CMLL Martes Populares Review – 09.23.25

Streamed LIVE on the CMLL YouTube Channel from Arena Mexico in Mexico City. I continue to sink my teeth into CMLL, though for now, I’ve only subscribed to their cheapest membership tier (live Tuesday broadcast, the Friday shows on a 9-day delay and… well, I think that’s it. If I want the supercards, I’m gonna need to open that wallet a little more).

Match Relampago: Retro vs Troyano
We’ve got a tight 10-minute time limit scheduled for one fall. Lockup, Toryano picks the leg. They jockey for control, with neither getting a significant advantage. Retro picks the leg and is caught in a cross arm bar. Leg sweeps covers and both men return to a neutral position.Whip is reversed and Retro with a springboard body press, followed by a rope assisted arm drag. A flying head-scissors sends Troyano to the floor. He avoids a dive and hits a tope con hilo. Back inside, Troyano lights up Retro with palm strikes across the chest. Retro’s legs are wrapped in the ropes (think Shattered Dreams position) and Troyano charges into the corner with a shotgun dropkick for two. Whip to the ropes, Troyano with a spine-buster and basement dropkick to the back of the head. Retro surprises Troyano coming off the ropes with a dropkick, sends him through the ropes with a head-scissors, and completes the sequence with a tope con hilo of his own. Back inside, Retro with a swinging suplex for two. He sits across the shoulders with a modified surfboard, but Troyano powers out and hits a Samoan drop for two. Retro goes for a hurricanrana but Troyano counters with a Liger-Bomb for a near-fall. We’re down to the last minute on the clock. Retro sends Troyano to the apron and takes him off the top with a super-plex. Troyano misses a clothesline and Retro puts him down for three with a bridging German suplex at 9:34. Retro’s movement was clunky at times and the opening exchange wasn’t working for me, but it picked up well enough mid-way through to break even. **

Relevo Australiano de Pequenos Estrellas; A Dos de Tres Caidas:
Shockercito (Capitan), Aereo, y Galaxy vs. Mercurio (Capitan), Minos I y Minos II:
Wow, CMLL has a deeper roster of pequenos than I expected. This is Best out of 3 Falls, with falls awarded for pinning the captain or both of the non-captain members of the team. 1A. Caida – Aereo starts with Minos Primero with our standard center-ring action. Aereo flips through a hammer-lock, sending Minos Primero to the canvas with an arm drag. They take turns exchanging pinning combinations and bring in Galaxy and Mercurio. Galaxy flashes his quickness as we stalemate again, and now it’s time for Shockercito and Minos Segundo. Shockercito with the wheelbarrow arm drag and spinning head-scissors, clearing the ring and giving him the platform to hit the taunt button. Aereo gets cute, diving off the apron with a somersault, only to get ambushed by Mercurio and Minos Segundo and punished accordingly. Galaxy takes a combo lung blower and double stomp, sending him to the floor and leaving captain Shockercito in an inevitable 3-on-1 disadvantage. Minos I y II cradle rock him into the arms of Mercurio, hitting a Powerbomb into a bow-and-arrow/arm breaker, forcing Shockercito to surrender the fall at 5:15.

2A. Caida – Shockercito is still in the ring, getting pummeled. Galaxy’s attempt to save is thwarted. The rudos celebrate prematurely. Shockercito makes his own comeback, wiping out Mercurio on the outside. Galaxy y Aereo takes out Mino I y II with fireman carry slams and come off the top with a pair of frog splashes for the second fall at 1:44.

3A. Caida – Aereo sends Mino Primero to the floor and launches Segundo face-first into the turnbuckle. Mercurio and Aereo trade palm strikes, with Mercurio the worse for wear with some fantastic facial expressions. Galaxy frustrates both Mino I y II and Mercurio tries to fake a low blow. This fall has been all tecnicos as the rudos regroup on the apron. I apologize if I’ve misidentified each Mino, the tattooed Mino is Segundo, and the one without the torso tattoos is Primero. Mercurio temporarily cuts off Shockercito, but is caught with a sunset flip for a near-fall. A trio of sunset flips out of the corner from the rudos get near falls across the board. Galaxy takes out Segundo on the floor with an Asai moonsault. Shockercito goes around the world on Mercurio and finishes with a spinning behind-the-back bow-and-arrow at 5:58. Well, whatever that move is called, I love it, and I was with this match all the way. Solid pacing of each fall with each fall telling a different story as the tecnicos took control to steal the second fall and rode that momentum through the third. ***½

Match Relámpago de Amazonas: La Catalina vs. Olympia:
We’re back with another 1-on-1 one-fall contest with a 10-minute time limit. Here I was getting prepared for a marathon of tags. Lockup into the corner, Catalina climbs the ropes and uses the momentum to send Olympia across the ring. Olympia immediately recovers, running through Catalina with a shoulder block and grabbing a front face-lock. Catalina with a snap mare counter, followed by a running dropkick. She hits Olympia with a fisherman suplex, a running hip attack, and follows her to the floor with an apron senton. Olympia snatches Catalina off the top turnbuckle, dropping her face-first with a press slam. Whip to the corner. Olympia rolls through with an arm drag and lands a boot to the side of the head. Olympia continues to dish it out in the corner but Catalina shows off her fighting spirit, unloading with forearms and taking Olympia out of the corner with a bulldog. Olympia powders and Catalina follows, springboarding off the second rope with a body press.

Back inside, Olympia blocks a double under-hook and throws Catalina on her shoulders, showing off her strength with some squats. Catalina takes advantage of Olympia’s boastful behavior, taking her over with a sunset flip for two. Catalina with a drop toe hold into the ropes, followed by a hip attack and Shining Wizard for a near-fall. Olympia pops out of the corner and takes Catalina over with a Northern Lights suplex for two. They battle for control in the corner, with Olympia attempting a sunset flip Powerbomb, but Catalina counters with a hurricanrana. She goes to the well once too often with the hip attack and gets stomped out in the corner. Olympia’s wrecking ball dropkick misses, but she recovers by skinning the cat and hitting a Bronco Buster. Catalina avoids a charging Olympia, takes her down with an electric chair drop, and comes off the top with a splash for three at 8:25. Quite the sprint, with Olympia flashing some impressive strength while Catalina hung around long enough to take advantage of a late mistake to take the fall. ***½

Relevo Sencillo; A Dos de Tres Caidas:
Max Star y Futuro vs. Virus y Guerrero Maya Jr.
Of the four, I’ve only had a few different chances to see Virus in action. Both team members must be pinned or made to submit to earn a fall. 1A. Caida – Futuro starts with Virus. Lockup and they battle for control, trading holds at center-ring. Virus with a leg sweep into a bridge, but Futuro rolls through and captures Virus in a bow-and-arrow. Virus escapes a wrist-lock and goes for the arm, but Futuro counters and rolls over with a crucifix for a two-count. They keep going back-and-forth on the ground and neither man is able to maintain control before tagging in their partners to try their luck. Star with a rolling half-nelson but Maya Jr kicks out immediately. They lock hands and jockey for control. Leg sweep from Maya, but Star pops up and snaps over with an arm drag. Maya Jr with a springboard arm drag, sending Star out of the ring. Star avoids a dive attempt but gets clipped by Virus. Futuro gets tripped up and Virus with a basement dropkick. Max Star with an assisted double dropkick. Synchronized Super-Kicks, 6-1-9’s and splashes is enough for Star and Futuro to take the first fall at 5:16.

2A. Caida – Futuro flashes his athleticism but is sent to the canvas with a single palm strike. Whip into the corner, Futuro escapes and sends Virus out of the ring with a dropkick. Guerrero Maya Jr rushes in and is sent packing following a spinning hurricanrana. Virus and Max Star trade strikes, with Virus planting a boot to the midsection to gain the advantage. Whip to the ropes and a head-scissors sends Virus out of the ring again. Corkscrew arm drag to Maya Jr, followed by a spinning variant that sends Jr through the ropes. Virus sends Max Star out of the ring and Maya Jr hits a tope suicida. Virus sweeps Futura off the ropes for a face-first landing across the apron. Back inside, Maya Jr with a short-clothesline and drops Max Star across the knee for three at 3:33. Virus locks up the arms of Futuro and locks him up for a submission at 3:51 to even the match at one fall apiece.

3A. Caida – The action begins with Virus laying in on Futuro with chops while Guerrero Maya Jr throws Max Star into the guardrail. Back inside, Maya Jr with a delayed Falcon Arrow but Max Star makes the save. There’s a half-hearted attempt to rip off the mask of Max Star, but they give up on it pretty quickly. Virus and Maya Jr control the ring until Virus misses a dive into the ropes. A double arm drag clears the ring, followed by a synchronized tope con hilo. Back inside, it’s back-and-forth with the rudos hooking a pair of magistral cradles for near-falls. Futuro snatches Maya Jr off the top with a hurricanrana and Max Star hits the 450 splash for three at 4:37. Step-up enzuigiri lays out Virus and Futuro finishes with a springboard moonsault at 5:20 for the deciding fall. I appreciate the extended series of technical work in the first fall and they put on a balanced performance across the three falls. ***

Relevo Australiano; A Dos de Tres Caidas:
Templario (Capitán), Explosivo, y Star Jr. vs. Barbaro Cavernario (Capitán), El Terrible, y El Elemental:
Just going by first visual impressions, Star Jr looks like a pretty boy rock star and Barbaro Cavernario is Captain Caveman. 1A. Caida – Explosivo starts with Barbaro. Explosivo repeatedly escapes submission attempts and counters an abdominal stretch with a crucifix cradle. Barbaro with a leg trip and surfboard, but Explosivo spins out and locks in the hold himself. Both men end up with their shoulders down and we return to a neutral stance. El Terrible and Templario have words before Templario hits the ropes. Terrible puts Templario down with a shoulder block and charges into the corner with a slap. Star Jr is sent out of the ring by Elemental (thanks for showing up!) and Explosivo is stunned with a step-up enzuigiri from Barbaro. Templario spins out of a butterfly hook and catches Barbaro with a Super-Kick. We get a bit of a mistimed sequence of the rudos accidentally hitting Barbaro with elbows, and the tecnico trio covers the entire team at 4:35. On replay, Terrible’s elbow was fine, but Elemental was way too late.

2A. Caida – Barbaro and Star Jr trade strikes to open the fall. Crisscross and Star fires off a flurry of palm strikes before executing a pop-up head-scissors. Star Jr with a rolling snap mare and dropkick, sending Barbaro through the ropes, and man does this guy spam that taunt button. Templario out-maneuvers Terrible y Elemental and clears the ring without much trouble. Explosivo controls, successfully going 1-v-1 against all three opponents. Springboard body press on Elemental gets a two-count. Elemental cuts off Explosivo and throws him Powerbomb style into the guardrail! Templario is singled out in the ring. He surprises Barbaro with a sunset flip counter to an assisted Powerbomb. Star Jr y Explosivo helps even things out, but Barbaro snatches Templario from the rear and gets the submission out of the captain at 5:44. I shouldn’t expect a clean sweep, but that little comeback at the end tricked me.

3A. Caida – Explosivo gets the straddle treatment across the guardrail, taking him out for the foreseeable future. Star Jr gets trapped in the corner with all three men getting their shots in. Barbaro with a spine-buster into a giant swing, with El Terrible hitting a dropkick mid-move for a near-fall. Explosivo is back in the ring and looking like he’s of little help in turning things around for his squad. Elemental y Terrible sweep him off the top turnbuckle for a rough landing. It’s Templario’s turn to take a beating before getting knocked through the ropes. Explosivo y Star Jr take out Elemental y Terrible while Templario cradles Barbaro for a two-count. Barbaro gets wacky doing a worm and gets knocked out of the ring, where Templario quickly greets him with a tope suicida. Explosivo with a fireman’s slam and corkscrew splash on Elemental for three at 4:50, and Star Jr hits El Terrible with a Swanton Bomb for the final fall at 5:16. Explosivo is down and the medical team looks him over before taking him away on a stretcher. The replay shows a bit of a rough landing. Decent action, but the weakest of tonight’s tag team matches. The first fall having such a poorly timed finish took me out of it a bit. They recovered nicely for the second fall, but something was missing at the end. **¾

Relevo Australiano; A Dos de Tres Caídas:
Titan (Capitán), Esfinge y Neon vs. Hechicero (Capitan), Valiente, y Villano III Jr:
The Main Event and our final match of the night. Hechicero comes to the ring with Tengu (a micro estrella) by his side. I apologize for running this question up the flag pole so often, but seriously, how many belts are there, and do any of them matter? Also, what leg do I need to hump to get El Sky Team out there for a trios match?! 1A. Caida – Rudos attempt an opening bell attack, but tecnicos are able to break up their numbers game. Esfinge with a pair of spinning back breakers on Valiente before removing his mask! Hechicero y Villano III Jr with the double-leg pick, allowing Valiente to get a bit of revenge for the disrespect. Neon finds himself in the unenviable spot of being singled out and Hechicero quickly gets a three-count on him at 1:54 with a crucifix. Tengu gets some heat on the ramp while Valiente submits Esfinge for the first fall at 2:40.

2A. Caida – Poor Titan gets worked over between falls and Tengu hits him with a suplex to add insult to injury. Neon takes a beating in the corner as things start looking hopeless for our tecnicos. Hechicero y Valiente go to town with the wish-bone attack. I’m sure that man has a family to feed! Hechicero teases going for the mask of Titan. Hechicero leaves him hanging out to dry as Villano comes off the top with a double stomp across the back. Neon takes a delayed double front suplex and basement dropkick, and luckily for him, is able to escape through the ropes. Valiente goes for the mask of Esfinge, unsuccessfully. Hechicero drops Neon across the rail and dives off the apron with an elbow after spamming his taunt. Back in the ring, Esfinge shows signs of life, knocking Valiente through the ropes with a Super-Kick and following with a tope suicida. Neon with a pop-up dropkick on Hechicero, and a double-jump moonsault gets three at 5:35. Titan also pinned Villano III Jr, but who cares, the Captain took the L. Between falls, it’s Tengu’s turn to get his comeuppance, which is more than I can say for Don Callis in AEW.

3A. Caida – Hechicero and Neon open the fall, trading blows. Whip to the ropes, Neon ducks under a clothesline and spins out to send Hechicero out of the ring with an arm drag. Esfinge wants some of Valiente, but he powders and taunts the crowd. Hechicero shows off, avoiding Titan’s strikes and sending him into the ropes. Villano III Jr with a step-up enzuigiri from the apron, but Valiente quickly fumbles the bag and hits his own partner by mistake. Titan snaps off a head-scissors, sending Villano out of the ring. Neon expertly uses the ropes to clear the ring and the trio of tecnicos hit the floor with a full set of tope suicida. Back inside, Esfinge takes advantage of rudo miscommunication. Valiente cuts him off with a modified lung blower for three at 6:22. Titan springs off the top and hits a body press, but Hechicero quickly picks up the rebound, lands a jumping knee strike, and Villano finishes with a head-stand springboard moonsault for the deciding fall at 6:47. Hechicero’s team certainly controlled the pacing of the match, giving enough hope spots to Titan’s team to keep them in the contest. ***½

Final Thoughts: An entertaining 2-hours of action. I wouldn’t say anything is a must-see as a stand-alone recommendation, but most of the tag matches came off well (to the surprise of no one, I really love Hechicero and Neon, so I’d probably watch the main event again just to see them work), and I really enjoyed Olympia vs Catalina. The opener wasn’t much to speak of, and I was in-and-out with interest for the trios captained by Templario and Barbaro Cavernario, but you could do worse with 2-hours (like one of those marathon ROH Specials on YouTube… which I will gladly recap every time they drop).