A regular CMLL show lasts two hours on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday. Thursday shows run about 1 hour 45 minutes, and Friday nights go a little longer, between 2 hours 15 and 2 hours 30. Shows start on time because almost all of them are broadcast live.
| Night | Arena | Show starts | Typical length | Typical number of matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | Arena México | 7:30 PM | 2 hours | 6 |
| Thursday | Arena Coliseo | 7:00 PM | About 1 hour 45 | 5 |
| Friday | Arena México | 8:30 PM | 2 hours 15 to 2 hours 30 | 6 |
| Saturday | Arena Coliseo | 7:30 PM | 2 hours | 6 |
| Sunday | Arena México | 5:00 PM | 2 hours | 6 |
Special events such as anniversaries and tournaments can have seven matches, or five traditional matches plus a tournament with many wrestlers.
How many matches are there?
A regular card has six matches; Thursday usually has five. The night builds as it goes: it opens with the mini division or rookies, may continue with the women’s division, and climbs through the mid-card and the semifinal to the main event, with the best talent of the company.
There is no intermission. One match follows another, with less than a minute in between for screen announcements of upcoming events or crowd games such as «Ponte la máscara» or the Kiss Cam.
How long is each match? Rounds, or caídas
In lucha libre a round is called a caída, a fall. How long a match lasts depends on its format:
- The opening match is always one fall.
- The lightning match (match relámpago) is one fall with a ten-minute limit and a countdown clock. Someone has to win before the clock reaches zero; if not, the match is declared a draw.
- Most matches with CMLL wrestlers are two out of three falls. That is the traditional lucha libre format.
- Matches with wrestlers from CMLL’s partner companies, such as NJPW, AEW, ROH, RevPro, Stardom and Maple Leaf Wrestling, are one fall, the standard format in pro wrestling around the world.
Why shows start and end on time
Every show except Thursday is broadcast on CMLL’s official YouTube channel and on TV networks that hold the rights for that day. Television keeps the schedule tight: the bell rings on time and the show ends on time. Fridays are the exception that runs a few minutes long.
How to plan your night
With Lucha Mexico Experience the whole night takes about four hours: we meet at Taquería El Caifán two hours before the show, eat and talk lucha libre, and head to the arena together.
When the show ends we leave right away. The streets around Arena México fill up at once with traffic, taxis waiting in double rows and merchandise stalls, so we walk a block and a half to the corner of Avenida Cuauhtémoc and Puebla, where it is much faster to get an Uber. At Arena Coliseo the Historic Center streets are one-way, so we walk to a point on República de Chile to head north toward Eje Central or Paseo de la Reforma. Ordering a ride from the arena doors usually means a long wait.
Planning a family night? The Sunday 5:00 PM show at Arena México ends at 7:00 PM. See what time each show starts, our guide to Arena México or check availability.
