The weekend of October 21-22 is a major one for professional wrestling in the Rio Grande Valley. In the lower Valley, Hallowmania 9 is taking place on Saturday night, October 21, with the Lucha Brothers (Penta el Zero M and King Fenix) in action at the Jacob Brown Auditorium in Brownsville. In the upper Valley, Robles Promotions is presenting a lucha libre extravaganza that is set for Sunday afternoon, October 22, headlined by top AAA star Psycho Clown. It will be taking place at Famoso Fuego in McAllen, starting at 3 PM.
The show will is schedule to include many luchadores, including Pagano, Hijo del Fantasma, Texano Jr., former TNA star Hernandez, Ramses, La Mascara, someone being promoted as Nacho Libre, Big Neurosis, Corazon de Barrio, Christy Jaines, Mystique, Aguila Azteca, Black Cougar, Al Cruz Jr., Rey Negro, Brysin Scott, Danny Chance, Veronica Brazier, Myzterio, Nite Mare, Pete Pain, Rey Kuervo, Aqua Fish, cult favorite Ronald El Jorobado (a Ronald McDonald hunchback character...), Minion 1, Mini Spiderman, and an appearance from legendary lucha libre pro-rudo commentator Arturo Rivera. No word yet on what matches are going to be taking place, who will be fighting who, between all these luchadores.
This show is being built off last months “Gran Homenaje Brazo de Plata (Super Porky)” event at Famoso Fuego on September 17. Porky is the father of Psycho Clown, who is one of the many members of the legendary Alvarado wrestling family. Clown has been climbing up the ranks at AAA (one of the top professional wrestling companies in the world; based out of Mexico) in the past few years and had his breakthrough match on August 26 at Triplemanía XXV.
On that date, Clown took on lucha libre icon Dr. Wagner Jr. in a ‘Lucha de Apuesta, Mascara vs Mascara’ (Mask vs Mask) match, the biggest type of gimmick match one can have in Mexico. After 28 minutes of back and forth action, and lots of mask ripping and plenty of blood from both men, Clown defeated Wagner Jr. with his version of the ‘Code Red’. Wagner Jr. was thus forced to remove his mask, which he has had since 1985, and reveal himself for the first time in public as 52-year-old Juan Manuel González Barrón. The biggest win a luchador can have is beating a legend in a Mask vs Mask match, and this cemented Clown as the top star in AAA.
The match was a huge success for AAA and Clown. The card drew over 20,000 fans to Arena Ciudad de Mexico. It aired on Twitch for viewers around the world in English and Spanish, and the Clown-Wagner showdown also aired on Televisa in Mexico on the same night as the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs Conor McGregor fight. With both matches being aired for free on Televisa in Mexico, Clown-Wagner drew an amazing 22.8 television audience rating, edging out Mayweather-McGregor's 19.9 television audience rating on that same channel.
This will be Clown’s first appearance in the Valley since his career-turning match with Wagner Jr. Presale tickets for the event are going for $20.00, and can be bought at Novedades Martinez in Pharr. For more information on this lucha libre extravaganza, one can call at 956-681-7998.
There is so many lucha libre shows going on at this point in time in the Valley, that it's difficult to keep track for those that don't listen to Spanish-language radio or go to Mexican restaurants where flyers are up. Right before press time, I found out that there is yet another show happening this Saturday night, October 14, at the South Texas Fighting Academy in Mission, Texas, at 7:30 PM. The show will be main evented by Caristico, who formerly went by Mistico during the CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre) boom period of the mid-2000's, and who used the Sin Cara moniker in the WWE from 2011 to 2013. During his glory days in CMLL, Mistico had a memorable feud with the late, great rudo Perro Aguayo Jr. and his group Los Perros del Mal. Attempts to make him into the next big Latino star for the WWE didn't really pan out and he's back in the lucha libre circuit.
Joining Caristico for Saturday night's card will be Los Ahijados del Dracula, Los Reyes, Black Cat, Misterioso Jr., Temblor, Gemelos Pantera I y II, Pantera Blanca, Turok, Imagen de Oro, Principe Celestial, Aslum, Turok Jr., Temblor Jr., Mariposa Salvaje, Panda, and Imagen 2, who got Monitor headlines in 2013 after the FBI and SWAT invaded a lucha libre show in McAllen because they confused him for a drug-trafficking luchador that used the same Imagen 2 name. Someone didn't alert the FBI that luchadores use the same (or similar-sounding) names way too often.
Pre-sale tickets are $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids, and for more information you can call 956-570-0174.
There is a lucha libre and independent wrestling renaissance going on right now, and I just love it. So much great, great stuff going on right now, it's fun to keep track of everything that is happening in the world of professional wrestling.
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