The Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Anniversary Show is the biggest annual

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

event promoted by Mexican

professional wrestling promotion A professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that regularly performs shows involving professional wrestling that has little relationship to the rules of the amateur olympic form. "Promotion" also describes a role which entails man ...

Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Co., Ltd. (CMLL; , "World Wrestling Council") is a ''lucha libre'' professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico City. The promotion was previously known as ''Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre'' (''EMLL'') (''Mexi ...

(CMLL), held in September every year, commemorating the creation of CMLL, then known as Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), in September 1933 by

Salvador Lutteroth Salvador Lutteroth González (21 March 1897 – 5 September 1987) was a Mexican professional wrestling promoter of the mid-twentieth century. Lutteroth's organization, Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL), was the dominant Mexican wrestling pr ...

. Since Lutteroth built Arena Mexico in

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

it's been the home of CMLL and the host of all Anniversary shows held since then. The first show was held in 1934 and since then 81 shows have been held, making it the longest-running annual wrestling event in history and making CMLL the oldest wrestling promotion in existence.

Anniversary show history

A year after EMLL's first show Lutteroth held the "

EMLL 1st Anniversary Show The EMLL 1st Anniversary Show ( es, 1. Aniversario de EMLL) was a professional wrestling major show event produced by Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL, later renamed Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, CMLL) that took place on September 21, 1934, ...

" on September 21, 1934, and since then the Anniversary show has been held on a Friday in mid to late September each year as the "biggest show" of EMLL/CMLL's year. The Anniversary show has always been held in Mexico City, EMLL/CMLL's home town, and held in ''Arena Mexico'' since 1955 when it was built. When EMLL changed its name to Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in 1990 the events became known as the "CMLL Anniversary Shows" but kept the numbering as it was the same organisation, just "rebranded". CMLL promotes the event as the "Anniversary of Wrestling in Mexico" and not just the anniversary of the promotion, but that is more of a promotional statement than the truth. Several promoters had run wrestling shows in Mexico since the early 1920s, but Lutteroth was the first to run a large scale organized promotion and soon became the dominant promotion. The show often features high-profile ''

Lucha de Apuestas Lucha libre (, meaning "freestyle wrestling" or literally translated as "free fight") is the term used in Latin America for professional wrestling. Since its introduction to Mexico in the early 20th century, it has developed into a unique form ...

'' matches where the competitors "bet" their mask or hair; the main event of at least 29 Anniversary shows has been an ''Apuesta'' match, including the last nine in a row. The Anniversary shows have seen the high-profile mask losses of such wrestlers as Mano Negra,

Cien Caras Carmelo Reyes González (born October 18, 1949) is a Mexican retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Cien Caras ("Hundred Faces"). He is best known for his appearances with the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Personal l ...

Universo 2000 Andrés Reyes González (April 18, 1963 – May 1, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, who was best known under the ring name Universo 2000. Reyes made his professional wrestling debut in 1985 and worked for Consejo Mundial de ...

, Black Warrior, Blue Panther, Volador Jr. and

Último Guerrero José Gutiérrez Hernández (born March 1, 1972), better known by his ring name Último Guerrero (Spanish for ''Last Warrior''), is a Mexico, Mexican (or Professional wrestling, professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...

. A large number of wrestlers have lost their hair at the Anniversary show, with the most recent being

Negro Casas José Casas Ruiz (born January 10, 1960) is a Mexican professional wrestler (called a ''Luchador'' in Spanish) and trainer working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Negro Casas. He is the son of former wrestler turn ...

who was shaved bald after losing an ''Apuesta'' match against

Místico Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...

on the 76th Anniversary Show. The Anniversary shows often see "special guest appearances" of well known wrestlers from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Dates, venues, and main events

''NOTE: There are some years with multiple Anniversary Shows. There was no 52nd Anniversary because of an earthquake a day before the bell time.

References

;General sources * * * ;Specific sources {{DEFAULTSORT:Consejo Mundial De Lucha Libre Anniversary Shows Recurring events established in 1934 Anniversaries