Episode Seventy-Four - The Skeleton Dance

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Sharp Dressed Caveman. The Anniversary Main Event

Sharp Dressed Caveman. The Anniversary Main Event

The podcast is back from its summer holidays just in time to discuss a big week of lucha libre news and to help us digest it all, we welcome back Rob Viper (@robviper) to the show.

CMLL just announced the card for the Anniversary show in September and needless to say, many folks are not happy we are not getting a Rush vs LA Park main event. We go over the whole card and spend plenty of time discussing why it did not happen, who's to blame, who's spinning their version as to why the match is not happening this year and more.  There is the usual talk about CMLL booking philosophy and business management, as well as talking about all the big crowds this year, in Mexico CIty, but also in Puebla and Guadalajara. 

Rob also tells us about his recent trip to Mexico to see a bunch of shows, including the Negro Casas 40th Anniversary card a few weeks ago (see below), the Mexa Wresting and Pura Raza show, featuring (friend of the pod) Hechicero vs Christopher Daniels. 

We also discuss the recent passing of the legendary Villano III, including some match recommendations (including the famous WON Match of the Year vs Atlantis). For more on Villano III's career, make sure to read Fredo Esparza's obit at Luchaworld. 

Other topics include: the atmosphere at lucha shows compared to American/Canadian shows and online pals like Puma King (@pumakingoficial) and Zeuxis (@ZeuxisLucero) leaving CMLL and going independent and their upcoming big events in PWG and the Mae Young Classic, respectively. 

At the end, we also sneak in some summertime hockey chat, since John Tavares just had his first public skate as a member of Rob's Maple Leafs. 

Hopefully, health permitting, the pod will be back on a more regular basis going forward. We have a bunch of folks lined up for September. Card Subject to Change. 

Episode Seventy-Two - Nueva Generacion de Energia

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Nueva Generacion Dinamita - Rocket Strapped by CMLL

     For the first podcast of 2018, we are happy to welcome back The Cubs Fan (@luchablog) to talk about the resurrected Tapatia Awards and a plethora of lucha libre news.

     We start with the  2017 Tapatia Awards and why Cubs decided to bring them back. We then discuss all the winners (a clean sweep for CMLL) and what that says about the year in lucha.

     Then, it a look at lucha news with no real rhyme nor reason, including: Fantasticamania, the upcoming Angel de Oro vs Cuatrero mascara match, the mega push of theaasa NGD, the Parejas tournament and who will face Volador and Ultimo Guerrero, the font office acchanges headed by Sofia Alanso and more. We also cover the new Arolucha promotion, US companies and booking indy luchadors and what will the future hold for Rey Misterio Jr? 

Note: It may be a few weeks before the new podcast. We are trying to line up some fun guests in the future. Thanks for Listening. 

 

Episode Sixty-Eight - Red Fog at Night

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The scheduled card for the CMLL Anniversary show. But will the main event happen as planned?

The scheduled card for the CMLL Anniversary show. But will the main event happen as planned?

The CMLL Anniversary show is next week, so Dr Lucha Steve Sims (@drluchajr) returns to the show to discuss it.  We talk about Niebja Roja's injury and what that might been to the scheduled main event. We also discuss Diamante Azul possibly being off the show, despite still be on the poster released today.  We discuss the lackluster go-home show Friday night and speculate about the winner of the mask match between Princess Sugheit and Zeuxis. We also discuss the usual head scratching of CMLL booking, can Micro-Man win Rookie of the Year? and some of the other news in lucha, such as Dr. Wagner Jr's mask loss at Triplemania this year. (Note: zero discussion of the lady boxer/wrestler most everyone has been talking about the last week or so). 

Then, we ask Steve just what is up with his LA Dodgers, from potential record breakers to a team that can't buy a win lately. Was getting Yu Darvish a mistake? Will the Diamondbacks catch them for the division title? 

We end with a look ahead to the first season of Sreve's new hometown hockey team, the Vegas Golden Knights. How successful can a hockey team be in Sin City, where will attendance come from and can they establish a foothold before the Raiders come to town

You can hear Steve weekly on Wrestling Observer Radio and is a regular guest on Luchaword's Lucha Classica podcasts. 

Episode Sixty-Five - El Gringo Enojado

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Love Machine Sam Adonis on his way to fight Blue Panther in Arena Mexico.

Love Machine Sam Adonis on his way to fight Blue Panther in Arena Mexico.

Sam Adonis (@realsamadonis) returns to the podcast to discuss his upcoming hair vs hair match against Blue Panther August 4th in Arena Mexico. 

We discuss the world-wide media attention he has gotten for his flag-waving American gimmick in Mexico and how that fits in with wrestling's history of xenophobic heels. We talk about the feud with Blue Panther and invoking the name and gimmick of the late Love Machine Art Barr and his feud 25 years ago in CMLL. We chat about his favorite opponents and partners over his year in Mexico, his upcoming trip to Japan and how things are going for his brother, WWE announcer Corey Graves. 

Sam is super busy these days, so we thank him very much for his time.

Also, a quick shout-out to former podcast guests Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin, for their third consecutive Eisner Award for Bandette. You can hear them discuss it on episode 24. Congratulations to all the winners, some of whom are tentatively planned as future guests.

Episode Sixty-Two - Los Persuasores!

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RIP Sir Roger Moore

RIP Sir Roger Moore

To talk about a wild time in the world of lucha libre, we welcome back to the show Rob BIhari (@robviper). We start off by discussing the circumstances that led CMLL to fire Maximo, La Mascara and Bobby Villa. We go over the facts as we know them and where things go from here for those wrestlers, Super Porky, Psycho Clown and others.  We also discuss the history of micros in wrestling, from their start as a drawing act, through Antonio Pena reviving the concept in AAA in the 1990s to the recent matches involving Micro Man, Gallito, Mije and magazine/podcast favorite Zacarias.  We also mention the return of Lucha Underground and some indy lucha Rob recommends.  Then we discuss powerbomb.tv's Break the Barrier show June 11 in Old Forge PA, which both of us will be attending. We are planning to debut the next issue of Odessa Steps Magazine at the show (details soon). We go over some of the luchadors working the show, as well as hoping to see more lucha talent wrestling in the US.

(51:20) Then, we have some Stanley Cup playoff chat, including Who will Win Game 7 between Pittsburgh and Ottawa, how we both are rooting for Nashville in the Final, the PK Subban story, playoff parity, the World Championships, Mitch Marner's soclal media, the usual love for past pod guests Jeff Marek and Grey Wyshynski and more.

(1:15:30) To close the show, a brief memorial to Sir Roger Moore, who passed away earlier this week. Some chat about his work, well-known and some not as much: the Bond movies, The Saint, The Persuaders, ffolkes, spoofing his image in The Cannonball Run and on the Muppet Show and more. 

Episode Forty-Eight - Get Off My Bridge

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It's the start of the baseball playoffs and we're joined by The Cubs Fan (@luchablog) to talk lucha libre. Oh, and baseball. We start by getting the latest on the Alberto situation, Zeuxis' tryout at the WWE Performance Center, the Volador Jr vs Barbaro Cavernario matches, including what might happen this week, Dragon Lee in ROH, the luchadors going to ROH for the trios tournament, the Hechicero vs Guerrero Maya Jr lightning match,  and more news. Then, we talk about the trip to Mexico Cubs and @robviper took in September, including best matches and travelling from Mexico City to Tijuana to see The Crash show. We end by talking playoff baseball (we recorded during Toronto's game one mauling of Texas), what is Cubs' confidence/worry level, playing the Giants in the NLDS, Madison Bumgarner, the Dodgers vs Nationals series and more. Be sure to check out the Luchablog for the latest news and thecubsfan youtube channel for all the matches not otherwise available. 

Episode Forty - Zero Fear

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Los Ingobernables. Each making news in their own way.

Los Ingobernables. Each making news in their own way.

Lucha Week concludes with a mega-length podcast with Dr. Lucha Steve Sims (@drluchajr). On the lucha front, we talk about La Mascara and the CMLL Anniversary show, the Rush vs L.A. Park feud, Sexi Star unmasking, breaking news as we recorded of Pentagon Jr. winning the AAW title in Chicago, WWE's interest in adding more luchadors to their roster, just what do they want, La Sombra/Andrade Almas in NXT, the viewer demographics of Lucha Underground, luchadors working in the US vs Mexico and more. On the non-lucha front, we talk about content delivery models in the future, a la care programming, baseball's draconian blackout rules, the All-Star Game (54:15) and Comic-Con (1:14:30) being held in Steve's hometown of San Diego, traveling to Tijuana in 2016 vs years past, being a genre fan in 2016 and not supporting all TV shows and movies out of loyalty, new TV shows vs old TV shows, change kits in European futbol and much more. 

Episode Thirty-Nine - Of Proud Adonis

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Lucha Week continues as we are joined by CMLL wrestler Sam Adonis (@samelias89) to talk about coming to Mexico, working in CMLL, the CMLL Grand Prix ippv, his  almost-immediate rivalry with Shocker, his favorite opponents so far, the fluidity of opponents in CMLL, atmosphere at lucha shows, lucha vs British wrestling, great British wrestlers not yet known in the US including James Mason, the Knight family (of WWE's Paige fame), being trained by his brother (Corey Graves, formerly known as Sterling James Keenan) fliers and bases in wrestling and more. We were lucky to catch up with Sam on the same day he was main eventing Arena Mexico. 

Episode Thirty-Eight - Full Metalik Jacket

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Mascara Dorada aka Gran Metalik on his way to WWE.

Mascara Dorada aka Gran Metalik on his way to WWE.

It's the start of what we hope will be Lucha Week, with a few shows planned. Up first, it's The Cubs Fan (@luchablog) from the Luchablog to talk all about the news.  This includes Mascara Dorada (Gran Metalik) signing with WWE, what his future may hold there, how is La Sombra aka Andrade CIen Almas doing in NXT, his Takeover match, should he turn rudo, the upcoming CMLL Anniversario show and what might be the main event, how Kushida and MIchael Elgin were used during the CMLL tour, the passing away of Thunder, Sexy Star's unmasking and her future in lucha both in Mexico and the USA, TEDDY HART~! in Elite, could we see him in CMLL, the Lucha Memes (@luchamemes) show going on as we were recording, Stuka Jr vs Kamaitachi in Ring of Honor, Kamaitachi's #1 Fan being at ROH TV, Rush vs L.A. Park in ELITE, the crazy ELITE tournament and its standings, a rundown of the S2 finale of Lucha Underground, the Triplemania main event (?)  and more. Plus, some quick all-star break Cubs talk and what is shaping up to be a three team race for best record in the National League.