Lucha Libre Thread - AAA, CMLL, & the rest of the masked lads

[Infinity Land]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

WWE have let people fulfil existing bookings to a reasonable extend in the past, so either Vaquer has cancelled those bookings herself, or it's a sea-change in how WWE do business with free agents - or, more likely, with people working for AEW-affiliated companies. 

It feels like a bad move on Vaquer's part, though. The old cliché is about treating people well on the way up because you'll need them again on the way back down, because what happens if her WWE run doesn't pan out? Or if there's an issue with her visa, or the WWE medical catches something that means they won't clear her to wrestle for them? Are the companies she just left in the lurch, screwed over for bookings (and not just the odd match here and there - we're talking title matches, main events, and forcing CMLL to vacate a title), and generally fucked around going to be queuing up to work with her again if she finds herself back on the market in 6-12 months?

This might be more of unique situation.

From June after Cuatrero's latest parole hearing.

https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1599757/jailed-luchador-el-cuatrero-denied-parole-threats-victim-investigated/

Quote

One of the factors working against the luchador was the consideration that Vaquer is still in a vulnerable position and it could therefore endanger her for him to be released at this time. It was also reported that the Mexico City prosecutor's office will be investigating allegations of threats made against Vaquer since Cuatrero's arrest

Can't really blame her wanting to jump sooner than later once an opportunity came up.

[SaitoRyo]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

It's a mad way of doing business on Vaquer's part, and I would assume WWE are kind of pushing her to cut ties a little quicker than wrestlers normally would, because they're in a wrestling war far more than they like to acknowledge they are, and this is all pretty cut-throat. It also means she's almost certainly out of the RevPro Copper Box show on All In weekend.

WWE have let people fulfil existing bookings to a reasonable extend in the past, so either Vaquer has cancelled those bookings herself, or it's a sea-change in how WWE do business with free agents - or, more likely, with people working for AEW-affiliated companies. 

It feels like a bad move on Vaquer's part, though. The old cliché is about treating people well on the way up because you'll need them again on the way back down, because what happens if her WWE run doesn't pan out? Or if there's an issue with her visa, or the WWE medical catches something that means they won't clear her to wrestle for them? Are the companies she just left in the lurch, screwed over for bookings (and not just the odd match here and there - we're talking title matches, main events, and forcing CMLL to vacate a title), and generally fucked around going to be queuing up to work with her again if she finds herself back on the market in 6-12 months?

I believe RevPro have announced that she's dropped out. 

It's a bit of a messy situation and I reckon more than likely a case of WWE wanting to get Vaquer signed up so they can show her off in Mexico this weekend, ahead of her starting in NXT ASAP.

She'd made a statement to something of the effect that she was glad she 'left through the front door' (i.e. on good terms with CMLL and NJPW) but that is evidently not the case and I do wonder if she hasn't burned bridges there. As you say, she may want to work with them again one day, depending on how this WWE run works out.

CMLL are also less than happy with WWE, who they think they have done them dirty in this situation. 

[Infinity Land]

Death Triangle made their CMLL debut last night. Still plenty of petty bollocks going on between CMLL & AAA which led to Penta & Fenix going by different names.

[Merzbow]

Should have just gone by Brother Rey and Brother Tagon.

[waters44]

On 7/27/2024 at 6:19 PM, Infinity Land said:

Death Triangle made their CMLL debut last night. Still plenty of petty bollocks going on between CMLL & AAA which led to Penta & Fenix going by different names.

Is that Arena Mexico as well? Man I need to see that

[Merzbow]

Takeshita wrestled last night for CMLL, not the NJPW promoted event either.

Spoiler

 

 

Edited March 1, 2025 by Merzbow

[Infinity Land]

This was being discussed in the Wrestlemania thread when it was announced, but I imagine has been lost amongst the chat once the show started.

WWE have bought AAA. Not only should this change how AAA is run as a promotion, but the company works as a booking office for its talent. Local promotions in Mexico and many international ones will wonder what impact it will have on them.

 

[Merzbow]

So the real question is.. is Vampiro under WWE contract now?

[wordsfromlee]

Isn’t Del Rio their champion?

[I Bent My Wookie]

53 minutes ago, wordsfromlee said:

Isn’t Del Rio their champion?

I can see that rapidly changing.

At least I bloody hope so.

[LaGoosh]

What's the gap between AAA and CMLL? My limited understanding is that CMLL is doing great business and AAA is doing badly and putting on bad shows?

[Daaaaaad!]

1 hour ago, wordsfromlee said:

Isn’t Del Rio their champion?

He is. The only small amount of solace I’ll take in this whole concerning affair will be if he gets the boot once WWE start running it. 

Of course with how this week has gone I expect him to show up as Orton’s opponent tonight. 

[Vamp]

41 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

What's the gap between AAA and CMLL? My limited understanding is that CMLL is doing great business and AAA is doing badly and putting on bad shows?

It's like comparing apples and oranges to be honest. CMLL have an entirely different business model and not just because they own their own buildings. 

I don't think anyone watches AAA expecting good shows. 

It'll be interesting to see if WWE use some of the AAA personas. There's certain gimmicks like La Parka (obviously), Cibernetico, Chessman, Psycho Circus, which might be interesting to put on their own wrestlers. 

 

[Hannibal Scorch]

Marty Scurll has been on some recent shows I believe, and Stephanie Vaquer’s ex who she claimed almost killed her, so hopefully they will do the right thing there.

[BomberPat]

10 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Marty Scurll has been on some recent shows I believe, and Stephanie Vaquer’s ex who she claimed almost killed her, so hopefully they will do the right thing there.

Cuatrero - Vaquer's ex- hasn't been on a show since March 2023, the week her allegations came out. I don't think Marty Scurll has worked a "true" AAA show; they license the name out to smaller promotions who book their talent, and he's worked a few of them, but never for AAA proper. 

No shortage of wrong'uns on AAA shows - Alberto's their champion, they've booked Matt Riddle a fair amount, and they somehow booked Cain Velasquez while he was awaiting trial for attempted murder, and I'm sure there's more recently that I'm forgetting - but not those two.

That licensing out of the name, and working as a booking office for a lot of their wrestlers, is part of what I'm worried about here. I don't think WWE have any interest in AAA operating in that fashion, they just want a bulwark against AEW gaining any momentum in Mexico. It's hardly a coincidence that they're running a AAA/NXT show less than two weeks before AEW do Grand Slam Mexico, and announced it the same week. I don't know how much AAA will be permitted to continue promoting as normal, and how much they will effectively be a Mexican wing of NXT - it's kind of uncharted territory, really. But if they become NXT Mexico in all but name, then aside from becoming much worse for diversity of styles and approaches to wrestling, I don't see them running in any part of Mexico that CMLL aren't operating in, which basically means cutting off all but Mexico City, Puebla and Jalisco, at best. It's already hard for luchadores from smaller states to get noticed, and that will make it even harder.