The final ‘big five’ event of 2018 from AAA is in the books. Guerra de Titanes emanated from a bull ring in Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes. It featured a luchador going by a new name, three title changes, and Vampiro paying the price for putting his hands on Scarlett Bordeaux.

Get up to speed with the preview/predictions and live results/open thread.

Guerra de Titanes had some good (tag team and trios championships), bad (Hijo de Tirantes and the crowd), and ugly (the main event). I was going to discuss the card in order of top to bottom, but the main event was such a stinker that it was been demoted in my review.

First up...

Drago is the new king of Latin America

All hail the slimy tongued overlord.

Hijo del Fantasma wrestled Drago with the Latin American Championship as the prize. The title tilt went a little over fifteen minutes. Much to my surprise, it was a clean singles bout. I figured I was more likely to see Sasquatch before this AAA rarity.

It began with Fantasma kicking away Drago’s handshake then spitting at him. 100% rudo de rudos. Fantasma would later tear Drago’s mask and bloody him up. The half-man, half-reptile had has mask ripped, so we could see that his face was not reptile. Nor are his arms. I can’t figure out how Drago is half-reptile. Does he have webbed toes?

Fantasma was in control for the most part with Drago playing the spunky underdragon. He even got a ‘Yes, you can’ chant (Sí, se puede). Highlights include a tope con hilo by Drago, a super hurricanrana by Fantasma followed by a frog splash, and Fantasma’s always beautiful suicide dive.

For the finish, it came down to intestinal fortitude. Spinning driver by Fantasma for a two count. Roll-up by Drago for two. Jumping tornado DDT by Drago for two. Hurricanrana pin by Drago for two. Sitdown powerbomb by Fantasma for two. A chop-fest ending with double head kicks.

The winning pin came after Drago kneed Fantasma’s head while up in position for the Thrill of the Hunt. Drago escaped and whipped into the Dragon’s Lair pinning maneuver. 1, 2, 3. Fantasma could not get free.

Drago’s win is shocking. Not in a bad way by any means. It was totally unexpected by me and a nice surprise. Fantasma is one of AAA’s top guys. He rarely losses. Aside from Poker de Ases, I can’t think of another pin he has eaten this year.

Trying to find hints from a booking perspective, this loss frees Fantasma up to go after the Mega Championship. It also gives La Mascara a title to chase so the Mercenarios could potentially obtain gold for each member.

As for Drago’s next feud, could it be a tiff among Super Friends? Aerostar has a storyline about going solo to prove himself. Looky here, now Drago is champ. Hmmm.

Stinky main event

In one corner of the main event stood Dr. Wagner Jr. and Psycho Clown. The Aguascalientes crowd was not fans of Psycho Clown. Earlier in the show, they booed his name when the ring announcer was trying to pump them up. I’ve never heard hostility toward Psycho since I began watching.

In the other corner stood Blue Demon Jr. and Killer Kross, with his Killer Smoke Show partner Scarlett Bordeaux. Kross’ trunks said three words. Attack, advance, annihilate. Blue Demon entered to, “Around the World,” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The match began as Wagner and Blue Demon fought up the stairs. We were treated to some split screen action to see Kross bashing Psycho in the ring. Back to single screen to show Bordeaux.

My initial reaction is that this match stunk. It was all brawling with no direction. Not to mention a classic case of AAA overbooking in a bad way. There is nothing much to say about those four. The show was free, so I won’t complain any further. Whatever will be, will be.

One side story was Vampiro coming ringside to stop Bordeaux’s interference. She was getting physical with chops, punches, and forearm strikes. At first, Bordeaux was scared of Vampiro’s presence, but then she talked smack saying he wasn’t going to do anything. Bordeaux tried slapping Vamp. He caught her arm then goozled her throat for the start of a chokeslam. Bad move.

Gallant move by Killer Kross to rescue this totally innocent woman from an attack from a vampire. Chivalry is not dead. pic.twitter.com/QzaoCGH0Mj — luchablog (@luchablog) December 3, 2018

Kross attacked Vampiro from behind for a killer pummeling. Blue Demon got in on the fun by laying some boots. Wagner and Psycho saved the day with tandem suicide dives. That was a pretty cool scene. Unfortunately, the damage was already done and Vampiro was helped to the back.

The finish was a jumble.

a very 2018 lucha libre finish pic.twitter.com/IVhFsVEzlp — luchablog (@luchablog) December 3, 2018

Blue Demon punished Wagner with a double underhook driver. He pinned Wagner for an almost three count. No, Wagner did not kick out. The referee, Hijo de Tirantes, just stopped counting. He is supposed to be a rudo too. Kross gave Tirantes a menacing glare. Both rudos hand-pinned Wagner. This time Tirantes counted to three.

In defense of Tirantes, there might be a lucha libre rule about how Kross touched Blue Demon on the pin, even though they are partners. We all know Tirantes is a stickler for the rules. If so and Tirantes actually did the right thing, the optics still look bad in a confusing manner.

I don’t want to be all negative about the bout, so let’s look at some positives. The bright spots were a vicious Saito suplex by Kross and Bordeaux with an elbow drop and headbutting Wagner’s junior. I really like Bordeaux’s elbow drops. She has a quickness that makes them look impactful.

I’ll confess that I popped when Vampiro’s music hit. He knows what he’s talking about when he says to play his f’ing music.

AAA Megacampeonato canceled due to injury

Fenix was scheduled to defend his Mega Championship against Cage, but we already knew he was suffering from a groin injury. It turns out that Cage was injured too. They played a video explaining so with a special guest appearance by Melissa Santos and their baby unseen in the backseat of a car. Melissa did the translating, while the baby made baby noises.

You can support Cage through these tough times by buying his used underwear. Serious inquires only.

Selling some old pairs of gear to make room for new ones. Serious inquiries only pic.twitter.com/HzxHyDQJx7 — Brian Cage (@MrGMSI_BCage) December 3, 2018

A gimpy Fenix came out to address the crowd. They booed him hard upon hearing that he would not be competing. Fenix called those jabrones out. He said that luchadores are made of flesh and bone. The sport is real. Those that are booing do so because they don’t believe that.

Fenix let the directors of AAA know that he would be ready for all comers. Laredo Kid entered, challenge issued, challenge accepted. Fenix said his first defense would be against Laredo. Fenix is a man of his word and will see Laredo soon.

Lucha Extrema

Texano Jr. and Rey Escorpion successfully defended their tag team championships in an extreme rules match against Pagano & Joe Lider and Ciclope & Medio Extremo. The fight lived up to its name. Tables, a stapler, wooden BBQ skewers, chairs, barbwire, beer, light tubes, and thumbtacks were all used.

This bout had a bevy of highlights. The spots that stuck out most to me were the visual of wooden BBQ skewers sticking out of Joe Lider’s forehead as he continued to wrestle, Pagano wrapping barbwire around his knee for a flying leg drop to Texano, Rey Escorpion with a package piledriver onto light tubes taped to a chair, Pagano taking a bite out of a light tube, and Rey Escorpion catching Medio Extremo’s flying attack then powerbombing him onto open chairs.

The chaotic clash climaxed with a super powerbomb by the champs to Pagano onto a light tube and chairs. After the match, it was a 4-on-2 stomping by the rudos for good measure.

Here’s the Spanish lesson of the day. On a very physical slap across the face, I believe Hugo Savinovich called it a soplamocos. That is like the equivalent to slapping the snot out of someone.

New Trios champions

Poder del Norte put their belts on the line against Laredo Kid, Hijo del Vikingo, and Myzteziz Jr. Oh, Angelikal is now going by the name of Myzteziz Jr. La Parka gave him the mask and that was that. Myzteziz was the name used by Caristico (fka original Mistico and original Sin Cara) when he debuted in AAA. Myzteziz was only in AAA for about 20 months, so I’m not sure why the mask is so prestigious. Heck, I wouldn’t want any name that makes people think of Miz.

This trios bout was my favorite on the card. Teamwork galore. Highlights include a triple flying attack to the outside by the tecnicos, Laredo and Myzteziz holding up an opponent as Vikingo hit him on a flying crossbody to create momentum for a suplex, Poder del Norte catching Vikingo’s moonsault and tossing him onto the stairs, and Carta Brava Jr. with a vertical double underhook then spinning the body into a backbreaker.

For the finish, Mocho Cota Jr. took the pin after a Spanish Fly by Laredo, a moonsault by Myzteziz, and a 450 front splash by Vikingo. Exciting!

That was not the end of the night for the new Trios champs. La Parka came down to congratulate them. Los OGTs in the house. They came down as well to flap their gums. That led to a tombstone piledriver to Vikingo and subsequent stretcher job.

La Parka proposed a match between himself, Laredo, and Myzteziz against the OGTs. Fight! It was mostly OGTs brawling, flippy stuff from Laredo and Myzteziz, and a house afire spot by La Parka. In the end, La Parka made Averno kiss his crotch, so Averno ripped off his mask. Well, he tried but got the hood part only.

La Parka shoves Averno into his crotch.



Averno tries to unmask Parka but only pulls off the top by accident.



Things are going well in AAA. pic.twitter.com/aiZrlVGD8m — Rob (@LuchaGifs) December 3, 2018

The OGTs would succeed in mask removal on all three good guys. That should be a disqualification, although, no official decision was recognized.

Trios action: La Mascara pinned Maximo in the Alvarado family feud

Earlier in the evening, a taped segment was shown with Maximo chatting to his uncle, Brazo de Platino. The uncle lamented how the Christmas family get together would not be the same with the feud between Maximo and La Mascara. Brazo de Platino requested Maximo accompany him to smooth things out between the two cousins.

Cut to a scene in the park. Brazo de Platino was joined by Maximo, Mamba, and a lady who might have been Goya Kong. La Mascara did not appreciate the presence of so many people. A shoving match ensued, and La Mascara left with nothing settled.

Cut live to the ring, Brazo de Platino had the mic and called Mascara down. Brazo de Platino poured his feelings out. Mascara appeared to be visibly moved. Mascara said he is an Alvarado at heart. Brazo de Platino yelled, “Viva Los Alvarado.” Boom. Mascara attacked him from behind then said that his blood is Los Mercenarios.

Maximo came out slowly down the stairs. Mascara bailed.

As for the trios match, Mascara teamed with Taurus and La Parka Negra. Pimpinela Escarlata and Mamba had Maximo’s back. It started with exotico fun then brawling. La Parka Negra was kissed twice on two separate occasions. In one funny moment, Mascara stopped Maximo from running the ropes. Mascara swiveled his hips. A mesmerized Maximo dropped to his knees, and Mascara boxed his ears.

For the finish, Mascara knocked Maximo off the top turnbuckle then smashed him with a running double knees attack in the corner. That was enough to win. Afterward, the rudos put the boots to Maximo.

Mascara vs Maximo is a feud that has been percolating for awhile now. I’m wondering if the big payoff will be hair vs hair even though Mascara’s hair isn’t very long.

Lady Shani is the new Reina de Reinas champion under dubious circumstances

The bout was scheduled as a five-way, but Keyra was nowhere to be found. Faby Apache defended against Lady Shani, La Hierda, and Scarlett Bordeaux. Upon her entrance, Bordeaux pointed the camera to her tuchus.

Te damos UNA de muchas razones para que veas #GuerraDeTitanes EN VIVO por @TwitchES



@Lady_Scarlett13



ENTRA YA => https://t.co/eJPPgIngbI pic.twitter.com/7B0sN8ZDGV — Lucha Libre AAA (@luchalibreaaa) December 3, 2018

Hiedra pointed the camera to her crotch. To note, Killer Kross was not ringside to support his Killer Smoke Show better half. Also of note, Bordeaux had an eye-catching way to promote Guerra de Titanes on Instagram. Check it out here, but it might not be work-friendly depending on where you work.

The four-way was a free-for-all, but it was clear the other three all hated Bordeaux. The highlight of the match was Faby putting Bordeaux into a surfboard submission. Hiedra snuck into that open space to try pin Faby, but Shani put Hiedra into a Boston Crab. It was a luchadora game of Twister. The referee, Hijo de Tirantes, didn’t know what to do, so he saved Bordeaux, who rewarded him with a leggy wrap-around hug.

Bordeaux decided to leave the match mid-way through. She did that ‘kiss my ass’ butt slap motion on her way up the stairs.

The finish was a AAA special. Hiedra was lying on the apron in pain. Faby came over to put the boots to her. Tirantes intervened to break it up. Faby did not take kindly to this and put Tirantes into a whirling backbreaker. Lady Shani attacked Faby from behind for a backcracker. Tirantes slapped the mat with speed to spite Faby. That gave Shani the tainted victory.

After the match, Faby chased Tirantes around the ring. She made her case to Shani about Tirantes’ treachery. Shani just shrugged and accepted the win to become new Reina de Reinas champion. I guess their feud will continue over into 2019. Unless AAA decides to give Bordeaux a run at the belt, Faby vs Shani may be a feature bout at Triplemania for the second year running.

Twitch bonus match

The opener was a bonus match for Twitch viewers. Two trios teams of local talent competed. Arkangel Divino led one side, while Ultimo Maldito was head of the other squad. I didn’t catch the names of the other four luchadores.

It was a decent match for the level of talent. The bout featured piledriver variations, suicide dives, moonsaults, a frog splash, and Mexican Destroyers. Plenty of Mexican Destroyers. There was a moment when it was non-stop Mexican Destroyers. Whoever was standing was not standing for long. Everyone single luchador in the fight received one Mexican Destroyer, if not more than one.

The high spots that stuck out were Ultimo Maldito doing a tope con hilo to crash atop his opponent sitting in a chair and also Arkangel Divino using Maldito’s thigh to step up for a spin in the air then a headscissors takeover.

For the finish, Arkangel Divino requisitioned Ultimo Maldito’s body as a pommel horse to spin and spin and eventually slap on a whirling armbreaker to win.

Overall, Guerra de Titanes was a solid viewing experience. The tag team bout and trios extreme match were the best of the bunch. Three title changes created a sense of unpredictability and that we were witnessing something special. 200+ day reigns are routine in AAA.

It was nice to see a passing of the torch, somewhat, in the Trios and Latin American matches. Hijo del Vikingo and Myzteziz Jr. are young guns earning their first AAA gold. Laredo Kid is also a Trios champ and will be getting a Mega Championship shot at Fenix. Drago has been around quite awhile, however, that victory is his first singles belt in AAA. But, don’t expect any of them to main event for another ten to twenty years.

It wouldn’t be a major AAA show without screwiness. The surprise appearances were kind of like huh. There were a few face-palming moments, but I look at it as being good for a giggle. I’m laughing with AAA, not at them.

I’m curious where the feud between Vampiro and Kross is heading. It is one thing to feud with Konnan in a conflict between 50 year olds. It is another thing to battle the beast known as Killer Kross. Kross could put Vampiro in wheelchair permanently. Vampiro is biting off more than he can chew, in my opinion.

What did you think of Guerra de Titanes? Which was your favorite match? Which was your favorite moment?