The ''Torneo Gran Alternativa'' (2013) was a

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 or ...

tournament event produced by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) that took place from April 12 until April 26, 2013 over the course of two ''

CMLL Super Viernes CMLL Super Viernes (Spanish for "CMLL Super Friday") is the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre's banner event that takes place every Friday in Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico. The shows take place every Fr ...

'' shows, with the finals on the

Arena Mexico 57th Anniversary Show An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances, or Sport, sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating f ...

. The '' Torneo Gran Alternativa'' (

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, Can ...

for "the Great Alternative tournament) concept sees a ''Novato'' or rookie team up with an experienced wrestler for a

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. The rookie winner is often elevated up the ranks of CMLL as a result of winning the tournament, but there is no specific "prize" for winning the tournament. The tournament was won by rookie Boby Zavala and veteran

Rey Escorpión Fabián Núñez Napoles (born January 20, 1979) is a Mexican ''luchador'' (professional wrestler), better known by the ring name Rey Escorpión. He is currently working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), where he portrays a ''rudo'' or bad guy ...

, Escorpión's second tournament win overall.

History

Starting in 1994 the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) created a special tournament concept where they would team up a ''novato'', or rookie, with a veteran for a single-elimination

tournament. The tournament was called El Torneo Gran Alternativa, or "The Great Alternative Tournament" and became a recurring event on the CMLL calendar. CMLL did not hold a Gran Alternativa tournament in 1997 and 2000 held on each year from 2001 through 2013. The 2013 Gran Alternativa tournament was the 19th overall Gran Alternativa tournament. All tournaments have been held in

Arena México Arena México is an indoor arena in Mexico City, Mexico, located in the Colonia Doctores neighborhood in the Cuauhtémoc borough. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''lucha libre'', shows promoted by Consejo Mundial de Luc ...

Tournament background

The tournament features 15

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 teaming up, some of which may be 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. Back ...

feuds or storylines while others are simply paired up for the tournament. Wrestlers portray either

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character a ...

(referred to as ''Rudos'' in Mexico) or fan favorites (''Técnicos'' in Mexico) as they compete in wrestling matches with pre-determined outcomes. The tournament format follows CMLL's traditional tournament formats, with two qualifying blocks of eight teams that compete on the first and second week of the tournament and a final match between the two block winners. The qualifying blocks were one-fall matches while the tournament finals will be a best two-out-of-three falls tag team match. Each qualifying block started with all 8 ''Novatos'' competing in a "seeding"

battle royal Battle royal (; also royale) traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing, usually conducted under either boxing or wrestling rules. In recent times, the term has been used in a ...

to determine the brackets for the block. ;2013 Gran Alternativa participants Out of all the ''Novato'' participants only Hombre Bala Jr. and Boby Zavala had participated in the ''Gran Alternativa'' tournament before, having both participated in the 2012 version. Hombre Bala Jr. had teamed up with

Marco Corleone Mark Robert Jindrak (born June 26, 1977) is an American businessman, former professional wrestler, and actor. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) as Mark Jindrak and ...

, only to lose in their first match to the team of

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works '' Timaeus'' and '' Critias'', wherein it represents the antagonist naval power that b ...

and Tritón. Zavala had been teamed up with

Rey Bucanero Arturo García Ortiz (born July 19, 1974) is a Mexican '' luchador'' or professional wrestler best known under the ring name Rey Bucanero. Ortiz, as Rey Bucanero, has worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) since 1996. His ring name is ...

, but had also lost in the first round, to the team of Dragon Lee and Rush. Sensei and Camaleón are included in the ''Novato'' group even though they were not truly rookies, having been professional wrestlers for over a decade each and having used their current ring characters in CMLL since 2005 and 2007 respectively.

Tournament results

Super Viernes events

April 12, 2013

April 19, 2013

April 26, 2013

References

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Torneo Gran Alternativa'' (2013) 2013 in professional wrestling CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa April 2013 events in Mexico