CMLL Tuesday Preview: The Negro Casas Birthday Show!
This Tuesday’s CMLL show represents the last of its kind for a couple of weeks. With FantasticaMania (CMLL and New Japan’s two week tour of Japan) starting this weekend, this show represents the last chance to see several of your favorite luchadors before they go off and find themselves tasked with making that young greenhorn Kazuchika Okada look good (that’s a joke folks. Send your hate mail to people who didn’t like him vs. Omega. Like this guy!). It also has a very, very intriguing and entertaining semi-main event though, a singles match between Máximo and Negro Casas, who just so happens to be celebrating his birthday the same day as this show! And just like that the title of this column goes from “Before the Tour” to “The Negro Casas Birthday Show!” Much more cheerful is the second title methinks. But that can be debated later; for now let’s break the show down, find out who is giving how much effort before heading to the Far East and what to expect from the birthday boy! Moses, MEME!!!!!!! I don’t know why I went so over the top there.
Fantasy & Stukita vs. Mercurio & Pequeño Olímpico
What to Expect: Hey; an opener with a chance! No seriously, this match does have a shot of being something beyond a mediocre, lifeless, insomnia curing opener CMLL loves to run. Much like Monday night’s second match trios, this bout has a couple of rudos who aren’t straight up embarrassments and a technicos team that ranges from very good (Fantasy) to excellent (Stukita) when they’re on the ball. If they’re on the ball and Mercurio keeps his biting shenanigans to a minimum then this match could be a good start to the show. And even if it’s just okay, at least it’ll have a Fantasy Spanish Fly to hold you over. And you’ll need it; have you seen the next match?
Winners: Even CMLL isn’t stupid enough to have a Stukita/Fantasy alliance lose. They take it in three falls and good Grodd I’m going to regret this pick aren’t I?
Oro Jr., Príncipe Diamante, Robin vs. Cancerbero, Disturbio, Grako
What to Expect: Príncipe Diamante is back and I’m willing to bet a year’s supply of 7 Up he wishes he wasn’t. I haven’t checked the stats recently but my guess is Diamante has still yet to win a match since CMLL started booking him regularly following his 2016 Bodybuilding Contest victory. With a push like that, who needs burials? It’s not getting better Tuesday with a Disturbio, Cancerbero and Grako team looming. Disturbio will for sure try, but Cancerbero without Raziel is basically Van Halen without David Lee Roth and Grako…yikes. Unless Disturbio just takes out his partners and wrestles the entire match himself, this is going to be a tough to watch contest where the technicos try hard and get absolutely nothing for it. Oddly enough I think I may feel even worse for Oro Jr. than Diamante. At least Diamante won the Bodybuilding Contest and still has some confidence; Oro’s confidence is moodier than an 11 year old cat, and I don’t think it’s going to be helped by working these two rudos. Good Grodd the theme of this match really is “SAVE US DISTURBIO!” isn’t it?
Winners: You know, I really think the technicos have a HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I COULDN’T FINISH THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE! But seriously the technicos are losing this one badly and Rob Viper’s pulling out that picture of the CMLL creative team afterwards. I say three falls, with Cancerbero pinning Diamante just to twist the knife in more.
Blue Panther Jr., Pegasso, Stigma vs. Forastero, Okumura, Virus
What to Expect: An interesting third match. This will be the last time we see Junior and Okumura for a bit, as both are heading off for FantasticaMania right after the show. We’re likely not getting Forastero here either, if his Instagram post about suffering ligament damage last week is any indication. So I guess it’s both an interesting match and one with a lot of questions. The one thing I do know for sure is that Virus is involved, which means he’s hopefully being paired up with Junior so they can have several really great sequences with each other. Beyond that, let’s just hope Stigma and Pegasso are on their game, Okumura is performing at his usual reliable rate and that whoever the replacement for Forastero is isn’t someone of Arkángel de la Muerte level. Seriously CMLL; don’t put that evil on us.
Winners: Could go either way and for once that isn’t a bad thing. I’ll say the rudos though; with Virus submitting Pegasso in the third fall after Junior and Stigma have taken out Okumura and whoever else with topes.
Dragón Lee, Stuka Jr., Titán vs. Ephesto, Hechicero, Niebla Roja
What to Expect: Everyone but Niebla Roja is going to Japan after this one, so that’s something. Well that and everyone other than Ephesto is good to great and this match should be too as a result. I guess you could be worried about these guys going light in order to preserve themselves for FantasticaMania, but going halfway isn’t how Titán, Dragón Lee or Hechicero do things and I’d expect they’ll do what they can to try and tear the house down. Plus, this is actually going to be the first time we’ve seen Dragón Lee in Arena Mexico since…I can’t even remember! It’s been awhile between all the New Japan and Ring of Honor appearances he’s been making. I reckon he’ll want to do something big here, and hopefully it’s against Hechicero. Let’s go live to the internet’s reaction of a proposed Lee-Hechicero extended sequence.
Winners: It’s a Tuesday show so you can never discount a rudo victory in any of the matches. That said I can’t see this super technicos team, one that features a guy who’s getting over EVERYWHERE right now, losing this match. They take it in three falls with Dragón Lee pinning Ephesto.
Máximo Sexy vs. Negro Casas
What to Expect: Holy surprise singles match Batman! I have no idea how this match came about; I think Casas may have low blowed Máximo last week or something but for all I know this was just thrown on here to give Máximo something to do before Japan. Whatever the case I’m glad they did. You may have forgotten thanks to that mediocre Máscara Año 2000 match, but Máximo is really, REALLY good at wrestling. I’d dare say he’s one of the more underrated in ring workers CMLL has right now, and when he’s motivated and got the right opponent he’s capable of having some killer matches. So he’s good on his own; throw in Negro Casas, one of the greatest workers ever and still one of the greatest workers today and this has a chance to be something special. On top of that, this match will also be taking place on Negro Casas’ 57th birthday! You’re telling me Máximo and Casas aren’t going to want to deliver the goods on this day? There’s absolutely no way this match is anything less than good and I’d reckon it may even be great. If you have reservations about watching this show in the slightest, tune in to see this match. It’ll be fun, it’ll be well worked, and it may end with a cool post match celebration of everyone coming down to be best pals with Casas. Who am I kidding; everyone in the CMLL locker room loves him already! The dude is like Michael Jordan if every one of Jordan’s teammates actually liked him.
Winner: There are no titles on the line, Máximo doesn’t lose anything losing to Casas AND it’s Casas’ birthday; come on peeps, it ain’t rocket science what the result should be. I could see Máximo winning this because Casas is that nice of a dude and loves putting people over, but I’d bank on common sense winning out and Casas winning this match in three falls following La Casita. And yes, I’m indeed holding out hope there’s a small birthday celebration afterwards for the legend, just because I’m sentimental and like shit like that and I don’t care who knows it!
Atlantis, Mistico, Volador Jr. vs. Euforia, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
What to Expect: It’ll be professional, it’ll have moments and it’ll feature five guys going as fast as they can so they can catch their plane to Tokyo while Gran Guerrero is left waving at the airport gate with this face.
Honestly there’s nothing more to add than that folks. Certainly Atlantis, Mistico and Volador will go very fast, do a few cool things and in the case of Atlantis take some folks to Backbreaker City, but overall they’ll probably take this one easy and they should. Ditto for Euforia and the UG too; all five of these guys have big matches during the FantasticaMania tour (mostly against each other), and unlike Dragón Lee, Hechicero, Titán and Máximo, these five know better full blast all the time and aren’t working Negro Casas on his birthday. Couple that with the big match they’re following and I’d expect this to be well worked, short and sweet. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at all in my book; I sure as hell don’t want Atlantis getting hurt before he faces Rush over in Japan. Why am I the only one excited about that match by the way? I get that Titán-Kamaitachi, Dragón Lee-Cavernario and Mistico-Euforia are going to be super good, but both Rush and Atlantis are world class themselves AND this is the first big singles match Atlantis has had since…I’m pretty sure that epic mask vs. mask match against La Sombra at the 82nd Anniversary Show. I know this is a strange place to make a case for that match but don’t sleep on it. It’s gonna be (Mike Francesca voice) YOOOOOOGE!
Winners: Technicos take this in three quick falls to send the crowd home happy. Nothing more, nothing less.
That’s the show sports fans. I’ll be back later today to talk some Lucha Underground and I’ll probably have a review of tonight’s CMLL show for you some time in the early hours of Tuesday morning. No running diary though; that shall be saved for this show. Till we meet again, MULDER AND SCULLZ! And yes, I’m calling Scully “Scullz” today; deal with it.
