By Chris Vetter, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@chrisvetter73)
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AAA Triplemania XXX
Streamed on FITE TV
April 30, 2022 in Monterrey, Mexico at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey
This event was held in an outdoor baseball stadium with a crowd of several thousand people. Joe Dombrowski and Larry Dallas were on English commentary. The ring is a hexagon, like what they used in TNA/Impact Wrestling for several years.
The announcers explained that there is an eight-man tournament where someone will lose their mask; if you win your match, you are out of the tournament, while the loser “advances” and keeps moving forward. Thus, the loser of three straight matches in the tournament will have to remove their mask. This tournament will take all summer and into October to complete. Intriguing.
1. Ultimo Dragon defeated Pentagon (w/Fenix, Taya Valkyrie) in a Ruleta de la Muerte tournament match at 8:12. Mat reversals and a standoff early. The announcers talked about when Ultimo Dragon held nine belts at one time in the late 1990s. Pentagon went for a move off the top rope but Ultimo caught him with a dropkick at 4:00. Dragon nailed a flipping piledriver. Dragon then hit a mid-ring Sliced Bread/flipping faceplant for the pin. Good match and I wish this had gone much longer. The announcers reiterated that Pentagon has “two more chances to save his mask.”
* Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti were shown talking backstage. Conti spoke in Spanish (or possibly Portuguese?) and was worried about their match, but Guevara was confident, and they confidently kissed.
2. Sammy Guevara & Tay Conti defeated Arez & Chik Tormenta and Latigo & Lady Maravilla and Sexy Star & Komander in a four-way to win the AAA Mixed Tag Titles at 12:04. Arez and Tormenta entered the match as the champions. The commentators explain that titles only change hands if you pin the champions in a three-way. Guevara used a crutch, selling an injury from the AEW ladder match three days earlier. The men were allowed to fight the women in this match. We had lots of lucha reversals, but all of a sudden, Arez started swinging a cookie sheet.
Tay Conti hit a Gotch-style piledriver. The action is quick and I admittedly don’t know enough of these guys to describe it. Tormenta and Sexy Star brawled in the ring at 8:30. Tay hit a flip dive from the corner to the floor on several wrestlers. Arez hit a top-rope Spanish Fly to the floor!
Arez and Tormenta hit frogsplashes, but Guevara pulled the ref out, stopping the match. Conti hit opponents with a crutch. Guevara got in the ring, showed off his leg was just fine, and he hit a superkick, and Conti hit her Tay KO. Guevara and Conti covered Arez and Tormenta to win the tag titles. They kissed some more while celebrating.
3. LA Park defeated Villano IV in a Ruleta de la Muerte tournament match at 17:55. They brawled on the ramp before making their way into the ring. Villano IV, dressed in pink, tried to remove LA Park’s mask, and the crowd booed. They brawled to the floor, with Villano hitting some chairshots. They brawled extensively through the crowd, and re-entered the ring at 5:00, with Villano in charge. LA Park’s hood came off but his face was still covered.
They brawled to the floor and LA Park hit an unprotected chairshot to the head at 9:30. Park pulled at Villano’s mask. They finally got back in the ring and Park got a nearfall at 13:00. Villano hit a low blow for a nearfall and the crowd popped for the kickout. LA Park suddenly got a rollup for the pin. The crowd loved this match between well-known veterans. I felt it was subpar action.
* Latin Lover was honored in the ring and handed a plaque, commemorating his career. Jeff Jarrett came out to his “It’s My World” theme and he yelled a lot on the mic. Rey Escorpion and Karen Jarrett joined Jeff. After a lot of berating, Latin Lover attacked Jarrett. Rey Escorpion then attacked Latin Lover. This brought out Vampiro, and the crowd went nuts. Vampiro and Jarrett brawled. Vampiro is completely unrecognizable from his late 1990s run in WCW. Latin Lover forcibly kissed Karen and the crowd popped. Fun segment.
4. (Black) Taurus & Johnny Caballero (a/k/a John Hennigan) defeated Laredo Kid & Jack Cartwheel and Dragon Lee & Dralistico in a three-way tag match at 12:13. Caballero came out with his WWE dripstick. Ugh. Dragon Lee and Laredo Kid traded hard blows to open. The announcers said the AAA tag teams are angry that the tag titles are around the waists of FTR. Caballero and Cartwheel traded blows. Caballero hit a standing Shooting Star Press for a nearfall. Dralistico hit an enzuigiri on Taurus at 4:00.
Cartwheel hit his slingshot press into the ring on Caballero. Dragon Lee performed a neckbreaker over his knee on Cartwheel. Taurus executed a Samoan Drop. Lee and Dralistico hit simultaneous flip dives to the floor at 8:00. Laredo Kid nailed a top-rope corkscrew press to the floor. In the ring, Laredo Kid landed a Michinoku Driver. Taurus hit a sit-out piledriver. Everyone started hitting quick finishers, and everyone was down at 10:30. This is fun stuff. Dragon Lee hit a Poison Rana on Taurus.
Cartwheel hit his handspring-flip dive to the floor. Dralistico hit a magnificent dive. Caballero used the dripstick, pointing it at Laredo Kid, but the water hit the ref. Caballero hit a low blow and pinned Laredo Kid. This match could have kept going and I wouldn’t have minded one bit, as these are some of the best high-flyers today.
5. Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Blue Demon Jr. in a Ruleta de la Muerte tourmament match at 13:26. Rayo wore black. They brawled early, and rolled to the floor. Blue Demon hit him with a cookie sheet, then he wrapped a chain around his fist and punched Rayo. Blue Demon was dominating the action. This was pretty non-descriptive action. Suddenly, at 12:30, two of Rayo’s family members walked to ringside to cause a distraction. Rayo hit Blue Demon with a guitar shot and got the pin. Blah. They stretchered Blue Demon to the back.
6. Pagano, Bandido, and Taya Valkyrie defeated Andrade El Idolo, Cibernetico, and Deonna Purrazzo via DQ in a six-person tag at 18:22. Deonna and Taya started and traded stiff blows to open the match. Cibernetico kicked Taya. Pagano brawled with Cibernetico. Bandido squared off with Andrade at 4:30. It started raining but you couldn’t tell it by the way the wrestlers were fighting. The announcers wondered if the ropes will get slick. Bandio hit a top-rope corkscrew splash on Andrade. All six fought in the ring.
Bandido nailed a flip dive to the floor on Andrade at 7:30, while Pagano and Cibernetico brawled in the crowd. Meanwhile, Taya hit a running double knees to Deonna’s face in the ring. Deonna briefly brawled with Pagano. Taya hit a clothesline on Deonna, then a Stomp at 10:30 for a believable nearfall. Bandido and Andrade hit some more stiff forearm shots and this is really good action. Bandido hit a Gorilla Press slam on Andrade, then a frogsplash for a nearfall at 13:00.
Cibernetico and Pagano brawled in the ring. Pagano nailed a dive through the ropes on Cibernetico. Suddenly, a masked man headed to ringside, holding a fire extinguisher. In the ring, Andrade accidentally hit Deonna with a Mafia Kick to the jaw. Bandido hit a flipping piledriver on Andrade. Taya hit a dive to the floor on several opponents. Bandido hit an incredible top-rope moonsault to the floor at 17:00.
The masked man sprayed the fire extinguisher at Pagano, who fell off the corner and crashed through a table on the floor. The heels sprayed the extinguisher on the ref. The ref ran over and raised Pagano’s hand, indicating the babyfaces have won via DQ. While this was an unsatisfying finish, the match was incredible and the crowd was totally into it. Outside of a few brief seconds, this was essentially three separate singles matches.
7. Canek defeated Psycho Clown in a Ruleta de la Muerte tournament match at 12:23. The announcers talked about how Canek is one of a half-dozen people to ever bodyslam Andre the Giant. I don’t know Canek, but he’s clearly a legend and much, much older than Psycho Clown under that mask. There was lots of stalling and clearly Clown was going to be doing all the movement in the ring. Canek hit a weak clothesline. Clown hit a dropkick and Canek (slowly) fell through the ropes. Clown went for a dive to the floor, but Canek moved and Clown crashed at 2:00.
The medics quickly checked on Pyscho Clown. Canek dragged him into the ring and ripped at Clown’s mask. Canek hit a suplex at 6:00. Pyscho Clown threw a basement dropkick, then he hit a dive to the floor at 8:30. Psycho Clown speared Canek so softly that they didn’t break the table set up in the corner behind Canek. This was borderline embarrassing. Psycho Clown gave Canek an Irish Whip and Canek lightly jogged there.
At 11:30, Dr. Wagner Jr. walked to ringside, holding a baseball bat, and he struck Pyscho Clown with it. Canek quickly covered Psycho Clown and got the pin. This all happened in front of the ref, so I guess this was no DQ match. Dr. Wagner hit Psycho Clown a few more times with the bat.
Psycho Clown hopped to his feet, got a chair, and was about to hit Dr. Wagner Jr., when Andrade hopped in the ring and attacked Psycho Clown. It became clear that Psycho Clown and Andrade are now aligned. Wagner spoke extensively on the mic in Spanish.
* A Batmobile pulled up to the building, and Hijo Del Vikingo and Fenix got out. Great visual.
8. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson (w/Konnan) defeated Hijo Del Vikingo and Fenix at 15:17. Nick and Vikingo started. The Bucks rolled to the floor, so Fenix and Vikingo mocked their pose. The Young Bucks teased walking out on the match. When the babyfaces ran toward them on the ramp, the Bucks caught them with superkicks at 2:30. In the ring, the Bucks hit a team swinging backbreaker on Vikingo, and they were in charge. The ref kicked Konnan out.
Vikingo hit a springboard flipping corkscrew press to the floor on the Bucks, and Fenix hit a twisting press to the floor. Both babyfaces hit dives in the ring for a nearfall. Dombrowski noted this is Fenix’ first match back since his injury against Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy on Dynamite. Vikingo nailed a Shooting Star Press from the top corner to the floor at 8:00. Some very impressive dives already.
However, in the ring, the Bucks hit a team Buckle Bomb on Vikingo. They did a spot where they stacked the opponents, hit a superkick, causing Vikingo to hit a Poison Rana on Fenix. Cool. Matt applied a Sharpshooter on Vikingo at 10:00, then Nick put one on Fenix. The babyfaces hit a superkick on Matt. Nick hit a stunner on Fenix, and everyone was down.
Fenix walked the ropes and hit a kick. Fenix got Nick up for a Musclebuster, but spun him down into a Michinoku Driver for a believable nearfall at 12:30. Awesome. The Bucks hit a piledriver but Fenix kicked out. The Bucks hit their team V-Triggers for a nearfall, but Vikingo made the save. The Bucks hit their Meltzer Driver on Vikingo to score the pin.
* Vikingo and Fenix start to argue, but the Young Bucks hit some low blows. Sammy Guevara, Tay Conti, and Johnny Caballero ran into the ring and stomped on the babyfaces. Pentagon hit the ring for the save, and he nailed a superkick that leveled Tay Conti. The five heels bailed out of the ring, with Guevara carrying Conti.
Final Thoughts: No surprise, the main event dazzled with lots of high-flying spots and superkicks, and that earned best match. Hijo Del Vikingo, at 24, is a star. He would dazzle on AEW, even if it was a one-time appearance. The Bandido team vs. Andrade team match was fantastic, even with the DQ finish, and gets my pick for second-best match of the night. The three-team tag match with Caballero and Taurus winning was third-best.
This tournament is certainly unique, but only the first match was worth watching. The commentary team stressed they didn’t know the brackets in the Ruleta de la Muerte tournament, so we don’t know who everyone will be facing next. However, the matches featuring legends (Demon-Jalisco, LA Park-Villano, Canek-Pyscho Clown) were really slow-paced. I am sure people who have watched these guys for years loved seeing them in the ring, but I was indifferent.
This show clocked in at just over four hours.
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