The 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) has held the La Copa Junior ("The Junior Cup") tournament on an infrequent schedule since 1996. The tournament pays respect to the fact that wrestling is a family tradition in
Lucha libre
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 ...
, with many second or even third-generation wrestlers following the footsteps of their relatives.
So far CMLL has held ten tournaments starting in 1996 and then intermittently since 2005. While most of the family relationships are real there are a few instances of the family relationship being a
storylines family relationship, such as
Dragón Rojo Jr. being billed as the grandson of Dragón Rojo, when in reality that is simply a storyline created by CMLL.
The oldest tournament winner was
Emilio Charles Jr.
Sergio Emilio Charles Garduño (October 12, 1956 – December 28, 2012) was a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler), who is best known under the ring name Emilio Charles Jr. Over the years, Charles worked for all of the major Mexican p ...
, who was 39 years old when he won the
1996 tournament, while the oldest competitor ever was
Brazo de Plata
José Luis Alvarado Nieves (March 19, 1963 – July 26, 2021) was a Mexican luchador best known under the ring name Brazo de Plata, a name he had used since his debut in 1977. He is also well known for his appearances in WWE as Super Porky. Al ...
who was 51 years old when he wrestled in the
2014 VIP tournament. The youngest tournament winner was
La Sombra
La Sombra de Chicago or La Sombra de Tony Guerrero or even the Windy City Boys is a Tejano band founded by Tony Guerrero. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Aurora, Illinois, the group gained national acclaim and success after moving to Corp ...
, who won the
2012 tournament at 23 years of age.
Cachorro
''Bear Cub'' ( es, Cachorro) is a 2004 Spanish comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Miguel Albaladejo. The plot follows a bearish gay man who ends up looking after his nephew while his sister goes away to India and in turn makes hi ...
or Mano Negra Jr. is the youngest wrestler to compete in the tournament, both were around 16 or 17 years old when they completed in the ''La Copa Junior'' tournament, but their actual birth date is not known, just birth year, making it impossible to determine who was the youngest entrant overall.
La Copa Junior winners
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copa Junior, La
Lucha libre
Events in Mexico City
Recurring events established in 1996