Soberano Jr. vs. Rey Cometa: A CMLL Preview
If you take away the main event, tonight’s CMLL Super Viernes card looks better than Talisa Maegyr. So why is it that I’m only really invested in one of the matches? That’s because this match is one of those “the biggest match of his life” bouts; a Mexican National Welterweight Championship showdown between the champion, Rey Cometa, and the challenger/dude who’s having the biggest match of his life, Soberano Jr. Maybe I’m overhyping this bout, but I’m so excited for it that I decided to dust off the old previewing gloves so I could break down this match and this match alone. That’s right sports fans; we’re going old school, Marty the Moth vs. Killshot with this preview, and with any luck we may ultimately wind up with a match that rivals that gem. So stop what you’re doing, think about getting a cold one later (it’s too early for a Pepsi/7 Up right now), kick back and enjoy. Moses, do your civic duty while I tell the 30 or so people reading this about our competitors.
Soberano Jr.
This will be a short section. Why? Because if you’ve read any of my work…ever, you’ll know who Soberano Jr. is based on the numerous rave reviews I’ve given him and my write up on his short but eventful career thus far. So here’s a reminder; he’s Euforia’s son, he’s awesome and he may just be the best luchador alive right now going into his first ever title match. You’re gorram right I said it. Hey, when you steal the show during New Japan’s FantasticaMania tour, then continue to steal the show once you return to Arena Mexico while the reigning, defending Luchador of the Year is stuck in a sinkhole of a match with Yoshitatsu, you may just have risen in stature.
Rey Cometa
Soberano will definitely be the focal point of this match, but he’s by no means the only thing going for it. It’s funny I just brought up Volador Jr. a minute ago, because the only difference between him and Rey Cometa is that Volador gets pushed (and rightfully so). Originally making his mark in AAA, Cometa has been a CMLL stalwart since 2009, where he’s become known as one of the more exciting and underrated high flyers in lucha libre. His early years in Arena Mexico saw him feud with the likes of Puma (who took his mask at the 79th Anniversary Show), Okumura and current New Japan star El Desperado before he came across rising CMLL star Cavernario in 214. Since then, the two have engaged in several legendary battles, with Cavernario twice taking Cometa’s hair (first at the 81st Anniversary Show in 2014 and last year at the 2016 CMLL International Gran Prix) while Cometa won the same Mexican National Welterweight Title he’s defending tonight from Cavernario last year. Their feud is so big it even looms over this bout; Cometa is scheduled to face Cavernario this upcoming Tuesday in Arena Mexico in a non title match. If Cometa were to emerge victorious here, it’s very possible that bout becomes a title match itself.
How Did We Get Here?
Simple; just a few weeks ago CMLL decided to run their La Copa Junior tournament, with two ciberneticos taking place on April 14th and April 21st to determine two finalists that would face off on April 28th. Soberano won the cibernetico on the fourteenth and then defeated Sansón in the finals in one of the better matches of the year. Most of us thought Soberano was just getting a sweet trophy or plaque, but CMLL surprised everyone by announcing that he would get a title shot against Cometa (Sansón would’ve received a title shot himself, though the belt he would’ve challenged for escapes me). They then furthered surprised everyone by moving quickly to make the match for this week, which gets more perplexing when you realize CMLL has still yet to give Negro Casas, Puma and Tiger a Mexican National Trios Championship title shot they won the right for in January. I guess this is CMLL’s way of trying to show their on the ball? In any event, that’s why we’re here. It’s not about hatred, masks or hair; it’s just two really exciting dudes fighting for a title, with one exciting dude looking to go from “rising star” to “star.” So still a lot on the line.
What to Expect
I mean, the sky has to be the limit here right? Like I said earlier, Soberano couldn’t be coming into this match hotter if he were just coming off the set from a Fahrenheit 451 remake. He knocked it out of the park at FantasticaMania just a few months ago; he’s continued to knock it out of the park since he got back from Japan and my Grodd his last few weeks have been nothing short of stupendous. Every time it’s seemed like he was going to slow down, Soberano just kept going harder, flying higher and doing crazier things, to the point where I do think you could make the argument right now that he’s the best luchador in the world. He seems like a sure thing for this match (more on that in a moment), and luckily so is his opponent. Rey Cometa may not have the spotlight on him when he’s not working Cavernario, but he’s just as athletic as Soberano, just as crazy as Soberano and he always shows up in big situations (and if his interactions with Cavernario are any indication, he’s excellent at making talented young luchadors look great). I look at these two guys, and there’s every reason to believe that this match could be absolutely crazy, balls to the wall affair with dives off the stage, dives to the floor, dives you’ve never seen before. If you like ultra athletic high flyers doing some of the coolest moves in the world, then this match will be for you and has every chance to be as awesome as some of those Best of the Super Junior matches that are happening next week.
You may be wondering where the “but” is concerning this match. Surely it can’t be a sure fire thing, right? Personally I think it’s as close as you can get to one, but the match does come with some concerns. This is indeed the biggest match of Soberano’s life. It’s bigger than the Apuesta match he and Star Jr. had against Camorra and Cholo, his En Busca del Ídolo matches, that awesome Lightning Match he had last year with Hechicero, the Copa Junior final against Sansón; whatever you want to name, this match is bigger simply because of the title being involved and the likelihood of a great performance here solidifying Soberano higher on the card. There was definitely pressure in the weeks leading up to this match that Soberano easily conquered, but the pressure is still on for this one and as we’ve seen many times, pressure can hit you when you least expect it. Additionally, both Soberano and Cometa are technicos who are used to dishing out dives; they aren’t as used to catching them, which both will be required to do often in this match. That’s not something to sneeze at; basing is one of the most important aspects of lucha libre, both from preventing injuries and making the moves look the best they can. Soberano and Cometa are two of the better technicos at basing when they’ve had the opportunity, but they haven’t had it often and that has to make you a little concerned going into a match where guys are going to be falling out of the sky at an accelerated rate.
So there’s the “but” I guess. Ultimately are those concerns enough to make me think this match won’t be great? Not even close. Ultimately I think both guys base well, the pressure doesn’t get to either of them and we get an aerial display for the ages. Both guys are simply too great for any less and to me, Soberano is too hungry to settle for any less. Unless a freak injury occurs early in the match or there’s a catastrophic botch, this will be the best match you see in Mexico all week and maybe, just maybe the best match you’ll see in Mexico all year. As I said earlier, the sky is the limit, and not just in match quality; it’s possible we may see one of these dudes reach outer space. They’re that good.
Winner
This match looked wide open up till Cometa-Cavernario was announced, then proceeded to look wide open again when that match was made non title. Both guys have a good case for winning this match. Cometa has held the title for less than a year and has only had one successful defense to this point; taking the title off him now contradicts CMLL’s preference towards long title reigns with numerous defenses spread out over the year. At the same time, Soberano is on such a roll that it feels like he deserves some sort of prize (besides the Copa Junior), and a lower level midcard title like the Mexican National Welterweight belt seems like it would fit him better than a veteran like Cometa (and while Cometa hasn’t defended the belt much, you could argue his lack of activity with the title also works against him, especially if you’re one who believes he only won the title to get more heat on his program with Cavernario last year). It’s a toss up, and unfortunately I have to make a pick because what is this column if I don’t make a pick?! So who wins? At the end of the day I’d really, REALLY like to pick Soberano to take this one home…but its CMLL, life is unfair and I’m willing to bet that CMLL front office believes Soberano having an epic match with Cometa to close this great month long run is more than enough to establish him. As such, I’ll go with Rey Cometa to successfully defend the title in three falls, winning with…who the hell knows? Knowing all the crazy shit these two are going to do, I wouldn’t doubt it’ll be something out of this world. Maybe a top rope Canadian Destroyer? Top rope poison rana? Whatever it is, I’m sure it’ll be awesome. It’s Soberano Jr. vs. Rey Cometa; this doesn’t happen every day.
That’s game sports fans. I’m now off to rest up till tonight, and yes, there will be a Running Diary of the show. How can there not be? Till we meet again then, THIS!
