CMLL Grand Prix 2017
September 1, 2017
Arena Mexico
The final major stop before CMLL’s 84th Anniversario event on September 16th. There were only four matches on the card, but the undercard was all lengthy three-round trios matches and the main event Grand Prix needed time for 15 eliminations.
This is actually a great entry point for those who have never seen CMLL to dip their toes in the water, as the Grand Prix featured stars from Ring of Honor and New Japan including Michael Elgin, Juice Robinson, Matt Taven, Kenny King and Satoshi Kojima. Mae Young Classic star Princesa Sugehit also played an important role as captain in her trios match. You can order the show on-demand for just $10 or couple it with a pre-order of the 84th Anniversario, which will save you $5.
– Mascara Ano 2000, Cuatrero & Sanson def. Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr. & The Panther
– Mistico, Caristico & Soberano Jr. def. Negro Casas, Barbaro Cavernario & Felino
Zeuxis, Amapola & Dalys def. Princesa Sugehit, Silueta & Marcela
This basically existed to promote the upcoming Mask vs. Mask match between Princesa Sugehit and Zeuxis at the 84th Aniversario event on 9/16. It did a great job. After the first fall Zeuxis and her team beat down the Mae Young Classic star and ripped off her mask. Sugehit protected her face, went to the back and came back with another one to continue the match. After the second fall Sugehit got her revenge ripping off Zeuxis’ mask in a similar scenario. She came back and sent Princesa into the crowd with a suicide dive, while Amapola and Dalys were able to pin Silueta and Marcela to steal the victory.
2017 Grand Prix Torneo Cibernetico
Last Man Standing: Diamante Azul
So if you haven’t seen a CMLL Cibernetico match, it’s basically a massive elimination-style tag team war that ranges in size. This year’s theme was Team Mexico taking on challengers from the rest of the world.
Team Mexico: Diamante Azul, Dragon Lee, Ultimo Guerrero, Valiente, Rush, Euforia, Mephisto & Volador Jr.
Rest of the World: Michael Elgin (Canada), Juice Robinson, Kenny King, Matt Taven, Sam Adonis (USA), Marco Corleone (Italy), Johnny Idol (New Zealand) & Satoshi Kojima (Japan)
There were all kinds of big spots and ridiculous shenanigans throughout this one. Adonis is still doing his Pro-Trump gimmick with a big American flag with the Donald’s face on it. Sounds like Matt Taven was pretty shaken up after taken a bad bump off the top rope, but continued the match and didn’t look too worse for the wear. The ROH and NJPW guys got a lot of time to work and shine. Big Mike was the dominant force in the match with a lot of the eliminations.
The final four came down to Elgin and Kojima representing the world, with Diamante Azul and Ultimo Guerrero representing Mexico. Guerrero made Kojima tap leaving Big Mike to go it alone. He rallied back and managed to pin Ultimo with the Elgin Bomb. Tons of nearfalls in the final moments including a Death Valley Driver on the apron, but Azul eventually won it with a German suplex bridge.
