Lucha Libre AAA Watch Parties

I'm assuming this will be broadcast on Twitch this upcoming Sunday evening.

There's a fair bit of stuff going on around the same time.

Here's the card for tonight's show:



I'll do my best to be awake in time to host a watch party as usual.

See you all there!

The next show is two weeks from this Sunday:



Looks like we'll be getting a fair share of storyline progression on this show.

From what I can find, King Balam is Mr. 450 using a different gimmick. He didn't really impress me the last time I saw him wrestle, but we'll see.

Lady Maravilla looks to be working heel in Trios match with Lady Shani. Lady Shani looks to be continuing her work as a babyface as her feud with Faby Apache continues. Interesting to note that Keyra has asked (demanded) a shot at Faby Apache's Reina De Reinas Title (AAA's Women's Title). Also, Keyra and Lady Maravilla got into a scuffle at the last AAA show that aired on Twitch - I'm unsure if that was a shoot because a whole bunch of people rushed to get them separated and Keyra unmasked Lady Maravilla. I'm going to safely assume that it was for storyline purposes, but we'll see. Keyra has been working heel lately, which is why I'm confused by Lady Maravilla working heel. I might be looking into it too much and it's most likely a case of "AAA gonna AAA", as usual.

The rest of the card looks good. I don't have too much to say as I don't particularly care about most of what's going on there. It's entertaining, and that's really all that matters. I will note that Fenix and Pentagon Jr. are working CMLL dates in the coming weeks, so that may possibly be why they're absent from this card.

Of course, the whole card is scheduled to change regardless.

Definitely getting an "all looks, some substance" feel from the clowns. Psycho Clown definitely has the it factor for his gimmick, but his wrestling to me is just okay so far. Need a bigger sample size from him since I'm still a novice at the finer points of lucha.

Also, is there a reason why Fantasma is still being posterized with a mask on?

Okay, so I'm gonna explain it the best I can from the ground up, interlacing the general history of lucha libre and AAA throughout to support the explanation.

First things first: You should treat modern-day AAA as a carnival spectacle. Once you've conditioned yourself to this, it's much easier to understand. Forget NJPW, WWE, or any other not-distinctly-lucha company exists. I didn't have a clue at first, but as soon as I started watching it as "entertainment" and not for "skillful displays of athleticism", it was much more enjoyable for me. My true enjoyment of lucha libre goes all the way back to when I was introduced to the likes of guys like Rey Mysterio Jr., Eddie Guerrero, Juventud Guerrera, among others on WCW television in the mid-90s.

Clowns have been around for ages. They're a staple of carnival attractions. I can't explain why, but they're super-popular in Mexico, especially. Their culture is much different than ours. Lucha libre as an athletic competition is rooted in Greco-Roman wrestling, but features more agile displays of human capabilities - A lot more high-flying, a lot more flash. This has caused some luchadores to become much more larger than life. El Santo ("The Saint") is pretty much considered "god-tier" in lucha libre culture and Mexico in general. Lucha Libre matches don't really end on a definitive spot (like a Finisher). They oftentimes end on a flash pin or disqualification. The wrestlers have finishers, but they're not the end-all-be-all.

Back to the clowns. "Payaso" literally means "clown" in Spanish. In the early 90s, there was a stable of clowns in AAA, cleverly named "Los Payasos", literally "The Clowns". From what I can recall, they were usually a heel stable, and acted similarly to Psycho Clown, but it wasn't as edgy or as outrageous as it is these days - Much more subdued, for lack of better terms. It should be mentioned that the clown gimmick is so popular that they're not necessarily connected to Psycho Clown or Los Psycho Circus, as is the case with Dave the Clown.

Psycho Clown is part of the Alvarado wrestling family. Other members of that family include Maximo, La Mascara, and Super Porky. He's related to Dalys and Negro Casas through marriage. He wrestled under different personas prior to adopting the Psycho Clown gimmick.

The "Psycho Clown" gimmick was introduced around 2007/2008. He (Psycho Clown) and two other wrestlers (the men who would become Monster and Murder Clown), would be repackaged and debut as Los Psycho Circus. They were created as wholly evil clowns. They started out as heels (or rudos in lucha libre terms). Unlike Los Payasos, who wore fabric masks, these guys wore rubber masks and were much more terrifying to look at (a la Killer Clowns from Outer Space). They were pushed pretty hard and would defeat team after team. The group would switch back and forth between alignments, amassing a Goldberg-like victory streak ("600 victories without a single loss"). The streak would come to an end when they faced off against Los Perros de Mal (The Bad/Evil Dogs). Los Perros de Mal were lead by the now deceased Perro Aguayo Jr. The group's members also include Joe Lider and Pentagon Jr. The feud between Los Psycho Circus and Los Perros de Mal would continue until Triplemania XIX (19). Los Perros de Mal had defeated Los Psycho Circus to become the first-ever AAA Trios Champions, the title currently held by El Nuevo Poder del Norte (literally "The New Power of the North").

Eventually Monster Clown and Murder Clown would turn on Psycho Clown, turning Psycho Clown face (or technico) in the process. Monster Clown and Murder Clown would ally themselves with Pagano, another luchador with a clown gimmick. However, Pagano wears facepaint (a la the Juggalos) and not a rubber mask. I believe this is where Psycho Clown got his mega push to become the top star of the company. He would go on to win the Latin American Championship, before losing it to Pentagon Jr. Ultimately he and Pagano would face each other at TripleMania 24 in a Mask vs Hair Match, which Psycho Clown won. Psycho Clown and Dr. Wagner Jr. would start a feud after this match that would last all the way up to Triplemania 25, where Psycho Clown would ultimately defeat Dr. Wagner Jr. in a Mask vs Mask Match.

The booking past this match is mostly a car crash and isn't very well documented from what I can find. Pagano would eventually turn face and has oftentimes been an ally of Psycho Clown since their match at TripleMania 24. The remaining members of Los Psycho Circus have also turned face in recent times, with Murder Clown most recently being involved in matches against Los Mercenarios (literally "The Mercenaries" - Rey Escorpion, La Mascara, El Hijo Del Fantasma, Texano Jr., and "El Umaga" - a nickname we've given to the Umaga lookalike).

Knowing now who Psycho Clown is, I originally compared him to Roman Reigns, but he's not even close to the same type of character. I mean, beyond the mega-push, they're nothing alike. The clown persona is wacky. It's cartoon-y. It's something to sell to the kids. He's ridiculously over with the kids. I like him because of his theme and his gimmick really helps sell the absolute lunacy of the main event storytelling. I like to think of him as an evolution of the Doink character. It's wacky. It's silly. It's total nonsense. It's a carnival exhibition in and of itself. It's not supposed to be taken seriously at all.

Psycho Clown wrestles a hardcore/deathmatch style because that's how the Main Event is usually booked. It's a car crash from start to finish. In most Main Event matches, you're really getting two matches in one. The match starts out usually as a hardcore brawl before it ultimately turns into your stereotypical lucha libre match. That's why you see him throwing chairs at people, or getting hit by one. That's why you see table spots and him being tossed into the crowd. That's why you see him finishing on a Magistral Cradle. Psycho Clown is trained just like every other luchador is, but his character doesn't really allow him to dazzle the crowd like an El Santo would.

Psycho Clown is a testament to the circus of yesteryear. He's charismatic beyond belief and can carry the crowd in the palm of his hand. He's one of the most over luchadores in the history of lucha libre, and I firmly believe that he deserves it. He may not look like he's a good wrestler, but he's convinced me with his character work. He gives me an even greater reason to care about the main event - Something I wouldn't care about otherwise. It's wacky and honestly pretty stupid, but it's fun, and that's what matters to me the most in wrestling.

I'll even throw in a gif of the Technical Wizard himself:




I don't have a definitive answer, but it's likely due to poor advertisement and the laziness of the company to change it, or they're doing it on purpose to sell more tickets.


That's why they're over.

That....was an incredible explnation of not just the history of the clowns, but the lucha libre appeal as a whole. I am satisfied.

*tips hat*

As for Fantasma, I believe you on that one as well. I bet they pre-made a bunch of posters in advance and they are still going through their initial run of them.