ROH And CMLL Begin Working Alliance
North American wrestling promotions join forces.
Mexican sports outlet MedioTiempo reported on Wednesday that Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, the oldest continuously-operated wrestling promotion in the world, has announced an alliance with U.S. independent promotion Ring of Honor.
The story comes as little surprise, given the recent strengthening of the relationship between the two promotions. After months of rumors regarding a talent exchange, CMLL star Stuka Jr. became the first man to cross the line. He came up short in a singles match with Kamaitachi in Philadelphia on July 16.
Last week, Ring of Honor announced the upcoming debut of Dragon Lee, one of the top stars in CMLL and one of the best high-flyers in wrestling. He'll be participating at ROH's All-Star Extravaganza VII and the TV tapings the following evening, just weeks after he headlines CMLL's 83rd Anniversary Show in a mask versus mask match against La Mascara. Likewise, ROH's Matt Taven has been announced for CMLL's September 9 show at Arena Mexico.
Though the CMLL-ROH alliance is new, both promotions have been working with New Japan Pro Wrestling for years. NJPW and CMLL have run a joint Japanese tour - called "Fantasticamania" - each January since 2011, while ROH has hosted New Japan's stars for "Global Wars" and "War of the Worlds" the past three years.