard moonsault to take him down.

Kross chokeslams Bronce onto the apron but Fantasma takes him down. Mundo ladders Fantasma in the face but all three wind up climbing. Fantasma knocks Texano down for a big crash, leaving Mundo to get in a low blow to drop Fantasma as well. All three belts are pulled down and Mundo retains at 22:49.

Rating: B. It wasn’t a classic or anything but for a triple threat ladder match with a bunch of interference, this could have been a lot worse. Mundo feels like a star and has the gold to prove it while the other two felt like they had him multiple times, only to come up short. Maybe it was everything else being so bad/horrible, but I had a good time with this one as Mundo feels like a much bigger deal here than in WWE.

Post match Mundo brags about his win and calls out…Vampiro. Mundo throws down the title and here is Vampiro to interrupt. Vampiro won’t look at him, as Mundo demands that Vampiro put the belt on him. Mundo yells at him, spits at him and shoves him, which is finally enough for Vampiro to grab a chokeslam. With Mundo on the floor, Vampiro threatens violence before leaving as well.

With everyone else gone, Fantasma and Texano trade chair shots to the head and both are left laying. Well that was cringe inducing.

Video on Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Psycho Clown, both of whom have been training rather hard. They don’t seem to like each other.

Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. Psycho Clown

Mask vs. Mask and this is billed as the biggest lucha match of the decade. Hold on though as a woman has to sing the National Anthem before we’re ready to go. We’re ready to go and Clown misses a dropkick, allowing Wagner to clothesline away as commentary isn’t sure how many falls this is (it’s one). Wagner chokes away in the corner before they go outside, with the brawl heading into the crowd.

Back in and Psycho hits a spinwheel kick as the fans aren’t sure who they like here. Wagner ties him up on the mat but Psycho is right next to the ropes. We get the expected mask ripping before Wagner hits him in the head with the chair. Psycho is busted open so Wagner enjoys some of it on his hand. There’s another chair shot to knock Clown even sillier, as commentary wonders what happens if you rip off a mask in a mask vs. mask match.

They head outside with Wagner slowly beating on Psycho, who can barely stagger away. Clown gets knocked up and back down the apron but manages to make a comeback with some clotheslines back inside. Clown knocks him outside and hits the dive but the running flip dive only hits mat (instead of Wagner’s son, who is ringside as well). Back in and Clown rips at Wagner’s mask for a change before whacking him in the face with a chair.

A hanging DDT gets Wagner out of trouble for two. Clown gets a quick rollup for two, with commentary pointing out how slow the referee has been to get into position (Jesse Ventura would not approve). Wagner knocks him outside and hits the big flipping dive, setting up a Samoan drop into the fans.

Back in and a top rope superplex gives Wagner two, followed by Clown’s Samoan drop getting the same. Wagner shrugs off a kick to the face though and hits the Wagner (Michinoku) Driver for two more. Another Wagner Driver gets another near fall and the fans are rather interested. Clown grabs a superplex of his own into a Backstabber and a Code Red gives him the pin at 28:40.

Rating: B+. What mattered here is it felt like a struggle as these two did not want to lose everything. It made the match feel that much more important and I don’t think anything else could have come close to headlining. Clown is someone who has felt like a star every time I’ve seen him, but Wagner has always felt like a legend. The ending felt like a very big deal and that is how you want your main event to go. The action was more than good enough, but the atmosphere made it feel that much bigger.

We get the big ceremony of the unmasking, but first Wagner has to announce his real name (Juan Manuel Gonzalez Barron) and hometown (Torreon). He praises Clown and talks about being a legend, before unmasking and thanking Clown. There are kids crying in the crowd as Wagner huddles with his family. As Wagner and company leave, Clown stops him to say it was an honor and praise Wagner. Clown celebrates and we get a highlight package of the main event to end the show.

There really isn’t a translation to this kind of thing in America, but egads it comes off like the biggest deal in the world in a situation like this. Wagner is a legend and now everything about him has changed because of one match. That’s a pretty major deal and they treated it as such with the post match time.

Overall Rating: D+. The last two matches are very good and they bring the show up about as high as it can go. The problem is that everything before that was an absolute disaster with one of the weakest stretches I’ve ever seen as there wasn’t a good match to be seen in the first two or so hours of the show show. I’m not sure what went wrong, but if this show didn’t have the two main events, this could have been an all time disaster. As it is, it’s WAY too long and not good, but at least it could have been worse (barely).

 

 

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 13, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

The Mexico run continues after last week’s big engagement between Brian Cage and Melissa Santos. That means he’ll be gone for another few weeks as we continue the Brock Lesnar style title reign. Sami Callihan is getting a title shot in about five weeks though and that could make for an interesting Bound For Glory. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Kiera Hogan vs. Tenille Dashwood

Dashwood finds the early shoving amusing and they trade early arm control attempts. A kick to the back annoys Dashwood again so Kiera hides in the corner. That earns her an elbow to the face and a basement dropkick, meaning it’s time for some bailing to the floor. Back in and Kiera gets in her own kick to the face, followed by some choking in the corner.

There’s a running clothesline in the corner but Kiera can’t get her feet on the ropes to properly cheat. Dashwood makes her comeback with a variety of shots to the face and the Taste of Tenille. Kiera’s kick to the head gives her two of her own so Dashwood snaps off a wheelbarrow suplex. A high crossbody sets up the Spotlight (pretty much a Claymore) to finish Hogan at 8:58.

Rating: C-. Fine little win for Dashwood here, though I can’t imagine she’s going to be around that long. She seems almost perfect for one of the bigger stars in AEW and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her being the next short term Impact import. Just do something with her while she’s around, please? It would be nice for some company to get that idea right.

Sami Callihan promises to cause some trouble in Mexico tonight.

The North is proud of getting rid of LAX and wants to know why more people aren’t talking about them. They should be more people’s favorite tag team. These guys are getting better and better at an alarming rate.

Announcers’ preview.

Michael Elgin vs. Dinastia

Dinastia is the reigning AAA Mini Champion. Elgin shoves him down to start so Dinastia tries a waistlock for the usual unfunny visual. A high crossbody is caught in a one arm tilt-a-whirl backbreaker as the fans are starting to get behind Elgin. There’s the apron bomb and an Emerald Flosion, the finisher of Naomichi Marufuji, who will be having a match against someone to be named at Bound For Glory, for the pin at 3:11.

Rating: D. Well at least it didn’t last long. Elgin is a good addition to the roster, yet somehow he’s in a one off match at Bound For Glory against a Japanese guy who will appeal to hardcore fans but does very little long term for Impact. I’m sure the match is going to be good but it’s never been a kind of booking I care for. As for the point of this….I’m going to hope it was lost in translation somewhere and move on.

Elgin talks about the things he has done over his career (without mentioning names) but there was one man in Japan he never faced. Marufuji is coming to Chicago and they’ll see each other.

In Rosemary’s….whatever it is, Taya Valkyrie complains to Rosemary about Tenille Dashwood getting the spotlight. Rosemary: “How do you keep getting in here?” Taya gives her a phone and suggests they have mimosas. Rosemary: “MOSAS??”

TJP steals Fallah Bahh’s lunch and tries to teach him to find his voice.

Flashback Moment of the Week: LAX vs. OVE from Bound For Glory.

James Mitchell warns Havok to leave Su Yung alone. Even he is scared of what Yung is going to do next.

Moose congratulates Ken Shamrock for getting a match with him at Bound For Glory. Enjoy your time now though because at Bound For Glory, Ken is stepping into the ring with the World’s Most Dangerous Man.

Dr. Wagner Jr. vs. El Texano Jr.

Wagner’s son, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. I presume, is here with him. Texano jumps him during the pre-match speech and Wagner loses his mask, which he isn’t supposed to be wearing anymore anyway. After a quick trip to the floor, it’s time to start working on Wagner’s leg but the referee won’t let Texano use the bull rope.

Wagner grabs a cutter for a breather and a delayed two, followed by a missed charge to send Texano outside. The dive to the floor takes Texano down again but he grabs a hanging DDT on the way back in. Texano goes up top but gets superplexed back down, setting up a hammerlock lariat. The Dr. Driver (Michinoku Driver) finishes Texano at 5:55.

Rating: C-. This was your run of the mill “here are two stars from the host country” match and it worked just fine. Wagner is the bigger star of the two and will be at Bound For Glory (one of the four matches so far have all Impact talent, which isn’t a good sign) so giving him more exposure here made sense. Short match but they put some stuff into it and the fans cared so I’ll take it.

Ace Austin is scared of Eddie Edwards hurting him and wants Alisha to stay in the back during their match tonight.

LAX is packing up the clubhouse when Rich Swann and Willie Mack come in. Respect is shown and Swann/Mack want to have LAX’s last match around here. Konnan promises to get it made.

Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie charges in and they trade chops in the corner with Austin being knocked outside. That means the big dive as Josh talks about how horrible of a human Ace really is. Callis: “If Ace kills Eddie Edwards, it saves Alisha the cost of a divorce.” Eddie crotches him against the post but Ace is fine enough to get in a kick to the head. The playing card slices open Eddie’s finger but Eddie Hulks Up.

The Blue Thunder Bomb gives Eddie two and he hammers away in the corner like he’s in a match with a wrestler who wants to steal his wife. Ace gets in a baton shot to the face to knock Eddie silly and we take a break. Back with Eddie fighting out of a dragon sleeper and grabbing the tiger driver for two. Ace tries to bail so Eddie hits the suicide dive and stomps on the chair Ace tries to grab. The handstand on the apron avoids a chair shot so Eddie just throws the chair at the arm for the DQ at 13:15.

Rating: C+. Eddie has become one of the most consistently strong performers around here as I want to see where his trip into madness goes. He has settled down in the loony land at the moment and that makes for some interesting developments. I’m curious to see where this Ace/Alisha stuff is going and you don’t get that around here very often.

Post match Eddie stays on him and beats up some security to go further over the edge. Ace is clutching his arm on the floor.

Brian Cage and Melissa Santos are getting married in two weeks and Cage isn’t vacating the title.

Johnny Swinger is coming.

Watch Ken Shamrock’s bare knuckle boxing promotion!

Eddie and Alisha yell at each other as Ace is put in the ambulance. She yells even more and leaves with the ambulance as Eddie is stunned.

Big Mami/Nino Hamburgesa vs. Desi Hit Squad

The Deaners are here with the Squad, who are in Deaner style gear. There is no Gama Singh, who was last seen on the farm. Nino flips over Singh to start and runs him over with a shoulder before it’s off to Mami vs. Raju. Mami manages a Matrix and a clothesline gives her two. It’s already back to Singh to dropkick Nino’s knee, only to miss a middle rope elbow. We get the required double Stinkface and the rather rotund Nino hits a suicide flip dive. Mami dives off the middle rope to take all three of them out again. Back in and some Squad miscommunication sets up Nino’s top rope splash for the pin at 5:27.

Rating: D. I know these two are better known in Mexico and the fans cared about them but it’s not exactly my style of humor with a bunch of spots based on their size and nothing else at all. I’m not exactly thrilled with having them around but they play a role on the show and they won’t be here next week so I guess I can live with it. Just get on to something else.

Post match Mahabali Shera returns to beat up the Deaners and officially join the Squad. Gama Singh is very pleased.

Tessa Blanchard/Tommy Dreamer vs. Sami Callihan/Jake Crist

Street fight. They start on the stage with OVE getting knocked down the ramp. Crist gets sent face first into the apron and hurricanranaed down, leaving Tessa to stare at Sami. Another knockdown has Callihan in trouble and we take a break. Back with weapons in the ring and Tessa planting Jake with a tornado DDT. Sami and Dreamer take their places in the ring and fight over the staple gun with Sami taking a shot to the chest. OVE gets tied in Trees of Woe for almost stereo baseball slide dropkicks into chars to their faces.

Stereo cutters get a double near fall but Dreamer gets sent hard into the corner. Tessa fights both of them at once but it’s a double big boot to take her down. A cutter gets two on Tessa to put her in trouble until Dreamer gets back up for the save. Sami gets in a baseball bat to Tessa’s ribs but Dreamer hits him with a kendo stick. Cue Madman Fulton for a distraction though, allowing Callihan to get in the Cactus Special to pin Dreamer at 9:23.

Rating: D+. Just a quick match here as Tessa’s main event push takes another hit. That being said, I fully expect her to get a shot at Sami’s title before the year is out and winning it isn’t an impossible option. Sami getting the pin is good, even if beating Dreamer hasn’t meant anything in about fifteen years (or more).

Post match Tessa beats up OVE, including Fulton, but Sami gets in a shot from behind to take her down. Rob Van Dam and Rhino run in for the save because ECW LIVES!!!

Overall Rating: D. Another not very good show down south, which has become too much of a trend around here. The good news here is they’ve started the build to Bound For Glory early and they should be ready for the show. The problem though is how many matches are going to need outside help. That shouldn’t be the case with the biggest show of the year, but it’s not like they have a lot of stories that can be blown off there. Bad show tonight, but maybe there is some hope for the future.

Results

Tenille Dashwood b. Kiera Hogan – Spotlight

Michael Elgin b. Dinastia – Emerald Flosion

Dr. Wagner Jr. b. Texano Jr. – Dr. Driver

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Edwards used a chair

Nino Hamburgesa/Big Mami b. Desi Hit Squad – Middle rope splash to Raju

Sami Callihan/Jake Crist b. Tessa Blanchard/Tommy Dreamer – Cactus Special to Dreamer

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Impact Wrestling
Date: September 20, 2018
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

After all the weeks of telling us multiple times a night that the show was going to Mexico City, the show is now in Mexico City! Odds are these tapings will take us up to Bound For Glory next month and that means we should be seeing some big stuff taking place over the next four weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video looks at the major feuds around here, including the World Title situation, OVE and LAX. The World Title match gets a lot of time as well.

Aerostar/El Hijo Del Vikingo/Laredo Kid vs. OVE

They waste no time in the six way staredown until Laredo kicks away at Dave, who has grown a Wyatt Family size beard in a week. Aerostar comes in and kicks Jake until Sami powerbombs him down. It’s Vikingo’s turn now and he hand walks into a hurricanrana to send Jake outside. That means we hit the dives with Kid moonsaulting onto everyone and Vikingo shooting starring onto an even bigger pile.

Back in and Sami pounds on Laredo as we actually get down to a regular match. A double beal sends Laredo flying…into his corner so it’s off to Vikingo. That doesn’t go well either as he gets caught in the corner for some kicks to the back. Another double beal is reversed with a seated senton and it’s Aerostar coming in to clean house. A springboard Codebreaker into a shooting star press into a 450 gives a dog pile two count on Sami. OVE is right back up with triple Tombstones and the All Seeing Eye finishes Vikingo at 8:23.

Rating: C+. That’s a very good way to start off a big series of shows like this. You need something fast paced and exciting, which is what a trios match is going to do. Most importantly though they had Aerostar in there, which gives the fans someone they recognize. His partners could hang with him, which lets you know their skill level. Otherwise, I have no idea who Vikingo is and therefore I don’t know if OVE should be squashing him or winning a hard fought match. Well done for such a simple match.

Matt Sydal again offers his services to Rich Swann. He suggests a tag match against the Lucha Bros and Swann actually agrees, though he tells Sydal to keep up.

Tessa Blanchard throws a woman out of the locker room and Faby Apache (a big name in AAA) tells her to show some respect. That sounds like a setup.

Here’s Eli Drake for an Open Challenge and it includes a first class ticket on the Gravy Train.

Eli Drake vs. Trevor Lee

Trevor is fired up to start and uppercuts Drake in the corner but a running clothesline takes him down. A trip to the floor doesn’t last long as Lee brings it back inside for two off a backbreaker. The Gravy Train is countered into a rollup for two but the second Gravy Train attempt is enough for the pin at 3:37.

Rating: D. Lee showed some fire here and was better than I was expecting. Drake winning these matches in a hurry tells me that TNA has something planned for him and that’s a good sign going forward. The action made the match work and they were smart to keep things going at such a fast pace.

King wants to beat up a luchador to show Konnan what he has.

King vs. Kronoz

The OGz beat Kronoz down and a spinning back fist gives King the pin at 19 seconds.

Post match King calls out Konnan to no reaction.

In the clubhouse, Konnan and LAX rant about King’s lack of respect. Konnan tells them not to tell him what to do because the ceasefire can’t be broken up. The revenge can take place at Bound For Glory.

Alisha vs. Faby Apache

They kick at the legs to start with Faby getting the better of things. A surfboard has Alisha in trouble until she hurricanranas her way out of trouble. Alisha gets two off a victory roll but she charges into a boot in the corner. The Black Widow doesn’t last long so Alisha goes with a clothesline instead. A Flatliner gets two on Apache but she kicks Alisha in the face and hits a Batista Bomb for the pin at 5:10.

Rating: C-. The earlier segment made it pretty clear that Apache is destined to face Tessa at some point down the line so she’s not about to lose to a low level name like Alisha. That being said, Alisha got in some offense here and it made the match watchable enough. Not too bad here and Apache is in for something bigger.

Post match Faby (through a translator) says she wants to face Tessa next week because Tessa is a new girl and needs to learn respect.

Texano Jr. says he has two partners of his own: his fists and his bullrope. Those are enough to let him win the World Title and ride away on his horse holding it.

Scarlett Bordeaux will have an announcement next week.

Rich Swann/Matt Sydal vs. Lucha Bros

As you might expect, the Lucha Bros are crazy over. Swann and Fenix go to an early standoff and Fenix isn’t sure what to make of that. It’s off to Pentagon vs. Sydal as things break down in a hurry. A cutter drops Sydal and Pentagon superkicks Swann out of the air for two. We settle down to Sydal kicking Pentagon in the face for two but Swann comes back in and eats a superkick.

The hot tag brings in Fenix to clean house and there’s the big corkscrew dive to the floor. Everyone is down and we take a break. Back with Sydal kneeing Fenix in the face and stereo hurricanranas taking the Bros down. Pentagon is fine enough to Fear Factor Sydal on the apron, followed by the Muscle Buster driver (Black Fire driver) for the pin on Swann at 13:04, though Fenix looked surprised that he won.

Rating: C+. Usual good stuff from these four, as Sydal is much easier to watch when he’s not allowed to talk. The Lucha Bros are really entertaining and work so well together, which is the case with any brothers. You can’t fake that kind of thing and it’s a good reason why so many brother teams are that good.

Post match OVE comes in for the beatdown until Brian Cage makes the save.

Aries is ready to face Texano because there’s no one left.

The Desi Hit Squad is getting a massage before their non-title match next week against LAX. Gama Singh comes in and orders them to exercise and beat each other up.

Joe Hendry and Grado have a new video on Katarina, with Hendry saying he’d never leave his best friend for her. As usual: Hendry is fun and entertaining and Grado is there too.

From Bound For Glory 2005: Ultimate X. The ending isn’t actually shown.

Video on Tessa Blanchard, Su Yung and Allie.

This year’s Hall of Fame inductee: Abyss. I have no issue with that whatsoever as he’s been around since the beginning.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Texano Jr.

Aries is defending and has Moose and Killer Kross with him. Feeling out process to start and Aries takes him down for a dropkick. Back up and Texano scores with a forearm into a slingshot headbutt, only to have his neck snapped across the top rope. They fight to the floor and we take an early break.

Back with Aries raking the back and sending Texano into the corner as we break open the Hollywood Hogan Starter Offense. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets Texano out of trouble and a Rough Ryder gets two on the champ. Aries takes a breather on the floor, where he picks up the bullrope. The referee takes it away so Texano hits a superkick for two. That’s about it for Texano though as the brainbuster retains Aries’ title at 12:12.

Rating: D. There was no spark to this at all and I was actually surprised when the match just ended out of nowhere. I’ve seen Texano put on some entertaining matches before and Aries is capable of great stuff but this was a bad effort from both of them. The stuff early on wasn’t anything to see and the ending was even worse. Really bad and disappointing match that certainly didn’t feel like a main event.

Post match Johnny Impact pops up with a graphic saying he’s in Los Angeles. Aries doesn’t buy it and asks where Impact is. Cue Impact down the ramp to clear the ring. Now it’s Eddie Edwards with the kendo stick to get in a few shots on the villains to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Very meh show overall with nothing that stood out and two matches that were both rather bad. The fact that they were in Mexico City really just meant that they had some different jobbers, though I would prefer that to trying to make the show look like it’s in Mexico as some theme week idea that WWE uses in England. Not the worst show they’ve put on, but it didn’t help much in the Bound For Glory build.

Results

OVE b. El Hijo Del Vikingo/Laredo Kid/Aerostar – All Seeing Eye to Vikingo

Eli Drake b. Trevor Lee – Gravy Train

King b. Kronoz – Spinning back fist

Faby Apache b. Alisha – Sitout powerbomb

Lucha Bros b. Matt Sydal/Rich Swann – Black Fire driver to Swann

Austin Aries b. Texano Jr. – Brainbuster

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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