Mexican lucha has a short story in PPV, the first event, 'Cuando los Mundos Chocan' (When Worlds Collide) was produced by AAA, Televisa and WCW four years ago. This year, the 'Ruleta de la Muerte' was also a PPV, but I don't know if the event was avialable for the non-mexican market.The promotion of 'Ruleta...' is OCESA Deportes, and the company name seems to be Tormenta de Estrellas, SA de CV. Promoter Radames Cocco and Pablo Caņedo, Caņedo is one of Guillermo Caņedo's son, and is related to Televisa, in fact, Pablo was America's (Soccer Team) vice-president a while ago.
07/18/98 Ruleta de la Muerte, from Palacio de los Deportes, in Mexico City. Available live in PPV with Televisa's Sky, and I guess that with other cable services. Cost 90 pesos (9 Dollars) and aired free some weeks later.
1.-32 men battle royal, the order of elimination was used to form tag teams.
2.-The 16 tag teams faced a one fall tournament... but in this one, the losers advanced while the winners kept their masks.
3.-The semifinal of the tourney was pretty interesting: Super Astro and Dr Wagner jr vs Mr Niebla and Black Warrior; Felino and Blue Panther vs Hijo del Santo and Guerrero del Futuro.Any of thouse couples facing each other for the masks had a lot of potential.
4.-At the end, Hijo del Santo faced and unmasked Guerrero del Futuro.
(**update nov 10**) Hijo del Espectro and Atlantis were supposed to be in this card, at the end, they no showed, so Guerrero del Futuro and Black Warrior were the last minute replacements, this kind of fits into the story, as they were not 'ready' to face a tourney with their masks on the line and went all the way to the last 2 couples---with Guerrero losing his mask.
10/24/98 Guerra de Naciones. Palacio de los Deportes.
1.- Prision de la Muerte, Mexico vs USA: Rayo de Jalisco jr, Cien Caras, Tinieblas jr y Pierroth vs Salomon Grondy, Head Hunters I and II and Fabuloso Blondie.----I don't know if this match will end in masks/hair match, it has rudos and tecnicos in the same team, but nothing has been said.
2.-Mexico vs Japan: 3 one fall only 20 minutes tag matches---
*Negro Casas and Scorpio jr vs Magnum Tokyo and Tajiri.
*Atlantis and Brazo de Oro vs Kikusawa and Nosawa
*Felino and Fuerza Guerrera vs Tsubasa and Fujin
Mexico vs Foreing Legion: Atomicos normal match--- Brazo de Plata, Tinieblas, Villano III and Mascara Sagrada (I guess it is not the AAA one) vs American Destroyer, Born Killer, Tigre Canadience and Heard Breakerd (sp? y just copied what it said in Box y Lucha)
*Another match might be:Super Astro, Tormenta Star and Mascara Magica vs Morgue, Guerrero de la Muerte and a surprise luchador.
This event doesn't hold as much interest as the Ruleta one, unless there are masks or hair in the line, also, it would have been good if Steele showed, and it is likely that some of the boricuas may show. The report on the results of this card might take a while, I don't know if I will be seeing it live.
*************UPDATE*************
Some preliminary reports about 'Guerra de Naciones':
- First, the wrestling was not that great, only the Negro/Scorpio vs Taijiri/Magnum Tokyo has been reported as a great match. This is no surprise to me, since the main event included Rayo, Cien Caras, Head Hunters, Fabuloso Blondy and Solomon Grundy, too bad as this event, called 'Prision de la Muerte' resulted to be a cage match, and the foreigners are too fat to stand a real chance to climb the cage...By the way, most reports state that this 'match' was mainly brawling, with no holds or moves at all.
- Felino and Fuerza Guerrera lost their match against the japanese tag team, but it was because Fuerza and Felino ended fighting each other, Casa's match had this same thing, as Scoprpio also attacked his 'mate' but Casas was enough to defeat Tajiri and Magnum, Fuerza joined Scorpio but Negro was supported by his bro, Felino, in an extra match (sort of).
- I was just getting ready to type here about how things have changed and that this cage match could represent the Box y Lucha comission adapting to the modern wrestling, when I learned that it was not authorized, the promotor, Radames Cocco (former luchador 'Masakre') will be fined, and posibly, his license as a promotor might be removed, meaning that no more PPV shows will be made.
- Brazo de Plata and Villano III ended as 'friends' as Villano helped Superporky in a (shoot ?) locker room brawl with American Destroyer.
- The production values were outstanding, lights, sound, pyrotecnichs, besides, gorgeus models who acompained the workers and the response to 'Nitro Girls' : El Night Show Ballet, a group of voluptous dancers who worked on a late night show a while ago.(4 months)
- Rayo de Jalisco jr was reported as the most over luchador of the night, I guess I won't see the free tv show (if Televisa shows it for free as the 'Ruleta...' show was).
