CMLL Roundup: King of the Underworld tournament, New member of Los Ingobernables on the horizon?

By Manolo Has Pizzazz Nov 2, 2018, 9:05pm EDT

Welcome to the CMLL Roundup. Let’s get caught up on the past week’s news and wrestling action. Up first are the match recommendations in case you want to watch before learning the winners.

Match recommendations

The pick of the week is the Rey del Inframundo number 1 contender torneo cibernetico from Viernes Espectacular. It took about five minutes until the first high-flying maneuver began the fireworks. The pace never really ceased. Plenty of flashy moves made the match the most exciting of the week.

Monday’s show (Oct. 22) was main-evented by a modern comedy classic. Ultimo Guerrero, Euphoria, and Gran Guerrero faced off against an odd pairing of Rush, Mistico, and Caristico. More on that knee-slapper later.

Tuesday’s show (Oct. 23) had an interesting opener of Bengala and Leono versus Grako and El Coyote. The bout wasn’t a barn burner, but I would say to give it a chance if you want to see some different luchadores in CMLL. They had a fair amount of unique moves.

The main event was Ultimo Guerrero, Cuatrero, and Euphoria against Caristico, Titan, and Stuka, which I skipped.

Viernes Espectacular (Oct. 26) was coolness aplenty. As always with the Friday show, there never seems to be a dud. Fuego, Drone, and Pegasso against Dragon Rojo, Polvora, and Okumura had a frenetic pace. It you are short on time, that would be a good match to watch at the 22 minute mark.

King of the Underworld

In honor of the Day of the Dead cerebration, CMLL began a Rey del Inframundo ceremonial championship. I believe last year was the inaugural edition, which was won by Sanson. Viernes Espectacular (Nov. 2) will feature his first title defense of that annual privilege.

Get a taste of what to expect with the following video. I guess it is two gods battling through two representatives to be King of the Underworld. I don’t mind that I don’t fully understand. The idea alone is a nifty way to celebrate the holiday.

On the latest episode of Viernes Espectacular (Oct. 26), a number 1 contender was determined through a torneo cibernetico. The bout was a mad boogie between twelve luchadores.

The final three were tecnico Esfinge and rudos Cuatrero and Templario. The rudos teamed up two-on-one, but miscommunication was their downfall. Templario accidentally clubbed Cuatrero when Esfinge moved. Cuatrero stopped himself in the nick of time during the same scenario. Templario did not have the same control as he dropkicked Cuatrero in another accident. Cuatereo had enough and speared his partner. That allowed Esfinge the opportunity for a fancy roll-up pin to eliminate Cuatrero.

Plenty of high-flying took place after that. A sitdown powerbomb by Templario got a two count. A Mexican Destroyer by Esfinge got a two count. The final blow was a gutwrench powerbomb off the corner ropes by Templario to defeat Esfinge.

Templario will challenge Sanson for the crown of King of the Underworld. It seems fitting that a prize like that will be rudo vs rudo. The fight should be a dandy.

Could Mistico become the newest member of Los Ingobernables?

When I saw the team of Mistico, Caristico, and Rush were headlining last Monday’s (Oct. 22) show, I wondered about the dynamic of Rush teaming with two tecnicos. There was dissension among the ranks, but things did not play out as I anticipated. It was 2-on-1 with Caristico as the one.

In Fall 2 against Los Guerreros Laguneros, Caristico was getting beat up. Rush rolled him into the ring for more punishment. A double team super military press off the middle ropes followed. Caristico exited the ring. This time, both Rush and Mistico teamed to roll Caristico back in the ring. I didn’t think Mistico would do such a thing.

Caristico was met with a double military press back slam from his opponents. For a third time, Rush rolled Caristico back into the ring. Los Guerreros Laguneros weren’t happy with that dishonor, so they attacked Rush instead.

Later, Mistico encouraged an exhausted Caristico to run the ropes for some high-flying. Caristico picked up steam then Mistico got in the way to stop him. Mistico himself chose to do the high-flying with a leap to the outside.

During Fall 3, the shenanigans continued. Caristico was lying on the ramp for whatever reason. Rush was unhappy and tossed Caristico back into the ring. In a display of sportsmanship, Ultimo Guerrero safely rolled Caristico out of the ring.

Mistico entered to do a crowd support showdown with Ultimo Guerrero. The fans were clearly on the side of Ultimo Guerrero. Mistico was peeved and left up the ramp. Rush reasoned with him to return to action.

While Caristico’s teammates were on the ramp, he flashed some skills in the ring. Mistico gave sarcastic applause. At that moment, Ultimo Guerrero had had enough. He ushered Caristico into the tecnico corner to join his team. It was now four against two.

For the finish of the match, Euphoria held Mistico so Caristico could superkick him. Caristico’s foot successfully met Mistico’s face. Euphoria was going to cover Mistico, but Caristico dragged Euphoria down on top of himself to take a pin on purpose. He basically sabotaged his original team. A double team super military press defeated Mistico as the ‘rudos’ lost.

After the match, Caristico paid the price for his insolence. Rush and Mistico beat Caristico from pillar to post. Los Guerreros Laguneros had already left, so they couldn’t save him.

Mistico ripped and tore off Caristico’s mask, who has bleach blond hair underneath. Rush whipped Caristico with camera cable.

Up on the ramp, Mistico put the tattered mask on his own head and strutted like a fancy boy. He then threw the mask on the ground for a double stomp.

After writing all that, Viernes Espectacular rolled around and Mistico was a tecnico. His main foe in trios action was Cavernario, who I thought was Los Ingobernables adjacent. Cavernario stole Mistico’s mask. Is this setting up to be some kind of test for Mistico?

To make matters even more confusing, Monday’s (Oct. 29) main event features Mistico teaming with Rush and La Bestia del Ring. It will be interesting to see if a story about Mistico joining Los Ingobernables gains any traction.

If not, then I hope they stick with a running gag of everyone hating Caristico for being a drama king. That would be good for a chuckle or two.

On to the recap and reaction of the matches I watched from last week’s action.

Monday Arena Puebla (Oct. 22, 2018)

I partook in viewing a mediocre lightning match (Marcela vs Tiffany) and the trios main event (Los Guerreros Laguneros vs Rush, Mistico, & Caristico). You can watch the entire event on YouTube.

Lightning match: Marcela defeated Tiffany (at 46:00)

There was no timer on the screen. I guess Puebla shows don’t get the full special effects treatment. The contest went close to ten minutes.

In the middle of the match, Marcela had a nifty half cartwheel into a double knee drop to the gut followed by a standing senton to the gut. If I was in Tiffany’s position, I may have soiled myself depending on what I ate earlier in the day. Marcela won with a flying double stomp.

Ultimo Guerrero, Euphoria, & Gran Guerrero defeated Rush, Mistico, & Caristico, 2-1 (at 1:44:00)

The highlight of Fall 1 was the triple teamwork ramp running leapfrog attack by Los Guerreros Laguneros. The pins went to the Guerreros off a pop-up gut kick by Ultimo Guerrero to Caristico and an octopus submission by Gran Guerrero to Mistico.

Fall 2 to the ‘bad guys’ when Rush pinned the other captain Ultimo Guerrero after a running dropkick to the fallen opponent in the corner.

Fall 3 to the good guys when Caristico sacrificed himself, as previously mentioned, and a double super military press finished Mistico.

Tuesday Arena Mexico (Oct. 23, 2018)

I was tired of seeing the same luchadores, so I tried some different ones. I passed through the main event, which was Ultimo Guerrero, Cuatrero, and Euphoria against Caristico, Titan, and Stuka. You can watch the entire event on YouTube.

Grako & El Coyote defeated Bengala & Leono, 2-1 (at 4:00)

I picked this match to see CMLL’s Bengala in action. That Bengala is different that the AAA Bengala, who is different than the Lucha Underground Bengala. Confusing, I know. Welcome to the wonderful world of lucha libre.

I got super excited when I noticed that Leono appeared to have a Hollywood Hulk Hogan gimmick in his look for his entrance video. Alas, he was only black-haired when he came out. Leono did appear to have a shoe polish beard though.

Fall 1 to the bad guys (Grako and El Coyote) with two pretzel submissions I’ve never seen before. I don’t even know how to describe them. Fall 2 to the good guys. Leono used Bengala as a stepping stool for a dropkick and Bengala slapped on another weird submission.

Fall 3 to the bad guys. Coyote scored a pin after a top rope back splash, while Grako picked up a pin off a flying elbow drop with a touch of frog action.

Lightning Match: Blue Panther Jr. defeated Universo 2000 Jr. (at 1:04:00)

This bout was kind of stinky. The first four minutes were mostly mat wrestling. A suicide dive by each picked up the excitement for a brief moment. The move of the match was a sunset flip powerbomb by Blue Panther Jr. off the middle rope out of the corner.

For the finish, Universo 2000 Jr. argued with the ref and was victim to an arm breaker. The tap came at 9:03 of the ten minute time limit.

There was a drum show before the next match. 30 or 40 drummers were pounding away to the beat. That was interesting in the sense that it was something you rarely see at a wrestling event. I don’t know why they were there. Perhaps it was a bit of practice before the Dia de Muertos shows.

Viernes Espectacular (Oct. 26, 2018)

Pick any match you want for a fun time. You can watch the entire event on YouTube.

Misterioso Jr. & El Sagrado defeated Star Jr. & Principe Diamante, 2-1 (at 4:00)

El Sagrado had a long fabric tongue as part of his mask. It didn’t appear to get in the way, but I could see how it might be annoying.

Fall 1 went to the good guys. Principe Diamante locked in a leg submission. Star Jr. hit a sweet corkscrew crossbody then a headscissors rolling pin maneuver. Fall 2 to the bad guys. After some nice slams, Misterioso Jr. had a leg submission of his own, while Sagrado connected on a flying elbow drop.

Fall 3 had botches on the rope bouncing setups. I was quite confused about some pins. It sure seemed like Principe Diamante and one of the bad guys were eliminated, but I guess not. In the end, the rudos were victorious. Sagrado hit a super hurricanrana on Star Jr. Misterioso Jr. finished the fight with a Gory neckbreaker on Principe Diamante.

Dragon Rojo, Polvora, & Okumura defeated Fuego, Drone, & Pegasso, 2-0 (at 22:00)

Polvora entered with some kind of sparkler fire gun. Dragon Rojo had a decorative musket and shot it off into the crowd. That must be why they won.

Fall 1 was a captain pin on Drone after an Okumura teamwork elevated swinging slam. Fall 2 had plenty of movement. Up, down, all around. The rudos completed the sweep with a teamwork double submission.

King of the Underworld number 1 contender tournament (at 40:00)

The torneo cibernetico to determine a challenger for the Rey del Inframundo had twelve participants. The two teams were Guerrero Maya, Esfinge, El Audaz, Black Panther, Triton, and Flyer against Cuatrero, Forastero, Templario, Virus, Kawato San, and Tiger.

Hmm, Guerrero Maya? I’ve lived in the Riviera Maya and I’ve never seen a Mayan his size. Wikipedia says he was born in Puebla and his father in Jalisco. I knew that name was fishy.

The order of elimination is as follows:

1. Kawato San by Triton via rope-hung flying leg drop
2. Black Panther by Virus via submission
3. Tiger by El Audaz via arm breaker
4. Triton by Forastero via modified arm submission
5. El Audaz by Cuatrero via upside down bear hug
6. Virus by Flyer via arm crank
7. Guerrero Maya by Templario via arm pretzel submission
8. Forastero by Esfinge by surprise springboard splash
9. Flyer by Cuatrero via crucifix powerbomb
10. Cuatrero by Esfinge via bridging package pin
11. Esfinge by Templario by gutwrench super powerbomb
Winner: Templario

After the match, Templario went up the ramp to receive his prize from a ceremonial skeleton warrior dude. The prize was fancy neckwear.

Mistico, Angel de Oro, & Niebla Roja defeated Dark Magic, Cavernario, & Negro Casas, 2-0 (at 1:13:00)

Another match with flurries of high-flying. Fall 1 went to the good guys as Angel de Oro and Niebla Roja both hit leg drops for pins. One was a rolling leg drop, and the other was a flying leg drop all the way to the center of the ring.

Fall 2 had mini violence. The rudo mini, whose name I still don’t know, hit a 619. Then, Dark Magic and Cavernario grabbed KeMonito, dragged him into the ring, and held him steady for a dropkick from the rudo mini.

One subplot was beef between Mistico and Cavernario. During Fall 1, Cavernario untied Mistico’s mask strings but failed at removing it. During Fall 2, Mistico chased Cavernario into the crowd. The finish of Fall 2 began as Mistico put his boots up on a Cavernario springboard splash. Mistico ran the ropes for his whirling arm breaker, but Cavernario escaped and promptly ripped Mistico’s mask off. Automatic disqualification.

After the match, Mistico put his mask back on and Cavernario ripped it off again. Scoundrel!

Caristico, Diamante Azul, & El Valiente, defeated Rush, El Terrible, & La Bestia del Ring, 2-1 (at 1:39:00)

Los Ingobernables entered with about ten flag wavers for whatever reason. Rush was wearing a three-piece suit, while El Terrible and La Bestia del Ring had dark silver, or shiny gray, suits.

The bout began with mat wrestling then turned into a brawl. Fall 1 was a disqualification against the rudos. Unnecessary violence? Los Ingobernables weren’t excessive. They were triple teaming their opponent with standard teamwork moves. Maybe they were in the ring too long against the referee’s count. I don’t know. That was the first time I’ve seen a disqualification of that nature in CMLL.

Fall 2 was short. Los Ingobernables immediately made quick work of El Valiente with a triple super powerbomb. Caristico bit the dust via big swing into a dropkick.

The intensity picked up for Fall 3. Rush blatantly tore Caristico’s mask. Later, Caristico would hit a suicide dive with, “Mathematical precision.” Rush responded with a high velocity plancha. Valiente did a suicide dive of his own. Terrible connected on a flying crossbody to the outside. Diamante Azul took flight on his patented ramp running attack.

Back in the ring, Caristico nailed Rush with a flying crossbody. Caristico attempted a springboard maneuver, but Rush kicked him in the nuts. Disqualification. After the match, Los Ingobernables stole all three tecnico masks right off their freaking heads. Chumps.

Entertaining luch libre was to be had last week from CMLL. They continue to hold my attention for the most part.

Rush is growing on me with his classic heel shitface antics, such as preening, strutting, and fake handshaking. That silly stuff makes me laugh.

One luchador who is starting to stick out in my eye is Templario. He has had a bevy of interesting maneuvers the last few weeks. Plus, Templario does a break dancing step to get up off the mat. Breakin’ 2: Templario Boogaloo.

I’ve been covering CMLL for a little over a month now. A few questions have popped up in my mind. During torneo ciberneticos, does one team ever get a numbers advantage or is it always more or less alternating eliminations for each team? On trios bouts, are the pins always so immediate in each fall? For example, do they ever have a pin then a couple minutes of action before the next pin? Or do they ever pin one team member, pin the opposite team’s member, then have one final pin to determine the fall? Lastly, what is the deal with the Laguneros? Is that a gym or one giant family? It seems like there are over twenty luchadores associated with the Laguneros. Any answers from CMLL die-hards would be appreciated.