CMLL Tuesday Preview: Mephisto-Titan!
If you thought the CMLL party starting tonight in Arena Puebla was over after the show, clearly you didn’t read the first part of my column or checked the rest of the CMLL card’s this week. As it turns out, CMLL’s Tuesday show in Arena Mexico picks up almost where Puebla left off. Sure there’s a few more holes here than Monday’s show (which looks better every time I look at it), but every match has great potential and unlike the Puebla main event this one features a match that we all want to see and all expect to be exceptional. What match am I talking about? Let’s get to the preview so you can find out. Moses, go old school and meme it like you mean it!
Eléctrico & Shockercito vs. Pequeño Olímpico & Pierrothito
What to Expect: I feel like this match might turn out better than I’m thinking right now, mainly because Shockercito is the deal, the whole deal and nothing but the deal. I sadly can’t say the same for everyone else here though. In theory Eléctrico and Pierrothito should be fine, but they can be hit or miss while Olímpico isn’t on the level of either of these four on his best day. Thus I can’t say I’m too stoked aside from Shockercito, who I now expect to make this match unbelievably watchable now that I’ve doubted it and by extension him.
Winners: Strangely the technicos seem to always win on Tuesday; hence I’m going with Eléctrico and Shockercito here. Man I get the feeling I’m going to be dead wrong quite a bit this evening.
Fuego, Guerrero Maya Jr., Hombre Bala Jr. vs. Disturbio, Sangre Azteca, Skándalo
What to Expect: Here’s all you need to know; when the technicos are on offense this match is going to be splendid. When the rudos not named Disturbio are on offense, you may be wishing you had caught up on Mr. Robot instead. This won’t be a bad match by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t love the chances of it being good, especially with the restrictions and Fuego likely going into cruise control mode. Poor Hombre Bala Jr. He finally gets some great people to work with the night before this show, only to be given the same mediocre rudo team to face that he seems to always face. Damn you Paco Alonso!
Winners: What do you know; I like the technicos again for this one. Then again who wouldn’t with the likes of Skándalo on the other side? They’ll take it in three falls.
Máximo Sexy, Rey Cometa, Valiente vs. Luciferno, Mr. Niebla, Vangellys
What to Expect: This looks to be the first match that will at least be good and has the potential to be even better. The crowd will most certainly be hot for it and you can expect Niebla and Máximo to lay on the comedy. The hope is that they don’t overdo it and allow everyone else to cut loose. Cometa has been getting back into the form he was in while feuding with Cavernario earlier this year, while Valiente is coming off a strong performance this past Friday against said Cavernario (maybe that guy is a good luck charm or something!). I’d normally be iffy on Luciferno and Vangellys to keep up with them, but Luciferno has really been on point for the last couple of months and the M. Bison cosplayer has been even better; I genuinely find myself surprised by how good he is every time I’ve seen him wrestle recently. As long as though four work up to their potential with Niebla and Máximo chipping in beyond their general antics then this should be pretty good. At worst it’ll definitely be fun.
Winners: This feels like a rudo victory here even though there doesn’t appear to be anything in the works coming out of this match. Maybe it’s the slight potential of a Niebla-Máximo title match being set up that’s messing with me? Who knows, beyond the fact that the rudos will win this in three falls.
Estrellita, Princesa Sugehit, Sanely vs. Amapola, Dalys, Zeuxis
What to Expect: Now here is one hell of an interesting development lucha fans. The women’s division, which usually never gets a spot higher than the third match even when CMLL is putting a spotlight on them, somehow find themselves fourth on this Tuesday card. Ladies and gentlemen I’ve see Star Jr. almost main event a show, I have marveled at CMLL’s ability to continue to let Shocker main event shows he has no business main eventing; I’ve even witnessed a grown man satisfy a camel (just kidding. Or am I?). Not in recent memory can I recall a time the women of CMLL were given this high a spot on the card. I’m thinking either someone screwed up the match order when promoting this card or Zeuxis and the girls now have dirt on Paco much like Shocker has. That or Paco is just remembering his place and bowing down to the Queen!
Actually there is another reason for why this match is fourth; CMLL is looking to set something up in the next few weeks, likely between Zeuxis and Princesa Sugehit. Frankly I’d bank on that; even with Zeuxis winning over Sugehit last Monday there’s still plenty to work with to set up a match and it would solve the problem many Tuesday matches have in making this mean something. It also helps what already looks to be a pretty decent match. Estrellita is what she is but she’ll try hard, Sanely has looked impressive every time out and you can count on Dalys to almost always be consistent. The only question mark in this match to me is Amapola, and if she wrestles like she did at the Anniversary Show then there are no worries there either. Put that altogether and this should at least be fun. And even if it isn’t, Zeuxis will be there. And you know I don’t miss a match featuring the greatest luchadora alive today.
Winners: Seeing as Sugehit kind of needs a win to keep this moving forward it would make sense for me to go with her team here. There’s just one problem; I never bet against the Queen and that includes surefire losing situations! So I’ll compromise here; Sugehit’s team will win, but it’s only because Zeuxis allows it after she gets DQ’d for ripping off Sugehit’s mask or being caught committing a foul. That way the technicas win and the Queen and her court still stand strong. Crisis averted!
CMLL World Welterweight Championship Match
Mephisto (c) vs. Titán
What to Expect: The biggest match on the card…and somehow it isn’t closing the show. I don’t get it either folks. Number one this is the match that CMLL is depending on to get people into Arena Mexico and number two it makes the main event pretty much DOA barring this one completely collapsing. And rest assured this isn’t going to collapse. Titán is as electrifying a luchador as they come and finally has something to sink his teeth into here with the always reliable Mephisto, who seems to have great singles matches with whomever by just catching them and occasionally hitting a big move. I expect they’ll follow that formula here and those who caught Mephisto’s matches with Máscara Dorada earlier this year will be happy to see something along the same lines. I’m not sure it’ll be as great as some of those matches were, but baring Titán getting injured this won’t be a disappointment. Here’s hoping he takes a page out of Dorada’s playbook and just goes all out with dives all over the building, including one off the stage. You never know when you’re going to have a chance to make a great impression again Titán!
Winner: Brace yourselves sports fans; I’m going with the upset title change! I know; that would mess up the CMLL Universal Championship tournament that already has all sixteen champions necessary, but it’s important to point out that the CMLL World Welterweight Champion didn’t participate in this last year. Sure it was because Máscara Dorada was in Japan at the time, but there’s no reason CMLL can’t do the same with Titán here if they so chose, or give one of the champions a bye or a fight in round to include the seventeenth man. I’m probably going to be way off on this but I don’t know; I just got a feeling we’re going to see Titán walk away with the CMLL World Welterweight Championship this Tuesday, winning in three falls. You heard it here first.
Diamante Azul, Dragón Lee, Volador Jr. . Euforia, Niebla Roja, Último Guerrero
What to Expect: This really should be the semi-main event and the fact that it’s not is ultimately going to kill it faster than Brad Pitt offed Nathan Jones in Troy. Again, why the hell did CMLL decide it was a good idea to put this last and the title match first? You do it the other way and you then have two matches people are excited for. Now you have just one, with the last one serving as a match where everyone looks at their watches and begs for the end. Pretty much the same thing that happened to every person who saw any of the Twilight films in theaters.
The good news is that the guys will be trying hard in this match and depending on Diamante Azul’s involvement this could quickly get really fun for a short period of time. Nothing against Diamante (I’m one of the few who likes him after all), but I was pretty sure he was going back to France and aside from his Monkey Flips doesn’t really bring the same awe inspiring “DID YOU JUST SEE THAT?!” factor that teammates Dragón Lee and Volador bring. If he goes out and gets replaced however by anyone not named Shocker then this has the chance of being a fun five minutes. The only downer; no technico stuff from Euforia. Dammit all; you can’t tease something as wonderful as that and then take it away. Well unless you’re Paco Alonso I guess.
Winners: Technicos will win to send the crowd home happy, only they’ll still be totally confused as to why this was last as opposed to the title match. No I’m not letting go of that point! If we stopped pointing out things that were stupid then Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 would be a modern classic and our standards would be shot to hell.
And I’m spent. That’ll do it till tonight girls and boys, when I return to break down the CMLL Puebla show. Till then, more Spidey.
