Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
CMLL at Palms Slam Fest 2026
April 16, 2026
Pearl Theater
Las Vegas, Nevada

Watch: TrillerTV / Palms Slam Fest Package

After a truly embarrassing build to this show, including quietly changing the advertised main event just days before the show, CMLL started this show off fifteen minutes late. Even AAA starts on time nowadays, what are you guys even doing here? There must be about four hundred people in there. Pretend this one didn’t happen if you are tracking Mistico as a draw this year.

KeMalito & Periquito Sacaryas def. Chamuel & Tengu

A fun opener that played exactly to the strengths of everyone involved. KeMalito is incredibly over and his shtick fits this kind of crowd perfectly, with Chamuel and Tengu doing a great job of bumping around and making him look like a star. Chamuel in particular continues to impress and it’s nice to see him getting more opportunities to show what he can do. The match kept a good pace and had the crowd engaged, even if a rough botched near fall took some of the momentum out of it briefly. An enjoyable way to kick things off. **¾

CMLL Women’s World Championship
Persephone © def. Tessa Blanchard

This was a pretty flat title match and more or less what you would expect from this pairing. Persephone is capable of having strong matches with the right opponent, but Tessa has felt off and uninspired since returning to CMLL and that showed here. The crowd surprisingly wasn’t as hostile toward Blanchard as you might think, but they also never really got invested in what was happening. It felt like both wrestlers leaned into their worst habits which dragged the whole thing down and the lack of urgency didn’t help. The finish didn’t do it any favors either. Like it always does, Persephone’s worked over leg magically healed right at the end. **

Blue Panther def. Ultimo Guerrero

This was my most anticipated match of the weekend and it somehow overdelivered, continuing what has become a really strong series between these two. Blue Panther and Ultimo Guerrero just understand each other at this point, and it showed in how everything built and landed. Panther’s dive from the ramp will always get a reaction but his topes looked especially wild here in a way that added real danger to the match. The crowd was into it even if Aubrey Edwards selling the chops more than the guys in the ring was a bit distracting. Then you get the finish with Panther hitting a Spanish Fly which felt completely insane in the best way. Easily the best match of WrestleMania Weekend so far. ****¼

Soberano Jr., Difunto, Barboza def. Esfinge, Xelhua, Valiente Jr.

Someone needs to keep Soberano Jr. far away from that oil wrestling show happening this week. This was a long trios that probably didn’t need to be so long as the length really hurt it, especially with the crowd in Vegas never quite getting there. Valiente Jr. was a bright spot throughout, moving effortlessly on the ropes and looking more than ready for the upcoming Best of the Super Juniors. There were some rough edges too, including an awkward first fall after a referee mix-up. Someone needs to tell the commentary team that captain’s falls are a thing of the past. This likely plays much better in front of a hot Arena Mexico crowd. It dragged here more than it should have despite some solid work. ***

Mascara Dorada & Neon def. Flip Gordon & Capitan Suicida

A good match that probably could have used a bit more time, should’ve stolen some from the match before it. Flip Gordon and Capitan Suicida continue to work well as a team and it was nice to see that hard work from WXM carry over here, but this ultimately felt like a showcase for Mascara Dorada and Neon. Dorada was as smooth as ever, and Neon really stood out, especially getting a rare chance to shine in front of a US crowd where he can sometimes feel overlooked compared to the rest of Sky Team in terms of getting bookings. It’s a shame the production missed his big dive because it’s always a highlight of his matches. All that being said, an enjoyable sprint that delivered what it needed to. ***½

Claudio Castagnoli def. Atlantis Jr.

Hearing Atlantis Jr.’s “yeah! woo! yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah” theme on a show in Vegas was a highlight on its own. The match itself, however, never quite got there. Claudio controlled large stretches and dished out a lot of punishment but the extended holds slowed things down and took away from the flow. It ended up feeling more like a US TV style match than something you’d expect from a CMLL setting, a theme that’s becoming all too common on CMLL shows. Atlantis Jr. looked sharp when he got his moments but they were a bit too few and far between, making this come off more as a showcase for Claudio than a real step forward for the young CMLL star. ***¼

Mistico & Templario def. Hechicero & Angel de Oro

We got a surprise 2/3 falls match! The crowd was fully behind Mistico, reacting to just about everything he did like he’s the God of pro wrestling. All four guys were as reliable as you’d expect and worked a clean, professional match from start to finish. That said, it never quite hit the level it probably should have. It felt more like a polished lucha indie style main event, playing the hits rather than leaning into the rhythm and structure you’d usually get from a big CMLL match. Still good, just left the sense that there was something better in there. ***½ 

Overall Thoughts

CMLL at Palms Slam Fest was a good show that didn’t reach its full potential despite having a Match of the Weekend contender. There were definitely bright spots scattered throughout the card, especially in the undercard tag and some of the showcase matches where guys actually got the chance to stand out. You could feel how deep the roster is in those moments, with people like Valiente Jr., Neon, and Barboza all making the most of their opportunities.

At the same time, a lot of the bigger matches didn’t quite land the way they should have. Several of them leaned more into a US TV or lucha indie structure rather than the traditional CMLL rhythm, which made the show feel a bit off. The one match that felt like it was transplanted right from Arena Mexico to the Pearl Theater was the real highlight of the night.

It’s one of those shows where nothing is outright bad, but not much feels essential either other than Panther/Guerrero. A handful of strong performances and fun moments but as a full card it never quite felt like a true CMLL show.