CMLLBlog Extra - Four Way Mask Match

After seven years, a rivalry ends tonight (Friday) may finally end tonight in Mexico. That is, only if one other of the most recognizable masked men in lucha doesn't lose their mask instead.

The WWE has a relatively quiet schedule this weekend, a one week break in the middle of two PPVs, with house shows stops around the South. Elsewhere, the noteworthy shows for hardcore indy fans are taking place in Indiana's IWA-MS promotion over a four day weekend. CMLL's show in Mexico City has more local importance than both put together, possibly a larger attendance than the WWE shows combined this weekend and likely only this article in English to explain any of it to you. I'll try my best.

Universo 2000	Rayo de Jalisco Jr.

Since 1997, Rayo de Jalisco Jr. and Universo 2000 have been rivals. The origin of the feud actual dates back even farther, to Rayo winning the mask of Cien Caras in 1990. Cien and Universo are brothers, so the family always had a score to settle. The two met in the finals of a tournament to fill the vacant CMLL Heavyweight tile (last held by pre-WWF debut Val Venis, which should give you a sense of how long this has been going) in October of 1997. Universo won the title, but they continued to battle off and on in the proceeding years, swapping the title back and forth. The highpoint to the rivalry was Universo breaking the neck of Rayo with the (banned in lucha) piledriver, only for Rayo to come back, vow revenge, and many more trios matches to take place.

Most of the twists in the action took place in the 98-00 time span, yet they're only now getting to the ultimate end of any lucha feud, mask versus mask. The rivalry extended over so many years because of the chaotic nature of wrestling in Mexico. Wrestlers - especially those who are perceived as stars by the fans - have much more control of their feuds and outcomes than their counterparts in the US. Wrestlers are also far less restricted about the promotions they're able to work with; as long as they stay off rival television, wrestlers are free to work any show they want, and by keeping the Rayo vs Universo feud going, both guys could continue the rivalry and tease an ending all over the country.

They've kept the storyline issue going in trios matches, so all it took is, after years of Rayo (face) demanding Universo (heel) give him the mask match to settle it and Universo denying him, they flipped it to Universo demanding the match and Rayo agreeing. Business reasons, especially for the timing, aren't as clear - it's guessed that the depressed Mexican wrestling scene has caused someone to go for the huge payday that comes with agreeing to lose a major mask, but inside information about Mexican wrestling is far more scarce than it is for the same from WWE.

In a rare move for a company which relies on walkups and returns for regulars, CMLL heavily promoted the Rayo vs Universo match with advance ticket sales, and made it main event of one of its biggest shows of the year, the annual CMLL Anniversary show; this year is CMLL's 71st year of existence, the longest uninterrupted run of any current wrestling promotion in the world. With CMLL saying the mask match would never air, tickets were selling at a great pace, and it looked like it'd be a big success...

Until, two weeks before the show, the main event was suddenly changed.

Dr. Wagner Jr.	Canek

Dr. Wagner Jr. and Canek had a memorable feud during this summer. Canek, who had wrestled elsewhere for most of his long career, had come in to CMLL as the respected legend, and Dr. Wagner (no slouch himself) pinned Canek in a trios match one week, talked trash about being the Man and Arena Mexico being His House, and managed to beat Canek in a trios a second week. With surprisingly speed, they met in a singles match. Before the match started, Canek was awarded a plaque for being a legend, and Canek lit a fire under Wagner by lighting a Dr. Wagner Sr. (Jr's dad, of course) mask on fire. Match was even for a couple of falls (traditional best of three lucha format), until fate worked against Canek: Canek was distracted by the unlikely appearance of Dr. Wagner Sr. (so unlikely it didn't actually happen - it was actually Dr. Wagner's brother Silver King/Black Tiger pretending), and Dr. Wagner using the distraction to retrieve the glass plaque and smash it over Canek's head. Actually, that's more good planning than fate. Canek won the match by obvious disqualification, but in the context of a promotion where you may see two foreign object shots a year, glass shattering into many small pieces and drawing blood from both the participants (and the referee) is quite a dramatic visual.

All of this was fun and good, but the time span of lucha feuds for top guys - akin to the Rayo/Universo issue more than "getting to a singles match in three weeks" - told us we shouldn't expected a big meaningful match till next spring at the earliest. And then...

Universo 2000	Rayo de Jalisco Jr.	Dr. Wagner Jr.	Canek

Just like Rayo/Universo, they'd kept Wagner/Canek going with the usual treadmill rivalry; trios matches where both guys rip at each other's masks, one guy wins one week, the other the next. Quite American-like, they just had the lucha commissioner announce the big main event match was now going to be a four way match, with rules to be announced. (Oddly but not wholly surprising, they never got around to announcing the rules.) It kinda came to a shock to us all.

While Canek and Wagner would've been parts of smaller of the anniversary show, moving them to the main event mean a substantial increase in pay even if they're not losing a mask, and since CMLL was going to do great business with the old main event and is notoriously cheap, there's no way they'd be shelling out extra cash to wrestlers unless they absolutely had to. Which means, deducting the options, the chaotic nature of Mexican wrestler had shown through again; the independence important wrestlers have extend to their masks. Someone (widely assumed to be Universo) had agreed to lose his mask, backed out after a month of hype for the mask match, his opponent (who'd been assuming a big win) also said no and CMLL sped up it's other mask match because they couldn't afford to not deliver someone important losing their match after the hype.

You can actually justify this bit of selfishness by whoever said no. Besides the ultimate end to their rivalry - they'll obviously meet again one day, but never in a match bigger than this - losing their mask at this stage in their career is also saying a goodbye to a large part of their career. For both Rayo and Universo, and all four guys involved now, they're established stars but also getting along in ages, and the fans can know. Losing a mask to them differs from what it meant to guys like Rey Mysterio Jr. and Juvi Guerrera. They were saying goodbye to a family legacy, but it seemed like a bump in the road to a career that may still be on it's way up. For the four guys in this match, losing their mask will be the officially sign that they've moved past their prime. Without a mask, they're still legends, they're only reminders of what they were and can no longer be. Like in the US, there are no true retirement matches in Mexico, but a mask match for guys who've been around this long is a close substitute. The level of respect and identity is a hard thing to part with, and I could understand why someone might have second thoughts when they realize what they're letting go.

Presuming this switch isn't the greatest red herring ever invented, you'd be down with either Canek or Dr. Wagner Jr. as the person who now is going to be losing his public face. It was expected, since the start of their feud, they'd someday go down this path for a mask/mask match, just not quite this soon. Belief had it that Canek, oldest of the four involved and winding down his participation while trying to make some final inroads for his sons who'll follow him in the business, was going to be the one eventually dropping his mask. Counter to that, there's been talk Wagner, who's spent extensive time touring in Japan besides his actions in Mexico, has saved his money well and could leave the business behind if he wanted to, and he'd surely consider losing his mask on the way out.

While either loser is a possibility, the situation grew even more complex this past week, as a small footnote in the passing of the actual Dr. Wagner Sr. Senior, most famous as a part of a lucha legendary team with Angel Blanco called the White Wave, suffered a heart attack last Friday, and passed away due to complications on Saturday, at age 68. Dr. Wagner Jr. took the name to continue the legacy his father had created, and I don't know if he could be expected to give up the legacy after losing his father only one week ago.

Which means Canek, having held that identity and mask for over thirty years and having faced and beaten many US big names in the early 80s (Vader, Meng, Bigelow, pre-WWF Yokozuna), is probably hours away from losing all of it. Unless something strange happens, and you never actually know what'll take place until it takes place.

The rest of the card, which may partly air in the US in late November, isn't shabby. The semi-main is a continuation, and perhaps temporary finale, of a Perro Aguayo Jr. vs El Hijo Del Santo feud based on an argument over the real legendary family of Mexican Wrestling. (Think Harts vs Funks.) Also on the card, and the match I'm hoping makes air, is a CMLL Light Heavyweight title bout between LA Park and Ultimo Guerrero, with the winner being the best pound for pound guy in (at least) all of Mexico, far as I'm concerned. Both guys are great and have been great lately, and a previous meeting in Guadalajara is considered possibly the best lucha match of the year by those who've gotten to see the tape.

The legacy of the show will all be dependent on how the main event breaks down, of course. Three guys will go on, having survived a major battle. One guy will walk away with his career and personal legacy forever changed. Which is about all you're looking for in a big show.

Lucha Links
- CMLL.com
(bring a translator program - English side is woefully out of date)
- La Arena lucha libre bios
- SLAM's Dr. Wagner obit
- my own CMLLBlog, with more lucha talk