El Protector (2012) was the first annual El Protector

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 produced by the

International Wrestling Revolution Group International Wrestling Revolution Group (Grupo Internacional Revolución in Spanish; the Spanish name is used for the promotion while the English initials are used for the title governing body) is a Lucha Libre promotion based in Naucalpan, Sta ...

. It took place on January 12, 2012, at Arena Naucalpan in

Naucalpan, State of Mexico Naucalpan, officially Naucalpan de Juárez, is one of 125 municipalities located just northwest of Mexico City in the adjoining State of Mexico. The municipal seat is the city of Naucalpan de Juárez, which extends into the neighboring municipal ...

. The 2012 ''El Protector'' was the first event produced under that name, but was a continuation of the ''Proyeccion a Nuevas Promesas'' ("Projecting a new promise") tournament of 2010 and 2011 . The focal point of the show was the ''El Protector''

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

tournament where eight teams competed for the trophy.

Production

Background

''Lucha Libre'' has a tradition for a tournament where a rookie, or ''novato'', would be teamed up with an experienced veteran wrestler for a

tournament in the hopes of giving the ''Novato'' a chance to show case their talent and move up the ranks.

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 ...

has held a '' Torneo Gran Alternativa'' ("Great Alternative Tournament") almost every year since 1994, but the concept predates the creation of the ''Gran Alternativa''. The Mexican professional wrestling company

(IWRG; at times referred to as ''Grupo Internacional Revolución'' in Mexico) started their own annual rookie/veteran tournament in 2010. The first two tournaments were called ''Torneo Relampago de Proyeccion a Nuevas Promesas de la Lucha Libre'' (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "Projecting a new promise lightning tournament") but would be renamed the '' El Protector'' tournament in 2012. The ''El Protector'' shows, as well as the majority of the IWRG shows in general, are held in "Arena Naucalpan", owned by the promoters of IWRG and their main arena. The 2012 ''El Protector'' show was the third time that IWRG promoted a show around the rookie/veteran tournament, with the name changing to ''El Protector'' from this year and onwards.

Storylines

The event featured nine

professional wrestling matches Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing

scripted ''Scripted'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Icon for Hire. It was released on Tooth & Nail Records on August 23, 2011, and went on to break the label's new artist record for albums sold during the first week of release. Backgr ...

feuds, plots and storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either

heels The heel is the prominence at the posterior end of the foot. It is based on the projection of one bone, the calcaneus or heel bone, behind the articulation of the bones of the lower leg. Structure To distribute the compressive forces exert ...

(referred to as ''rudos'' in Mexico, those that portray the "bad guys") or

faces The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may affe ...

(''técnicos'' in Mexico, the "good guy" characters) as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.

Tournament participants

Angélico Adam Bridle (born 7 May 1987), better known by the ring name Angélico (), is a South African professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his work in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide ...

and

Dinamic Black Dinamic Black (born June 25, 1992) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) portraying a '' tecnico'' ...

* Carta Brava, Jr. and Máscara Año 2000, Jr. * Centvrión and

Negro Navarro Negro Navarro (born June 12, 1957) is the ring name of Miguel Calderón Navarro, a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler. Navarro works as a Freelancer on the Mexican independent circuit as well as making regular appearances for Inter ...

* Eterno and Apolo Estrada, Jr. *

Alan Extreme Alan may refer to: People *Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname *Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' *Al ...

and

Black Terry Esteban Mares Castañeda (born September 3, 1952) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Black Terry. Wrestling since 1973, he was once part of a group called ''Los Temerarios'' alongside Jose Luis Fel ...

* and

X-Fly Juan Francisco Domínguez (born September 8, 1977) is a Mexican ''luchador'' or professional wrestler, currently performing under the ring name X-Fly. He is also known as the original Mosco de la Merced ("Mosquito of the Mercy"), a name which has ...

Saruman Saruman, also called Saruman the White, is a fictional character of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel ''The Lord of the Rings''. He is leader of the Istari, wizards sent to Middle-earth in human form by the godlike Valar to challenge Sauron, t ...

and Veneno * Tritón and

Tony Rivera Javier Espinosa Romero (born December 30, 1973) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or masked professional wrestler best known under the ring name Tony Rivera. As Rivera he is currently working on the Mexican professional wrestling independent circuit po ...

Results

References

External links

IWRG official website
{{IWRGShows, El Protector 2012 in professional wrestling 2012 in Mexico

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

January 2012 events in Mexico