From the All Nations Center on April 5th, 1992, check out this show with a main event of Crazy Boy, Super Boy, and Darth Vader taking on Piloto Suicida, Piloto Nuclear, and Capitan Oro. Also on the show was Al Murrieta and Talisman Negro against Principe Azul and Arandu, Pistol Pete (the same one who was the best friend of Buddha Khan) taking on Charles “The Natural” Hairston, and Hechicero Negro and Ponky Boy against Predator and El Delfin (obviously not Super Delfin)
On April 26th, check out this show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Super Boy, Al Murrieta, and Tornado Negro II taking on Piloto Suicida, Piloto Nuclear, and Capitan Oro. The semi was the Verdugos taking on Principe Azul I and II, a ladies match with La Valentina taking on Veronica Kano (maybe Vandal Drummond knows more about her), also Vandal and Thunder Machine taking on Greg Regalado and Gemini Kid, and an opener of Black Spider taking on Predator.
Here are multiple flyers for the May 10th (originally scheduled for May 3rd but cancelled a week due to the Rodney King riots) show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Super Boy, Al Murrieta, and Tornado Negro taking on Capitan Oro, Piloto Suicida, and Piloto Nuclear. Semi was Vandal Drummond against the Gemini Kid in a mask vs hair match. Tercera is the Verdugos against Talisman Negro and Arandu. Segundo was Black Spider against Predator. Opener was Hechicero Negro against Gitano.
One of the most famous shows that has ever taken place that wasn’t a WWF/E show, has to be the May 16th, 1992 show that took place at Cal State Los Angeles. Atsushi Onita and the crew from FMW teamed up with Benjamin Mora and his WWA promotion, and the two promotions sold out the building with one of the hottest crowds that has ever been seen in the area. Here’s the complete list of results. Here is the video of the event RIGHT HERE
1) Akihito Ichihara vs American Eagle
2) Mercenarios Americanos vs Eiji Ezaki/Mr. Gannosuke/Ultra Taro
3) Super Muneco/Ultra Tiger/Yukihide Ueno vs Blue Panther/Lazer Tron/The Shooter
4) Megumi Kudo/Miwa Sato/Yuki Morimatsu vs Combat Toyoda/Eriko Tsuchiya/Yoshika Maedomari
5) Ricky Fuji, Tinieblas Jr/Tinieblas Sr. vs Genghis Khan/Mando Guerrero/Sambo Asako
6) Atsushi Onita/El Hijo del Santo/Tarzan Goto vs Horace Boulder/Negro Casas/Tim Patterson
Here is the flyer for the May 17th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Principe Indu, Super Boy, and Terremoto Quintero taking on Capitan Oro, Piloto Nuclear, and Halcon Blanco. Semi was Piloto Suicida taking on Tornado Negro. Tercera was Verdugos against Talisman Negro and Arandu. Segundo was Scarface and Black Spider against El Continental and El Gitano. Opener was Ponky Boy and Hechicero Negro taking on Predator and Osiris
Here’s the flyers for the May 31st, 1992 show in the same building. Here’s a write up, by Steve Yohe, who did a write up on the Wrestling Classics message board and attended the show live
The WWA promotion returned to Los Angeles at Cal State-Los Angeles Gym on 5/31 drawing a crowd estimated by various sources at about 1,800. Tickets were $10, $15 and $20, however unlike usual crowd distribution, this time the $10 seats were filled but the ringside was empty. In the top three matches, FMW wrestler Akihito Ichihara beat Ultratiger (Yukihide Ueno, another FMW wrestler), The Mercenaries (Tim Patterson & Billy Anderson & Louie Spicolli) went to a no contest with Fantasma from Mexico City teaming with Mando & Eddie Guerrero in a good match which ended when the Guerrero brothers turned heel on Fantasma and it nearly caused a riot. Main event saw Lover Boy & Ultraman 2000 (Amigo Ultra in FMW) & Bull Raider (formerly Rey Misterio) over El Cobarde II & Fishman & Negro Casas and after the match Casas turned face and was attacked by his former partners and saved by Raider. El Hijo Del Santo was originally to oppose Casas in the main event, but wasn’t advertised locally since around Tuesday they found out he wouldn’t be appearing
The same day as the Cal State L.A. show, was another show in L.A., at the All Nations Center on May 31st. Main event was the Guatemala against Mexico match, with Los Verdugos taking on Halcon Blanco and Talisman Negro. Semi was Huichol, Terremoto Quintero, and Gory Chavez taking on El Pandita, Coliman, and Torito. Tercera was Remington and Galeno against Rey Cobra and Nuevo Imagen. Segundo was Thunder Machine and Rick Sadist against Gemini Kid (first appearance without the mask) and Rick Sadist. Opener was Hechicero Negro against Gitano.
Here’s a flyer from the June 4th show at the Reseda Country Club. I chatted with Karl Lauer, who said he was the promoter/co-promoter for this show. Such names as Mando Guerrero, Los Mercenarios, Flying Kid Ichihara from FMW, Ultraman (Damian 666), and much more
Here’s the clipping for the All Nations Center show on June 14th, with a main event of Ultraman Taro (unsure who), Piloto Suicida, and Pandita taking on Terremoto Quintero, Apolo Navarro (the brother of Negro Navarro) and Zandokan II. The semi was the Verdugos and Torito taking on Halcon Blanco, Coliman, and Triton. Tercera was Al Murrieta and Gory Chavez taking on Fonseca Jr and Predator. Segundo was Palomino Ramirez against Rey Cobra, and the opener was Hechicero Negro against El Angel.
Here’s the two flyers for the June 14th show at Cal State Los Angeles (two shows in the area that day!) Here’s the write up in the Observer.
The 6/14 card at Cal State-Los Angeles was moved from the gym to the football field and drew approximately 3,500 fans and although AAA promoter Antonio Pena was there and AAA is wanting to run regularly in Los Angeles, the only true AAA talent on the card was Conan and dwarf wrestlers Micro Conan and Micro Fuerza Guerrera. The card was hampered when both heels in the main event, Cien Caras and Negro Casas, both no-showed. There may be political reasons in the case of Casas, who ran an angle at the previous show with El Cobarde II to set up this main event. Caras was announced as not appearing because his father died, which is technically true, although it happened about two years ago. They even held a moment of silence although some very knowledgeable fans who read the Mexican magazines were screaming in spanish that his father had died a few years back since I guess it was reported when it really happened. In reality, there were the typical visa problems going across the border from Tijuana. It appears these guys have a good thing going in that they drew a crowd nearly as large as the WWF did two days earlier and have been able to sustain attendance decently with no local television. But they’ll kill it if main eventers continue to no-show and the group is hampered by having too many promoters who all seemingly don’t know what the long term plans are because we get different stories about future line-ups almost on a daily basis, all conflicting with each other.
The 7/4 show is expected to draw a much larger crowd since they’ve got a double headliner (never is card subject to change more applicable) with Atsushi Onita vs. Horace Boulder in either an explosive cage match or a barbed wire match and Conan vs. El Cobarde II in a hair vs. hair match plus they announced Octagon & El Hijo Del Santo & Perro Aguayo as appearing. It would be Octagon’s U.S. debut and Santo is over in a big way in Los Angeles.
Results of the 6/14 card saw Rey Misterio II beat El Salvaje (said to be technically the best match on the card, Misterio II did the Asai moonsault out of the ring but did it off the top rope), Bull Raiders & Akihito Ichihara & Micro Fuerza Guerrera wrestled Ultratiger (Yukihide Ueno) & Micro Conan & Ultraman 2000 which was an angle match to set up the main event change as Mando Guerrero and Cobarde II (who was originally to be a face teaming with Conan on top against Caras & Casas) attacked Micro Conan while Micro Fuerza pounded on the ref with a chair until the Conan and Superstar Jr. made the save. So Conan took Superstar Jr. in the main event as his partner against Guerrero & Cobarde in a bloody match which ended when Cobarde gave Conan a low blow behind the refs back, then Cobarde sold it as if he’d been hit with a low blow and the ref DQ’d Conan. The bout had a ton of heat. Also The Mercenaries (Billy Anderson & Tim Patterson) beat Los Ninjas I & II (two local L.A. guys), Capitan Oro & Principe Indu & Lover Boy beat Piloto Suicida & Muriella del Ring & Triton via DQ (all Lucha guys who live in the area) and Chacal Rivera & Chamaco Rebelde beat Super Boy & Cosmos. They also re-did the angle with Brad Wright, a former Denver Nuggets basketball player, and Buddha Khan (Eddie Carter) from Reseda so they are going to feud them as well. Jonathan Holiday is also coming in for this group.
Here is the June 21st All Nations Center show, with a main event being a four on four match, with Zandokan II, Tornado Negro II, Apolo Navarro (the brother of Negro Navarro) and Terremoto Quintero taking on Ultraman Taro, Pandita, Piloto Suicida, and Mercurio. Semi was the Guatemala vs Mexico feud continuing, with Torito and Los Verdugos taking on Halcon Blanco, Coliman, and Fonseca Jr. Tercera was Mayhem and Arandu against Zepelen and Tlaloc. Segundo was Palomino Ramirez against Rey Cobra, and the opener was not listed
Here is the flyer for the June 28th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Piloto Suicida, Capitan Oro, and Fonseca Jr taking on the rudo trio of Ultratumba, Huichol, and Apolo Navarro. Semi was El Torito against Coliman. Match before was Super Boy and Tornado Negro against Black Tiger and Zepelin. Tercera was Thunder Machine against Charles “The Natural” Hairston. Segundo was Rick Sadist against Electric Youth, and the opener was Hechicero Negro I and II against Ponky Boys I and II
Here are the two flyers for the July 4th Cal State LA show, with top AAA talent at the show (it was a TV taping as well). Here’s the Observer write up for the show. I’m almost sure Meltzer attended the show live, hence the detail to the write up (PHOTO ABOVE OF HAIRCUT TAKEN BY DR. MIKE LANO)
What may have been the largest gate for an independent show ever in the United States took place on 7/4 at the Cal State-Los Angeles basketball gym when the Mexico City-based AAA promotion ran a Galavision television taping (which airs this coming Sunday). The promoters claimed the crowd was a sellout 6,500, and with tickets priced at $30, $20 and $15, it would mean a gate of $115,000. My own feeling from being there live is that those numbers are a bit inflated, but would estimate the crowd at 5,400 (which was a full house and they did turn away about 1,000 more at the door) which given the seating structure, would be a $95,000 house. If that number is accurate, I can’t recall an independent show in this country ever even approaching that kind of a mark. Incredible as it seems, this independent show in a college gym using Mexico City-based wrestlers topped the WWF’s last few gates in Los Angeles at the Sports Arena (and any WWF gate in the U.S. since Wrestlemania outside of the Nassau Coliseum and the Spectrum) and any WCW house show gate in a since late 1990. This show wasn’t a flash-in-the-pan, because Lucha Libre shows, starting out with WWA combining with Japan’s FMW to draw nearly 5,000 on 5/16 (although there was a lot more paper in that house than this one which had almost no freebies) and followed it up with shows that drew about 1,800 and 3,500 with only one or two Mexico City stars before this full-fledged AAA show drew the turnaway crowd. However, this golden goose may have a questionable future as well. The audience is clearly there, and they’re evidently willing to spend big money since the repeat business has been so strong with what on paper appear to be ridiculously high ticket prices (but when you sellout, it’s hard to say a show is overpriced). However, the organization isn’t. With several different promoters working together, there are bound to be disagreements and break-ups, which leads to splinter groups and a weakening of the base audience. There was evidence after the show of this being the case. In addition, no return date was announced, and one of the promoters didn’t even know a return date while another said it was Aug. 8, but they hadn’t even thought of a line-up so no angles were done at the show to return for the next show. My feeling is that if AAA was able to have a strong local promotional force and run monthly shows with angles consistently leading from one show to the next, they’d be sitting on a goldmine.
Another interesting aspect of the show was the announcements were all made in Spanish rather than English, although that hardly mattered since the p.a. system was so bad it didn’t matter what language was being spoken. Dr. Alfonso Morales, the legendary Lucha Libre voice of Mexico City, was there live doing the broadcast along with regular partner Arturo Rivera. After the show, Morales, who some consider the best wrestling announcer in the world, was asked about American wrestling (probably the only American wrestling he would see in Mexico City would be WWF which comes in on a cable station) and his reply was very negative with the steroid references. There was talk at the show of AAA trying to run shows in several other cities in the U.S., even as far away as Chicago, but my feeling is they don’t have anything close to enough of a following anywhere else except possibly a few Southwestern cities to make a go of this idea. Overall, from an entertainment standpoint I see very little difference in a hot Lucha Libre show and a hot wrestling show anywhere else, even though the ring style is obviously quite different. While some scoff at the psychology, or lack thereof, if psychology is the ability to control the crowd, this show had more of it than any U.S. show I’ve seen in a long time. Truthfully, it was more a matter of it being an easy crowd to get to pop than great psychology, but even with still only a minor understanding of Lucha Libre, the show to me was more enjoyable than the vast majority of live shows I’ve seen here. This show, in the opinion of those who had seen the 5/16 card, couldn’t compare with the initial CSLA show. I’d rate it below the strong WCW major shows, but better than the vast majority of WCW and almost any WWF or independent house show I’ve seen in the past few years and even better than some All Japan spot shows. Based just on crowd heat, it was more rabid than most anything I’ve seen in this country in a long time, maybe equivalent to a hot WWF PPV show (I’d rate crowd heat comparable to last year’s Summer Slam) or Crockett Promotions when they were hot in those Southern cities in the heyday of the Rock & Roll Express but not quite up to the level of the screaming teenagers during the peak of Chigusa Nagayo.
1. The Mercenaries (Louie Spicolli & Billy Anderson) beat Tlaloc & Gran Colosso in 11:18. These are two American-style local wrestlers against two Lucha-style local wrestlers. The two teams didn’t work together well even though the heat was tremendous for everything. It wasn’t so much a style clash, although there was some of that, as much as the lucha team was really bad. Actually the match was real bad even though everyone was trying hard in vain, until a good finish. Spicolli & Anderson did a simultaneous dive through the ropes on opposite sides of the ring at the Mexican team and then Spicolli and Tlaloc got in the ring and came off the top rope with a somersault bodyblock for the pin. *
2. Piloto Suicida & Cosmos & Aarandu beat Chacal Rivera & Chamaco Rebelde & Lover Boy via count out in 12:34. These are all Los Angeles based wrestlers who work small-time Lucha Libre cards in the area. They all work together regularly but they were damn great for independent wrestlers and had the second best match on the show. They did a lot of difficult spots, some of which came off like a charm and some of which didn’t. Suicida, a face, was the best of the bunch and may be the best independent worker and most underrated wrestler in this country. Suicida bled heavily through his mask from a post shot. Rebelde kept biting the cut. Finish saw Aarandu do a crossbody off the top rope to the floor on Lover Boy while Suicida did the move of the night, a running Jushin Liger dive over the top rope with a mid-air flip and did it better than Liger and the heels were counted out. ***1/2
3. In a mini-superstars (midget) match, Angelito Azteca & Mascarita Sagrada won 2/3 falls from Piratita Morgan & Espectrito Jr. Even by midgets standards, Sagrada is incredibly short, much smaller than the other three. But he’s clearly the star midget of the group. This was a little disappointing because I’ve seen this crew do a lot better matches on television from Mexico City. Espectrito pinned Sagrada in the first fall after he leapfrogged Morgan and was caught with a boot to the face in 5:45. Second fall saw the faces win when Sagrada did about one minute of incredible high spots after getting the hot tag in at 4:45. Third fall saw Azteca get pounded once again until the faces made the comeback with Azteca doing a dive between the bottom and middle ropes onto Morgan while in the ring Sagrada did a moonsault bodyblock off the top rope on Espectrito. Sagrada has a lot of charisma and as a gimmick performer would get over big in the right context with the WWF. He would with WCW as well but saying within the right context with WCW makes it a moot point anyway. **1/2
4. Mando Guerrero & Jerry Estrada (who just jumped from EMLL to AAA) & Bull Raiders (formerly Rey Misterio) beat Ultraman 2000 & Piloto Nuclear & Mercurio in 2/3 falls. First fall went 3:26 with the face team (Ultraman’s team) winning when Mercurio did a rana (like a Frankensteiner) on Estrada with Estrada landing on his head like a piledriver and at the same time Ultraman did a querdebrada (Asai moonsault) in the ring onto Guerrero. Estrada took a backdrop early over the top rope and took an incredible bump to the floor. Second fall saw the heels get incredible heat by faking that the faces had given them a low blow and calling for the DQ, which didn’t happen. This was pretty much a battle to see how many of the Watts 10 commandments could be broken with just about every single thing banned being done, including a groin shot on the guard rail outside the ring (that’s three or four of them just in one move), chair shots, brawling in the crowd, etc. Heels of course won in 6:11 when Guerrero pinned Mercurio. The finish was really screwed up. Somehow they lost the match at this point and the heels dominated the third fall but everyone was completely lost. No continuity, missed moves and overall the face team was awful. The heels won in 4:43 when Estrada made Mercurio submit to a move similar to but not exactly being the octopus. After the match, Estrada unmasked Mercurio. Mercurio got a t-shirt and put it over his head and challenged Estrada who beat him up again and pulled the t-shirt off and he put his hands over his face and challenged Estrada again. I was afraid Estrada was going to pull his hands off next. *1/2
5. Conan El Barbaro beat El Cobrade II in a hair vs. hair match. Conan was seconded by James Aiono, a local Samoan wrestler. Cobarde was seconded by a guy named Wally the Wall, a local musclehead of the Tony Halme variety. Conan was tripped by Wally coming off the ropes and pinned to lose the first fall in :23. He also legitimately separated his shoulder so as far as technical wrestling went, that was all out the window. Cobarde started the second fall with a move I’ve never seen before that can only be described as the “Pat Patterson deathlock.” I mean, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. You’ll have to use your imagination but I don’t think Bill Watts or Jim Ross would have liked it. Conan came back to win the fall with a flying clothesline in 2:01. Third fall was pretty wild with chairs flying all over the place and the seconds getting involved. Conan juiced like crazy and Cobarde kept biting the cut and spit the blood out of his mouth. This was not a match you’d want to bring a non-wrestling fan to see. Or a wrestling fan. Cobarde was apparently in his youth a crazy bump artist like a Dynamite Kid who had the same fate and was nearly paralyzed from taking the wrong bump a few years back. He really doesn’t take any bumps now and Conan couldn’t do much with the shoulder out of whack so this was basically a Dusty Rhodes style match where the face juices heavy, is held in chinlocks while the fans see the juice stream down his face and he does his own cheerleading. It worked because Conan was over more than the Ultimate Warrior, but not quite as much as Hulk Hogan. Speaking of the Dream, Conan came back with two Dusty Rhodes clotheslines but on the third clotheslined the ref who took a big bump to the floor (I told you this was a Dusty Rhodes match). Cobarde hit Conan and Aiono with a chair. They made a comeback. Then Conan grabbed a chair from the floor and Antonio Pena, the AAA promoter appeared at ringside to keep Conan from using the chair but somehow Pena ended up getting smacked with a chair. Conan gave Wally the Wall a low blow and got in the ring and gave Cobarde a side slam. Finally the ref got back in after all of this and counted the pin at 9:21. The post-match took a good 20 minutes with Cobarde running away and not wanting his hair cut. Conan beat up the ref, which was in his own best interest because he’d done every match on the show and by this time was getting to the mat at Ole Anderson speed. A lot happened and the psychology was your Lawler or Dusty style babyface psychology that worked to a charm but very little wrestling. *1/2
6. Fishman & El Espanto Jr. & Cien Caras beat El Hijo Del Santo & Perro Aguayo & Misterioso in a 2/3 fall match via a DQ in the third fall. Surprisingly, it was Aguayo, and not Santo, who was the most over face on the show (actually Conan got more of a crowd reaction than Santo as well). I was also surprised at how everyone was familiar with Caras as he had the kind of heat that the local really charismatic top heel would have. This was a great main event match with super moves and a storyline that was easy to follow. Even the Lucha Libre haters of America club would really enjoy this match. Santo pinned Fishman in 8:33 in the first fall after a spear off the top rope. Espanto pinned Santo (“Real Super Heroes do Jobs”) when Caras and Fishman held Santo by his hands and legs in the air and Espanto came off the top rope with a splash onto him. Espanto is a great heel worker who specializes in making the faces high spots look that much more spectacular similar to Negro Casas and Fuerza Guerrera. Between falls, Misterioso (who is from Los Angeles and went to Mexico City to make it big) was standing on the apron arguing with Espanto who was on the floor and Caras knee-dived him from behind, Misterioso dove off the apron, did a flip in mid-air and landed with a tremendous thud hitting his head on the floor (“and I repeat, there are no mats on this floor.”). Cactus Jack would have been proud to have done that move. Or dead. Misterioso was then carried out by the ring crew and the bell rang and it was 3-on-2. The faces just kept getting destroyed and Caras kept refusing to pin Aguayo when he was out. Aguayo juiced. Finally Santo made a quick comeback so he could do this incredible move where he came off the top rope, flipped in mid-air and did a splash onto Fishman (I think, it may have been Caras), rolled over while doing the backward splash and landed on his feet and ran to the ropes like he was going to do a dive through the ropes onto Espanto. Espanto saw this and ran away to the other side of the ring and as he was running, Santo climbed the ropes and did a great cross bodyblock swan-dive to floor on him while Aguayo came off the apron with a running Thesz press on Caras. But the heels took control and again and kept refusing to pin Aguayo five different times until finally Conan came in for the save and the DQ as the faces beat the heels around the ring and issued all sorts of challenges that nobody could hear. ***3/4
Here’s a write up on a late July 1992 show at the All Nations Center, and also promoting the August 2nd, 1992 show at the All Nations Center. Main event would be Kayam, Enigma de Oro (who are brothers) and Al Murrieta taking on Kiss, Piloto Suicida, and Jalisco I. Semi would be Torito and Los Verdugos I and II taking on Coliman, Continental, and Piloto Nuclear. Tercera is Black Spider and Mythor taking on Sombra de Plata and Leopardo Negro. Second match was Ponky Boy II vs Astro and the opener was Ponky Boy I vs Quimera (maybe So. Cal wrestler Kimera?)
Here’s a write up and clipping promoting the July 5th All Nations Center, with a main event of Rey Misterio Sr and Capitan Oro taking on his long time rival Huichol and Principe Indu. Semi was Super Boy, Al Murrieta, and Tornado Negro taking on Black Tiger, Piloto Nuclear, and Cosmos. Tercera was Thunder Machine against Charles “The Natural” Hairston. Segundo was Metalico and Rayo de Plata against Arandu and Flash, and the opener was Gitano taking on Osiris.
Here’s the clipping from the July 7th All Nations Center show, with a main event of Bull Raider (a masked Rey Misterio Sr) teaming with Huichol and Terremoto Quintero taking on Ultraman 2000 (Damian 666), Pandita, and Piloto Suicida. Semi was Gory Chavez and the Verdugos taking on Torito, Coliman, and Piloto Nuclear. Tercera was Super Boy, Tornado Negro, and Al Murrieta against Halcon Blanco, Fonseca, and Triton. Segundo was the hueros, with Vandal Drummond, Thunder Machine, and Rick Sadist taking on Greg Regalado, Gemini Kid, and Electric Youth. Opener involved Big Man, unsure of the other competitors
Here’s two clippings for the July 12th show at the All Nations Center. The main event was a double mask vs double hair match, with Tornado Negro II and Terremoto Quintero putting their masks up against the hair of Black Tiger (obviously not Eddie Guerrero or Mark Rocco) and Cosmos. Semi was the Verdugos against Capitan Oro and Piloto Nuclear. Tercera was Thunder Machine and Rick Sadist taking on Charles Hairston and Electric Youth. Segundo was Flash agsint Angel Star and the opener was Ponky Boys against Principe Inca and Palomino Ramirez.
Here’s the flyer to the July 19th show, with a main event of Enigma de Oro and Kayam taking on Super Boy and Capitan Oro. Semi was Los Verdugos and Torito (representing Guatemala) taking on Coliman, Neutron, and Condor Azul (representing Mexico). Tercera was Flash against Nuevo Imagen. Segundo was a singles match between Vandal Drummond against Fisico Nuclear. Opener was Principe Inca and Palomino Ramirez against Ponky Boy II and Maytor
Here’s the attempted flyer to the July 26th show at the Hollywood Paladium, which attempted to capitalize on the success of the July 4th Cal State L.A. show with AAA talent. Here’s the write up for the show on Cubs Fan’s website
indy (SUN) 07/26/1992 Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California [Lucha Libre Weekly 23]
Attendance: 2700
1) Mercurio, Piloto Suicida, Ultraman 2000 vs Bull Raiders, the Crazy Boy, the Lover Boy
Event Notes: attendance is paid tickets; Perro, Santo and Konnan were advertised but did not appear, and more than 2/3rds of the audience left before the main event as a result. Much strife due to the no-shows, including booker Ricky Medina quitting during the show and promoters Rudy Rojas and Karl Lauer vowing never to work with AAA again.
Here’s the flyer to the August 9th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Enigma de Oro, Kayam (spelled wrong here) and Al Murrieta taking on Piloto Suicida, Jalisco I, and The Kiss. Semi was Torito, Verdugo II, and Gory Chavez taking on Mercurio, Cesar Sando, and Metalico. Tercera is Verdugo I against Piloto Nuclear, Segundo is Avispon Negro against Leopardo Negro, and the opener was Ponky Boy and Hechicero Negro against El Angel and Astro
The August 11th La Opinion had a story about the war in Lucha Libre between El Salvador/Honduras and Mexico
Here is the clipping to the show in Bell at the Gimnasio Azteca on August 14th. The main event was Jalisco, Piloto Nuclear, and Triton taking on Marco Polo, El Salvaje (possibly the later Psicosis?) and Chamaco Rebelde. The semi was Al Murrieta and Gory Chavez against Cosmos and Sal Quintero. Tercera was Torito Jr and Mixteco against Tornado Negro II and Terror Chicano. Segundo was Big Man and Rayo de Plata against Zandor and Palomino Ramirez. Opener was a rudos vs rudos battle, with the Hechicero Negro I and II against Cara Mercada and Furia Negra.
Here’s three flyers for the August 16th at the All Nations Center, with the main event of Marco Polo and the Verdugos taking on Falcon de Oro, Jalisco, and Piloto Nuclear. The semi was Gory Chavez and Torito taking on Halcon Blanco and El Continental. Tercera was Mo Money (no idea who) taking on Charles “The Natural” Hairston, segundo was Sammy Delgado vs Angel Star, with an opener of Hechicero Negro taking on Astro.
Here is the clippings to one of two Lucha shows taking place on August 28th, with the show at Bell, with a main event of Falcon de Oro, Cosmos, and Triton taking on Gory Chavez, Darth Vader, and Marco Polo. Semi was Tornado Negro I, Lover Boy, and Super Boy against Piloto Suicida, Mercurio, and Ultraman Taro. Tercera was Torito Sr and Jr against Al Murrieta and Tornado Negro II. Segundo was Zandor against Big Man, and the opener was Rey Cobra against Palomino Ramirez
Here’s the clipping for the Los Angeles Night Club show on August 28th. The show appears to be a “tournament of death” show, with the loser of each match advancing, and the ultimate loser losing their mask or hair. The competitors were Medico de Mayhem, Hechicero Negro, Ku Klan Klan I, Medico Loco, Ponky Boys I and II, Terror Chicano, Pistol Pete, Cesar Sando Jr, Leopardo Negro, Halcon Blanco, Tlaloc, Angel Star, Flash, Sombre de Plata, and Charles “The Natural” Hairston. I’m working on asking one of the participants who the ultimate loser was.
Here’s the flyer for the August 29th show at Cal State Los Angeles. From all accounts, this was one of the best cards ever that Cal State put in, but sadly the attendance was about a hundred people. Here’s the write up for the show from the Observer
The WWA’s first show back at Cal State-Los Angeles gym on 8/29 after the record setting card on 7/4 was a miserable failure, drawing a paid attendance of around 100 (as compared with 6,500 the previous show). Results saw KKK #1 & #2 beat Arandu & Metallico (pretty bad), Super Boy & Capitan Oro beat Apollo Navarro & Chamaco Rebelde (good), Superstar Jr. & Ultrataro & Triton beat Cesar Sando Jr. & Lover Boy & Lazartron via DQ (good), Chavo & Mando & Hector Guerrero beat Superstar Jr. & Kiss & Mercurio **** with the Guerreros working as faces in the first fall, but turning heel in the second fall. Mando’s busted Mercurio’s lip and Mercurio lost it and threw a chair right at Mando’s face, breaking his nose. Mando ended up shooting on Mercurio and his brothers had to pull him off. Main event was said to be one of the best live matches ever in Los Angeles as Piloto Suicida (one of the most underrated workers around) won the WWA welterweight title from Eddie Guerrero in a match rated five stars by all three correspondents. Negotiations to bring in EMLL or UWA talent proved fruitless. The story has it that AAA, on its own, is planning on running shows at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. This group is back as CSLA on 9/19, but as with everything regarding this group, it is very tentative.
Here’s the newspaper clipping for the August 30th show at the All Nations Center, with the headliner of Falcon de Oro, Halcon Blanco, and Super Boy taking on Cesar Sando Jr, Gori Chavez, and Marco Polo. Semi was Tornado Negro I and II and Lover Boy taking on Piloto Suicida, Mercurio, and Triton. Tercera was Leopardo Negro and Flash taking on Arandu and Ku Klux Klan I, segundo was Marcado taking on Angel Star and Palomino Ramirez taking on Mythor.
Here is the clipping to the September 11th show in Bell, with a main event of Kayam, Enigma de Oro, and El Salvaje taking on Mando Lopez, Mercurio, and Capitan Oro. Semi was Piloto Suicida and Super Star Jr taking on Lover Boy and Chamaco Rebelde. Tercera was Rayo de Plata and Metalico taking on Terror Chicano and Arandu. Segundo was Flash and Principe Inca against Dinamic and Gitano, and the opener was Angel Star against Cara Mercada.
Here’s the flyer for the September 13th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Capitan Oro and Super Star Jr against Cesar Sando Jr and Lover Boy. Semi was Zeppelin and Marquense taking on Al Murrieta and El Indio. Tercera was Arandu and Cara Mercada against Mixteco and Flash. Segundo was Gitano and Angel Star taking on Mythor and Hechicero Negro. Opener was Palomino Ramirez against Hechicero Negro II
Here is the clipping for the Bell show on October 18th, with a main event of Capitan Oro, Mercurio, and Mando Lopez taking on Kayam, Enigma de Oro, and El Salvaje. Semi was Piloto Suicida and Sal Quintero taking on Lover Boy and Chamaco Rebelde. Tercera was Gitano and Dinamic against Cosmos and Flash. Segundo was Arandu and Terror Chicano against Rayo de Plata and Murallo del Ring Jr. The opener was Angel Star and Golden Boy against Cara Mercada and Furia Negra.
Here’s the flyer and the clipping to the Cal State Los Angeles show (this was the first ever Lucha show I attended live) on September 19th. Here’s the results of the show as per Cagematch
Here’s the flyer to the September 20th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Piloto Suicida, Capitan Oro, and Jalisco taking on Lover Boy, Crazy Boy, and Cesar Sando Jr. Semi was Tornado Negro I and II against Super Boy and Ultraman Taro. Tercera was Zeppelin and Mixteco against Cara Mercada and El Indio. Segundo was Gitano and Angel Star against Hechicero Negro I and II, and the opener was Vandal Drummond against Fisico Nuclear
Here’s the clippings to the October 2nd show in Bell, with a great main event of Piloto Suicida, Mercurio, and Jalisco I taking on Lover Boy, Marco Polo, and Cesar Sando Jr. Semi was Darth Vader, Al Murrieta, and Gori Chavez taking on Capitan Oro, Gran Coloso, and Triton. Tercera was Torito Sr and Jr taking on Tornado Negro II and Super Boy. Segundo was Zandor and Tlaloc taking on Muralla del Ring and Remington, and the opener was Hechicero Negro I and II against Palomino Ramirez and Angel Star
Here’s the October 4th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Piloto Suicida, Jalisco, and Piloto Nuclear taking on Lover Boy, Cesar Sando, and Remington. Semi was Verdugos (from Guatemala) taking on Torito Sr and Jr (from Mexico). Tercera was Al Murrieta against El Indio. Segundo was Continental vs Flash. Opener was (waiting on confirmation)
Here is the clipping to the Bell show on October 9th, with a main event of Marco Polo, Lover Boy, and Cesar Sando Jr taking on Jalisco I, Piloto Suicida and Mercurio. Semi was Tornado Negro II, Gori Chavez, and El Salvaje taking on Capitan Oro, Super Boy, and Triton. Tercera was Torito Sr and Jr against Big Man and Remington. Segundo was Rayo de Plata and Zandor taking on Hechicero Negro I and II, and the opener was Palomino Ramirez taking on Ponky Boy II
Here’s the flyer to the Cal State Los Angeles show on October 10th, which was the United States debut of Vampiro Canadiense. Main was Vampiro, Atlantis, and Mercurio against Pirata Morgan, Emilio Charles Jr, and Cesar Sando. Here is the Observer write up for the show. I was here live and this was an amazing show and amazing time live.
10/10 Los Angeles CSLA Gym (WWA/EMLL – 4,500): Lynx & Flash b Tornado Negro II & Thunder Machine-COR **1/2, Capitan Oro & Titan b Estampa Brava & Gory Chavez-COR **1/2, Superstar Jr. & Ultrataro b Tornado Negro & Chamaco Rebelde-COR **1/2, Lover Boy & Apollo Navarro & Marco Polo b Piloto Suicida & Silver King & El Texano ***1/2, Canadian Vampire Casanova & Atlantis & Mercurio b Pirata Morgan & Emilio Charles Jr. & Cesar Sando Jr. ***
The next night in Los Angeles saw WWA/EMLL run the Cal State-Los Angeles Gym using Canadian Vampire Casanova and Atlantis, who are the EMLL’s two biggest cards, as part of a headline trios match, and drew a surprising 4,500 with tickets topped at $20 so the gate should have been near $70,000 because there were said to have been few comps. The big gate no doubt convinced the local promoters to stick with EMLL rather than making the switch to AAA for the 10/31 show which had been talked about. It says something for a group that has been off local television for five months to be able to draw a crowd of this size. The 10/31 show may be a hard draw because based on what I’ve seen, this is very much a family audience crowd and Halloween night you are competing with trick-or-treating. The imports from Mexico City for that show will be Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Atlantis, Pirata Morgan and the Espectros.
The October 11th show at the All Nations Center appears to be a one match show (I could be wrong), but it was a multiple fall match between “The Legion of Evil” (Le Legion de Mal), consisting of Gory Chavez, Remington, Indio, Al Murrieta, Muralla del Ring Jr, Mythor, and Los Verdugos taking on Halcon Blanco, Nuevo Imagen, Piloto Nuclear, Rayo de Plata, Flash, Predator, and Toritos I and II
Here is the clipping for the Bell show on October 16th, with a main event of Mercurio, Super Star Jr, and Piloto Nuclear taking on El Salvaje, Chamaco Rebelde, and Cesar Sando Jr. Semi was Super Boy taking on Tornado Negro II. Tercera was Capitan Oro and Halcon Blanco taking on Al Murrieta and Gori Chavez. Segundo was Rayo de Plata and Zandor taking on Big Man and Hechicero Negro I. Opener was Cara Mercada and Hechicero Negro II taking on Palomino Ramirez and Flash
Here’s a show at the East L.A. Community Gym on October 17th (this may be the only time they ran at the building). Here is the write up on Cubs Fan’s website. My guess is the show was cancelled at the East LA location and was moved to Toro High School but let me get confirmation
UWA (SAT) 10/17/1992 Toro High School, Lake Forest, California [Lucha Libre Weekly 34]
1) Piloto Suicida, Ultra Taro, Villano III vs Chamaco Rebelde, Ku Kux Klan, Lover Boy
Here’s the clipping to the October 18th show at the All Nations Center, attempting to explain what the match was the week before, and for the 10/18 show, the main event was the Verdugos and Gory Chavez against Nuevo Imagen, Piloto Nuclear, and Triton. Semi was Halcon Blanco against El Indio. Tercera was Mythor and Al Murrieta against Leopardo Negro and Gitano. Segundo was Rayo de Plata and Angel Star against Hechicero Negro I and II. Opener was Palomino Ramirez against Rey Cobra.
Here’s the clipping from the Bell show on October 23rd, with a main event of Piloto Nuclear, Super Star Jr, and Mercurio taking on Cesar Sando Jr, Chamaco Rebelde, and El Salvaje. Semi was Al Murrieta and Gori Chavez against Halcon Blanco and Leopardo Negro. Tercera was Bobby and Wayne Bradley taking on Thunder Machine and “Trash Machine” (???). Segundo was Zandor vs Big Man and the opener was Palomino Ramirez against Cara Mercada
Here’s the October 25th card at the All Nations Center, with a Mexico vs Guatemala main event of Triton and Piloto Nuclear against Los Verdugos. Semi was Capitan Oro, Halcon Blanco, and Gran Coloso against Al Murrieta, Gory Chavez, and Super Boy. Tercera, I believe, was Leopardo Negro against Frankenstein. Segundo was Rayo de Plata vs Mythor and the opener was Palomino Ramirez against King Cobra
Here are the clippings for the Bell show on October 30th, with a main event of Falcon de Oro, Capitan Oro and Sal Quintero taking on Kayam, Enigma de Oro, and Marco Polo. Semi was Al Murrieta and Chacal Rivera taking on Triton and Piloto Nuclear. Tercera was Remington against Torito Jr. Segundo was Thunder Machine against Linx, and the opener was Mixteco against Cara Mercada
Here is the October 31st show at Cal State Los Angeles (I did attend this one as well.) This show was amazing, here’s the write up for the show as listed in the Observer.
10/31 Los Angeles CSLA Gym (WWA/EMLL – 3,900/kids free in costume 3,000 paid): Thunder Machine & Tornado Negro II b Lynx & Gitano 1/4*, Al Murietta & Gory Chavez & Apollo Navarro b Chamaco Rebelde & Dinamic Jr. & Ultrataro **1/2, Cesar Sando Jr. & Tornado Negro I & Estampa Brava b Jalisco I & Superstar Jr. & Mercurio-DQ *3/4, Lover Boy b Piloto Suicida ***1/2, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. & Canadian Vampire Casanova & Atlantis b Pirata Morgan & Espectro Jr. & Cadaver de Ultratumba ***1/2
This group sent six wrestlers to Los Angeles for the Halloween night show which drew 3,000 paid fans (tickets $25-20-15 with $8 kids prices however anyone wearing a costume was admitted free so the gate was $50,000–still the largest gate of the weekend in the United States). The gate was especially impressive when you consider WCW’s largest gate of the weekend was $15,000 in Chicago and the WWF’s was $31,000. Espectro Jr. & Cadaver de Ultratumba, who are ghoulish heels, worked the main event since it was Halloween night and were carried into the ring in coffins, plus Pirata Morgan and the group’s top babyface draws, Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Canadian Vampire Casanova and Atlantis. Vampire noted his schedule, working the big show on Friday night in Mexico City, saturday night in Los Angeles, and had four different Sunday bookings. Most impressive is the gate was drawn with just six fly-ins and the rest the locals. In the top match of the locals, Lover Boy beat WWA welterweight champ Piloto Suicida in what was said to have been a super match to set up a title match on 11/14.
Here are the clippings to the November 1st show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Triton and Piloto Nuclear against the Verdugos. Semi was El Indio against Halcon Blanco. Tercera was Tornado Negro I and II against Cosmos and Ultraman Taro. Segundo was Frankenstein and Mythor against Leopardo Negro and Rayo de Plata. Opener was Palomino Ramirez against Rey Cobra
Here is the show at Bell on November 6th, with a main event of Kayam, Enigma de Oro, and Chacal Rivera taking on Falcon de Oro, Capitan Oro, and Triton. Semi was Marco Polo taking on Sal Quintero. Tercera was Remington and Al Murrieta against Cosmos and Torito Sr. Segundo was Flash and Rayo de Plata against Arandu and El Indio. Opener was Angel Star against Cara Mercada.
Here’s the clipping to the November 8th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event being a mask vs hair match between El Indio against Halcon Blanco. Semi was masks vs titles with Los Verdugos against Triton and Piloto Nuclear. Tercera was Gitano and Cosmos against Ku Klux Klan I and King Kora. Segundo was Frankenstein and Mercado against Leopardo Negro and Arandu. Opener was Sombre de Plata and Astro against Ponky Boys I and II
Here’s the clipping to the Bell show on November 13th. The main event was Falcon de Oro, Cosmos, and Capitan Oro taking on Chacal Rivera, Forin Kazam, and Muralla del Ring. Semi was Marco Polo against Sal Quintero in a match without a referee. Tercera was Los Toritos Sr and Jr against Al Murrieta and Terror Chicano. Segundo was Rayo de Plata and Corsario de Plata taking on Arandu and Nino Asesino. Opener was Flash against Cara Cortada (probably Cara Mercada)
Here’s the flyer to the November 14th show at Cal State Los Angeles (I did attend this one as well), and here’s the write up in the Observer that week.
11/14 Cal State-Los Angeles Gym (WWA/EMLL – 550): Mixteco & Zandor b Big Man & Scar Face *, Gory Chavez & Muriella del Ring b Ciclon I & II *, Los Brazos b Tornado Negro I & Chamaco Rebelde & Crazy Boy ***1/2, Emilio Charles Jr. & MS 1 & Cesar Sando Jr. b Atlantis & Mercurio & Jalisco I ***, WWA welterweight title: Lover Boy b Piloto Suicida to win title ***
The 11/14 show in Los Angeles drew just 550 using Los Brazos, Atlantis, MS 1 & Emilio Charles Jr. (subbing for La Fiera) besides the locals. This had everyone scratching their heads since the previous cards with EMLL guys have done so much better. My guess is it’s a combination of running shows bi-weekly, which is too often considering in particular the high ticket prices and the lack of a real drawing card. Obviously Vampire fit the bill because the two shows he was on drew houses in excess of $50,000 but Los Brazos and Atlantis didn’t. They’re returning 11/29 with Blue Demon Jr., Pierroth Jr., El Hijo del Solitario, and Los Villanos I & IV & V. Judging from the names, that probably won’t draw well either although it is during one of the two easiest weekends of the year to draw.
Here is the clipping from the November 22nd show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Principe Indu, Super Boy, and Cesar Sando Jr taking on Capitan Oro, Mando Lopez, and Super Star Jr. Semi was Al Murrieta, Gory Chavez, and Remington against Tlaloc and Torito Sr and Jr. Tercera was Palomino Ramirez and El Astro taking on Rey Cobra and “El Traitor” Karateca Predator. Segundo was Ponky Boy II against Flash, and the opener was Ponky Boy I against Zandor
Here’s the clipping to the Bell show on November 27th, with a main event of Cesar Sando Jr, Principe Indu, and Gori Chavez taking on Capitan Oro, Super Star, and Super Star Jr. Semi was Los Verdugos from Guatemala and Tornado Negro II taking on Piloto Nuclear, Triton, and Super Boy. Tercera was Torito Sr and Jr against Mr. Clown and Nino Asesino. The rest of the matches were not announced.
Here is the show from the All Nations Center (the second show of the day in the area, running head to head against Cal State LA) on November 29th, with a main event of Palomino Ramirez and El Astro against Rey Cobra and Predator. Semi was Super Star, Capitan Oro, and Piloto Nuclear against Gory Chavez, Super Boy, and Principe Indu. Tercera was Leopardo Negro and Gitano against Al Murrieta and Frankenstein. The flyer states two more matches would happen but doesn’t say who would be in them (probably whoever showed up due to the Ca State show taking so much talent)
Here’s the flyer for the 11/29/92 Cal State show, headlined by Piloto Suicida vs Lover Boy in a mask vs mask match. Here’s a list of the entire card
11/29 Cal State Los Angeles Gym (WWA/EMLL – 500): Palomino Ramirez & Mixteco b Scar Face & Tornado Negro II, Apollo Navarro & Eclipse d Dynamic Jr. & Chamaco Rebelde, Kayam & Enigma de Oro & Tornado Negro I b Los Villanos I & IV & V, Cesar Sando Jr. & Gran Markus Jr. & Pierroth Jr. b Mercurio & Jalisco I & Blue Demon Jr, Mask vs. mask: Piloto Suicida b Lover Boy
Here is the show at Bell on December 4th, with a main event of Lover Boy (his first appearance since losing his mask at Cal State LA to Piloto Suicida), Cesar Sando Jr, and Principe Indu taking on Piloto, Jalisco, and Capitan Oro. Semi was a continuation of the Mexico vs Guatemala feud, with the Verdugos I and II and El Tractor taking on Piloto Nuclear, Triton, and Cosmos. Tercera was Zandor and Flash taking on Rayo de Plata and Gitano. Segundo was Bobby and Wayne Bradley against Thunder Machine and Mr. Clown. Opener was Palomino Ramirez against Mixteco and Cara Mercada
Here’s the clipping to the December 11th show in Bell, with a main event of Piloto Suicida, Jalisco I, and Capitan Oro against Lover Boy, Super Boy, and Chacal Rivera. Semi was Verdugos and Tractor against Cosmos, Piloto Nuclear, and Cosmos. Tercera was Zandor and Rayo de Plata against Gitano and Arandu. Segundo was Palomino Ramirez against Predator and the opener was Ponky Boy II against Dinamic Jr
Here’s the clipping from the December 13th All Nations Center show, with a main event of Super Star Jr, Piloto Nuclear, and Torito Sr against Estampa Brava, Crazy Boy, and Verdugo II. Semi was Leopardo Negro and Torito Jr against El Indio and Verdugo I. Tercera was Gitano and Zandor against Arandu and Scare Face. Segundo was Ponky Boy II against Dinamic Jr and the opener was Angel Star against Sammy Delgado
Here’s the flyer to the December 27th show at the All Nations Center, with a main event of Piloto Suicida, Mercurio, and Super Star Sr. taking on Lover Boy, Kayam, and Enigma de Oro. Semi was Ku Klux Klan and Verdugos I and II against Terna Azteca, Piloto Nuclear, and Capitan Oro. Tercera was Scare Face (not Scarface, probably a similar gimmick) and Arandu taking on Mixteco and Flash. Segundo was Hechicero II against Zandor, and the opener was Dragon de Oro taking on the debuting Ponky Boy.
Here’s the flyer to the movie “La Revancha”, starring Octagon and Atlantis.
Here’s a story on Super Boy. I do apologize for the print being so small. Unsure which newspaper date it was from
WWF CLIPPINGS FROM 1992
One thing you would randomly find while going through the Deportes section of La Opinion, would be clippings for upcoming WWF shows in the area! Most commonly would be shows that were about to happen at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, but they would also promote upcoming PPV’s as well (Summerslam is shown here), and also the Forum in Los Angeles as well. Here’s the 5 clippings that I found while going through the entire year of 1992