Browsing: Xelhua

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CMLL WOMEN’S GRAND PRIX
OCTOBER 24, 2025
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO AT ARENA MEXICO

The show opened with a seventeen-minute video package showing clips from recent CMLL events capped off with Mercedes Moné’s victory over Persephone from Oct. 17. The show proper began with an CMLL ring announcer Omar Garcia speaking in the ring with the Grand Prix trophy next to him. Miguel of the commentary team was seemingly doing a live translation for the English speaking audience, but the audio was cutting in and out. The CMLL opening then played.

(Analysis: The opening video was a little excessive at 17 minutes. Closing with Mercedes and Persephone was nice though. It wouldâ€ve been nice if the commentator had properly introduced Garcia for those of us unfamiliar with CMLL. Having a big intro highlighting the main event did make it feel important though. As for the cutting in and out, thankfully this was the worst of the production issues for the show. Tying the Triller feed in with the CMLL feed is clearly still a work in progress as the commentators definitely sounded like they were on top of the wrestling again.)

(1) Dragón de Fuego & Dragón Legendario vs El Elemental & Yutani

Yutani and Dragón de Fuego started things off. They went for a Greco-Roman knuckle lock and spun that off into an exchange of moves that featured Yutani on Fuego’s shoulders and double bridge spot all while they fingers were still interlaced. Once they let go, Fugeo caught Yutani with two quick arm drags and a dropkick that sent Yutani out of the ring. He didnâ€t get to celebrate long though as Elemental, replacing his partner, bum rushed him with a shoulder block sending him out of the ring. Legendario hit a springboard crossbody on Elemental but, Elemental popped up and turned Legendario inside out with a clothesline.

Legendario was sent into the corner where he was double teamed by the heels. He fought back. He knocked Yutani off the apron and caught him with a glancing thrust kick. As he set up to do a springboard move Elemental excecuted a sunset flip over him and attempted a powerbomb but Legendario held on. Meanwhile Fuego attempted a hurricanrana off the apron onto Yutani but Yutani caught him. The heels powerbombed the faces into each other. Fuego was then isolated in the ring.

Yutani worked over the leg of Fuego. Yutani tagged in Elemental. Elemental executed an Alabama slam and then stretched Fuego across his knees so Yutani could a hit a double stomp (Nice tandem move). Legendario broke up the pin attempt only to fall prey to a double team. The Dragons started to mount a comeback. Fuego tossed Legendario who then hit a hurricanrana on Yutani. In return Legendario monkey flipped Fuego into a hurricanrana on Elemental. Fuego hit a springboard implosion 450 splash on both the heels followed by Legendario hitting a springboard shooting star press onto the heels himself.

Yutani was thrown back into the ring and double teamed by the Dragons. Elemental attempted to save Yutani from a tandem move only for Legendario to leap from the top rope, springboarding off the back of Yutani who was up in a fireman’s carry on Fuego’s shoulders, into a destroyer. The heels kicked out of the double pin attempt. Elemental reversed an attempted superplex into a Del Rio stomp. Upon landing he immediately hit a shotgun dropkick on Legendario in the corner that Legendario kicked out of at the last second. The heels turned their attention back to Fuego. Elemental hit a clothesline and they executed a double brainbuster which allowed Yutani to get the pin.

WINNER: Yutani.

(Analysis: Good opener. The story of the match was the team of established babyfaces fighting against a first-time team of heels from two different factions. Both teams actually worked well together. The heels picking up the win was thus a surprise especially since the commentators were playing up the idea that the Dragóns could possibly get a tag team title match. The finish itself was a bit anticlimactic as the shotgun dropkick looked more devastating than the double brainbuster.)

(2) Xelhua vs Hechicero – Lightning Match 10 minute time limit

Both men spent the first minute or so of the match going through rapid fire grappling exchanges, picking each otherâ€s limbs but not being able to lock on a hold. They exchanged chops and then went right back into a grappling exchange. Hechicero locked on a hammerlock but Xelhua quickly got free. After eating some strikes from Hechicero, Xelhua briefly locked a leg hold. Hechicero got loose, tripped up Xelhua and hit a slingshot tornillo for the first near fall.

Hechicero took himself out of the ring and Xelhua captialized with a slingshot plancha to the floor. Xelhua threw Hechicero back in the ring and hit a Ricky Steamboat-esque crossbody off the top rope. Xelhua hit a flashy arm drag but got met with a powerbomb when he leapt at Hechicero for a hurricanrana. As Hechicero approached him, Xelhua did a headstand from his back into a headscissors. Both men got to their feet. Hechicero did victory roll waistlock take down and then flipped Xelhua into the rear naked choke.

Xelhua rolled backwards out of it and then attempted to apply a crossface which was reversed and set off another mat grappling exchange. Both men scored near falls on each other. Hechicero grew frustrated, dropkicked Xelhuaâ€s knee and hit a DDT. Xelhua fought back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker only to wind up get caught in the corner and blasted with the running climbing knee strike from Hechicero. Hechicero went for it a second time but Xelhua took him down with an armbreaker.

The two men again exchanged strikes. Hechicero took his straps down, baited Xelhua to strike him which he reversed into a dropkick that sent Xelhua into the corner. Hechicero hit a second running climbing knee followed by his headscissor spike for the win at just over 7 and a half minutes.

(Analysis: A good match that didnâ€t go into second gear because of the time limit. I like the concept of the lightning match and it was smart to put it on a card with long main event. Both men certainly wrestled with a sense of urgency. They have good chemistry together. The grappling exchanges and reversals were top tier. The finish was a little wonky as Xelhua didnâ€t quite get all the way over for the spike. The commentators noted that this was the fourth match between these two. With this win Hechicero moves to 4-0, while Xelhua is still chasing his first win over the veteran.)

(3) Mascara Dorada and Títan vs. Barbaro Cavernario and Difunto – Two out of Three Falls

Titán and Cavernario started things off with speedy exchange. Cavernario got Titán up in a surfboard but Titán stood up out of it and put Cavernario in a surfboard himself. Titán rotated the surfboard into a pin attempt but Cavernario kicked out. Cavernario slapped the taste out of Titánâ€s mouth. Titán then responded with shoulder tackle and then a springboard crossbody. A dropkick sent Cavernario out of the ring and Difunto replaced him, catching Titán with a flying elbow.

Titán left the ring and Mascara Dorada springboarded into the ring. Difunto took him down with a spinning heel kick. Difunto and Dorada exchanged moves until Dorada nailed a springboard hurricanrana on Difunto followed immediately by a tope con hilo to Difunto who had rolled to the floor. Cavernario looked to do a dive onto Dorada but Titán cut him off, sent him to the floor and hit a tope suicida. Cavernario and Dorada got in the ring. The heels attempted to double team but Titán saved his partner. Titán launched Cavernario into a gamunguri from Dorada before catching Difunto with a spinning heel kick. Both faces climbed to the top rope and hit a simultaneous double stomp/shooting star press for a double pin to win the first fall.

The second fall kicked off with Titán quickly dispatching of Difunto. Cavernario replaced his partner. He sent Titán into the corner but caught a boot when he ran in afterwards. In response Cavernario did the worm. Titán then grabbed Cavernario and did a rope walk and bounce into a springboard hurricanrana. A second hurricanrana sent Cavernario to the floor. Difunto entered the ring. Titán tagged in Dorada. Dorada hit a rapid-fire sequence of hurricanranas on both heels from inside and outside the ring. Dorada went for a tope suicida but was caught by the heels and slammed back first into the barricade. Titán was left alone to get double teamed.

Cavernario held Titán in place for Difunto to hit most of a dropkick to the abdomen for a near fall. Dorada made his way back into the ring only to be met with a suplex from Cavernario. The heels attempted a double team on Dorada but Titán pulled him out the ring. Difunto went after Titán but ate kick in the face and then a top rope tornillo into an arm drag from Dorada. The faces then hit simultaneous dives over the top onto the heels on the floor. Difunto and Titán reentered the ring. Titán dropped Difunto with a strike combination that ended with a spin kick. He skinned the cat up to the top rope and landed another double stomp onto Difunto to eliminate him from the fall. Cavernario immediately jumped on Titán.

They exchanged strikes until Cavernario ducked and then hooked Titán up and landed a facebuster out of a powerbomb position for three count. Titán was eliminated from the fall. Dorada waited for Cavernario to turn around and then hit a springboard crossbody. Cavernario ducked a clothesline and then went for the move that beat Titán but Dorada blocked it and then hit a destroyer. Dorada went up for the shooting star press again but rolled through when he saw Cavernario roll out of the way.

Cavernario jumped up and applied his La Cavernaria modified camel clutch submission hold. Dorada tapped out but Cavernario refused to relinquish the hold so the ref disqualified him thus giving Dorada and Titán the win. Cavernario continued wrenching on the hold after the bell while also grabbing for Doradaâ€s mask. The ref tried to pull Cavernario off Dorada to no avail. Cavernario finally succeeded in ripping off Doradaâ€s mask to a loud chorus of boos from the Arena Mexico crowd. He put Dorada into a crossface chicken wing and Difunto kicked him while Titán awkwardly watched at ringside. Cavernario finally let go and a member of the lucha libre commission entered the ring to admonish him.

(Analysis: Really good match. All four of these guys are very good workers but Dorada is special. The way he moves around the ring is hard to get across in print. Heâ€s spectacular. Cavernario came to the ring dressed in a Fred Flintstone shirt that Iâ€m glad he took off because it wouldâ€ve contradicted the viciousness and seriousness of the angle that closed the match. Itâ€s so interesting to see how much more seriously unmasking a luchador is treated in Mexico than in the states. Cavernario was immediately disqualified for refusing to let go of the submission and going for the mask. The crowd rained boos down on him. A member of management came to the ring to chastise him. This likely sets up a future one-on-one match between Cavernario and Dorada. My one issue is a technical one. I wish the commentators had been clear about the elimination aspect of the match before the eliminations started to occur. Also, they couldâ€ve done better by Titán who had looked like a dope watching his partner get double teamed.)

The participants for the main event were introduced one by one. A military band then filled the ringside area and played the Mexican national anthem.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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(4) 2025 International Womenâ€s Grand Prix: Team CMLL: Persephone & Askadi & Olympia & La Catalina & India Sioux & Zeuxis & Lluvia & La Jarochita & Reyna Isis) vs. Team World (Shoko Nakajima & Koguma & Kanji & Mina Shirakawa & Thekla & Skye Blue & Julia Hart & Hazuki & Diamanté)

India Sioux and Koguma started out the match for their respective teams. For the first several minutes participants traded off with each member of each team getting some ring. At one point referees had to break up a scuffle between the teams at ringside.

Olympia finally scored the first elimination at 17 minutes in taking Koguma off the top rope in a gorilla press and then dropping her into the “Wildcat†Chris Harris Catatonic swinging side slam for the pin.

From there eliminations occurred in the following order:
India Sioux eliminates Kanji with a small package driver

Askadi eliminates Hazuki with a Michinoku Driver

Shoka Nakajima eliminates India Sioux with a Northern Lights suplex

Mina Shirakawa eliminates Askadi with a messy Figure Four

Olympia eliminates Diamanté with a sit out powerbomb.

Skye Blue eliminates Olympia with Code Blue

Thekla eliminates Reyna Isis (last year’s winner) with a spear

La Catalina eliminates Shoko with a One-Winged Angel

Julia Hart elimiantes Lluvia with Hart-less
Mina eliminates La Catalina with the Glamorous Driver

Persephone eliminates Mina with a crucifix powerbomb

Thekla eliminates La Jarochita with a stomp

Zeuxis eliminates Julia with double underhook lift into a Codebreaker

Skye Blue eliminates Zeuxis with powerbomb out of the corner

Persephone eliminates Skye with a springboard frog splash

Persephone and Thekla were the last two participants. Thekla did her spider walk and hit a spear but Persephone kicked out. Thekla bounced off the ropes but Persephone caught her with a snap slam. As Persephone climbed the top rope for a frog splash, Thekla rose and met her with a spider superplex. Thekla wasted time celebrating and that gave Persephone time to get to her feet and catch Thekla with a crucifix powerbomb for a close two count. Persephone wasted no time. She immediately dragged Thekla into position and hit a top rope moonsault for the win.
After the match Salvador Lutteroth and other members of the lucha libre commission came out to present Persephone with the trophy as streamers rained down from the ceiling. Persephone and her teammates danced and celebrated in the ring to close the show.

WINNER: Persephone

(Analysis: Really good match. This concept is new to me and I thought this was a very well-done introduction. Given the length and the number of competitors involved this thing had the capability to turn into a mess that dragged, but that didnâ€t happen. Instead, it was paced well with Team Mexico going up early with three eliminations and then having to battle back once Team World took control. The Triangle of Madness looked maybe the best that they ever have in this match with a pretty dominant performance. Thekla and Skye Blue each notched two eliminations and Julia notched one herself. Given that Julia and Skye each eliminated one of the CMLL womenâ€s tag champs, commentary pointed out that they had earned a future title match. On the CMLL side Olympia and Askadi really stood out with their unique looks and size. Given their similar body types, I bet WWE wishes Nia Jax moved with the agility and speed of Askadi. The finishing couple minutes were good. Given how the Triangle of Madness had been presented all match I thought Thekla had a solid chance to win although once Persephone was the final member of Team CMLL left, I shouldâ€ve realized she wouldnâ€t be booked to lose two big matches in row. The pre-match festivities and post-match celebration really made this feel like a big deal.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Another strong show from CMLL. Good opener with a somewhat surprising finish. The lightning match left fans wanting more. The angle in the second tag match set up a future match. The main event was well-executed version of an annual tradition. I wouldnâ€t mind AEW importing the Grand Prix concept for an event like Forbidden Door. The only tweak I would make is that it be a team win instead of an individual win.

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