mobanmarketImages: CMLL
A middleweight title defense headlined the CMLL card on Friday Night in Arena Mexico, along with the beginning of the Copa Junior tournament highlighting the undercard. Ultimo Guerrero defended his NWA World Historic Middleweight title against Atlantis in the main event. In an elimination match, Soberano Jr. advanced in the tournament, winning the first block of La Copa Junior Nuevo Valores.
Elsewhere on the show, mascots did an angle to build interest for an upcoming special attraction tag match. Also, further dissension developed within Los Guerreros Laguneros in the semi-main. The show from Mexico City opened with a minis match.
Mercurio, Pequeno Nitro & captain Pierrothito defeated Stukita, Ultimo Dragoncito & captain Shockercito
The rudos won the first and third falls. They took the first fall when Pierrothito submitted Dragoncito. Then the rudos ganged up for a beatdown on Stukita. After a volley of moves, Nitro pinned him.
The rudos stayed in control during the second fall until Shockercito started making a comeback, leading to a tecnicos rally. Stukita did a trifecta of moonsaults before pinning team captain Pierrothito, thusly winning the fall and evening the score.
The third fall built to the closing moments where Stukita splashed Nitro on the entrance ramp. The moment of glory for the tecnico side was fleeting, though. Back in the ring, Pierrothito reversed a hurricanrana to pin Dragoncito and Mercurio pinned Shockercito after a package piledriver.
In a brief interview with two women fans, they both most identified themselves as rudas and liked Ultimo Guerrero.
Soberano Jr. won an elimination match to advance in La Copa Junior Nuevo Valores tournament
The other Block A participants in the eight-man elimination match besides Soberano included Cuatrero, Canelo Casas, The Panther, Espanto Jr., El Hijo de Signo, Drone, and Oro Jr. The match played out somewhat like a Survivor Series match with rudos and tecnicos on opposing sides and ending with a sole survivor. Eliminations occurred via pinfall.
For the first elimination, The Panther pinned Signo after a springboard missile dropkick. Canelo Casas next eliminated Oro Jr. upon delivering a half nelson slam. The rudos stalled a rally, but the tecnicos eventually fired up. Drone eliminated Espanto Jr. after doing a handstand on the top turnbuckle into a falling knee smash. Cuatrero eliminated Panther with a splash mountain powerbomb.
The match was then two-on-two, leading into the tecnicos doing dives. Soberano really began to shine from here onwards. Soberano eliminated Canelo Casas after executing a sit-out tombstone. Since any version of the tombstone is protected in Mexico as a devastating move, a doctor came to the ring and tended to Casas.
As only three luchadors remained, Cuatrero eliminated Drone following a springboard into a flying elbow drop. With only two remaining, they brawled on the ramp where Soberano leapt high off the stage for a plancha.
Soberano draped Cuatrero in the ropes for a guillotine lionsault to score the final pinfall. Soberano advances to the finals of the Copa Junior having won Block A.
Angel de Oro defeated Hechicero
This was a lightning match, meaning it had a 10-minute time limit. They were in a tough spot having to follow the previous spectacle. The crowd saw a lot already and it was all before the third match.
Oro at one point loosened his mask and slightly lifted it off to check his face. Hechicero seemingly potatoed him inadvertently as Oro was rolling away on a botched spot. Oro did a moonsault off the middle turnbuckle to the floor just before checking his face, so it’s safe to assume he is okay and relatively unscathed from the potato.
After about the five-minute mark, Hechicero gave Oro a Muscle Buster and cradled him for a near fall. Hechicero then wiped out Oro with a flying lariat for a two count. The rudo tried using a submission hold on Oro to no avail.
Another near fall brought the match past the eight-minute mark and Oro kicked out again. Oro then fired up and hooked Hechicero for the pinfall in just under nine minutes.
Diamante Azul, Stuka Jr. & captain Valiente defeated Sam Adonis, Mephisto & captain Negro Casas
With a Trump supporter gimmick in front of an Arena Mexico crowd, Adonis had a lot of heat whether it be cheap or otherwise. Not just his character but all the personalities, combined with the crowd buying into them, carried this trios match more so than the lucha itself.
In the first fall, Azul assisted using a catapult so Stuka could fly in to splash and pin Mephisto. Azul then gave Adonis a delayed German suplex with a bridge and pinned him for the tecnicos to take the fall.
The rudos evened the falls when Mephisto pinned tecnico team captain Valiente. A brawl ensued as the third fall began with the rudos continuing their onslaught. The mascots got involved at various times. Adonis at one point used an American flag to choke mascot KeMonito.
Mephisto tried to unmask Stuka only for Stuka to eventually make a comeback, leading to the tecnicos finishing strong. Valiente pinned Mephisto after a tombstone codebreaker. Azul then gorilla pressed Casas into a falcon arrow before pinning him to win the deciding fall.
In an angle building towards a special attraction match, Ultimo Guerrero hosted a segment in the ring with two mascot teams. Guerrero first introduced the crowd to Micro Man and Gallito before Mije and El Perico Zacarias also joined them in the ring.
The two pairs of mascots are in an upcoming tag match on April 30th, so naturally the rudos attacked Micro Man and Gallito for heat. The program is likely intended as a draw for a show happening on Children’s Day.
Dragon Lee, Caristico & captain Mistico defeated Niebla Roja, Gran Guerrero & captain Euforia
The story of the match itself involved the rudos and a rift forming within Los Guerreros Laguneros. Niebla Roja continued to alienate himself from the group. The rudos won the opening fall only to lose two straight.
Euforia powerbombed, then pinned Dragon Lee in the first fall. Roja began arguing with his teammates as they looked to finish off Mistico. That spared Mistico. The rudos still regrouped enough for Gran Guerrero to submit Caristico and take the first fall.
The tecnicos made a comeback in the second fall. Dragon Lee pinned Niebla Roja with a schoolboy and Mistico submitted Gran Guerrero with La Mistica. The rudos continued to have issues in the third fall.
Niebla Roja and Dragon Lee slugged it out, then shook hands. The rudo teammates became irate with such a display of sportsmanship. After being shoved down, Niebla Roja abandoned ship and left the scene.
The tecnicos capitalized on the skirmish as Caristico dispatched Gran Guerrero with a dive to the outside. Team captain Mistico applied La Mistica on rudo captain Euforia to win the third fall.
In more hype for the upcoming mascot tag match, Zacarias cut a promo about the April 30th card. CMLL sure is promoting the heck out of the mascot match, more so than almost anything else they usually push. The exception is the Dragon Rojo souvenir cup. The promotion is really pushing that drinking cup to the crowd. Most of the segments plugging their products on the show featured that drink cup.
NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion Ultimo Guerrero defeated Atlantis to retain his title
In their respective corners, Stuka Jr. was Atlantis’ second while Gran Guerrero was the second for Ultimo Guerrero. Early on, Atlantis would quickly win the opening fall only for the champion to retain by winning the last two falls. The atmosphere for the last fall was proverbially electric.
The first fall was all grappling on the mat when Atlantis surprised Guerrero by cradling him for a quick pin to leave the champion down by one fall just five minutes into the title match. The second fall was even shorter than the first, ending in under a minute when Guerrero submitted Atlantis.
The climactic third fall was more lengthy with sustained drama. The seemingly timeless Atlantis did a dive through the ropes, which is beyond impressive for someone of his age that debuted in the early 1980s. Moments later, Atlantis escaped a Gory Special and also kicked out of a cover.
The fight spilled to the outside and Guerrero did his signature leap over the barricade. Atlantis recovered and leapt back into the ring with a flying crossbody. Guerrero rolled through and covered Atlantis for a two count. With them perched on the turnbuckles, Guerrero powerbombed Atlantis. Heroically, Atlantis managed to kick out again for a close near fall.
In the closing minutes, Atlantis sent Guerrero sailing off the top turnbuckle to cover him for a near fall. The referee was out of position and late on the count, allowing the hero to save face. Atlantis escaped a roll-up. Guerrero then cheated on another roll-up by putting his feet on the ropes. The referee caught him.
Heading into the finish, Atlantis applied La Atlantida but Guerrero used the ropes to break the hold. Atlantis climbed the ropes looking to finish off a reeling Guerrero. However, Guerrero scaled the ropes behind him and executed a reverse superplex. Guerrero then pinned Atlantis to retain his title.