CMLL’s 93rd Aniversario main event delivered the decisive apuesta result expected on paper: Místico defeated Averno in a Mask vs. Hair Match, forcing Averno to have his head shaved. The reaction inside the building, however, reportedly caught CMLL officials off guard.
Místico is traditionally positioned as one of CMLL’s premier técnicos and has long been among the promotion’s most recognizable fan favorites. Averno, conversely, has built his reputation as an elite rudo. Yet during their high-stakes main event, a notable portion of the Aniversario crowd booed Místico while cheering Averno, creating a reversal of the usual emotional alignment between the two stars.
Dave Meltzer said the unusual atmosphere was tied less to a wholesale change in audience opinion on either wrestler and more to the particular makeup of the crowd attending one of lucha libre’s most important annual events. Meltzer stated that CMLL officials were surprised by how strongly the audience reacted in Averno’s favor.
“The minute they put the tickets on sale, they pretty much sold out for this show,” Meltzer said. “And so because of that, basically unlike most Fridays, where there’s 30% Americans at the show, this was not many Americans. It was not the tourists, not the casual fans. This was the hardcore fans who got their tickets.”
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A Harder-Core Aniversario Audience
The reported explanation centers on the speed with which tickets moved for the 93rd Aniversario. With the event selling out quickly, the audience was said to be more heavily composed of dedicated CMLL followers than a typical Friday night crowd. That distinction can matter significantly in Arena México, where experienced lucha libre fans do not always react according to the clean técnico-versus-rudo framework presented in the ring.
Hardcore crowds often appreciate a veteran villain’s timing, physicality, charisma, and command of a match even when that performer is supposed to be the antagonist. In an apuesta match, where masks and hair carry major symbolic value, fans may also respond to the drama of a wrestler facing an apparent inevitable defeat. That appears to have been a key factor in Averno receiving the warmer support during his showdown with Místico.
CMLL has experienced a recent tourism boom, and major cards can attract visitors and more casual attendees alongside its established local base. The reported assessment was that the Aniversario ticket situation changed that balance. Rather than a crowd shaped substantially by tourists or casual viewers, the show was attended by fans who purchased quickly and closely follow the promotion’s roster, booking patterns, and traditions.
That does not necessarily mean Místico has lost his standing as a central favorite in CMLL. Instead, it suggests the reaction was specific to the environment surrounding this match, this event, and the audience’s expectation of its conclusion. In lucha libre, a crowd can cheer a rudo’s performance while still recognizing the role he is meant to play. Aniversario shows, particularly those built around apuestas, can magnify that kind of response.
The Four-Way Set the Stakes
Místico and Averno did not enter the night immediately scheduled to wrestle one another in the final match. They first competed as partners in a four-way tag team elimination bout. Their opposition consisted of Bárbaro Cavernario and Dragón Rojo Jr., Templario and Último Guerrero, and Star Jr. and Zandokan Jr.
The winning pairing would earn the right to meet later in the headline attraction, with the stakes escalating into Místico putting his mask on the line against Averno wagering his hair. Místico and Averno emerged from the four-way as the victorious team, establishing the Aniversario main event.
That structure may have further informed the reaction later in the evening. Once the four-way ended and the Místico-Averno confrontation was official, many longtime fans in attendance were believed to have anticipated the finish. Meltzer described the crowd’s decision to lean into support for Averno as a response to that perception.
“In this case, this was how it was described to me as far as the Averno-Místico match, that it’s all the hardcore fans,” Meltzer said. “And as soon as that four-way ended, with Místico and Averno winning, it’s like, okay, Místico and Averno are doing mask versus hair, and everyone in the building knows the finish. So they decided to cheer Averno because they knew he was losing anyway.”
The main event ultimately ended with Místico winning by submission. The result meant that Místico preserved one of the most valuable masks in modern lucha libre, while Averno paid the traditional price attached to losing an apuesta match and was shaved afterward.
Why the Finish May Have Shaped the Cheers
The notion that fans expected Averno to lose is important context. A mask is generally regarded as the most protected wager in lucha libre, particularly when it belongs to a star with Místico’s stature and history. Hair is also a meaningful sacrifice, but the loss of a mask often represents a more transformative moment for a performer’s identity and presentation.
That dynamic can make a Mask vs. Hair stipulation feel uneven before the bell rings, even when the match itself is presented as competitive. If a knowledgeable audience believes the masked star is unlikely to be unmasked, it may choose to rally around the opponent who appears headed toward the painful ceremonial conclusion. The cheers for Averno, under that reading, were not necessarily a rejection of Místico as much as an acknowledgment of Averno’s expected fate.
There is also an emotional dimension to seeing a respected veteran put his hair on the line. Averno has spent years as a reliable rudo in major CMLL programs, and his ability to draw a reaction from a hardened audience is itself a testament to his standing. In this setting, the fans may have wanted to give him a memorable response before he took the loss.
Still, CMLL’s reported surprise is notable. Promotions carefully consider audience alignment when building major apuesta programs, especially at an anniversary event. Místico’s role as the victorious técnico was clear in the result, but the live crowd did not uniformly follow the expected script emotionally. That contrast became nearly as newsworthy as the outcome itself.
Averno’s Loss Does Not Erase the Reaction
Averno’s hair loss is now part of the permanent record of the 93rd Aniversario. Místico secured the submission victory, retained his mask, and added another significant win to his résumé as a CMLL main-event figure. At the same time, the crowd’s response ensured that Averno left the event with substantial sympathy and appreciation despite being the designated rudo and the wrestler on the losing end of the stipulation.
The reaction also illustrates one of the enduring strengths of CMLL’s live presentation. The promotion’s audience is not a monolith, and its biggest events can produce responses shaped by tradition, loyalty, match expectations, and respect for individual performers. Fans who know the history of the wrestlers and the meaning of apuestas will often engage with a match differently from viewers seeing the rivalry at face value.
For Místico, the response should be viewed in the specific context of this Aniversario crowd rather than as a definitive measure of his popularity. He remains a major attraction for CMLL and also holds a dual contract with AEW and CMLL. For Averno, the night provided a reminder that even in defeat, an accomplished rudo can command deep support from the audience most invested in the product.
Ultimately, the 93rd Aniversario main event accomplished what a major lucha libre apuesta encounter is supposed to accomplish: it created tension, emotion, a lasting visual consequence, and a crowd reaction that continued to generate discussion after the match was over. Místico won the mask-versus-hair battle, Averno sacrificed his hair, and CMLL was left to reckon with an audience response it reportedly did not anticipate.
Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.