19 CMLL Luchadors Set To Have Visas Canceled, Preventing Them From Working In The US
Since kicking into gear earlier this month, the AEW/CMLL partnership has proven to be fruitful, with several notable CMLL luchadors appearing across AEW programming, while Willow Nightingale and Blackpool Combat Club members Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta are set to wrestle at CMLL's Homenaje a Dos Leyendas event in late March. However, further use of CMLL luchadors in AEW, or any other US promotion, may now be in jeopardy, for a reason that has often been an obstacle for luchadors looking to work in the US.
PWInsider reports that 19 CMLL luchadors, and one referee, are set to have their work visas canceled by the United States government by the end of today. Among the names affected by this are top CMLL luchadores Soberano Jr., Templario, Blue Panther, Mascara Dorada, Hechicero, and Volador Jr., the latter three of whom have worked AEW TV tapings and were scheduled for other US bookings over the next few months.
The origin of the issue stems from Texas-based promotion Full Blown Pro Wrestling, which had sponsored work visas for CMLL talent, and CMLL having issues navigating the visa process. Part of the problem appears to have stemmed from CMLL promoter, Salvador Lutteroth III, assigning visa duties to other CMLL employees, including a legal officer who has since left the promotion.
Visa Issues Caused By Problems Between CMLL And Visa Sponsor
Though the exact issues remain unknown, they were enough that Department of Homeland Security officials contacted Full Blown booker, Jerry Cadena, regarding the matter, and informed him he could face fraud charges should issues with the CMLL visas arise. When reaching out to CMLL, Cadena was told the promotion would take care of it via the US Embassy in Mexico, where a family member of the CMLL office reportedly works. It's unclear if any progress has been made on that front, or if it would have any effect, as Homeland Security, not the Embassy, handles visa situations.
Since Cadena has not heard from CMLL since and would remain on the hook legally, he has informed the US government he will no longer work with CMLL sponsoring visas and has terminated any agreements as of today. As such, the 19 luchadors and one referee cannot work in the US until they acquire a new work visa. There is no telling when new visas could be approved, with the process taking anywhere from a few months to a year, depending on how smoothly everything goes.
While it's unclear how this will affect the AEW/CMLL partnership going forward, it appears AEW will be able to continue to use luchadors from CMLL with proper visas, such as Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Magnus, and Rugido, who are all booked for "AEW Dynamite" and "AEW Rampage" this week. Though unconfirmed, it's also possible the affected luchadors could work shows in Canada, where visa laws are a lot less strict.