NJPW Super J-Cup profiles: Rocky Romero, Soberano Jr.

We’re taking a look at each competitor in this year’s Super J-Cup, hosted by NJPW and produced by Jushin “Thunder” Liger. The tournament takes place in Tacoma, WA on August 22 and San Fransisco and Long Beach, CA on August 24 and 25. The events will be available on njpwworld.com.

Rocky Romero

“Damned with faint praise” is the idiom that immediately comes to mind when thinking back to Rocky Romero’s recent run in this year’s Best of the Super Juniors 26 tournament, which made for some of the best junior heavyweight-style matches of the year. Pundits around the wrestling world praised his BOSJ bouts with El Phantasmo and Will Ospreay as some of the best of the year so far.

His run in BOSJ 26 was what Romero himself called “the most challenging and most emotional journey” he’s had in his career, which speaks volumes since it’s so expansive. Romero was an early trainee at NJPW‘s L.A. Dojo (formerly the Inoki Dojo), training alongside a young TJ Perkins, fellow J-Cup entrant on the other side of this year’s brackets. On finishing training, Romero traveled to Mexico to work for CMLL, and back to the US where he worked for for Ring of Honor.

Like a handful of others in this year’s tourney, Romero has years of experience working all over the world in high-profile series and tournaments; just last year Romero made it to the final four of the British J-Cup hosted by Revolution Pro Wrestling in the UK, and his performances in this year’s BOSJ is just more proof that this guy knows how to deliver when necessary. The first test of this will be on Night 1 in Tacoma where he’ll square off with CMLL’s Soberano Jr.

Soberano Jr.

The 26-year-old tornillo master from Torreon, Soberano Jr. enters his first Super J-Cup tournament as CMLL’s current National Welterweight Champion. While championships from Mexico never seem to hold much clout when heading into tourneys like these, don’t count the guy out as a mere first-round pin-eater for other established stars. Sure, that’s exactly what happened when he was brought in to job to Rush in ROH earlier this year, but hopefully on NJPW’s stage in the States in front of a sold-out Tacoma crowd, we’ll see the young fellow drive himself hard on Night 1.

While he happens to be the son of another CMLL star, Euforia, their in-ring styles aren’t all that much related. Soberano is a nimble flyer whose offense is more graceful than hard-hitting and really needs an opponent who can both safely base on high-flying spots, but also understand the differences in rhythm and tempo found in more conventional CMLL style. Romero happens to be a perfect opponent for the sitting Welterweight champion, and if he’s planned to move out of the first J-Cup round, expect an exciting, unique showing from Soberano.