Cook’s AAA TripleMania XXXIII Review

Hey kids! Steve Cook here with you for AAA TripleMania XXXIII, which serves as AAA’s biggest show of the year and their first show with the new ownership in full control. So it’s not like typical biggest shows of the year where everything’s being blown off, it’s a new beginning for AAA in many ways.

Those out there that follow lucha libre know that AAA was a bit of a conundrum in its best days, and a hot mess in its worst. Sometimes it was tremendous. Sometimes it was horrendous. We all know the wrestling world war that’s going on, and Mexico is one of the biggest battlefields. CMLL is doing well, and AAA’s new owners don’t care for that. Let’s hope that leads to a fantastic lucha show!

Cook’s AAA TripleMania XXXIII Review

Then. Now. Forever. Together! We’re getting that here too?

Rey Mysterio & others voice over an opening package in Spanish which is helpfully subtitled.

Corey Graves welcomes us to TripleMania. We see some dignitaries in the ring, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, the Pena/Roldan family. The banners representing Antonio Pena & Doaquin Roldan are in the ring as well. We hear the Mexican National Anthem.

Rey Mysterio is here! El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. is WALKING! El Hijo del Vikingo & the Judgement Day are WALKING! We hear from the Spanish announce team for a few seconds before they throw it to Corey, JBL & Konnan.

Copa Bardahl: The first entrant in this battle royal/royal rumble is the new La Parka! Laredo Kid is #2. Some gymnastics early! Laredo with some slaps. Laredo with a Michinkou Driver, goes up top hits a 450 for 2! The clock ticks down, and #3 is Joaquin Wilde! He valults over Parka, hits Laredo with a DDT. Laredo tries to work Wilde over. Abismo Negro Jr. is #4. He punches Laredo, presses him and hits a gutbuster! Abismo suplexes two people. He goes for falls on them. #5 is Taurus! He’s spearing people! He’s dropping people on La Parka’s knees! #6 is Aerostar! Aerostar going ham on everybody. Aerostar tosses Laredo Kid out! The clock ticks down, and here’s Mecha Wolf! Wolf kicking the heck out of everybody. Cruz Del Toro enters next. Hits a rana on Abismo. Some teamwork from the LWO. Some mist to the eyes of Wilde and he’s gone. The clock ticks down, and our next entrant is Otis! What the hell? Otis slamming people down! Aerostar is eliminated. The Caterpillar! The clock ticks down, and here’s Pimpinela Escarlata! A lucha libre legend, one of the best exoticos of all time! Pimpi takes a couple of people over, then teams up with Otis to take out Taurus! A kiss! Oh no, Mecha Wolf kicks Otis into eliminating Pimpi. CI BER NET ICO! One of the biggest legends in recent lucha memory is here! MICROMAN is the next entrant! How do you fight that guy? All of these people are failing. Cibernetico tries to, but almost gets eliminated instead. Well, Otis uses Microman to kick Cibernetico off the apron! OMOS is next! I haven’t seen this guy in ages but I’ve heard the stories of how he ruled Japan! Chokeslams all around. Microman sneaks up on Omos! WE GOT A STAREDOWN. Omos stomped the man! Omos places Microman on the top turnbuckle, then deals with everybody else. Negro & Toro are gone. Octagon Jr. is next! He & Wolf try to team up on Omos but it goes nowhere. Otis fires away, gets kicked down. Microman eliminates Otis via pinfall! The announcers are stupefied since Otis was helping Microman earlier. Omos gorilla presses Microman onto Negro & Toro on the outside. La Parka & Octagon team together against Omos. Mecha Wolf didn’t get the memo and is going after Parka & Octagon. Twisting suplex by Parka on Wolf, then Wolf is sent outside and eliminated. Parka & Octagon go after Omos. Octagon gets kicked off the apron by Omos. Can Parka get it done? Omos misses in the corner, Parka kicks him to the apron, then Omos throws him to the floor!

Winner: Omos (26:36 via elimination)
Match Rating: **1/2
This was definitely fun for what it was, a showcase of some folks that will probably figure into what AAA becomes. The new La Parka will definitely be one to keep an eye on, but Omos seems to do well when he travels to other countries that don’t see people that look like him and haven’t gotten burnt out on very tall wrestlers.

Chuey Martinez is with Dragon Lee, who tells us his thoughts of tonight’s main event. Dr. WAGNER JR. IS RINGSIDE! Some other fools were there as well, but Wagner is my homie and that’s who I care about. His son is facing one of his greatest rivals in this next match.

AAA Latin American Championship Match: El Mesias (c) (w/Dorian Roldan) vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.: Mesias & Wagner exchange shoves, then tie up into the corner. Pump kick sends Mesias outside, then Wagner hits a cannonball to the floor! Roldan interferes because of course. Mesias DDTs Wagner on the apron. Chops are exchanged in the corner. Back suplex by Mesias gets two. Mesias hits a rear chinlock, then a lariat for two. We see Wagner Jr. at ringside getting worked up. He yells at Mesias. The fans want Wagner Jr. to do more than yell at ringside while Mesias & Roldan work over his son. JBL & Konnan don’t want Wagner Jr. to get involved. Two count in the ring on Hijo de Wagner Jr. Mesias tears at the mask and goes back to the chinlock. Wagner fights out and a double clothesline sends both men down. Mesias runs into a boot, Wagner with a dragon screw. He goes up top, splash gets two. Konnan & JBL really doubt Wagner’s chances here. Wagner hits a powerbomb, then the Wagner Driver gets two! Wagner Jr. at ringside thought that was it! Roldan distracts Wagner on the turnbuckle, and Wagner Jr. yanks Roldan off the apron! He decks Roldan! Mesias hits a spear on Wagner and gets two! Mesias gets taunted by Wagner Jr. at ringside. Hijo follows Mesias up top, hits the superplex! Wagner Driver! That gets three! LET’S GO!

Winner: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. (10:16 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
As stated previously, I’ve been a WagnerManiac for multiple decades now, and it’s nice to see his son doing so well. Mesias looked pretty darn good considering how long he’s been around, and the story of him facing both father & son is tremendous.

Dr. Wagner Jr. presents his son with the Latin American Championship. Vero Rodriguez interviews Hijo, who makes sure to use his father’s catchphrase.

Chuey interviews the Judgment Day, then Rey Mysterio walks in. Dom tells Rey to sit down and watch him become the Mega Champion, something Rey never did.

Natalia MX is here. Not sure who that is but I’ll mention her.

Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Raquel Rodriguez (w/Roxanne Perez) vs. Mr. Iguana, Nino Hamburguesa & Lola Vice: I’ve probably mentioned this somewhere before, but Lola is one of my favorite wrestlers right now for reasons that I probably shouldn’t talk about. So is Roxanne, but she’s not actually in this match! Raquel tries an airplane spin kinda move but Lola works it into an armbar. Raquel works out, Lola with an armdrag, Finn tags in, and Iguana joins him since we’re working under WWE rules here. Iguana slingshots into an armdrag. JD gets backdropped. Flying headscissors to JD gets 1. Nino tags in! JD gets pumped up by his partners. He doesn’t do much against Nino. Roxanne has a drink for JD, he does some pushups and jumps into Nino’s arms, Nino hits a bodyslam. Splash in the corner, another for both Finn & JD. Raquel sent into the opposite corner. Double cannonball! Roxanne still on the apron, her distraction makes Nino miss the legdrop. JD kicks away on Nino in the corner. Finn tags in, hits some shots on Nino before tagging JD back in. Elbow drop gets two. Finn back in. Nino hits a clothesline, but JD cuts him off before making a tag. JD with a hip dance of his own. Lola jumps onto Raquel on the floor! Nino suplexes Finn & JD. He tags Iguana! Iguana goes to town on Finn. JD gets bit, Iguana walks the ropes and hits a rana. Tope con hero onto JD! Iguana back into the ring, Finn has Demonito to fight off Mr. Iguana’s iguana! Wut the hail? Demonito has Iguana! Balor hits a DDT! Nino has two hamburgers! He hands Finn one, eats the other. Finn eats his burger and gets kicked out of the ring by Iguana. Lola holds the ropes so Nino can hit a tope suicida! Lola drops Raquel with a backfist, goes up top, Roxanne pushes her off! La Hiedra runs out and smacks Lola Vice before chasing Roxanne off! Raquel hits the Tejano Bomb for the three count!

Winners: The Judgment Day (11:51 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/2
I feel like the Judgment Day folks could be a big part of AAA going forward, so it was smart to put them over here. Not sure how long Iguana’s staying power is, but Lola Vice definitely has staying power with me.

Pagano & Psycho Clown psych each other up, as do Los Garza.

AAA World Tag Team Championship Street Fight: Angel & Berto (c) vs. Pagano & Psycho Clown: This certainly won’t be a scientific classic. Angel & Berto immediately throw furniture into the ring. Pagano & Psycho find their own tools of destruction with barbed wire. The Garzas get the advantage and hit Pagano & Psycho in the corners with the kendo sticks. Angel & Berto find some tables under the ring and set them up. Pagano sends Angel into a chair and hits Berto with a codebreaker. Psycho is back and he & Pagano utilize the furniture. Psycho Germans both Garzas through two chairs and gets a two count. Pagano & Psycho pose before hitting the Garzaz with kendo sticks. Conchairto to a garbage can on Angel. A legdrop from Pagano gets two. The fans dig this stuff for sure. Pagano misses a moonsault with a chair in his hands. Berto places Pagano up top. Angel joins them, the Garzas press Pagano off the top through a table for two. Psycho breaks it up, then starts setting up some furniture of his own. The Garzas set up Psycho for a suplex, but Pagano breaks it up with a spear through the table! Pagano & Angel fight on the apron. Berto manages to set Psycho up for a move that sends the challengers through two tables. Berto covers Psycho for two. Berto up top, Pagano has barbed wire in his mouth and he wraps it around Berto! Pagano dives onto Angel on the floor. Psycho hits a Spanish Fly on Berto for the three count!

Winners: Pagano & Psycho Clown (12:55 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***
I didn’t think this was a tremendous match, but the fans at CMDX sure loved it, which bumped it up a couple of notches for me. It was the closest thing we’ve seen so far to traditional AAA over the past couple of decades. They trained their fans to appreciate the extreme side of things, and they will keep coming back for that.

The Psycho Circus comes down to help celebrate!

Vero interviews El Hijo del Vikingo.

Rey Mysterio makes his entrance to induct Konnan into the AAA Hall of Fame. He mentions many of their contemporaries, including Love Machine & Eddie Guerrero. He does the speech in Spanish, somebody (perhaps Jeremy Borash?) is interpreting for us English speakers. Penta, Norman Smiley & Road Dogg appear in the video to congratulate Konnan. Kinda amazing how much WCW footage they used, but I guess that’s what was available. Konnan gives his acceptance speech in Spanish obviously. He puts across the feeling that he deserved it sooner. Rey Mysterio’s uncle trained him. He thanks Perro Aguayo, Antonio Pena, Dorian Roldan, others, Rey & Dominik. He’s happy to work with WWE today, thanks them, Jeremy Borash and all the fans.

Chuey is with El Grande Americano.

Mascarita Sagrada & Fantasma are at ringside, as is Lady Shani!

AAA Reina de Reinas Championship Three-Way: Flammer (c) vs. Faby Apache vs. Natalya: Certainly a change of pace for AAA here, as they’ve never really put their women this late in the show. I remember Faby from back in the day, she’s always been a top-notch competitor. Nattie is flanked by security and showing more of the Bloodsport side of her personality. Flammer on the offensive early, throws Natalya out of the ring but Faby with some kicks. Backbreaker by Faby. Natalya trips Faby, fires away on her in the corner. Crucifix by Faby gets two. Faby with an inverted figure four! Konnan & JBL point out Faby’s checkered history with El Hijo del Tirantes, the alleged official here. Faby boots Flammer down, but surely Tirantes takes his time counting. Flammer hits Eat Defeat for two. Faby wrenches Flammer around with an armbar, Nattie hits an ankle lock on Flammer before punching Faby down. Nattie kicks Flammer in the face, then goes to the surfboard. Faby breaks it up with a dropkick. Bodyscissors on Nattie, Faby & Natalya exchange strikes before getting to the ropes. Flammer gets double teamed by her opponents. Flammer hits a double clothesline for two on both. Nattie goes for a double sharpshooter! They power out. Faby & Flammer boot each other down while the fans get on the referee. Flammer goes up top, Faby meets her there. Superplex, pin gets broken up by Natalya. Nattie goes for an ankle lock on Faby. Real close fall by Faby on Nattie, Nattie locks in a sleeper. Faby gets out, hits a Michinoku Driver on Nattie but Flammer rolls Faby up for a three count! (maybe a little fast count there)

Winner: Flammer (10:44 via pinfall)
Match Rating: **1/4
A good bit of fan service here for the AAA fans by featuring their least favorite referee with his greatest rival over the years. The Women’s Revolution has been slower to make a mark in Mexico than in the US, so using concepts they know & will get behind can only help.

Faby & Nattie start going at it for a second there but Hijo del Tirantes manages to break it up.

Worlds Collide Las Vegas will take place on September 12 in Las Vegas.

AAA Mega Championship Four-Way: El Hijo del Vikingo (c) vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio vs. Dragon Lee vs. El Grande Americano: Vikingo not getting a lot of love from the Mexican fans these days, even with Rey & Daddy Vikingo greeting him backstage. Dom goes right after Vikingo, Americano kicks Lee down. Vikingo & Dom on the outside while Lee kicks Americano down in the ring. Vikingo & Lee face off in the ring. Roll up gets two for Lee, Vikingo with a rollup of his own. Lee gets out of a headscissors and they do a couple of flips. Americano & Dom trip the technicos up and work them over on the outside. Dom punches & kicks Vikingo, Americano knocks Dom away and does the same. Lee with a double stomp on Dom. Wrecking ball dropkick by Lee on Americano. Lee kicks Dom. Lee gets caught up on top, Dom follows him but ends up in the Tree of Woe so he can get double stomped for two. Lee might be showing a knee injury while getting stomped down by Dom & Americano. Vikingo kicks Dom down, sends Americano into the corner, dropkicks Dom off the top. Headscissors to Americano. Lee & Vikingo exchanging shots on Dom & Americano. Now the technicos face off. Vikingo with a kick to Lee, Lee with a Liger Bomb on Vikingo, Dom with a Mexican Destroyer! Americano with a running knee! Vikingo with a top rope Codebreaker! Americano clotheslines Dom down. Lee kicks him out of the ring. Vikingo gets suplexed by Lee and then superkicked. Poision Rana by Vikingo! Meteora by Vikingo, he goes up top, Shooting Star press gets two! Americano breaks it up and starts setting up the English announce table. Americano & Dom team up to powerbomb Vikingo through the table! Of course they turn against each other afterwards. Finn & JD are at ringside, and they hold Dragon lee for a 619 by Dom! Americano breaks up the pinfall. The LWO is out to fight the Judgment Day. Dragon Lee hits a flying forearm for two. We got more El Grande Americanos! Blockbuster by the Americano actually in the match gets a two count. Americano tries to load the mask, but Dragon Lee takes them all out. Operation Dragon gets a two count! Vikingo breaks it up, goes up top, hits the 450 on Lee for two! Dom dons a loaded mask, which is apparently the style Rey Mysterio Sr. wore! He dumps Vikingo outside. Americano goes down, as does Lee! Dom goes up top, hits the frog splash! It gets two! Somebody in a mask takes the referee out! IT’S AJ STYLES! Styles Clash to Dirty Dom! Vikingo up top! 630 to Dirty Dom! Vikingo retains the championship to the dismay of this CDMX crowd!

Winner: El Hijo del Vikingo (15:05 via pinfall)
Match Rating: ***1/4
Not really sure what’s going on with the Vikingo reactions these days, it seems like a bit of the old John Cena stuff back in the day where a bunch of people decided he didn’t deserve the push. Considering the fact that these folks booing Vikingo are likely in favor of pushing Alberto El Patron instead…well, I’m not inclined to side with them, that’s for sure. Fun match though.

Vikingo celebrates as the show comes to an end.

If you’d like to chime in with your own thoughts on tonight’s show, feel free to join your fellow 411 Maniacs down in the comment section! As the immortal Larry Csonka always said: Have fun and don’t be a dick. When I’m not here you can catch me on the social media from time to time.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Gotta say it was nice to see a TripleMania show without a ton of technical difficulties or botches that would set Twitter ablaze. It was a decent mixture of classic AAA stuff with the new things WWE will be infusing into it. I know a lot of people were hoping Dom would win the main event, but he's got enough stuff going on where he doesn't need to be the top guy here. Vikingo is a good worker, and the heat he's getting will benefit whoever knocks him off eventually. Perhaps Hijo de Wagner? A good night for AAA here, hope to see more of it coming soon.