The 2009 Rey del Ring (Spanish for "King of the Ring") was a
major ''lucha libre'' event produced and scripted by the Mexican
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 ...
(IWRG)
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 ...
on July 16, 2009. The show was held in
Arena Naucalpan
Arena Naucalpan is an indoor sports arena located in Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico located on Calle Jardín 19, Naucalpan Centro. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''lucha libre'', mainly shows promoted by International Wre ...
,
Naucalpan
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 ...
,
State of Mexico
The State of Mexico ( es, Estado de México; ), officially just Mexico ( es, México), is one of the 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Commonly known as Edomex (from ) to distinguish it from the name of the whole country, it is ...
, which is IWRG's primary venue. The show was the eight overall
IWRG Rey del Ring
The IWRG Rey del Ring (Spanish for "King of the Ring") refers both to an annual tournament and a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha libre professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWR ...
show held, with the first being held in 2002.
The focal point of the show was the
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous Rey del Ring tournament. a 30-man elimination match similar in concept to the
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
's
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
match. The match was won by
Ricky Cruzz Ricky may refer to:
Places
*Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic
*Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic
*Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky"
...
as he lastly eliminated
El Veneno to win the tournament.
Olimpico is credited with three eliminations, the most of any wrestler in the 2009 ''Rey del Ring'' tournament as he eliminated
Arlequín Amarillo
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally be ...
, Fantasma de la Opera and Rigo.
Production
Background
The Mexican
professional wrestling company 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 ...
(IWRG; at times referred to as ''Grupo Internacional Revolución'' in Mexico) started to hold their annual ''
Rey del Ring
The IWRG Rey del Ring (Spanish for "King of the Ring") refers both to an annual tournament and a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha libre professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group ( ...
'' ("King of the Ring") tournament on J 2002, creating an annual event around the
eponym
An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Usage of the word
The term ''epon ...
ous ''Rey del Ring'' match, a 30-man elimination match similar in concept to the
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
's
Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event, produced annually since 1988 by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. It is named after the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle roya ...
match.
From 2002 through 2007 the ''Rey del Ring'' match started with four wrestlers in the ring, only adding another wrestler when someone was pinned, forced to submit, was disqualified or counted out, which meant that no more than four wrestlers would be in the ring at the same time. Unlike the Royal Rumble the ''Rey del Ring'' rules allowed wrestlers to be eliminated by pinfall etc., not by being thrown over the top rope to the floor as regular
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 ...
rules describe.
[ From 2002 through 2010 the ''Rey del Ring'' winner did not get any specific prize for winning the match, except for the 2004 ''Rey del Ring'' tournament where the winner also won the vacant ]IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship
The IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship (''Campeonato Intercontinental de Peso Medio IWRGL'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWR ...
. Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
won the ''Rey del Ring'' as well as the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship. For the 2008 ''Rey del Ring'' tournament IWRG adjusted the rules a little, instead of four wrestlers starting in the ring and someone being added only upon elimination, two wrestlers would start out and at timed intervals, two minutes in this case, another wrestler would enter the ring to join the match.
The 2009 ''Rey del Ring'' tournament was held under the same "timed entrants" rules that were introduced for the 2008 tournament. The show, as all of IWRG's major shows was held in Arena Naucalpan
Arena Naucalpan is an indoor sports arena located in Naucalpan de Juárez, Mexico located on Calle Jardín 19, Naucalpan Centro. The arena is primarily used for professional wrestling, or ''lucha libre'', mainly shows promoted by International Wre ...
in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, IWRG's primary venue. The 2009 show was the eighth year in a row IWRG held a ''Rey del Ring'', a streak they would break in 2010 by not holding a ''Rey del Ring'' tournament that year.
Storylines
The event featured at least two 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.
Event
The show started out with 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 ...
match, contested under "best two-out-of-three-falls" rules, with the team of Blasfemia and Carta Brava Jr.
Sergio Marca (born January 18, 1987) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler known as Carta Brava Jr., currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) portraying a ''rudo'' ("bad guy" ...
defeating Eragon and Guizmo two falls to one.[
The thirty competitors in the ''Rey del Ring'' tournament were ]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 ...
, Arlequín Amarillo
Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the ''zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian ''commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally be ...
, Arlequín Verde. Avisman. 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 ...
, Capitan Muerte, Cerebro Negro
Ricardo Antonio Morales Gonzalez (born September 30, 1973 in Mexico City, Mexico), better known under the ring name Cerebro Negro ("Black Brain"), is a Mexican ''luchador'', or masked professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican profess ...
, Chico Che, Ricky Cruz, Dr. Cerebro
Alejandro Jiménez Cruz (born April 21, 1972) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler best known under the ring name Dr. Cerebro (Spanish for "Doctor Brain"). He has been associated with the Mexican professional wrestling promotion In ...
, Exodia, Fantasma de la Opera, Goleador, Máscara Año 2000 Jr.
Ángel Omar Reyes Franco (born 16 January 1977) is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'' or professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known as Máscara Año 2000 Jr. He is working for Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA), and International ...
, Máscara Magnifica, Megatronik, 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 ...
, Oficial 911
José Ángel Bocanegra González (born February 7, 1981) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or masked professional wrestler, best known under the ring name Oficial 911. As Oficial 911 he is part of a group called ''Los Oficiales'' that has worked for Int ...
, Oficial AK-47
Mario Pardo Villagómez (born February 14, 1984) is a Mexican ''luchador'', best known under the ring name Oficial AK-47. As Oficial AK-47 he is part of a group called ''Los Oficiales'' that has worked for International Wrestling Revolution Group ...
, Olímpico
Joel Bernal Galicia (born December 6, 1965) is a Mexican ''Luchador'', or professional wrestler retired, better known under the ring name Olímpico. Olímpico is sometimes Anglicised as "Olympico", and means "Olympian" in Spanish. From his debut ...
, Pendulo, Rigo, Sauron, Tetsuya Bushi
, better known by the ring name Bushi (stylized as BUSHI), is a Japanese professional wrestler, currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).
Prior to adopting his current persona, Shimizu worked under the ring names T28 (pronounced 'Tetsuy ...
, Toxico, Trauma I
Trauma I (born March 27, 1985) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, working on the Mexican independent circuit and as a freelance wrestler for promotions such as International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG), ...
, Trauma II
Trauma II (born December 12, 1982, in Mexico City, Mexico) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler working on the Mexican independent circuit and as a freelance wrestler for promotions such as International Wrestli ...
, El Veneno, Xibalba and Yack.[ The ''Rey del Ring'' match lasted one hour and forty-eight minutes and came to an end when Ricky Cruzz eliminated Veneno as the last man to win the entire tournament.]
During the match Olímpico eliminated a total of three wrestlers, Arlequín Amarillo, Fantasma de la Opera and Rigo, the most of any of the competitors.[ Rigo was the thirtieth entrant in the match and ended up suffering three losses before he finally left the ring. First he was pinned by Máscara Año 2000 Jr. but remained in the ring afterwards, later Ricky Cruzz forced Rigo to submit to a ]Figure four leglock
Professional wrestling holds include a number of set moves and pins used by performers to immobilize their opponents or lead to a submission. This article covers the various pins, stretches and transition holds used in the ring. Some wrestlers use ...
but again Rigo remained in the ring afterwards. Finally, Olímpico pinned Rigo after a double suplex from Olímpico and Máscara Año 2000 Jr., at which point Rigo finally left the ring.[
]
Aftermath
After holding a ''Rey del Ring'' for eight years in a row IWRG did not hold a tournament in 2010 for undisclosed reasons.[ In 2011 IWRG introduced an actual "IWRG Rey del Ring Championship" that would be awarded to the winner of the tournament. The championship could then be defended in regular matches between the annual tournaments.] That tournament and the belt was won by Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
.[
The 2008 ''Rey del Ring'' tournament was won by ]Scorpio Jr.
Rafael Núñez Juan (born October 11, 1966) is a Mexican ''Luchador'' or professional wrestler who is best known under his Ring name Scorpio Jr. Núñez is the son of professional wrestler "Scorpio", and was trained by his father and Rafael Sal ...
, who would later team up with Ricky Cruzz, the 2009 ''Rey del Ring'' winner, to form a regular tag team. On August 9, 2011 Scorpio And Cruzz defeated ''Los Junior Dinamitas'' ("The Junior Dynamites"; El Hijo de Cien Caras
Eustacio Jiménez Ibarra (March 21, 1976 – November 29, 2010) was a Mexican ''Luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler better known by the ring name of El Hijo de Cien Caras. The name is Spanish for "the Son of Cien Caras." H ...
and Máscara Año 2000 Jr.
Ángel Omar Reyes Franco (born 16 January 1977) is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'' or professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known as Máscara Año 2000 Jr. He is working for Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA), and International ...
) to win the IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship
The IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship (''Campeonato Intercontinental de Parejas IWRG'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling tag team championship promoted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolut ...
. Cruzz only worked a few more matches for IWRG after winning the IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship, returning to his native Puerto Rico in August 2009.[ As a result of Cruzz leaving IWRG the promotion vacated the championship in early 2010.][ Cruzz would return to Mexico in 2015, winning the 2015 ''Rey del Ring'' tournament and the championship.] He later returned to his native Puerto Rico with the ''Rey del Ring'' Championship and even defended it on a World Wrestling League
La Liga Wrestling (formerly World Wrestling League or Liga Mundial de Lucha), was a wrestling promotion company based out of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2012 by businessman Richard Negrín with the cooperation of established wrestling figur ...
(WWL) show in August, 2015.
Results
Rey del Ring entrances and eliminations
A new entrant came out approximately every two minutes.[
]
References
External links
IWRG official website
{{IWRGShows, Rey del Ring
2009 in professional wrestling
2009 in Mexico
IWRG Rey del Ring
July 2009 events in Mexico