{"id":221240,"date":"2026-08-22T13:01:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T18:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=221240"},"modified":"2026-08-22T13:01:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T18:01:25","slug":"cmll-hits-misses-a-look-at-the-good-and-bad-over-the-last-month-headed-into-their-anniversario-show-next-month-with-claudio-thunder-rosa-austin-aries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/22\/cmll-hits-misses-a-look-at-the-good-and-bad-over-the-last-month-headed-into-their-anniversario-show-next-month-with-claudio-thunder-rosa-austin-aries\/","title":{"rendered":"CMLL HITS &#038; MISSES: A look at the good and bad over the last month headed into their Anniversario show next month with Claudio, Thunder Rosa, Austin Aries"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-4095881867\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>INTRO<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s been a couple months since I dropped one of these. That\u2019s my fault. My vacation landed at just the right time to throw off both May and June. I\u2019m back now and not a moment too soon as CMLL is gearing up for their big Anniversario show next month. Let\u2019s recap the good and the bad over the last month in the premier lucha libre promotion in the world.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>HITS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Magia Blanca &amp; Tornado &amp; Rey Pegasus vs. Virus &amp; Infinito &amp; Cerebro Negro Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good match. Each man got a chance to shine. Tornado stumbled on the ropes a couple times but he didn\u2019t let it get in his head. The Tornado\/Rey Pegasus Doomsday crucifix finisher continues to be one of the most brutal finishes in wrestling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Los Herederos vs. Los Forajidos<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good match. Hijo de Stuka Jr rolling El Coyote into place for a splash by El Cobarde should be studied by other wrestlers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zankodan Jr &amp; Barbaro Cavernario vs Dragon Roja &amp; Star Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good match. The finish to the first fall was odd with Star Jr using the ropes for leverage first before Zankodan Jr used them to score the win. Heels won a rare two straight falls. Faces challenged for a rematch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tessa Blanchard &amp; Garra Negra vs. Persephone &amp; Keyra<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1740188632\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>I must admit this was a really good match. Garra Negra was isolated the entire first fall before being pinned with a nice bridge out of a sitout powerbomb. The hot tag was a little botched. Garra Negra pinned Keyra after an Angel\u2019s Wings. Persephone trying to avoid Tessa was good storytelling. Tessa getting the deciding fall on Perse with a tiger bomb would seem to set up a title match at some point. Tessa being a babyface still doesn\u2019t sit well with me.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Volador Jr. vs. Flip Gordon (World Historic Middleweight Title)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Soft hit for a good match with an unexpected title change and win via a Mexican Destroyer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>M\u00ecstico &amp; Mascara Dorada, Atlantis vs. Los Hermanos Chavez &amp; Hechicero<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Strong main event. Atlantis didn\u2019t embarrass himself. Los Hermanos Chavez got the win pinning El Sky Team which means the Angel de Oro push continues apace which is good to see.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Los Forajidos vs. Los Herederos (National Trios Title)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Really good match that kicked into another gear in the final 8-10 minutes. Hijo de Stuka Jr hit Vaquero Jr with a cutthroat spinning rack bomb for a two. Vaqero Jr responded with an avalanche Dominator for a two. That made Felino Jr pinning El Coyote with a Magistral cradle a bit anticlimactic.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3803371074\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of &#8220;Wrestling Coast to Coast&#8221; with Chris Maitland and Justin McClelland, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/wrestling-coast-to-coast-maitland-mcclelland-review-hog-high-intensity-including-mason-vs-kingston-zilla-s-last-indy-match-mane-event--73923448\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wrestling Coast to Coast - Maitland &amp; McClelland review HOG High Intensity including Mason vs. Kingston, Zilla's last indy match, Mane Event\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=73923448&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Dragon Rojo Jr. &amp; Star Jr vs. Barbaro Cavernario &amp; Zankodan Jr.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Quick first fall ended with Star Jr pinning Zankodan Jr with a victory roll. Second fall ended with the rudos hitting a giant swing\/dropkick combo on Dragon Roja Jr followed by Barbaro Cavernario pinning him with the springboard Vader Bomb. Third fall ended with Zankodan Jr faking being low blowed by Star Jr resulting in DQ. Good match, unusual finish with the faking of a low blow. Maybe Zankodan Jr has been watching old Eddie Guerrero matches.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ikuro Kwan &amp; Volador Jr. &amp; \u00d9ltimo Guerrero vs Flip Gordon &amp; T\u00edtan &amp; Templario<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Really good while it lasted. Rudos controlled a lot of the match. \u00daltimo Guerrero hit Templario with an avalanche face first suplex which Ikuro Kwan followed up with a shining wizard to the back of the head for the win. Kwan then challenged Templario to an MLW Middleweight Title match. Templario responded with a strong promo accepting Kwan\u2019s challenge and challenging \u00d9ltimo Guerrero to a match<\/p>\n<p><strong>Blue Panther vs. Claudio Castagnoli<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Fine for what it was. Blue Panther is 65yrs old and still going. He didn\u2019t embarrass himself and took a couple risky dives but ultimately fell to Claudio. It\u2019s good to see AEW talent not just getting jobbed out<\/p>\n<p><strong>Angel de Oro &amp; Niebla Roja vs. El Sky Team<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Really good match. I do wish that Los Hermanos Chavez had worn their normal outfits instead of dressing like M\u00ecstico and Dorada. M\u00ecstico got the win with La Mistica.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Johnnie Robbie &amp; Thunder Rosa &amp; Tessa Blanchard vs. Sanely &amp; Olympia &amp; Persephone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good match. First time seeing Johnnie Robbie and she looked good. Nice grappling exchange with Persephone early. I didn\u2019t love the spots late in the match where the dives to the floor basically had to be no-sold in order to get to the next dive. Finish was surprising in that Rosa got the pin instead of Tessa who\u2019s been setting up a match with Persephone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Templario vs. Ikuro Kwan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Really good match in spite of Okumura\u2019s repeated interference. Kwan\u2019s size provided a nice contrast. Templario\u2019s running moonsault from the ramp into the ring remains impressive. They got a good kickout on Kwan\u2019s shining wizard before Templario finished him powerbomb into the lung blower.<\/p>\n<p><strong>El Sky Team vs. Los Infernales<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good match. The first fall was dominated by El Sky Team\u2019s sensational high-flying and capped off by M\u00ecstico tapping out Averno with La Mistica. The second fall was all Los Infernales who isolated and triple teamed M\u00ecstico. They went after his mask ripping it to the point where it was virtually impossible for him to keep his face covered. The rudos getting themselves disqualified by unmasking M\u00ecstico resolved my concern and made everything make sense.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Team Mexico (Capitan Suicida &amp; Valiente Jr. &amp; Fugaz &amp; Pantera Jr. &amp; Xelhua) vs. Team Japan (Okumura &amp; Yutani &amp; Shoma Kato &amp; Yujiro Takahashi, Douki)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Really good match and a nice preview of the International Grand Prix with exactly half the amount of competitors. Most of the competitors got an opportunity to shine, with Douki shining the most with two eliminations via the Douki Chokey and the eventual win over Xelhua. One slight down note, this was my intro to Takahashi. I wasn\u2019t impressed. He looked like a fan and his wrestling was basic at best. I would\u2019ve eliminated him first instead of second to last.<\/p>\n<p><strong>T\u00ectan &amp; Neon vs. Leon Cage &amp; Austin Aries<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another good match that acted as preview for the Grand Prix. This was my first time seeing Cage and he was impressive for a 19yr old. I just wish he didn\u2019t have to team with someone as slimy as Aries. The CMLL team winning made sense after the outcome of the first match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Star Jr. &amp; Dragon Rojo Jr. &amp; Templario vs. Zankodan Jr. &amp; Barbaro Cavernario &amp; \u00d9ltimo Guerrero<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Pretty good match with multiple rivalries interlaced within. The key one here was Star Jr and Zankodan Jr. Star Jr coming out with the contract and a mic in his hand demanding a signature was interesting. It stood out because it\u2019s unusual for CMLL. The match really started before the bell. Zankodan Jr won the first fall with a Tiger Bomb on Star Jr. Star Jr deliberately got disqualified to lose the second fall by unmasking Zankodan Jr to bait him into accepting the hair vs mask match for Anniversario 93 and it worked. This was all well done.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tessa Blanchard vs. Persephone (CMLL World Women\u2019s Title)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Very good match. Despite being so toxic she can\u2019t get hired in the US, Tessa is still talented. She and Persephone had great chemistry and I liked the hot start before the bell. The German suplex on the apron was gnarly. Tessa kicking out of the BT Bomb was a nice hope spot before she lost to the top rope moonsault. Persephone winning was the right choice. I was just a little surprised it was a clean win and I wonder where that leaves her for Anniversario. Thankfully there\u2019s still plenty of time left to build something.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Roderick Strong vs. Hechicero (CMLL World Heavyweight Title)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A soft hit for really good albeit cold title match. It also acted as another preview of the Grand Prix as both men are on opposite sides of that match. Strong reversing the second Mad Scientist Bomb into a crucifix pin might\u2019ve been the spot of the match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mascara Dorada vs. Komander<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A sensational match in spite of the fact that it was the finals of yet another tournament. Seriously if you think AEW has a lot tournaments, CMLL has them beat. Nonetheless Dorada and Komander are both incredible at what they do and some of the sequences they put together almost defied the laws of physics. Even an questionable spot like Komander and Dorada taking an awkwardly long time to set up a top rope move was saved by Dorada somehow landing on his feet.<\/p>\n<h3>MISSES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Thunder Rosa vs. India Sioux (National Women\u2019s title)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match was unfortunately a miss. Besides being a cold match for a secondary title, it was a little too slow and sloppy for my taste. Royals dropkick remains terrible. Rosa won which is whatever. Remember when she was the savior of the AEW women\u2019s division during the pandemic?<\/p>\n<p><strong>MLW in CMLL<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Though my absence meant we didn\u2019t get to talk about the big CMLL\/MLW show in May which was in my opinion a flop of an event, the continued appearance of MLW titles and talent such as Austin Aries affords me the ability to vent. MLW is utterly irrelevant in the pro wrestling world writ large. It\u2019s the promotion people go to when they can\u2019t get hired anywhere else. It\u2019s not prominent enough for CMLL to give its time or credibility to. Ikuro Kwan is a good wrestler but getting access to him isn\u2019t worth having to platform someone like Austin Aries who is arguably more toxic than Tessa Blanchard. CMLL has relationships with AEW, New Japan, and RevPro. They don\u2019t need MLW.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kemalito<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I understand that he\u2019s sort of the mascot of the company but he seems to come out with both rudos and technicos. The audience loves him, but to me he\u2019s a little bit distracting<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-703586718\"><div id=\"pwtor-1531510933\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>INTRO It\u2019s been a couple months since I dropped one of these. That\u2019s my fault. My vacation landed at just the right time to throw off both May and June. I\u2019m back now and not <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/22\/cmll-hits-misses-a-look-at-the-good-and-bad-over-the-last-month-headed-into-their-anniversario-show-next-month-with-claudio-thunder-rosa-austin-aries\/\" title=\"CMLL HITS &#038; MISSES: A look at the good and bad over the last month headed into their Anniversario show next month with Claudio, Thunder Rosa, Austin Aries\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/CesaroGG_3x2_600.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221240"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221241,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221240\/revisions\/221241"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}