Joe’s Lucha Libre Weekly: News & Opinions for 8/30/18

LA Park vs Rush?

No matter what happens at Friday’s CMLL show, and I fully expect LA Park to go off the script and cut whatever promo he wants, this match will not happen this year. CMLL would be silly to shoe horn it as the main event for the anniversary show because the tickets are already sold, and the prices weren’t nearly as high as people thought they would be, which tipped people off to the fact that the match wasn’t going to happen. Now they don’t have to do it at the anniversary show, but for business it would be best if they did.

So what’s happened here? And why did it happen? Well on June 5th, AAA announced what their main event for Triplemania would be, Poker de Ases, with Hijo Del Fantasma, Psycho Clown, Pentagon Jr, and LA Park. So we knew this match was happening, for a very long time, yet CMLL continued for the next two months to build to Rush vs LA Park. Why would they do this kind of deceit? Well before the LA Park and Rush program started in late May, CMLL wasn’t exactly drawing a ton of fans to their shows. Now in Mexico, ticket sales are majority walk up ticket sales, unless it’s a planned big show like the anniversary show, so the top of the card matters. They brought in three outsiders that boosted business significantly, LA Park, Pentagon Jr (Penta 0 M), and Fenix (King Phoenix). The attendance numbers rose dramatically, and they were even good numbers when those three weren’t on the show.

It feels like CMLL was teasing it until they couldn’t possibly tease anymore (The press conference where they announced the CMLL card) for the sake of keeping attendance numbers high. When they changed course from LA Park to Volador Jr, Rush asked the crowd who they’d rather see him face. The crowd overwhelmingly wanted Rush vs LA Park, but in a WWE like move, Rush and CMLL completely ignored the response and insisted everybody wanted Rush vs Volador. Apparently it wasn’t what they wanted because now it’s a tag match with Taven and Cavernario thrown in. Tag team hair vs hair. Now there’s nothing wrong with that match if it was the one being built, but the CMLL fans feel betrayed and of course twitter isn’t the right place to take the pulse, but if you see the comments on twitter posts from CMLL, the majority is angry fans who are threatening to sell tickets. Now, CMLL probably doesn’t care because the tickets are bought, and if that ticket gets sold on a third party market, then someone is still coming to the show. But to play devil’s advocate, CMLL never officially announced the match, but why do the build? Card subject to change has always been a dirty phrase in wrestling.

Something interesting regarding the CMLL anniversary show is there will be an Impact taping on the same day. Now that’s interesting because Pentagon and Fenix are apart of Impact. Based off their Lucha Underground contracts, companies that Lucha Underground work with, MLW, and Impact, should basically have the right of first refusal since they’re direct partners. Now I can’t CONFIRM that. Just based off previous contracts in the past, the ones you have direct relationships with get the right first. I also assume this because he is called Pentagon Jr in Impact and MLW and Penta 0 M in CMLL. Impact is very good with working with others these days though, so I’m sure there will be no issue. Both shows are in Mexico City.

A few more interesting notes is, will Impact bring in LA Park like MLW has? It would make sense being that they’re taping in Mexico and they’re trying to sell out a 2,000 seat building. Possibly the most fascinating thing though? Fenix just won the AAA Mega Championship at Triplemania. There is time between now and then but will he go into the CMLL anniversary show as AAA mega champion? If you know anything about CMLL and AAA it’s basically WWE’s attitude towards other wrestling companies. CMLL never acknowledges AAA by name, so to see them using outsiders in such a prominent role shows how desperate they were to increase attendance figures this year.

Expo Lucha

There is a lucha libre convention in Las Vegas starting Friday, the day before All In. They’re also doing stuff on the day of All In. It’s gonna be a busy weekend for guys like Pentagon, Fenix, and Rey Mysterio. And if you listen to podcasts, Konnan and Disco. The grind never ends in the wrestling industry. There are no off seasons in wrestling pal. Now the people at Lucha Central are going to be airing these shows live. I’m unsure if AAA will be airing stuff on twitch, I’m going to assume they aren’t since they have a show on Sunday. So really really busy for Konnan. Vegas, to Chicago, to Mexico in three days. They’re going to have four live shows, with the likes of LA Park appearing, Mil Mascaras appearing, Rey Mysterio appearing, and Alberto El Patron. There will be English and Spanish versions of these shows at LuchaCentral.com.

Here and There in the Lucha World

It feels like AAA ambushed LA Park at the conclusion of the Triplemania show. Dr. Wagner came out to promote a hair vs mask match for next years Triplemania, and the announcers spoke as if it were going to happen. However, LA Park, and he has continued on Twitter has made mention that he only cares about Wagner’s mask, and he no longer has his mask so he doesn’t have an interest in him. AAA seems to have positioned Park high on their card, but he isn’t apart of a company, he can do whatever he wants, so unless they want him to leave they need to bend to his whims to some degree.

We have lucha stars showing up in MLW next week. We’ll discuss that more next week. Park will face Pentagon to further the Konnan/Salina de la Renta story. Park’s son will also be at the taping. Pentagon and Fenix as usual will be on IMPACT tomorrow at 8 on Pop TV.

I’d like to inquire readers to watch the street fight featuring La Mascara, Texano Jr, Rey Escorpion vs Joe Lider, Murder Clown, and Pagano from TripleMania. Folks will either hate or love it, but I’m in the middle about it. I think some of those spots were ridiculous and unnecessary but Vampiro actually made a good point on commentary. There is something off with these guys, and if they weren’t killing themselves in these hardcore matches, they might be in gangs or doing illegal stuff that would get them in trouble or killed. So if you look at it like that, then I guess this is a better alternative. But I’d say watch this match and give me your feedback.

I would think that the unmasking of Fantasma could lead to him eventually going to WWE. WWE has a habit of signing guys who don’t know English that well, like La Sombra, or Mistico (Currently Caristico). El Hijo del Fantasma does in fact speak English rather well, as watchers of Lucha Underground know. He has also done interviews on Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez, where he claimed he was the most handsome man in Mexico. You can make your own judgement on that based off how he looks now. We don’t know what his situation is with Lucha Underground and those contracts. Same goes for Pentagon and Fenix.

WWE has their eyes on those two, but in my opinion I think Fantasma would be a better choice right now. Konnan has said on his podcast he is working on and telling Pentagon and Fenix they have to work on their English skills if they ever want to be superstars in America, especially WWE. I think Fantasma covers this. He is a good looking guy, has a great physique and he speaks English. A feud with him and Almas would show what these two guys from opposing Lucha Libre companies can do. So if you’re reading this Hunter, check out Fantasma’s contract situation.

Lingering Questions

The rumor is LA Park is being offered around $250,000 in American money for his mask. My question is, how much would Mil Mascaras mask be worth? He is the last surviving of the Big 3 of luchadors, El Santo and Blue Demon. You could argue at this point that maybe LA Park is 4th behind them. What would happen if some crazy mark (like myself) won the lottery, and decided to start a promotion and their first show be headlined in a football stadium, with the ticket being, LA Park vs. Mil Mascaras in a mask vs mask match, could it sell out? How much do you think Mascaras would accept for his mask if at all? I know he’s 75 and it’s a pipe dream, but he does still occasionally work matches. I think it’d be one hell of a way to start a promotion if you ran into a ton of money.

And that’s my Lucha report this week.

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