We need to talk about this.
The other day I was looking at Naito’s cagematch profile to clear my mind on his record against Ibushi and that’s when I noticed a weird symbol standing out from the usual NJPW // CMLL. It wasn’t Noah, it wasn’t AJPW, it wasn’t ROH nor UK-promotions.
Apparently on March, 30th 2019 he stepped in the ring with someone named Escualo (no Cagematch profile), for CWE’s 5th anniversary in Costa Rica. Let me put that in perspective: six days later Naito would lose the IC title to (lol, coincidence) Ibushi in Madison Square Garden. The prior day he was in Mexico City for the CMLL Super Viernes; that’s a five hours flight, not impossible, sure, but still tough…
I then jumped onto the web to get more info about CWE, finding out that this wrestling promotion based in Costa Rica was founded in 2014 by (you guessed it) Escualo. That’s where the madness begins . No regular wrestlers active on cagematch, a kinda-active YouTube channels with a thousand subscribers, an average of 3 events per year. The only one they had in 2019? Yes, this supposed anniversary where Naito took on the owner. All running out of the smallest gym I’ve ever seen in my life with a rabid crowd of 50 people that sing their lungs out of the entrance themes. Wanna know other wrestlers that had matches in CWE? Ricochet, Titan, ZSJ, Marty Scrurll (fuck him), Cody Rhodes.
This is absolutely mental.
I loved every second of it.
Here’s the only footage I found of Naito’s match.
Long live local wrestling.
2 comments
Costa Rica local scene must be really thriving and connected to the Mexican scene for them to get stars like Naito and the like
I’m almost positive this match in its entirety was actually on World at one time. I remember asking about it, thinking it took place in Mexico and being informed with what you stated here. I just looked for it again and couldn’t find it so I may be trippin. If it was never on World, I’m not sure how I would have come across it.