CMLL 2/20/2026 Viernes Espectacular
Note - CMLL made a major change this week and now captain's rules for trios matches are gone. All falls in trios matches will now end after someone is pinned or submitted. I do like to keep tradition alive but the captain's falls format was very confusing for everyone and I ultimately think this is a good change.
Almost all of CMLL's top stars are in NJPW for Fantasticamania, so this card will look a bit different than usual.
Torneo De Escuelas Quarter Final Match - Conquistador & Divino Dragon vs. Pantera Jr. & Psycotic
Con has the gold and blue and mask.
Pant and DD go at it. DD top wristlocks him then trips him. Pant armdrags him off the casadora but DD headflips out. Pant then headflips out of a headstand hurricanrana. They then stand off. Psy and Con go at it. Con 2nd rope moonsaults into an armdrag. He then springboard's into a bodyscissors takedown. Con takes an electric chair drop on his face. Pant springboard splashes Con. DD dropkicks Pant.
DD takes a double back elbow then he is pop-up dropped. Pant basement dropkicks him. Con is stomped on by his opponents. Con flips off of Psy then does a headscissors + armdrag takeover. DD asai moonsaults both opponents outside. Con top rope moonsaults outside.
Pant is sent into the rails. DD jawbreakers Psy then Psy takes a backcracker for 2. Pant spin kicks Con and flips over his back into a headscissors on DD. Pant tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Con. Con has the 2nd buckle 619'd into his face. Pant powerslams Con then 2nd rope moonsaults him for 2.
DD hits an AA on Pant. He holds him in the air by the neck and Psy breaks it up. Psy monkey flips DD. Psy takes a double boot then Psy hits a double suplex. Pant springboard splashes and Pant's team gets 2 counts. Con corkscrew headscissors Psy then takes a backbreaker from Pant. DD slingshot alley oops Pant for 2.
Pant back body drops DD out then tope con hilos him outside. Con comes off the top and Psy catches him. Psy pins Con with a landslide.
Thoughts: It was an okay opener full of flying. Psy impressed the least here. Con impressed the most here and did a lot of nice flying.They only had about 6-7 minutes to work with here.
Torneo De Escuelas Quarter Final Match - Cerebro Negro Jr. & Dominio vs. Kimba & Tenochca
Kim has the dragons on his mask.
Kim and Dom go at it. They trade some basic holds. Dom bodyscissors takedowns him and they get back up. Dom snapmares him then Kim armdrags him. They back elbow each other and headflip up together.
Negro and Ten go at Negro sweeps him and step up elbow drops him on the neck. Negro corner dropkicks him. Ten armdrags Negro off the casadora then superkicks him. Ten is popped up to the 2nd rope but he slips. They get back in and Ten flying headscissors him. Ten tornillo's him outside.
Dom and Kim go at it. Dom flips over the back. Dom double springboards into a flipping armdrag. Kim shoulders him over. Kim flips over Dom. Kim 2nd rope diving headscissors Dom out then tope con hilos him.
Dom is sat on the 2nd rope and he takes a dropkick. Negro hits a springboard dropkick on Ten. Negro chops Kim in the corner. Kim takes corner attacks. Negro tope con hilos Ten outside. Kim monkey flips Dom out into a tornillo on his partner. Negro and Ten trade chops. Negro takes a wasteland. Ten top rope ssp's him and pins him.
Thoughts: Like the opener, they only had about 7 minutes to work with. It was filled with action and high flying. I thought Dom was impressive here and I would have liked to have seen more of this. It was entertaining.
Torneo De Escuelas Quarter Final Match - Black Warrior Jr. & Makara vs. Camaleon Jr. & Karma I
Teh fight starts on the ramp. Mak flying headscissors Karma. BW is pushed off the ramp. Cam flip dives BW off the ramp. Mak does like a sideways ssp off the ramp.
Mak and Cam trade shots in the ring. Cam dances then flying armdrags Mak. Cam top rope dropkicks Mak. BW top rope diving elbow drops Cam then stomps on him. BW spinning heel kicks Cam. Karma comes in. Karma goes up and over then he armdrags him. Karma ducks a lariat and springboard reverse topes him. BW is sent out and Karma poses.
Mak comes in. He botches a springboard bodyscissors but poses anyway. Mak back body drops Cam. Cam chops Mak. Cam is sent out. BW does a hard tope on Cam then Karma step up tope con hilos Mak outside. BW wastlenad's Cam. He misses a 2nd rope moonsault. Karma top rope splashes Mak and Cam northern lights suplexes BW at the same time.
Cam and Karma try pins for 2 counts. Mak powerbomb backbreakers Cam. BW siout powerbombs Karma. Mak runs the ramp with a fosbury flop on Cam then BW 2nd rope legdrops Karma. Mark and BW pick up stereo pins to win.
Thoughts: Cam and Mak have pretty cool costumes. They had a few botches here so this wasn't as good as the other matches. I felt like this got enough time. I don't think BW is quite as far along as the others and Karma maybe should have gotten more time shine here. This was just average.
Torneo De Escuelas Quarter Final Match - Estudiante Jr. & Feroz vs. Diamante Escarlata & Magnetico
Dia is in the red here and has an unusual Tinieblas style mask only with designs in the black part of the mask (and eyeholes).
Mag and Feroz go at it. Mag victory rolls him into an armlock. Feroz wristlocks him then Mag flying snapmares him. Mag is popped up and he headscissors Feroz down. Feroz shoulders him over. They stand off.
Dia and EJ get in. Dia trips him then basement dropkicks him. EJ boots him. Dia hits kicks. Dia corner lariats EJ then EJ lariats him. Feroz is tripped into a basement dropkick. Feroz takes a double team drop on his stomach.
Dia and EJ trade chops. EJ pop up drops him. Feroz springboard dropkicks Dia. Mag is double teamed. EJ monkey flip him and Mag turns it into a moonsault on Feroz. EJ delay suplexes Dia. EJ shoulders over Mag. EG facekicks him and poses. EJ is monkey flipped outside.
Mag is back body dropped from the apron onto EJ outside. Dia slingshots into a headscissors on Feroz. Dia top rope swantons Feroz outside. EJ pop-up drops Mag. Dia top rope dropkicks EJ. EJ blocks a 2nd rope hurricanrana and powerbombs Dia down. Feroz is flipped onto Dia. EJ ties up Dia's legs while he's upside down, spins him and submits him.
Thoughts: Estudiante was really over here for unknown reasons. It's not like he was great or anything. This was probably the least impressive match so far. These four just didn't click that well and weren't as impressive as the others.
Torneo De Escuelas Quarter Final Match - King Rex & Prometeo vs. Konjuro & Sombra Diabolika Jr.
Rex has a dinosaur gimmick. Kon has already appeared on some Puebla shows.
Kon and Prom go at it. Kon short arm lariats him. Promo kips down out of a lariat then does tricks and a backflip. Kon boots Prom out. SD and Rex go at it. SD flying shoulders him. SD dropkicks Rex into the ropes and does a neat bottom rope springboard leapfrog into a bodyscissors. SD springboard headscissors Rex. Rex backflips and does dinosaur poses. Rex slams SD twice.
Kon and Prom go at it. Prom step up knees him. Prom seated springboard armdrags him. Kon hits kicks and a lariat on Prom. Kon springboard diving armdrags him then springboard spinning headscissors him. Promo walks up the ropes but SD crotches him. Kon springboard dropkicks Prom down from the ropes.
SD springboard shoulders Rex out then tope con hilos him. Kon top rope swantons outside. Rex does a double chokeslam. Kon take a backbreaker and Prom top rope dropicks him from that position. Prom does a random flying space tiger drop outside while Rex picks up the pin on Kon.
Thoughts: Rex was over. He's a big dude and doesn't really do the typical lucha style, so I'm not sure how that will work. Sombra was a bit creative here with various springboards and Kon is pretty far along, so it's easy to see why he was already promoted to main cards. There was a styles clash here and I'd maybe say it was okay at best.
Torneo De Escuelas Quarter Final Match - Engendro & Jay Ortega vs. Rey Pegasus & Tornado
Rey has the baby blue on. Eng has a face mask, face paint and he comes out with a real snake. Jay is our only rookie without a mask.
We get off a fast start with all 4 going down at points. Rey is flipped into the ropes and does a double armdrag. Tornado and Rey then hit near stereo topes. Rey springboard crossbodies Jay. He walks up the buckles and tornillo's Jay. Rey walks up the buckles, seated springboard moonsaults and armdrags Jay.
Eng blind springboard armdrags Rey. Eng dances and backrolls into a reverse spinning headscissors on Rey. Tornado dropkicks Eng in the knee then does a neat standing corkscrew headscissors. Jay flying back elbows Tornado. Tornado is double teamed.
Eng spin kicks Tornado in the gut. Tornado takes a top rope dropkkick + powerbomb combo. Rey is double stomped on by the heels. Rey hits a double handspring cutter. Tornado springboard double dropkicks his opponents from behind. Jay and Eng hit stereo tope con hilos outside.
Jay and Eng miss stereo top rope splashes. Rey flips off of Jay in the corner. Tornado superkicks Jey then jumps off Rey's back with a codebreaker on Jay. Eng backdrops Rey for 2. Tornado does a neat corkscrew drop on Eng for 2. Jay brainbusters Tornado for 2. Rey flying headscissors Eng out. Rey walks up the buckles, rope walks and moonsaults Eng outside.
Jay goes up and over Tornado. Jay stands on Tornado's hips and Rey does a dangerous looking crucifix driver on Jay. Tornado tope con hilos Eng through the ropes and Rey pins Jay.
Thoughts: Jay took an awful looking bump at the end here and had to be stretchered out. Hopefully he's okay but that spot was dangerous. Rey moves pretty well and was one of the better people on the show. He should be on the main roster. Eng's got a very unique look. This was okay.
Dark Silueta, Olympia & Persephone vs. Akari, Kira & La Catalina
Kira has a new cool entrance outfit with a headdress.
1st Fall - Olym and Cat go at it. Olym hits armdrags on Cat. Cat trips her into the ropes and pounds on her. Olym is popped up and dropkicks Cat. Pers dances then uranage backbreakers Kira. Kira is held for a Dark codebreaker. Pers chokes Akari in the corner. Dark backcracker Akari. Olym handstand pendulum bronco busters Akari in the corner. Dark does a weird falcon arrow variat ion on Akari and pin her. Olym hits doi fives on Cat and pins her. Olympia's team wins the fall.
2nd Fall - Kira is group stomped to start. Kira takes a triple superkick. Pers spears Cat then hits mounted shots on her. Pers handstands in the corner and double knee drops Cat while she's on the 2nd rope. Akari takes a double boot. Akari is held in the air for an Olym springboard double stomp. Olym's team group stomps Kira.
Kira is held for chops from Dark. Kira flips off of her, Cat top rope crossbodies Dark. Akira 2nd rope dropkicks Pers and Olym. Akari's team gets some 619's in. Kira top rope moonaults Pers and pins her. Kira's team wins the fall.
3rd Fall - Akari sweeps and basement dropkicks Olym. Olym tiger feints and backrolls her. Olym flying lariats Akari. Akari curbstomps Olym. Dark superkicks Cat then pulls on her hair. Dark kicks Cat in the back. Cat goes up and over her then flying forearms her. Cat flying knees Dark.
Cat hip attacks Dark on the ropes. Kira spin kicks Pers and then Pers pulls her hair. Kira superkicks Olym from the apron and springboard sunset flips Pers. Olym tries to basement dropkick Kira but nails Pers instead. Kira corkscrew headscissors Olym. Kira superkicks Pers in the gut then stands on Pers' back and butt drops her back. Dark spinning heel kicks Kira. Cat dropkicks Dark and Olym shoulders over Cat. Akari step up enzugiri's Olym. Pers superkicks Akari.
Kira flying headscissors Pers. Kira tornillo's Pers through the ropes. Pers dropkicks Kira. Olym death valley drivers Akari into the rails outside. Pers hits a splash mountain on Kira and pins her. Olympia's team wins the fall and match.
Thoughts: It was a much better match than usual from the women. They kept things moving and kept it interesting. Kira got a lot of shine here and impressed. I would run this one back because it worked well and helped the girls.
MLP Canadian Title Match - Josh Alexander (c) vs. Esfinge
JA waistlock takedowns Esf. Esf headlocks JA then they shoulder battle. They lariat each other. JA corner lariats him then takes one. Esf misses a superkick and sends him out. JA is sent into the rails and Esf powerslams him on the floor.
JA and Esf trade chops on the apron. Esf is dropped face first on the rope connector. JA 2nd rope moonsaults Esf outside. JA hits punches on Esf as he hangs off the apron. JA sends him into the rails outside.
Esf hits shots to the gut and lariats him on the ropes. JA enzugiri's him. JA pulls on Esf's mask. Esf hits lariats then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him. Esf step up knees him in the corner and corner lariats him. Esf springboard dropkicks JA for 2.
Esf monkey flips JA twice. Esf topes JA over the rail into the front row. Esf gets a 2 count on him inside. Esf casadora half-nelson sitout slams him for 2. JA germans Esf twice. JA germans him on the apron then on the floor.
JA gets a 2 count on him inside. Esf back body drops him. Esf enzugiri's him fron the apron and springboard diving codebreakers him. JA drop down slams Esf on the apron. JA crossbodies Esf's back on the apron. They trade shots. Esf hurricanrana's him off the 2nd rope for 2. Esf springboard splashes him. Esf misses a springboard splash. JA ankle locks Esf. Esf germans JA. Esf pumping knees him and superkicks him. JA powerbomb backbreakers him. JA straightjacket piledrivers him and pins him.
Thoughts: I don't usually enjoy these AEW vs CMLL matches and this wasn't the exception. There's a big styles clash and neither side gives in enough to make it work. Josh did too much here and it didn't mean a lot. It also went a lot longer than it needed to.
Johnny Consejo vs. Angel de Oro vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Neon
Note - I'll just call Johnny "JTV" here as it's easier for me.
The four pair off and fight. Neon is thrown out as is Oro. DG and JTV tease fighting but then just hug each other and pose. DG and JTV are sent out. Neon cartwheles over Oro. Neon handsprings off the ropes. They botch a spot and DG pulls Neon out and sends him into the rails. JTV drops Oro face first onto the apron. JTV knees Oro in the face then sends him into the rails.
DG hits Oro in the corner. He hits corner lariats. Oro flying headscissors DG out. JTV hits Oro from behind. JTV enzugiri's Oro in the corner. Oro dropkicks JTV. Oro chops down JTV. Neon springboard crossbodies JTV. JTV lariats him.
Neon top rope diving headscissors JTV. DG running facekicks Neon. Neon takes a double bridging ddt on the floor. Oro punches DG and JTV. Oro takes a springboard enzugiri + russian legsweep combo. Oro takes a double gutbuster. JTV running knees Oro. JTV and DG each put single leg crabs on Oro.
Neon is sent into the rails. Oro rolls JTV into a grounded surfboard. DG breaks it up. Neon springboard diving armdrags JTV. Neon is popped up into a dropkick on DG. Neon and Oro do stereo dives outside.
Oro slingshot swantons DG then Neon slingshot lariats DG. JTV moonlight drives Oro. DG twisting neckbreakers Neon. Oro 2nd rope superplexes DG. Neon top rope moonsaults while JTV does a top rope 450. Both get 2 counts.
Neon and JTV trade. JTV enzugiri's him from the apron. Neon takes a doomsday device but poisonrana's DG off of it. Neon canadian destroyers Oro and all 4 men are down.
The four trade shots on their knees. JTV and DG hit stereo kicks on their opponents. JTV's leg is swung into DG. JTV is laid on the top rope. Neon rope walk double stomps JTV as he lays up top. Neon double springboard plancha's DG outside. JTV 2nd rope tornillo's Oro inside. JTV rolling alabama slams Oro then Oro gets his knees up on his starship pain. Neon asai moonsaults DG outside. JTV low blows Oro while the ref isn't looking and pins him.
Thoughts: It was a four-way and had the usual limitations those matches have. It was essentially a tag match with the foreigners teaming up against the CMLL guys. It got a bit more time than it needed and I thought it dragged a bit. I wasn't a big fan of this.
Oro calls out JTV on the mic after. He accuses JTV of disrespecting the country. Oro says JTV is in the wrong place and challenges him to a singles match. JTV says no and says he beat him already. He says there's nothing on the line. He suggests a hair vs hair match. Oro agrees but says it needs to happen right now. JTV superkicks him and sends him out. JTV bangs Oro's head off the rails. Oro sends him into the rails and JTv pounds on him. The ref separates them and that's it.
Overall thoughts: It was a longer show with a bunch of rookie tag matches here. All the tag matches were under 10 minutes and basically under tornado tag rules so they were only going to be so good. I thought Rey Pegasus, Conquistador, King Rex and Konjuro were some of the better rookies. The women's match was better than I expected and probably the best match of the night. Josh/Esfinge had styles clash issues and the main was a bit long and the four-way format limited things. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 as it was an okay show overall.







