AAA.- From Cuernavaca Morelos.-Taped Saturday January 16th,1999.Announcers--Arturo Rivera (rudo), Jesus Zuņiga (Viper) and Andres Maroņas (tecnico)
Las Brujas vs Alda Moreno, Princesa Sujei and Linda Star (Las Princesas?).-*Angle* Esther Moreno arrives to Mexico and is received at the Airport by Alda... and Jesus Zuņiga, she asks for her older sister (Rossy) and Alda tells her that if Rossy had gone there, she (Alda) wouldn't, Zuņiga wants Alda to tell her sister all the story, but Alda refuses saying it's private, Zuņiga reply that everyone in Mexico knows about it... Esther shows some stuff she brought from the orient, including some pin-ups with Chiquita Azteca (and I think that Pequeņa Azteca was there in one...). Esther says she is surprised that her family wasn't there (but she didn't ask for Cynthia or Oriental).
One Fall Only.- Rossy jumps on Alda while they're being announced, so does Janeth on Linda and Xochitl on Princesa Sujei. Las Brujas clear the ring, Janeth and Hamada did a double suplex on Sujei, then an elbowdrop from Miss Janeth and a Guillotine leg drop from Hamada on the fallen Princesa, Linda enters, but Janeth takes her down with a clothsline and then Rossy and Miss Janeth deliver dual clothsline on Linda Star!! At that moment, Esther is presented as she joins the announcing team...The brawling is on as Esther 'can't believe it'. --Esther says she is surprised that her sisters are going at it, she had arrived to Mexico in hopes of forming 'las hermanas Moreno' trios team, but now it was hard to think about it, she mentions that she had fought her sisters in Japan...-- Miss Janeth misses double missile kicks, connecting on her partners, the reaction is coming! Las tecnicas outnumber their foes, with multiples elbows drops and sentons, (the first fall should have ended here, but this is a one fall only contest). The match continues with Alda armdragging and headsicsoring Rossy, who ends out of the ring. Sujei does a little more of that on Hamada, then Linda enters to face Janeth, Hamada tries to help her friend, but Linda steps on Janeth shoulders and jumps to do a huracarana on Xochitil!! The luchadoras enter the 'close pins' stage with last moment kick outs or timely friend coming to aid. At last, Linda and Sujei drop-kick Janeth and Xochitl out of the ring, then, they go for baseball slides, but las Brujas duck, but las tecnicas go to the second rope to perform spin-somersault bodyblock! (Sujei nearly falls on the floor alone). In the ring, Rossy powerbombs Alda, but then misses a plancha, Alda goes to the ttb and delivers a somersault body block, but is unable to get the pin, Rossy goes to the top again but Alda nails her with the huracarana but Rossy reverses to get the pin and the match!!
Rossy keeps beating Alda, so Esther jumps to the ring and starts a shoving contest with Rossy, Alda gets up, and shoves Esther as well, after some time of sister-shoving, Esther returns to the announcer's table, she says she won't take side with any of her sisters, as they've personal problems... Arturo offers Esther a job at the announcing team, but she says 'she wouldn't make enough money at that'.
Good match, the ladies worked well in one fall, something I'm not a big fan of, especially at trios matches... Nice way to introduce Esther... maybe not... what is she going to do? She shoved her sisters, but a feud isn't on until they trade slaps to the chest... I guess... I think she'll be in Mexico for at least 2 months, to work in the 'Reina de Reinas', rumored for February 14th, well, if anything, she's programmed to join Fugitiva and Migala to wrestle vs... Alda Moreno, Princesa Sujei and Linda Star!!! That match was on Pachuca January 19, is Esther ruda? Who knows, that card is part of AAA's 'Noche del Reves'...
***EL Hijo del Solitario, Espectro jr and Apache vs Oscar Sevilla, Mascara Sagrada jr and Parka jr.- Sevilla/Apache and Hijo del Solitario/Mascara Sagrada jr continue their feuds here, I don't know if they're headed to any hair or mask matches, but maybe in a couple of weeks they'll say.
1.- Mostly brawling, with Hijo del Solitario beating Mascara jr and Apache doing the same on Oscar Sevilla, while the announcing team (now without Esther Moreno) remembers the late El Solitario. Punches, kicks, chair shots, faces slammed to the cornerpost and a couple of powerbombs from Apache on Sevilla and the ends comes as Espectro almost does a 'nudo lagunero', and Solitario pins Sagrada jr.
2.- The brawling continues into this fall, later, los tecnicos try to react, but they can only even the match a little, Apache takes Sevilla out to the floor and hits a side plancha on him, the match has entered the non brawling stage, as Parka and Mascara Sagrada jr start working better (Mascara jr has improved quite a bit lately, btw). Both tecnicos do some good armdraging stuff, until the send Apache and Espectro out of the ring, Sevilla is on the ttb waiting to nail them with a plancha, I guess Apache forgot to catch him, as he drops to the floor while Espectro tries to hold him so that Parka can do a tope suicida on Sevilla, taking all of them out. Mascara vs Hijo del Soli now... Mascara delivers quebradora con giro and unties Hijo del Soli's mask! Tirantes prevents from any more damage as the rest of the luchadors reenter the ring, Espectro is kicked down again, and Apache assist Sevilla into a dive, I don't know if Sevilla was unable to flip to do a back drop, but he falls diving head first to the floor!!! He misses Espectro jr by 85% at least!! Apache takes Sagrada jr to the ttb and goes for a frankensteiner, but Apache falls on his feet while Mascara Sagrada stays in the ttb, next, Sagrada is brought down and put into a 'la de a caballo', Parka jr enters and takes Hijo de Solitario's mask off, and throws it to Apache, who then throws it to Mascara Sagrada jr, Tirantes DQd los tecnicos but Tropicasas is not that happy and both referees brawl (and so did all the luchadors) for a while.
***Vipers vs Vatos Locos.- With Electro Shock instead of the normal Atomicos Vipers member Mosco de la Merced. Manson dropped his red pants/sweater for his usual outfit. Maniaco is using a 'kilt' or something like that, it is bright pink...
1.- Cibernetico, Abismo and Mosco (II) came to the ring with a chair and a ladder to beat los Vatos, taking away some belts that Rivera informs are the 'amos del escandalo' titles... Abismo and friends go back to the ring and los Vipers are on command with their brawling, then, some more brawling, later, more brawling, los Vipers lift MayFlowers in the center of the ring so that Psicosis delivers a senton, 1,2,3 out, then Picudo is lifted and Hysteria delivers a moonsault from the ttb!! Maniaco then lifts Nygma into his shoulders and side drops him to make him submit (with some help of all Vipers).
2.-Los Vipers keep brawling, now it is Charly Manson the one who's getting the heck beaten out of him with some kicks, elbows drops, leg drops, etc, while Picudo is also attacked down of the ring and starts bleeding, Arturo Rivera and the announcers start talking about the 'kilts' (Maniaco is using one-almost) and trash Konnan and certain other guy who won a big mask... but I guess Rivera considered a law suit or something and forgot to comment on it as Manson starts chair shooting los Vipers. It is chair shooting payback time! As los Vatos start using the chairs, and Picudo throws Electro to the crowd, where he throws at the Viper about a dozen of chairs...Los Vatos forget about the chairs a little and start doing their usual team attacks, the four way drop-kicks, and then, they place a Viper on Mayflowers in Powerbomb (Ligerbomb) position, Manson jumps and hits drop-kicks him as they get the second fall.
3.- The brawling is still under los Vatos hand, Electro Shock is now bleeding and Picudo takes him to the announcers table so that Zuņiga can get upset. They brawl for a little longer until Cibernetico, Mosco de la Merced (II) and Abismo Negro return to the ring and help their teammates, as Tropicasas declares the DQ, then, Antonio Peņa gets to the ring with some bodyguards, and bodyguards, Vatos and Vipers brawl! Peņa says he won't allow any more run ins... would it be true?
Lyguila-Goku vs Abeja and Avispa.-AAA is running a Kickboxers vs Vipers 'feud' for some months now, I don't care about that particular 'feud', so I don't comment on it... with that thing going on, AAA has forgot of some other feuds, for instance, los Minis division, and, Los Insectos vs Los Kamikazis, the later feud, was getting interesting, as Los Kamikazis turned rudos and said they're get revenge from los Insectos at Verano de Escandalo, it was turning into a 'Vatos vs Vipers light' feud, all of the sudden, AAA forgot about them, until now...
2-3.- They join into the match with los insectos getting the better from los Kamikazis, as they double team on their foes to keep the control of the fall, one of los insectos almost does a Michinoku D II on Lyguila to get the 3 count, while (Abeja?) pins Goku after a frankensteiner. Then: Los Insectos keep brawling until Lyguila steps aside from a kick by Avispa who connects on his partner, and los Kamikazis are back!The Japanese brawl taking some revenge from what they went through, Goku kicks Abeja almost all the way back to the locker rooms, Lyguila bodyslams Avispa and then goes to the apron to flip over the top rope into a somersault... anything that it was it was blown, they go back and forth, until Avispa is kicked out of the ring by Goku, who then does a tope suicida!Abeja follows with a second rope (tornado?) twisting bodyblock, Lyguila, after almost falling off the ttb, delivers a somersault, they made it back to the ring, and los Kamikazis get a 2 count with Huracanranas! Los Kamikazis go for another couple of huracanranas, but as any anime will show, 'you can't do the same trick twice!' and they get powerbombed and pined!!
Someone asked who blows a 450š splash more than Mr Aguila... well, los Kamikazis... I can't really say if they blow it or they do a 450š fall on legs move... well, they didn't do that move here, but failed in other spots, I really don't care if the guys miss spots b/c they're trying to do hard stuff, but when they nearly miss EVERY move... Los Kamikazes seem to be back to tecnicos, that's the problem, as rudos, they could brawl a little more and avoid doing that stuff they can't...
2-3.- Los rudos start gaining some control over the match as Mosco sends Heavy out of the ring in 'salida de bandera' (Heavy took a rudo bump there...), Abismo and Dragon are even, until Rey Dragon does a spinning everywhere armdrag, several match ups later, and (in the words of Arturo Rivera) 'Octagon se fue a meter a la esquina del dolor' -Octagon enters 'la esquina del dolor'- and los rudos are in command!
Rudo brawling, somehow the get the second fall, and the brawling continues in the last fall, then, los tecnicos are the ones getting the best of the chaos, how? I don't know... but they're the ones brawling, they get into the 'resthold-save, pin attempt-save' segment, later, Dragon dropkicks Mosco out of the ring and nails him with a (inside the ring) flip and a moonsault (to the outside of the ring, he almost falls in the apron)!! Kickboxer... Kickboxer!! Yes he follows with a tope suicida!! Then, a somersault plancha from Heavy Metal!! Abismo Negro hits a tope suicida, and finally, Latin Lover delivers a plancha from the ttb, Ciber is willing to join the craze!! But Octagon saves him from that (and I guess saves himself as well) with a side plancha in the center of the ring, then, he goes for the Romero's special, but Pentagon runs in and kicks Octagon, a brawling erupts as the show ends.
A good match in which Heavy, KickBoxer and Abismo Negro surprised me going to the air, less brawling than the AAA average and some OK action, with Rey Dragon showing some good things, but still too early to know if he'll be any superstar. Who is this guy? Pentagon is something in which AAA has missed to handle well, it seems that los Vipers don't like him, but Abismo Negro is his buddy, they should go and take the national tag belts from los Perros.
CMLL--Arena Coliseo.--Announcers, Alfonso Morales (tecnico), Javier 'el gusano' Yaņes (neutral-tecnico) and Leobardo Magadan (rudo). ***Pantera, Brazo de Oro and Astro jr vs Karloff Lagarde, Arkangel and Ultimo Guerrero--Taped January 19--
1.- Los rudos jump on their foes before the announcements can be done, but this last short as soon things settle a little and all of them return to their corners, Ultimo Guerrero and Pantera start working at a good speed, Pantera whips Ultimo to the corner, el rudo climbs to the ttb, but Pantera springboards in the top rope, fall upside down on Guerrero and delivers a nice looking arm drag! Ultimo goes to the floor and Pantera teases a tope, Brazo de Oro and Lagarde take it to the mat, and el Brazo gets the better of it with some quebradora con giro, Ultimo enters to face Brazo, but soon takes his missed cornersplash bump! This match is done to advance 'el pique' (feud) with Astro and Arkangel, they go at it, but soon Arkangel is nailed with a tope suicida!! Ultimo goes... to the ttb?!?!? Pantera meets him there, they're both STANDING on the ttb, and Pantera delivers a Frankensteiner!! (This is about the third time I see a frankensteiner with both of them standing there...) Los rudos are out!!
2.- Arkangel starts to work on Astro Rey jr's leg, and gains some control over the fall, Arkangel is being supported by his friends as he unties Astro's mask! Astro starts the comeback with a quebradora con giro, the fall goes on, Arkangel again gets some control over Astro, then Pantera and Ultimo work for a while, Pantera sends Ultimo out of the ring with a tope, Pantera teases a tope suicida but Ultimo runs away... only to be nailed by a split-legged senton (ala aguayina) by Brazo de Oro... Out goes Karloff in a 'salida de bandera', Pantera kicks his head so that Lagarde jr goes to the floor, and then Pantera performs a no hands over the top rope dive connecting on Karloff's back!!! In the ring, Astro Rey jr takes the match by pinning Arkangel.
Good match with lots of steady action and some cool and dangerous dives, at least Astro jr is getting a push now, he and Arkangel could follow the same path as Olimpico-Halcon Negro jr in the late 98. At least Arkangel vs Astro is waaaay better than Arkangel's feud with Torero. Pantera was outstanding here, he could, and should go bigger in 99, with guys like Pantera, Kid Guzman and Oriental shining in the undercards, I can't understand how guys like Brazo de Oro and Emilio Charles jr have to work as tecnicos...
***Super Kendo, Kid Guzman and Olimpus vs Mogur, Chicago Express and Rencor Latino-- From the same day. Rencor Latino was not in the original card, it had Reyes Veloz instead, oddly, the 'lucha' superstition has than when 'un emergente' (subtitution luchador) enters a match, that worker goes out stretched...
1.- The match begins with Kendo doing his funny stuff on Express, then, soon the ending comes a Olimpus pins Rencor with a short rana, while Kendo avoids the save from Mogur with a side plancha, then, kicking him to the face, Mogur goes of the ring, and Kid Guzman connects a really suicidal tope suicida that leaves both of them cold!! Kendo tries to do something on Express, but they fail and the first fall is over.
2-3.- Los tecnicos are having a good time as there is little los rudos can do to take the control of the match, Kid and Olimpus are armdraging everyone in sight, Chicago Express ends in the floor, and Kid gets him into his flip- over- the- tope- rope, -land -in -a -headsicsors move!!! Olimpus is sneak attacked and outnumbered as the brawling is happening, los rudos take the second fall with some gang tactics. Then, the last fall: The brawling from the second fall last a little longer here, then the matchups come, Rencor armdrags Kid out of the ring, Kid, then Rencor Latino nails el tecnico with a no hands over the top flip back drop, in the ring, Mogur pins Olimpus after a second rope springboard tope, Kendo enters and is facing Express, Kendo is drop-kicked out to the floor, Chicago goes for another over the tope rope no hands thing, but his legs hit the rope and he takes a very, VERY ugly bump, Kendo tries to catch him, but Chicago hits only the floor!!! In the ring Rencor takes the match with his Rock Bottom-like move.
Chicago Express took one of the ugliest bumps from recent memory, that was really bad, I hope he wasn't hurt with that, the match itself was good, CMLL's undercard matches are getting better now that the guys are going to the air more often (some workers, like Chicago Express, shouldn't try to do that kind of moves). CMLL has to find someone to feud with Rencor Latino soon, he is pretty good and could become one of the undercar stars for his promo.
***Solomon Grundy, Brazo de Plata and Mr Niebla vs Mascara Aņo 2000, Universo 2000 and Bestia Salvaje.--Taped the same day, main event.
1.-Mostly, fat guy stuff, here, Mr Niebla was pretty quiet, as los Dinamitas and Bestia don't know how to handle Grundy and Porky, los tecnicos take this fall. 2.- Los Dinamitas start using clothsline and outnumbering Solomon and Brazo de Plata, whipping them to the corners or against each other and doing splashes, sentons, etc. 3.- This continues late into the last fall, until Mr Niebla uses a quebradora con hilo, and los rudos are set for a fat plancha from B d Plata, then Grundy falls on them, as they get the pin and the match.
Not that bad, but lacked of the suicidal frenzy the undercards had, which I understand... The crowd likes Porky and Grundy, so at least CMLL now books Solomon with guys more of his style (unlike the match when he Felino and Niebla faced CMLL trios champions, which almost was ruined.) The thing of note here, is that Javier Yaņes informed about Eddy Guerrero's accident to the fans, oh well, about 3 weeks late... Yaņes is Eddy's cousin btw.
***Shocker, Lizmark and Ringo Mendoza vs Apolo Dantes, Rey Bucanero and Violencia.---Taped Friday 22, January 1999.-- Apolo Dantes and Rey Bucanero get into this match, they're with the WWF, but I'll guess they'll stay in CMLL, no clue on Negro... he's been gone for about a month now... Violencia is using a new outfit, it's very similar to his old one, but uses some fluorescent yellow highlights and his mask has Black Warrioresque designs, it looks cool, at least much better than the old one...
1.- Lizmark shows he's still in pretty good shape working with all rudos, sending them out with 'tijeras' (headsicsors) or armdrags, Ringo follows suit, and then, Shocker faces Violencia. Like Ringo and Lizmark before him, he takes care of the rudos by himself with some average (for him) work, but, Apolo surprises him and uses a crucifix powerbomb to take the fall.
2.- Los tecnicos are checking out Shocker to see if he's recovered from the powerbomb, the second fall start and los rudos jump on them!!! The battle goes on with los rudos having little trouble at beating los tecnicos, los rudos clear the ring, and then overwhelm a single tecnico who is foolish enough to enter the ring by himself. They help all the tecnicos into the ring to keep the beating, but Shocker reverses a second c-powerbomb attempt from Apolo into a Huracanrana to take the fall!!
3.- It's clobbering time for los tecnicos as they get some payback beating los rudos, then, los rudos made a comeback and the things settle a little as they're even and trading control of the fall, at the end, Lizmark pins Violencia after a powerbomb, and Ringo forces Bucanero to quit with a crab.
OK match with no highspots at all.Before this (or the previous) match started, they ran an angle with a camera joining Emilio, Atlantis and Felino, who was bare chested and with his mask on, he looks like Negro Casas... who have seen the two of them together? Lots of guys? Hmm, right, I guess they could be brothers... they are? Whoops...Anyway, Wagner, Panther and Warrior come out to tear a fight...
***Blue Panther, Black Warrior and Dr Wagner jr (Champions) vs Atlantis, Felino and Emilio Charles.- This is for the CMLL trios tag team championship, and maybe, for Charles, to get a shot at Dr Wagner's mask... this time, there is no jump-on-the-tecnicos-before-the-bell, as the match has to be kept as close to the rulebook as possible.
1.- Blue Panther and Atlantis start the match with the mandatory matwork, they trade holds and moves for some minutes, then, Felino and Warrior continue that same technical work, but they use some suplexes and similar throws, a brief segment with Charles and Wagner, and Atlantis and Panther return, they trade some moves with Atlantis getting the upper hand with a quebradora con giro, which Panther oversells, well, maybe he was really hurt... Black Warrior and Felino get the pace picked up with some dropkicks and heel kicks, and then Atlantis manages to pin Wagner with a rana, while Emilio prevents any save! Felino splash mountains Black Warrior, but the fall was over, so no count is made.
2.- The things remain more or less the same, with some pin attempts, but at the end, Panther uses his legs to put a double arm with pin move on Atlantis to get the fall count even.
3.- Wagner takes a break from the championship style as he kicks and slaps Atlantis in the floor, in the ring, Panther whips Charles and hits an elbow, he takes Emilio to 'la esquina...' to do a tag with Wagner who puts Charles into the turnbuckle and delivers the Wagnerdog!! Warrior also enters and bodyslams Charles, then performs his second rope springboard moonsault, but gets only a 2 count, Panther then starts to do the Romero special on Charles jr but Felino makes the save! Felino pins Panther but Wagner prevents the 3 count! They go on with the close pins/Submissions saves for a while, Atlantis slams Panther down from the ttb, and goes for a Scorpion death lock, Panther blocks 3 or 4 times, but el tecnico finally delivers the move, Wagner makes the save, more pin attempts with save, later, Emilio counters a bodyslam from Panther with a small package, but Warrior makes the save, Blue Panther goes to the ttb, but Atlantis dropkicks him out to the floor, where Charles nails him with a senton (ala aguayina--split legged)
Warrior performs a frankensteiner on the mat to Atlantis and then connects a tope suicida on Charles!!! In the ring, Felino gets a two count on Dr Wagner jr, twice! But then, Wagner drops him on the top rope and Felino leaves, next, Atlantis hits a missile dropkicks on Wagner, Panther enters but is put into 'la Atlantida' (similar to torture rack) as Panther submits, Atlantis is happy, but as he turns around, he is Wagner Drived and is pinned as los rudos laguneros keep the Trios Titles!!! Los rudos, los rudos, los ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuudos!!!!
Good match with felt like a continuation or complement of the CMLL year ender, here, Black Warrior worked more, and the end came with a Wagner Driver (MDII) as opposed to the double nudos laguneros. Weird stuff: Atlantis was defeated to lose both falls, by Panther and then by Wagner, but he also got to defeat them... no one else was involved in the fall definitions...
COMMENTS.--- I've seen 5 shows in 1999 (I saw the last show of 98 on Gala in 99), and so far, so good, sure, AAA's year in reviews specials were not something I was dying for, and the very first CMLL card of 99 was weak--Because of the common hangover--, but all other shows have been better than the mid 98 average. Not yet a memorable match, but steady lucha action.
Hopefully, CMLL will keep the trios champs angle running, maybe turning them into a 'monster team', if that happens, I hope Fuerza Guerrera joins them, and they'll find what to do with their great undercard workers, now, at least they have made sense of booking guys that can work together, maybe soon they'll construct interesting storylines.
On the other hand, AAA, like WWF, survived from a massive exodus, unlike WWF, AAA lost a lot of guys with an age average of about 25 years (WWF lost guys close to 40 years). Doom loomed over PAPSA in 97 and 98, but that time seems to be over, now, it is time for them to improve their in ring quality, even Maroņas and Zuņiga said they're getting tired of the Heavy Metal-Kick Boxer angle. Some of AAA's workers are getting better --the ladies tecnicas, Sevilla, Mascara Sagrada jr (I can't believe it!), and some guys have arrived that at least look solid --Alebrije, Niņo de la Calle, Apache, Rey Dragon, Maravilloso.) Even Octagon and Heavy are trying harder!! Now that AAA is doing money, they should be able to hire or produce more top quality talent, hopefully, they'll stay!!!
