CMLL Super Viernes Preview: The Gang's All Here
It’s time! It’s time! It’s…wait didn’t I use this gimmick already this week? Ah who cares, it’s CMLL preview time! We’re nearly at Friday sports fans, which means the best weekly lucha libre show Super Viernes has returned, which is both a good thing and tells you all you need to know about how much AAA is blowing it for both AAA and Lucha Underground right now. Luckily this show is pretty good, lower standards or not, especially the one two punch that is the semi-main and the main event. So let’s not waste time and get to the predicting. Moses, let the hills be alive with the sounds of MEME!
Shockercito & Stukita vs. Demus 3:16 & Mercurio
What to Expect: There will be biting, there will be Stukita doing some super cool shit and there will at least be one instance where Demus drops someone on their head and nearly ends them. I’m going with Shockercito to be the one dropped on his head by the way; he always seems to escape that sort of thing which means he’s doing for a stretcher ride. Either way this match should be pretty decent considering these are four of the best Mini-Estrella’s CMLL has. All they’re missing is Astro and Mini Joker!
Winners: When in doubt, go with the rudos. They take it in three falls and two Demus drops on the head. Your time is up Shockercito! Your time is up.
La Vaquerita, Marcela, Princesa Sugehit vs. Amapola, Dalys, Zeuxis
What to Expect: An honest to Grodd good looking luchadoras mask. I mean I’d be watching it anyway because Zeuxis is involved and it feels like months since I’ve last seen her (and in all honesty it probably has been; what the hell CMLL?), but even without taking that into account this is still a good looking match. Look for the effort to be good on all ends and don’t be surprised if CMLL sets something up between the Queen and Sugehit. They’ve been teasing that for awhile now and with Homenaje a Dos Leyendas coming up it may soon be time for the Queen to take another mask.
Winners: The lucha libre prediction rule book is out in full force for these first two matches. Why; because you never, EVER, bet against the Queen. Team Zeuxis wins after Zeuxis knees all three technicas in succession. Alright it won’t be that dominate, but she’ll still knee Sugehit to win.
Blue Panther, Blue Panther Jr., The Panther vs. El Cuatrero, Máscara Año 2000, Sansón
What to Expect: The good news; Junior is back after his tour of New Japan and teaming with his father and his brother against the awesome Sansón and El Cuatrero! The bad news; Máscara Año 2000 is also involved because…because…someone have an explanation for me? Whatever the reason he’s here and you best believe he’s the Keanu Reeves in Bram Stoker’s Dracula of the situation.
That being said CMLL is likely going to have him interact with fellow old man Blue Panther, who unlike Año remains really, REALLY good and can probably carry old man Año to a competent few minutes. Better yet that frees up Junior and Panther to battle exclusively with Los Cientificos, and as we’ve seen from previous encounters these four have excellent chemistry together than more than likely hasn’t gone away since Junior’s Japan escapades. I can’t guarantee a really good match because you just never know with Máscara Año 2000, but as long as Blue Panther keeps him in check and the kids are allowed to run wild this should be a highly entertaining third match of the evening. In fact I’d argue it’s even better than the fourth match will be which tells you just how bad Pierroth is.
Winners: In my dream scenario, Junior gets Máscara Año in a Nudo Laguerno and holds him up so Panther can Frog Splash him, leading to Año submitting AND getting pinned at the same time. There’s absolutely zero chance of that happening, so I’ll just go with Junior or Blue Panther submitting Sansón or Cuatrero after Panther and Junior/Blue Panther have taken out the other two rudos with suicide dives. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this go the other way though, nor would it surprise me to see Ripper interfere to continue his feud with Junior. I know that’s rare but they’ve been pushing that program hard, hard enough that I can see CMLL doing an interference angle for once.
Diamante Azul, Marco Corleone, Máximo Sexy vs. Pierroth, Ray Rowe, Rush
What to Expect: This is another “some things about this match I really love, some things make me want to stick my balls in molten hot lava” kind of match. On the one hand it’s great to have Rush, Máximo and Rush back in Arena Mexico and I’m heavily intrigued by the presence of Ray Rowe, the Ring of Honor star who I’ve yet to see but have heard excellent things about. On the other hand we also have a “going through the motions” Marco Corleone involved and (potentially) the continuance of an inexplicable Pierroth-Diamante Azul feud which seems to exist to convince us that there are no redeeming qualities to Diamante at all. That’s false (I still maintain Azul is actually underrated) but he’s not the guy to get anything out Pierroth and the fact that they’re likely interacting a ton in this match is enough to send one running for the hills. Hopefully they keep those sequences limited, hopefully Ray Rowe lives up to the great things I hear and hopefully both Rush and Máximo are motivated enough to make this match work. It’ll be something to see the Ingobernables beat down in Arena Mexico again and maybe a little disappointing in wake of how awesome the beat downs were for FantasticaMania.
Winners: I’d have Rowe pick up a big win here but I have no idea how long he’s hanging around and…well its CMLL. If I played my cards right I’d have just as good a shot at winning this match as Rowe and I’ve never been to Mexico City! Ultimately we’ll play it safe and go with the rudos in three falls. That said if it ends up being a two fall technico victory after an unmasking/foul, don’t be stunned.
CMLL World Welterweight Championship Match
Mephisto (c) vs. Carístico
What to Expect: At last we have made it to the good stuff. Or at least I hope this is the good stuff. There’s some cause for concern considering these two had a Lightning Match not too long ago that, aside from Carístico nearly decapitating himself on a top rope Spanish Fly, didn’t exactly move the needle. At the same token neither did the Volador-Mephisto match many Tuesday ago, and their follow up match at the CMLL beginning of the year show was an absolute treat. What’s my point; dudes will step up when the situation is bigger and the crowd is more into it. I expect that to be the case for this match here and I’m definitely buying into at least Carístico being up for this one. The guy has been a house of fire ever since Elite disappeared and CMLL started booking him full time; I’d even argue he’s been the best part of Super Viernes the past two months between his feud with Último Guerrero and him just cutting awesomely passionate promos at the end of every show. I think he brings it here big time, I think Mephisto gives a good effort as well and at the end of the day this match is, at worst, really, really good. I’m not ready to go to great just yet but I’m open to it.
Winner: CMLL titles are a tricky beast sports fans. My immediate reaction is to say Mephisto retains seeing as he hasn’t even held the Welterweight Championship for a year. But a closer look at the Welterweight Championship’s history reveals a ton of short reigns to go along with the long runs; in fact, six of the last eleven title reigns have last less than a year. On top of that, Mephisto was the last Welterweight Champion to hold the belt north of a thousand days before losing it to…Carístico. It’s a tight one! At the end of the day I’ll play this one safe and go with Mephisto, but good Grodd do I have next to no confidence in that pick. Carístico has started to become a big enough deal again that it wouldn’t surprise me to see him slap La Mistica on Mephisto in the third fall for the tap out, followed by a large celebration and one “CARÍSTICO IS BACK” over reactive column by someone named Cult Icon the next day.
Dragón Lee, Mistico, Volador Jr. vs. Cavernario, Gran Guerrero, Último Guerrero
What to Expect: The only concerns I have for this match are a) can Cavernario go (he injured his shoulder against Dragón Lee during Night Five of FantasticaMania), b) Gran Guerrero being in here instead of Euforia and c) these six guys preferring to take it easy and coast to the finish after Carístico and Mephisto have hopefully torn the house down. Besides that this match is money and should carry a lot of anticipation after UG and Volador had one of the three best matches of the FantasticaMania tour just a week ago (not to mention Mistico tearing the house down with Euforia and Dragón Lee being Dragón Lee). As long as they put the effort in this should be an absolute barnburner.
Winners: Barring something being set up here this will be a technico victory to send the crowd home happy. I say Volador gets UG with a Super Hurricanrana off the top to seal the deal.
That’s a wrap sports fans! I’ll unfortunately be unable to review this show tomorrow (I’m on babysitting duty that will prevent me from seeing some of matches one, two and three) but I’ll still be live tweeting the show (@CultIcon). I still should have a column out early tomorrow and you should totally check out my podcast with Kevin Kleinrock and Konnan over at the Keepin’ It 100 Patreon site, where we discuss the AAA defections of this past week, Konnan leaving AAA in 1996 to form Promo Azteca and some other stuff (only costs $3 to get access to!) Till we meet again, SCULLY time.
