AAA Triplemania XXVI Review

I have said numerous times before that I don't watch as much lucha libre as I should and as this show has been getting a ton of praise, I thought I would rectify some of that. This is AAA's version of WrestleMania, for want of a better description, and it certainly looks the part. Matt Striker and Vampiro are our English commentators for the night. The legend that is Hugo Saninovich is on Spanish comms. 

Astrolux, Dragon Bane & Freelance vs Aramis, Drastik Boy & Latigo

This is one of two dark matches on the show and is a showcase for up and coming wrestlers. And one older bloke (Freelance). This was fucking nuts. It wasn't what you would call a particularly cohesive match but it did feature a metric fuck ton of insane moves, almost all of which were executed perfectly. Astrolux, who is 17, looks to be a future star. I had a blast with this. ***1/2

There is a tribute to Villano III, who passed away in March. R.I.P.

AAA Cruiserweight Title - Australian Suicide vs ACH vs Sammy Guevara vs Shane Strickland

This is the second dark match and it looks pretty intriguing. ACH claims he is the best in the world so Vampiro tells him to stop chatting shit. This match was fine but it never really got going to the level that you would expect. The finish kind of came out of nowhere too. **1/2

After the match, Killer Kross comes out to offer Australian Suicide a place in MAD, a faction featuring Konnan, Teddy Hart, Jack Evans, Juventud Guerrera and Jeff Jarrett, among others. He also murders everyone else. 

We get a great video package to open the main card. I'm hyped. The arena looks spectacular when it's in full flow during the procession of respect to the founders.

AAA World Mixed Tag Team Titles - Big Mami & Nino Hamburguesa vs Angelikal & La Hiedra vs Dinastia & Lady Maravilla vs El Hijo del Vikingo & Vanilla

This certainly contains an eclectic group of individuals, Dinastia is a former mini wrestler that is moving to the heavyweight division and Mami and Hamburguesa are two of the least athletic looking wrestlers you will ever see. Don't judge a book by its cover though, as they bust their ass to put on a fun match. All in all, this was a pretty good time. ***1/2

AAA World Tag Team Titles #1 Contenders Ladder Match - Team AAA (Aero Star & Drago) vs Team ELITE (Bandido & Flamita) vs Team ELITE (Golden Magic & Laredo Kid) vs Team Impact! (Andrew Everett & DJZ)

This was pretty much guaranteed to be spectacular, and it was certainly that. There is a spot where Everett hits a springboard rana off a ladder to the floor, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Drago hits the Edge spear spot at one point and Bandido hits a moonsault powerslam through a table. Sure, it was a spotfest but you can do a lot worse than giving this a watch. You will have a great time. ****1/4


Konnan comes to the ring, accompanied by the rest of MAD, and Vampiro is pissed. The man hates Konnan. Jarrett shows off his Hall Of Fame ring. Konnan talks some shit to Vampiro. Vampiro then gets super pissed off when they miss his music cue. I mean SUPER PISSED. His music eventually hits, so he gets in the ring and gets in Konnan's face, and even though my Spanish isn't great, I believe Vampiro called Konnan a bitch and said something to the effect of 'unless you're scared, motherfucker'. They then agreed to a loser leaves AAA match in the future. 

Nuevo Poder del Norte (Carta Brava Jr, Mocho Cota & Tito Santana) vs Team AAA (Mamba, Maxima & Pimpinela Escarlata) vs Team ELITE (Black Taura, El Hijo del LA Park & Puma King)

This was all action. It had a mix of styles, including the Exoticos, which I'm not even going to try to explain here. With so many people in the ring at any given time, there was essentially no downtime at all and it really helped to keep a nice flow throughout. Also, it is not the Tito Santana from the 80s. ***1/2

Lumberjack Match - Los OGTs (Averno, Chessman & Super Fly) vs MAD (Jack Evans, Teddy Hart & Juventud Guerrera)

Crap. *

Street Fight - Joe  Lider, Murder Clown & Pagano vs Los Mercenarios (El Texano Jr, La Mascara & Rey Escorpion)

Well, this was something else. For as stupid and terrible as the last match was, this one was as exciting and absurdly violent. Really, really fucking violent. Light tubes, thumbtacks and a whole host of other plunder was involved in this and it was fucking glorious. Some of the highlights were a C4 off the ramp through a flaming table, a top rope powerbomb into a shopping cart, and Texano whipping someone with a flaming bullrope. God damn, that was fun. ****1/2

Mask vs Hair - Lady Shani vs Faby Apache

This was gritty, in a good way. Faby bleeds heavily, and both women wrestled the match in a way that is befitting of the stipulation, despite the crazy amount of interference. The story they told through their wrestling was on point too, including the rudo referee heeling the fuck out of it. Considering that the last match was so crazy this could have been overshadowed but it stood out in its own way. ****

AAA Mega Heavyweight Title - Jeff Jarrett vs Fenix vs Brian Cage vs Rich Swann

Jeff Jarrett accumulates titles like nobody's business. If you include this title as a world title, which it is, then Jarrett enters as a 13-time world champion. He heels it up brilliantly here, busting Fenix open and relishing in it. This was a really good title match, with each man getting in enough offense to make it interesting. The finish was a mirror of how Jarrett won the title, with somebody dressed as La Parka coming out to count the pin. This time it wasn't Konnan though, it was Dr. Wagner, the former champion, who helped Fenix win the title. ***3/4

Mask vs Mask Four Way Cage Match - El Hijo del Fantasma vs LA Park vs Pentagon Jr vs Psycho Clown

This match starts with all four men in the cage, with the first two that escape saving their masks. The match then switches to a traditional one-on-one, with the loser losing their mask. For those that don't know, LA Park is the original La Parka. The cameraman misses a package piledriver through a chair structure, which is unfortunate. Pentagon is the first to escape, aided by a fireball, and the second to escape is Psycho Clown. That left LA Park and Fantasma, and business picked up big time. Fantasma goes for Park's mask and busts Park open quite badly. Park tries to hold the wound shit with his fingers, cuz he's the fucking man. Park then goes after Fantasma's mask and drills him in the face with a monitor. From there on in they put together a great match that really put over the importance of the stipulation to both men, and the fans were invested throughout. In the end, LA Park picked up the victory with the spear. You know why? Cuz LA Park is the fucking man. ****1/4

Following the match, Fantasma's family joins him in the ring. As is customary, Fantasma reveals his real name before unmasking. There is nothing in wrestling like the emotion involved following a Luchas de Apuestas. 

But wait, we aren't done. Dr. Wagner comes out to challenge LA Park to a mask vs hair match at next year's Triplemania. Don't tug on Superman's cape.

Overall Grade - A-

Well, that was something else. It ran just shy of 5 1/2 hours but it never felt like it dragged. Only one of the matches was what could be called bad, and four of them were really great, with each match having its own unique feel. There were a few production issues, and the commentary was, let's say, unique but none of that matters to the overall quality of the show, which was excellent.