Most wrestling promotions look to take some time off during the holidays. CMLL instead mirrors the NBA and college football, taking advantage of everyone needing something to do during the holidays. There’s no escape from a promotion running shows on Christmas and New Year’s Day.

CMLL has events both on Christmas Day & New Year’s Day. Both shows have a holiday start time of 5 pm CT and should stream live on CMLL’s YouTube channel and will be available to watch later. CMLL has split the more significant matches across both shows, with the New Year’s Day event being the bigger of the two.

Christmas Day

Microman, Chamuel, Gallito, Perico Zacarias, Atomo and Guapito fight for the new CMLL Micro’s Championship

There’s no strong case for a CMLL Micros championship. There’s no great reason for any new CMLL belt when they have two dozen of them. A micros title seems specifically counterproductive. No one here needs to be wrestling singles matches often, and everyone knows Microman is the best guy belt or not belt. The micros are also a division of about six people at this point, with not much depth. A Micro’s Championship comes off as a misguided attempt at equality, making sure every subgroup gets its belt. 

There is a belt, so the match is happening. The decision now is what to do with the belt. Microman winning a championship on Christmas Day would be a popular move. Chamuel winning instead would give Microman something to chase, a goal yet to be achieved. (Anyone else winning would be confusing.) The Micros hasn’t been a division of a lot of long-term thinking, just happy feelings, so Microman’s likely to win.

Marcela defends the CMLL Women’s Championship against Dalys

Dalys won the first-ever CMLL Women’s Universal tournament back this summer. One of the rewards was a shot at Marcela for the world championship on the CMLL Anniversary show. Marcela picked up an ankle injury before the match could happen. She’s just returned in the last two weeks. La Metalica replaced Marcela on the Anniversary, and she and Dalys produced the worst match in CMLL this year.

Dalys versus Marcela will be better. It has to be, but these two women remain the best combination amidst a weak division. Marcela is one of the few women Dalys seems to respect enough to take an occasional loss. Dalys seemed to be promised this belt back in September, and so it still seems likely she’ll get it back here. 

New Year’s Day

Espiritu Negro versus Principe Diamante, mask vs mask. 

CMLL’s recent tradition of prelim wrestlers getting a big apuesta match over the holidays continues. This one fits the usual mold. Espiritu Negro has been in CMLL only the last couple of years but debuted way back in 2000. Principe Diamante’s been around just about four years, an undercard flyer who hasn’t stood out. Espiritu Negro isn’t old by Mexican wrestling standards, not even 40, but he’s a lot older than Diamante and seems less likely to get another mask match down the road. This story always ends with the young guy getting the big first win over the experienced hand.

There’s reason to believe in an upset. Espiritu Negro just debuted a new trio, La Ola Negra. It’s three guys (Akuma, Espanto Jr.) who are still going nowhere, but they’re at least going nowhere together. It’d be odd timing to roll out the group, and their new t-shirts with Espiritu’s mask on them, right before he’s about to take a significant loss. Meanwhile, Principe Diamante’s had a second job of acting in telenovelas filmed in Mexico City. It’s a novelty to be a masked man in those sorts of roles, but it seems like he’d eventually asked to unmask if he’s interested in pursuing that farther. (CMLL mentioned Diamante’s been cast on a new show but haven’t said any details, which is slightly suspicious.) A guy like Principe Diamante is a 95/5 favorite typically. He’s still the favorite, but maybe more like a 65/35 split.

Espiritu Negro’s shown more of the two in the feud. He’s taken up his level of aggressiveness and his variety of attacks. CMLL’s restrictive on what they’ll allow wrestlers to do in the opening matches. Espiritu & Diamante are higher up than usual on the card due to this feud, those restrictions are no longer apply, and Espiritu’s taken advantage to show more of what he can do. Principe Diamante hasn’t so far, struggling to differentiate himself from the three dozen other flying CMLL tecnicos. Diamante’s not going to get many chances at his level, and he has to make a big impression here.

Caristico & Mistico defend the CMLL Tag Team Championship against Cuatrero & Forastero  

Caristico & Mistico won the tag team titles back in November and proclaimed it the start of a new boom period. Like other new boom period proclamations this year, it hasn’t quite worked out so far. They’re at least getting to test the theory here, in the first defense. The tag title defense is technically the semi-main, but it’s the star match. The Nueva Generacion Dinamtia team are big-name challengers who never lose title matches as a unit. They usually have Sanson around for those matches, but he’s out with an ankle injury for the moment. These four luchadors have worked with each other a lot this year in different combinations and should mesh together in a big match. The intrigue is if the Arena Mexico holiday crowd embraces Mistico now that he’s teaming with his predecessor, or boos him like always.

Kawato San versus Dulce Gardenia, hair versus hair

This outcome is also not a 95/5 split. It feels about 99.999/0.001 against Kawato San. Dulce Gardenia has been the great 2019 CMLL project, Kawato is the excursion kid destined to take a significant loss, this outcome is so evident that Kawato was asked by the press why he’d want to try anyway. (It turns out Kawato San believes in himself more than others believe in him.) It remains unclear if this is Kawato San’s farewell song. Kawato has brought up winning the lightweight back as a goal, and that’d keep him around CMLL longer. The best guess is no one in Mexico is quite sure when NJPW is going to make the call, and CMLL is making sure they get this outcome in just in case that call comes suddenly.

Kawato San is going to lose, but an exciting performance would at least salvage a disappointing couple of years. Kawato’s only success has been that lightweight title win, his best match in Mexico so far, and one which seemed quickly forgotten due to his disappearing act. Kawato has shown more aggression in his feud against Dulce Gardenia. It’s still unclear if he’s going to put it together for a full high stakes match. Gardenia knows how to play to the crowd well enough to get a reaction no matter what happens, but it’d be a decent arc if Kawato could start a new decade with a positive memory.