What does a fan know, right?

Presumably a WWC show in the 1980's

On this final day of the 30 days wrestling challenge; I’m to speak about my views on the current scene. Well, I decided to make this challenge exclusive to the Puerto Rican scene; meaning, this final day will be my thoughts on the current status of what, to me, is local wrestling.

Still, I can’t talk about the current state of wrestling on the Island without talking about the current state of wrestling around the world. It boggles my mind, both as a fan and as an academic who studies wrestling as literature/art; how much wrestling is there these days. Not just simple wrestling, good and even great wrestling is available for almost every single type of fan out there. From the indiest of indy shows to the mainstream, wrestling might not be at its peak of popularity, but it’s as robust as it has ever been as an industry.

That’s a good thing for workers from around the globe, they don’t have to get to the mainstream in order to make a living out of what they love to do. In turn it is a good thing for the promotions because they can enjoy the global bonanza and utilize technology to draw more eyes to their product; which often gives fans an alternative that suits their tastes and/or gives new wrestlers a platform to showcase their abilities to a wider audience.

That brings me back to the topic at hand. I have had talks with people in the “fandom” (to put a word to it) about Puerto Rican wrestling. To some I have even shared videos of matches or events that you might find on YouTube and they are the reason I started this blog to begin with. Most of those talks always have the question of “what happened?” in some form or fashion.

We went from having sold out crowds for both IWA and WWC, to barely filling out a small arena. We went from being a stepping stone for many WWE/ECW/WCW/CMLL/AAA/NJPW legends to a stage that has very little coverage. “What happened?”

I’d love to have an answer to that question; but since I’m not an insider and I don’t have a way into the local industry; I can’t pin point anything. There are some who believe Victor Quiñones’ untimely death derailed local wrestling; others cite the economic situation our Island is living; others the narrow mindness of promoters in the island. The fact remains, local wrestling is a shell of its former self.

Obviously, as a scholar, I have some ideas of what might’ve happened. I believe, and this has been brought up in conversations I’ve had, that local wrestling in Puerto Rico is experiencing the same thing the UK scene experienced in the late 90’s early 00’s. Where veterans chose to give themselves and a select few the leading roles within their respective promotions; which lead to a lot of young promising wrestlers leaving the Island in search for an opportunity; which in turn left the Island dry in young talent for a long period of time combined with the fact some promoters only think about the “now” and not about the “future”. But, I’m just a fan... what do I know, right?

Yet, even if I feel sad about the current state, I remain optimistic about the future. I know for a fact there are some championing for change. I, myself, am open to give my knowledge, skills and ideas to better the product. Wrestling on the Island has a bright future; IF those in charge change their minds and see the ways other promotions have flourished around the world.

Promoters on the Island live with the fear of fans not going to the shows if they are broadcasted; but miss out on streaming revenue due to that. A bunch of promotions started small, filming live shows on small venues; word got around and their shows started to fill more and more with fans. It’s simple math, money is not earned easily, especially on an Island with more than 70 billion dollars in debt... so people won’t spend it blindly on a product, any product. Fans want to see and know what they’re buying before they buy... let them see and let them know.

But once more, what does a fan know, right?

Puerto Rican Wrestling Roundabout

- Well, last night WWL released their High Voltage episode for this week. The show had no actual matches in it; instead it was more so a compilation of hype packages for this weekend's show. The card for said show has already been announced and its as follows:

Main Event: "Puro Macho" Manny Ferno vs. "El León" Apolo w/Habana

I'm under the impression the TLC Match should be the Main Event as my guess is more people will go to the show to watch that match in particular than any other on the card. Yet, this match being in the Main Event makes sense with their current storyline of IWA originals vs. WWL guys. The reason the IWA originals are the faces in this story, has more to do with nostalgia than anything else. One would argue WWL guys being the faces would've been easier to pull off, with an invasion angle... but instead they went with Puro Macho representing WWL and a new generation; which in my opinion is both creative and interesting for the new guys.

Apolo has always been known to be more of a brawler, not much a technical wizard; and Ferno can wrestle with the best of them. This should be a good showcase for both the storyline and Ferno, who I believe will do great things for Puerto Rican wrestling.

Semi-Main: Triple Threat TLC Match for the WWL Tag-Team Championships

Los Primos Meléndez (c) vs. La 3ra Generación/Holy Fashion vs. West Side Mafia

These three teams aren't strangers to one another. In fact all three teams have been involved in matches here and there and this is probably the climax of a three way story. Arguably what should end up being the match of the night, without a doubt. Angel Fashion and Mike Mendoza from Holy Fashion are on the cusp of breaking out in the US and interationally. Those who know me, know that I've been preaching the Holy Fashion's gospel for a while now and know that I think these two are the next in line to make it big. Meanwhile, Morgan and Tabú from West Side Mafia have been carving themselves a name on the Puerto Rican scene and are one of the more over tag-teams on the Island. Victor and Alex, Los Primos Meléndez, are currently the champions; and the match I saw them in, really had me impressed. So, I'm expecting this match to be a showstealer and probably the one to circle around the globe from this card.

For the Americas Championship: "The Executoner" JC Navarro (c) vs. Mr. Big

I've said already that I believe JC Navarro is another one to keep an eye on from WWL. Here he defends the title against an opponent that's taller and heavier than he is, so here Navarro can prove to a lot of people he can hang with opponents on a weight class above his and has a chance to cement his spot on the list of those close to breaking out. Mr. Big on the other hand, is a veteran. He has a couple of years under his belt and for his size, the man can move. So I don't expect this to be a barn burner, but also I don't expect it to be a dull match.

Grudge Match: Roxxy vs. Allison

Last week I said I expect big things from Allison. She seems confident in front of the camera and all I need to see is how she performs in the ring. This is a good match for her to showcase her skills. Roxxy is a veteran that can make anyone look good here. So, I think the ladies can put up a good to great match here.

For the Cruiserweight Championship: 

"The White Shadow" Mark Davidson (c) vs. Pupe Jackson

These two put up a fun match last time they faced each other. I'm expecting another fun match from them this time around. Mark Davidson is the guy I compared to Neville, so I hope he brings something different to the table this time around, just to avoid getting that comparisson. Pupe, will do Pupe things and be entertaining for the fans in attendance.

Adam Mayhem returns to Puerto Rico.

-100% Lucha returns tonight with a new season of wrestling on the South of the Island. Their first card includes the return to his homeland of the Going in Raw "Haitch" Champion himself, Adam Mayhem, who defends the belt against an up and coming wrestler by the name of Nexen. The rest of the announced card reads as follows:

Singles Match: Victor Meléndez vs. Khriz Díaz

Victor is part of Los Primos Meléndez in WWL and Khriz Díaz is a part of "Puro Macho", so these two know each other fairly well. I was impressed by what both wrestlers did in the match I saw in WWL. So, this can prove to be an interesting match up for 100% Lucha.

Singles Match: Peter The Bad Romance vs. Alex Meléndez

The second match to feature one of the Meléndez, Alex faces off against one half of WWC's tag-team champions in Peter The Bad Romance. This match can be a mixed bag, since it could be great or it could simply be. Yet, the prospect of half of the current WWL Tag-Team champions going one on  one with half of WWC's tag-team champions and that's always an interesting sight in a scene where you rarely see talents being shared.

For the Going In Raw "Haitch" Championship: Adam Mayhem (c) vs. Nexen

For the initiated this is probably the selling point of this card. Adam Mayhem returns to his homeland to defend the title of a popular wrestling podcast against an up and coming wrestler. Regardless of the result, this is a golden opportunity for Nexen, who recently signed to perform with CWA. Having a good showing against Adam Mayhem could open up some doors in the US for the youngster and who knows, maybe he'll appear in Going in Raw at some point.

Singles Match: Morgan vs. Brandom Mullem

This appears to be a match between student and mentor. Morgan seems to be Mullem's teacher in the arts of wrestling, so it seems fitting that Mullem's first match with 100% Lucha is against Morgan.

Open Challenge: El Gentil vs. ???

To be honest, I haven't seen anything about El Gentil, so my guess is this is a spot that will be used to debut a "high profile" wrestler; or El Gentil might simply have a talking spot, who knows.

Rumble Gauntlet match: ???

The name of the match says it all, probably a bunch of indy wrestlers competing here, it might be a fun way to open the show.

- Expect news from 100% Lucha over the weekend and I'll be attending WWL's show tomorrow night. So, yes, that should be fun.

CWA Acción Vibrante Recap

Acción Vibrante (8/13/18)

1) El Gabinete (Dimes, Eduardo Ortiz and Fast Forward) vs. Justin Dynamite & Black Scorpion & ???

El Gabinete won after a combination of a Curb Stomp from Eduardo Ortiz and a Diving Elbow on Black Scorpion. Fun match, they gave it time to breathe and engage the fans in the arena. (** ½)

2) Black Money Services vs. Alejandro “Niche” Marrero and Victor Rodríguez

Marrero and Rodríguez win after a combination of a Neckbreaker and sort of a Senton. Another fun match that was a bit on the overbooked side of things, but everything made sense within the storyline. (***)

Noteworthy things:

-          There were two promos hyping up the international talents signed up for their final show of the year, Christmas Showdown. Those two names are Marty Scurll and Colt Cabana.

-          After the first match ended the current champion Star Roger entered the ring and attacked his number 1 contender, Justin Dynamite.

-          They also hyped up their show on the 25^th which is one of their big shows. There Dynamite will face someone who isn’t Star Roger, so I guess they’re milking his number one contendership a lot.

Constructive criticism:

-          The commentary team was lackluster to say the least. I know it is a live show, but the matches are taped beforehand. They at least should’ve watched them before they started filming and have some notes. Given the first match lacked any actual sound, everything you heard was the commentary team and the fact they were improvising a lot didn’t help my experience. So, my advice is to re-watch the matches before filming and contextualizing everything to the benefit of those who might watch the show and have no idea of what’s going on.

Notes:

1. Justin Dynamite impressed me a lot, his physique and ability inside the ring is really good for his age and he’s only going to improve from here. It’s no wonder why CWA pushes him so hard, I see big things for him in the future and HOPEFULLY… he’s the one picked to face off against Scurll, as I feel that would be a great match to watch.

2. The masked wrestler in the first match, Fast Forward, also impressed me. Its rare to see masked wrestlers who aren’t over the top heels or comedic relief in Puerto Rico, so watching him was a pleasant surprise.

3. Black Money Services showed me a lot, they have a lot of chemistry together as a tag-team and have an interesting look to them. I can see the two of them making waves for years to come in the tag-team division in Puerto Rico.

4. After the show CWA announced the third international wrestler confirmed for their Christmas Showdown show, and it was "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn.

Overall Thoughts:

1. This was a really fun show. My only gripe with it was commentary, but that’s something they can improve upon. The in ring action was what really hooked me up, there were only two matches, but they were given a lot of air time and it helped me invest on the show, which didn’t feel an hour long at all.

2. If you wish to watch this show and see if my assessment of it was correct or not, you can do so in here: CWA Acción Vibrante (8/13/18)

Welcome to Bucklebomb PR

      

      Ever since the 1970’s, Puerto Rico has been a hub spot for wrestling on global scale. Originally part of the NWA, the World Wrestling Council; or as it was known in those early days: Capitol Sports Promotion; has been key in the development of superstars through the ages. Names like Ric Flair, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Abdullah the Butcher, Kane, Savio Vega, Carlito, Primo and Epico; to name a few, have plied their trade in the promotion. For that reason WWC has been known as the “University of Wrestling” in Puerto Rico for a long while.

            Yet, WWC has not been the only wrestling promotion on the island. Over the years many promotions have left their mark. The most well known of those was the International Wrestling Association or IWA Puerto Rico. But there have been several others who, alongside WWC, have helped develop the wrestling scene on the island and will, probably, continue to do so for years to come.

            Today, I invite you to join me in this journey in which I will provide results, analysis and keep you, my readers, up to date with everything that is happening in WWC, CWA and WWL, as well as many other shows that might take place in the island. Because #AquíSeHaceLuchaLibre.