Welcome to the CMLL Roundup. Let’s get caught up on the major moments from the past week. Puebla’s Torneo Increible de Parejas has a final set for Monday, May 27, and the card for El Juicio Final on Friday, May 31 is looking for a barber.
El Juicio Final
CMLL is ready for their next big event on Friday, May 31. There will be two hair vs hair matches, a tag team title fight, and a retirement bout. Let’s check out the updated complete card for El Juicio Final.
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- Hair vs Hair: Ultimo Guerrero vs Mascara 2000
- Hair vs Hair: Kaho Kobayashi vs Amapola
- Retirement Match: Metalico vs Virus
- Tag Team Championship: Diamante Azul & El Valiente vs Gran Guerrero & Euphoria
- Caristico, Volador Jr., & Mistico vs Mr. Niebla, Cavernario, & Negro Casas
- Angel de Oro, Soberano, & Niebla Roja vs Mephisto, Luciferno, & Ephesto
- Blue Panther Jr., Rey Cometa, & Black Panther vs Kawato San, Misterioso, & Disturbio
Who knows how good the match quality will be for the feature bouts. The drama should be exciting though. The undercard matches can provide the high-flying flips.
The seniors hair vs hair and the ladies hair vs hair have had heated builds in a short period of time. The retirement bout sort of crept up out of nowhere. I guess their feud has been building on the untelevised Sunday shows. Virus is 50 years old and Metalico seems to be mid-40’s. I don’t know how strict lucha libre is about honoring retirement stipulations. Those two seem kind of young in lucha libre years to be retiring.
As of this moment, it is unclear on how to watch El Juicio Final. If it is going to be available for purchase on a streaming website, they usually announce it later in the week. If the show is free, then you can watch on CMLL’s YouTube channel.
CMLL action in the ring
Let’s go over some storylines from the week. The shows from Monday, Tuesday, and Friday can all be viewed on CMLL’s YouTube channel.
Monday from Puebla (May 20, 2019)
Time for stage 2 of the Torneo Increible de Parejas from Puebla. Volador Jr. and Mephisto won stage 1 last week and will wrestler the winners on May 27.
Stage 2 teams were:
- Caristico & El Hijo del Villano III
- Mistico & Ephesto
- El Terrible & Niebla Roja
- Sanson & El Audaz
- Atlantis & Vangellys
- El Valiente & El Felino
- Templario & Esfinge
- Volcano & Luciferno
The battle royal (starting at 57:40 of the show) to determine matchups went as follows:
1. El Audaz eliminated by Esfinge
2. Luciferno eliminated by Esfinge
3 & 4. Vangellys and El Hijo del Villano III both eliminated by a clothesline from Villano
5. Niebla Roja eliminated by Mistico
6. Esfinge eliminated by El Valiente
Winners: El Valiente and Mistico
Let’s do round 1 of stage 2. Both members of a team had to be pinned or submitted for their team to lose.
Sanson & El Audaz vs Volcano & Luciferno
The move of the match was the big man Volcano doing a handspring to bounce off the ropes and crash down with a splash. Sanson pinned Volcano after Volcano missed a flying splash, and El Audaz submitted Luciferno with an armbreaker.
Atlantis & Vangellys vs Caristico & El Hijo del Villano III
This match was super quick. Caristico rolled up Atlantis after some kicks, and El Hijo del Villano III pinned Vangellys off a flying splash.
El Terrible & Niebla Roja vs Templario & Esfinge
Move of the match was by Templario with a handspring flying attack over the ropes. For the finish, El Terrible caught Esfinge’s springboard hurricanrana and turned it into a powerbomb. Niebla Roja did a super double underhook front slam to Templario on top of Esfinge. A double pin gave the win to Terrible and Niebla Roja. This was easily the best match of round 1.
El Valiente & El Felino vs Mistico & Ephesto
The finish involved miscommunication. El Valiente and El Felino were in control until they ran into each other. Ephesto pinned Valiente off a shoulderbreaker, and Mistico used la casita pin to trap Felino.
Shine your shoes for round 2.
Sanson & El Audaz vs Caristico & El Hijo del Villano III
This was a very solid bout for its shortness. Move of the match was a sweet suicide dive by Villano. Caristico submitted Sanson via whirling armbreaker, and Audaz was counted out after failing to get up from Villano’s suicide dive.
El Terrible & Niebla Roja vs Mistico & Ephesto
The move of the match was a tope con hilo by Mistico. Niebla Roja pinned Mistico on a Mexican Destroyer, and Terrible pinned Ephesto after a superplex.
Listen to some vinyl while viewing the stage 2 final.
Caristico & El Hijo del Villano III vs El Terrible & Niebla Roja
Villano and Caristico charged Terrible and Niebla Roja from behind to start. The bout was more of a brawling style with a few kicks, flips, and slams mixed in. The moment of the match was a slap fight with about 40 blows between Villano and Terrible. For the finish, Niebla Roja rolled Caristico into a pendulum submission, and Terrible pinned Villano off a powerbomb.
That sets the Torneo Increible de Parejas finals to be Volador Jr. and Mephisto against El Terrible and Niebla Roja on Monday, May 27. You can watch the show live on CMLL’s YouTube channel.
It will be Volador’s second time reaching the finals of an incredible pairs tournament in less than four weeks. He came up short with Ultimo Guerrero as his partner in Mexico City against Cavernario and Titan. I predict Volador will get the job done this time.
Tuesday from Mexico City (May 21, 2019)
For whatever reason, the video of this show won’t work for me. It is just a black screen. You can try for yourself if you want to watch that show (here).
The main event was a rematch of last week’s bout between Atlantis, Angel de Oro, & Niebla Roja and Rush, El Terrible, & La Bestia del Ring. Lucha Central’s report states that Rush faked a foul to get Angel de Oro disqualified. That gave Los Ingobernables a 2-0 sweep to win the match.
A singles bout was set up for Rush and Angel de Oro as the main event on May 28.
Friday from Mexico City (May 24, 2019)
This was the last Friday show before El Juicio Final on May 31. Kaho Kobayashi and Amapola participated in heated trios action before their hair vs hair bout.
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The rudas ambushed Kobayashi on the ramp during her entrance. Amapola pinned her rival after a double underhook front suplex to win Fall 1. Kobayashi had a roll-up pin on Amapola to win Fall 2. The two ladies had to be pulled apart by their teammates at the start of Fall 3. Dalys and Metalica picked up pins on Estrellita and Princesa Sugehit for the rudas to win, while Amapola and Kobayashi were brawling on the floor.
After the match, all of the teammates stayed out of the skirmish as Amapola and Kobayashi were rolling around on the mat. The referee was finally able to break it up. On the mic, Kobayashi said something about hair vs hair, but I couldn’t understand her. Amapola turned it into a Mexico vs Japan issue. This is her house and Mexico is numero uno.
In the other hair vs hair feud, Ultimo Guerrero and Mascara 2000 were also in trios action. The two veterans squared up on the entrance ramp and threw punches. During Fall 2, Ultimo Guerrero and Mascara 2000 brawled into the crowd. Their first big exchange was also in Fall 2 as the two dished out haymakers. Ultimo Guerrero had the edge until Mascara 2000’s partners jumped in.
At that point, Ultimo Guerrero’s homies, Gran Guerrero and Euphoria, entered the fray. (Ultimo Guerrero’s official partners were Negro Casas and El Felino, who disappeared when they weren’t needed.) They were not in the official match but gave some payback for last week when Los Dinamita did the same. Cuatrero had his mask ripped off. Ultimo Guerrero and Mascara 2000 were back to fighting in the crowd then did some bare-knuckle boxing in the ring. Gran Guerrero and Euphoria prevented Mascara 2000’s backup from getting involved.
About the trios match itself, Mascara 2000’s team won 2-0 with the second fall being a disqualification.
Ultimo Guerrero grabbed a mic to say he hopes for a one-on-one fight with no family involved at El Juicio Final. Mascara 2000 responded by saying he was the father of twenty, and, of those twenty, he is the father of Ultimo Guerrero, Gran Guerrero, and Euphoria. The one who will be bald will be Ultimo Guerrero.
The six teased another brawl, but Mascara 2000’s squad finally backed away. That didn’t stop Los Laguneros though. They tentatively followed up the entrance ramp as Ultimo Guerrero peppered Mascara 2000 with a couple of long range jabs.
The main event was a solo bout between Mistico and Cavernario (starting at 1:49:00 of the show). Cavernario brought his Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship.
The action began on the entrance ramp and carried into the crowd. Cavernario quickly went after Mistico’s mask. He untied it and was centimeters away from removing it completely. Cavernario scored Fall 1 by rolling an octopus submission into a pin.
Cavernario continued the chaos by manhandling Mistico outside the ring. Back inside the ropes, Cavernario ripped Mistico’s mask. Mistico rebounded with a dropkick and a huge tope con hilo. Mistico attempted a whirling armbreaker, but Cavernario yanked his mask off.
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Fall 2 went to Mistico via disqualification.
Fall 3 was lengthy in duration. Mistico grabbed the momentum with a flying crossbody off the upper entrance ramp.
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Mistico maintained control with a slingshot headscissors takeover on the floor. Highlights include a hammerlock suplex by Cavernario, a suicide dive by Cavernario, a springboard moonsault by Mistico to the outside, German suplexes by both followed by Mexican Destroyers by both, a jumping hurricanrana by Mistico off the apron to the floor, a running leap by Mistico off the turnbuckles for a tope con hilo to the outside, and a flying splash by Cavernario to the floor.
For the finish, Cavernario slapped on a surfboard submission, but Mistico was able to grab the ropes for the break. Cavernario hit his springboard splash finisher, however, Mistico kicked out at two. Cavernario put on a back submission then went for a second springboard splash. This time Mistico got his foot up. That led to a whirling armbreaker and the victory for Mistico.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll no doubt say it more in the future. Tournaments are always cool. So, CMLL has that going for them. From the bunch of matches I watched, Mistico vs Cavernario on May 24 would be my pick of the week. What El Juicio Final is lacking in superstar power, it more than makes up in with so many important stipulations. The show should be exciting, especially if it is free.
Who do you think will win the Torneo Increible de Parejas from Puebla? How about predictions for who will be bald on Friday night?