November 20 has passed and there’s loads of good news coming out of it. IWA, WWC & LAWE had their events with varying levels of success but with big news coming out of all of them. Let’s see what’s going on in Puerto Rico this week.
Puerto Rico News Report #4 – LAWE, IWA, WWC, and More
LAWE Orígenes; It Hit Different
I had the opportunity to attend the LAWE card on Saturday. To say it stuck out was an understatement. The best word I can use to describe the event was “professional”. So many small details in what was a very professional production. It felt like I was watching a mid-level promotion like Pro Wrestling NOAH or IMPACT! Wrestling. The matches were very good and for the most part, devoid of any kind of interference or over-booking. The main event did live up to the hype, before a political ending had to be used. It’s the Champions of two major companies after all. It was a spectacular experience.
Referee’s Mike Chioda & Drake Younger (NXT’s Drake Wuertz) were a part of the event, as the rumors of the company first started circulating in June because of Chioda. Chioda was very loved by the crowd. As were a lot of the younger acts on the card that up to this point, had very little exposure. They caught on very well.
The promotion announced the event will stream on Pay-Per-View this coming Wednesday on the service SpynTyx. Their next event will be on January 22, titled “Ascensión” (Ascension) where they will reveal how the LAWE Championship will be contested. No other details were announced.
The event was around the 1,600 to 2,000 attendance range. Which was without a doubt the most successful gate in years. Although the arena could reach 4,000 depending on setup so there is room for improvement of course, especially given the La Rebelión vs Lucha Bros main event. But, as stated, for all the amount of content in Puerto Rico, it’s clear a lot of fans have been jaded by Puertorican companies in the last couple of years. So 1,800 is a success. In addition, the PPV can make extra earnings if marketed well enough internationally.
IWA Saw Success
For all the wackiness, IWA’s Hardcore Weekend event was an overall success. A full house at the Manatí Acropolis, an estimate of 400 fans. The live Pay-Per-View streaming did have some issues. But it wasn’t so overwhelming that it required mass refunds like the past three times. All matches were under hardcore rules on top of the 24/7 title rules which resulted in many changes starting on Thursday.
Probably the biggest news coming out of the Hardcore Weekend event is that Manny Ferno managed to leave as the World Champion by attacking Champion Lightning in the locker room, winning his first World title. Mighty Ursus exited as the Intercontinental Champion and the Owners Of Time are the Tag Team Champions again.
Their final event (I think) for 2021 will be a TV taping at the Acropolis on December 4.
WWC Tries To Capture Attention
WWC without a doubt had a rough night and week. Hector Frodo Cabán, who was brought in as their new editor and commentator has already left for LAWE. This was easy to see coming given LAWE has pretty much the entire staff used on the Lucha Libre America project with the exception of him, who was only used in WWC as editor and commentator. It always seemed like a grave waste of his talents. In his place will be Emmanuel Santiago, who is also a member of the wrestling media company Contralona.
WWC made big announcements on their show for their Anniversary event in January. The Good Brothers and Alberto El Patrón will be a part of the card, on top of the already announced Carlito vs Andrade El Idolo match. I dreaded the return of Alberto for a long time, but there he is. It’s not shocking given he’s great friends with the Colon family. The Good Brothers announcement sticks out as they were at one point announced for LAWE back in July. They’ll likely face the WWC Tag Team Champions, La Formula who’ve been asking for challengers. As for Alberto, he could be an interesting first opponent for Carlos Calderón, especially if they manage to get the Universal title on him but I’m not sure we’re getting the Gilbert/Calderon match before the Anniversary on January 15.
CWA Brings In WWC Champion
On Friday’s CWA Campeones Del Hexagono we had a surprising cross-over. As WWC’s then-Jr. Heavyweight Champion, Justin Dynamite, appeared on the show during the Malecón Night Club segment. This turned out to be some foreshadowing. At the WWC show the next day, he lost the Jr Heavyweight title to Androide 787 and then announced himself as a “free agent”. No one is under contract in Puerto Rico so this was essentially him announcing his exit from WWC after a 2 year stint. He will have his in-ring re-debut this next Friday. Justin Dynamite was a former PR Champion and World Champion, defeating Star Roger in what was the pay-off of a pretty detailed storyline in 2017. Unfortunately, he left right after.
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No TV results this week sadly. I was out of town for the LAWE show.
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Other News Notes:
- OIL keeps making noise. Their latest bits include announcing an alliance with Robles Promotions. A Tex/Mex promotion that uses various Mexican talents including the likes of LA Park, Alberto El Patrón, Blue Demon Jr, Pagano, and others.
- OIL followed up announcing by Texano Jr for some future event. It’s their MO. Big announcement after big announcement to keep their names on people’s mouths despite the lack of, you know, wrestling.
- GZW’s last show of the year will be this weekend, November 27. D-Von Dudley’s kids are coming in for the event.
