CMLL 75th Anniversario
The 2008 Anniversario (75th Anniversario) was held on September 19 in Arena Mexico.
Notes
Villano V defeating Blue Panther in a mask versus mask match is one of the more unexpected outcomes in CMLL history. Both wrestlers were closer to the end of the career than the start and it was expected the winner of this match would ultimately lose their mask in a short time. Of the two, Villano V's mask was thought of lesser value, since he had spent as much time in the indies as the major promotions since returning from CMLL, and was only a part timer in Arena Mexico before the start of this feud. Panther was a long time CMLL regular, and most figured he'd eventually lose his mask to a fellow La Laguna wrestler (Ultimo Guerrero, in a passing of the torch moment) or a young wrestler would make his name by beating Panther. Instead, Villano V pulled the upset, and this match became the reason never to be 100% sure of CMLL's mostly predictable booking.
Panther vs Villano V was a replacement main event. CMLL had planned on Mistico defending his mask against Perro Aguayo Jr.'s hair, a long running rivalry between the top two stars in the promotion about at the peak of their popularity. Unfortunately, both suffered injuries in the months before the anniversary match. CMLL still used them as seconds for the main event (Mistico for Panther, Aguayo for Villano), but the dream match never happened. By the time Perro Aguayo Jr. was healthy, he had split from CMLL to form the Perros del Mal promotion.
AJ Styles was originally supposed to be part of the TNA team with Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley, but was replaced by Sonjay Dutt in the days prior with no explanation. The match might have let to a Ultimo Guerrero/Shelley mask vs hair match, but the two promotions never came to an agreement.
LA Park vs Dr. Wagner Jr. was the last major match for both wrestlers in CMLL. Both were wrestling crowd brawling style matches outside of Arena Mexico, and both CMLL and the Mexico City Box Y Lucha Commission did not want that style in Arena Mexico. In the days before this match, CMLL programmer Panico told the press that this match would be a technical encounter and not a brawl. He was wrong. Park and Wagner brawled for most the match, including using weapons. The commission suspended both men for a short time, but it appeared CMLL had no interest in using them after this. LA Park has not worked in Arena Mexico since, and Dr. Wagner was only around a couple more months. This match was not the only reason CMLL broke with these wrestlers, but it appeared to be the final straw.
Matches
| # | Winner | Loser | Stipulation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damián 666, Mr. Águila, Texano Jr. | Alex Koslov, La Sombra, Máximo | ||
| 2 | Averno, Ephesto, Mephisto | Hijo del Fantasma, La Máscara, Volador Jr. | ||
| 3 | Dos Caras Jr., Héctor Garza, Marco Corleone | Heavy Metal, Hijo del Lizmark, Mr. Niebla | ||
| 4 | Dr. Wagner Jr. | LA Park | ||
| 5 | Atlantis, Negro Casas, Último Guerrero | Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Sonjay Dutt | CMLL World Trios Championship | |
| 6 | Villano V | Blue Panther | mask vs mask |
