SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Surprise! You get a two-for-one special today. Instead of one month of CMLL, I’ll be covering two: August and September. I already did a special Hits & Misses for the 93rd Anniversario (go check that out if you haven’t), so this will cover the other weeks of September.
HITS
Yutani & Flip Gordon vs. Difunto & Valiente Jr.
Odd match given the pairings. Good action. Flip Gordon and Yutani won two straight falls.
Thunder Rosa & Tessa Blanchard vs. Persephone & Olympia (lightning match)
Good match while it lasted. Although Rosa pinned Olympia with a Tijuana Bomb, it seems like the focus remained on Tessa and Persephone, which is smart.
Claudio/Mìstico promo hyping the Grand Prix
This was interesting and unusual for CMLL. Doing more of this kind of thing wouldn’t be a bad thing.
2026 International Grand Prix (Team Mexico vs. Team World)
The pomp and circumstance CMLL put around this match made it feel huge, which I loved. It also really got the crowd behind Team Mexico, creating a really rowdy, entertaining environment, even if some of the normal wrestler alignments were thrown off.
As far as the in-ring action goes, these Grand Prix matches can be hard to judge as matches because there are so many moving bodies. That said, the right person was eliminated first in Yujiro Takahashi. He had no business in this match anyway and, in his short time, took one of the worst hurricanranas I’ve ever seen. Everyone else got a chance to shine. Austin Aries didn’t eliminate anyone, which is a good thing. The match was used to start a feud between Bandido and Soberano Jr., who eliminated each other by yanking one another’s masks off. Bandido starting it was a little odd considering he’ll be the face, but it made sense in the context of this match.
The final stanza, with Mìstico and Hechicero representing Mexico and Claudio and Pac representing Team World, was really good. The DR worked it as old-school heels, isolating Mìstico, who got some hope spots before being eliminated with a spike Neutralizer. Hechicero got to make the big comeback. He hit one of the best headscissor spikes he’s ever done, thanks to PAC’s superb sales job, and then forced Claudio to submit for the second time this year. It was a smart move to put over the world champion.
Blue Shark & Tornado & Pendulo vs. Infarto & Cerebro Negro Jr. & Disturbio
Good match. There were some hurricanranas from impressive positions, like out of a back body drop. The faces won, which was fine.
Calevera Jr. I & II vs. Max Star & Futuro
Really fun match, which isn’t surprising considering these are two regular teams. The Calveras won after one of them hit Max Star with a springboard swanton and a springboard moonsault back to back.
Reyna Isis & Persephone vs. Johnnie Robbie & Tessa Blanchard
Never the smoothest match, this one got better as it went along. There was a complex double-pin sequence near the end that was pretty impressive. Tessa getting the pin wasn’t surprising, as it seems clear her feud with Persephone is going to Anniversario.
Neon & Xelhua & Brillante Jr. vs. Yutani & Guerrero Maya Jr. & El Cobarde
Good match, but I think these guys have better in them. I’m glad Yutani didn’t take the pin. Guerrero Maya Jr. and El Cobarde fighting at the end was a nice touch. Oh, and Xelhua’s entrance music sounds like a superhero parody.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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Cavernario vs. Dragon Rojo Jr.
This was a very good match that started hot before the bell rang. It was structured a bit unusually, with the face Dragon Rojo Jr. spending several minutes beating the brakes off Barbaro Cavernario. The finish seemed to be, or at least portend, a double turn, given that Rojo used a low blow to set up the winning roll-up. The post-match promo and attack cemented it.
Zankodan Jr. vs. Star Jr.
Another really good match. Star Jr. took some punishment in this one, between the springboard hurricanrana turned into a powerbomb and being tossed into the barricade. Star Jr. had a nice fire-up and hit a couple of really nice dives. The delayed Tiger Bomb Zankodan Jr. used was nifty.
Mìstico vs. Averno
Really good match. Easily the match of the night. These two worked hard. Averno clearly relishes being a heel. Mìstico is impossibly over with the crowd. He sells so well, and the crowd explodes every time he fires up. The finish, with Averno low-blowing Mìstico out of midair, was disappointing. The post-match promo and unmasking set up their portion of the Anniversario main event nicely.
Mei Seira & Ema Maishima vs. Keyra & Tabata
Really fun match that acted as a preview of Stardom’s involvement at Anniversario. Both teams worked their unique styles, which provided a nice contrast. Tabata’s Spanish fly off the apron sounded nasty. Shortly thereafter, she was accidentally murdered by her partner with a suicide dive that would make Darby Allin blush. The finish Maishima used on Keyra was wild.
Maika vs. Lluvia
Another good match. CMLL and Stardom split the difference on wins on the night. The women seemed to be taking it easy on each other but started laying it in as the match continued. Lluvia won with one of the messier Spanish flies I’ve seen recently.
Los Guerreros Laguneros vs. El Sky Team vs. Don Callis Family
Really good, unsurprisingly frenetic match. At one point, both heel teams ganged up on El Sky Team. That didn’t last long, as the DCF turned on Los Guerreros Laguneros. The finish was a first. Stuka Jr. splashed Mascara Dorada so hard that Dorada bounced off him, allowing Dorada to turn over and cradle Stuka to win and advance to the tag title match at Anniversario. Rocky Romero demanding a rematch afterward because the DCF didn’t take the pin had to be unusual for him, given how often he loses.
Templario & Ùltimo Guerrero vs. Barbaro Cavernario & Dragon Rojo Jr.
A good match that was a tale of two falls. The first fall made perfect sense, with Templario and Ùltimo Guerrero, who have the most respectful rivalry heading into the Anniversario main event, working together while Barbaro Cavernario and Dragon Rojo largely worked independently of each other. Dragon Rojo Jr. yanking off Templario’s mask made sense given his recent heel turn. What didn’t make sense was for him and Barbaro Cavernario to spend the second fall working together seamlessly. In the end, Templario got the pin after a GTS and a vicious Mexican Destroyer, meaning he and Guerrero won two straight falls.
Mìstico & Averno vs. Zankodan Jr. & Star Jr.
Much like the match that preceded it, this was a good match that was a little odd. The idea of the rivals teaming ahead of Anniversario was interesting, but with no stakes, it didn’t make any sense for them to work together. At least Star Jr. and Zankodan Jr. spent a lot of the second fall shoving each other. Averno immediately attacking and unmasking Mìstico after the match restored some sanity. Also, credit to Star Jr. He took an Angel’s Wings from Averno right on the top of his head and seemed to shake it off.
Rey Pegasus vs. Guerrero Maya Jr.
A really good match that capped off with a somewhat surprising victory by Rey Pegasus to capture the Mexican National Middleweight Title. Rey Pegasus has been the shining star from Torneo de Escuelas, and this was CMLL agreeing with that.
Los Viajeros del Espacio vs. Black Tiger & Rugido
This match would’ve been a miss if not for the last five to eight minutes, which were a sudden explosion of energy that included a Destroyer DDT, which is not a move I can recall seeing before. The faces got a near fall near the end that momentarily had me sold before the heels retained their titles.
Soberano Jr. vs. Averno
After his match of the night against Bandido at Anniversario, I was pleased to see Soberano Jr. getting a significant match on the next show. The action was unsurprisingly very good. Averno is such a good heel. The finish to this one was terrible, unfortunately. I could’ve accepted Averno getting disqualified to protect Soberano Jr. from a loss, but a low blow followed by an unseen unmasking, which forced Soberano to cover his face to protect his identity and allowed himself to be pinned, was too much.
Olympia & Hera vs. Skadi & Kira
These women set out to prove that they deserved to main-event a show that wasn’t an all-women’s show, and I’d say they more than succeeded. They laid into each other from the opening bell. Kira’s dive off the top of the staircase onto Olympia and Hera on the stage was spectacular, although I thought she might’ve injured her knee on the landing. Bonus points for Skadi, who looked the best I’ve ever seen her, for walking Olympia and Hera into that crossbow. I do like that there was one spot in the entire match where Skadi was picked up and Samoan-dropped. It made it feel more special.
While Skadi and Kira’s ambitious double-team splash finisher went off without a hitch, Olympia and Hera’s almost didn’t, as they nearly failed to get Kira all the way over when they slammed her on top of Skadi. Bookending the show with another title change was smart. Hopefully, we’ll see more of Olympia and Hera now that they’re champs.
MISSES
Noche de Campones
This was the concept for the final show of September. It was a combination of Night of Champions and Taboo Tuesday. While it was by no means a bad show, I think it was a soft miss for two reasons. One, the voting was strictly on the CMLL website. If they want more participation, they should really set up voting on different social media platforms. Two, it was too close to Anniversario. Having two big shows back to back was too much. They should’ve given themselves some more breathing room.
Bestia Negra
Bestia Negra is painful to watch as a ref. Him getting up and down for pinfall attempts looks like a legit struggle, and I was honestly afraid when Averno shoved him from behind late in the match. I’m not trying to be ageist here. I’m genuinely concerned for the man. I couldn’t find his exact age, but he has to be in his 70s. Given what happened to an elderly referee in Mexico recently, I think he might need to consider stepping away from the ring.
