CMLL takes center stage for historic US show in Las Vegas amid WrestleMania week
Pro wrestling fans will descend on Las Vegas for days of action ahead of WrestleMania 42 this week, but WWE is hardly the only game in town.
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), one of Mexico’s most popular pro wrestling promotions, is set to hold its first solo show in the U.S. in its 92-year history. CMLL has produced many legendary pro wrestlers and some of its top stars presently are making significant waves in other major North American promotions like All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Ring of Honor (ROH).
The company has partnered with AEW and ROH on plenty of occasions with some pro wrestlers in the latter promotions signing dual contracts allowing them to compete on each other’s shows, including Místico and Thunder Rosa. CMLL is set to put together an intriguing card that will showcase Lucha Libre style of pro wrestling that the average fan might have never seen before.
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Flip Gordon, who is the National Wrestling Alliance's world historic middleweight champion, is among those participating in matches at the historic CMLL show. He said for CMLL to have its own show in Las Vegas underscored the incredible momentum the company has put together.
"I think it's very significant. Last year, we sold over a million tickets in Arena Mexico, which no other company has ever done in the history of professional wrestling," Gordon told Fox News Digital. "CMLL is on a hot streak right now. We're selling out shows left and right. I think this year we're gonna break the record for most sold out shows in our 92-year history. This show is very significant because this is the first time that we are crossing the border into the United States as a company. We are bringing our talent to Las Vegas to put on the best show we can to show what Lucha Libre is. CMLL is the creator of Lucha Libre. Now it's our chance to show exactly what Lucha Libre is and we're very excited."
He added that fans are in for a treat as many notable names are going to be on the card.
"Oh, this show is stacked," Gordon said. "So, we got, in the main event, we got Místico (and Templario) versus Hechicero (and Ángel de Oro) in a champion versus champion match. We have Claudio Castagnoli versus Atlantis Jr. … Atlantis, Jr., obviously, second generation superstar. He's a huge star. He's having a breakthrough year right now, he's in AEW as well as CMLL.
"Then we have my match, I'm tagging with Capitán Suicida. We're going against two of the brightest young stars in all the professional wrestling, not just Mexico, all over the world, in Máscara Dorada and Neón. That one's gonna be a really fun, fast-paced match. I think that one's, a lot of people are gonna be very interested in seeing that match. And then we got a bunch of others.
"We got Persephone defending her women's championship (against Tessa Blanchard). We got another trios match. We have a legends match. We have Blue Panther versus Último Guerrero, which is gonna be phenomenal. Blue Panther, I believe he's in his 60s, and he's still at the top of his game. So if you've never seen Blue Panther, this is a must-see show because he's gonna go crazy, especially against Último."
Gordon, who is from Massachusetts, said that he’s relishing the opportunity to be on the card because he’s an American who gets to represent his adopted home of Mexico at such a pivotal moment.
He added that he hoped to showcase the different style of pro wrestling that CMLL has to offer.
"I'm very honored to be a part of this card because, obviously, I'm a foreigner, I'm living down here as a foreigner," Gordon told Fox News Digital. "My wife and my family, I have two daughters, they're Mexican, they were born here.
"So, to be part of the show as a foreign but representing Mexico, representing CMLL, it's a true honor for me because I get to represent the country I love, the company I love and It's gonna be exciting to show a different style, because a lot of the fans have never seen me do Lucha Libre. They've only seen me in American style. So I'm very excited to show how much I've grown as a professional wrestler, how much I've grown as a person, and it's gonna be really fun to see some familiar faces."
CMLL is one of a handful of companies participating in Slam FestSlam Fest, joining Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling, Stardom, Maple Leaf Pro and House of Glory. Each company will host their shows at the Pearl Theater in Palms Casino Resort.
The CMLL event is set for Thursday at 3 p.m. PT.