The Torneo Gran Alternativa 2018 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 o ...
tournament event produced by the Mexican wrestling promotion
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 ...
(CMLLl; Spanish "World Wrestling Council") that began on May 4, 2018 and ran over the course of three of CMLL's Friday night shows 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 ...
through May 18. The
Torneo Gran Alternativa (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 beyond a symbolic trophy.
The 2018 tournament was the 23rd Gran Alternativa tournament that CMLL has held since its inception in 1994 and was won by
Flyer and his uncle
Volador Jr.
Ramón Ibarra Rivera (born January 26, 1981), better known by his ring name Volador Jr., is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'' (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ''Face (professional ...
as they defeated
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 ...
and
Templario
Templario (real name not revealed; born February 27, 1992) is a Mexican ''lucha libre, luchador wrestling mask, enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), currently working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CM ...
in the finals. The tournament victory helped elevate Flyer in the ranks as he began working higher on CMLL shows after the tournament victory. The finals of the 2018 tournament also served as the catalyst for the return of
L.A. Park
Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' ( masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Major League Wrestling in the United States, where he is a former MLW World Tag ...
and his son
El Hijo de L.A. Park
El Hijo de L.A. Park (born November 20, 1988) is a Mexican ''Luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. His ring name ("The Son of L.A. Park") indicates he is the son of Adolfo Tapia, the original La Parka, who currently wrest ...
's return to CMLL.
History
Starting in 1994 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) created a special tournament concept where they would team up a ''novato'', or rookie, with a veteran for a single-elimination
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 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 2014, opting not to hold a tournament in 2015. The 2016 Gran Alternativa tournament will be the 21st 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 ...
, CMLL's main venue and has taken place on Friday nights, with the
2016 tournament being the only time the Gran Alternativa was held on Tuesday nights.
The 2018 ''Gran Alternativa'' tournament was the 23rd tournament held by CMLL in the 24 years since the first installment.
[
]
Tournament background
The tournament featured 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 were 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 or storylines while others are simply paired up for the tournament. Wrestlers portrayed 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 as ...
(referred to as ''Rudos'' in Mexico) or fan favorites (''Técnicos'' in Mexico) as they competed in wrestling matches with pre-determined outcomes. The tournament format followed CMLL's traditional tournament formats, with two qualifying blocks of eight teams that competed in 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 was 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.[
;''Gran Alternativa'' participants
The 2018 tournament marked the first time that Audaz, El Coyote, ]Magia Blanca
Magia Blanca (born June 26, 1993) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, previously known by the ring name Magnifico I. He is currently working with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), where he is the current ...
, Maquiavelo, Principe Diamante, Templario
Templario (real name not revealed; born February 27, 1992) is a Mexican ''lucha libre, luchador wrestling mask, enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), currently working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CM ...
and Universo 2000 Jr. competed in a Gran Alternativa tournament.[ While this was also Eléctrico's first Gran Alternativa, he had worked for CMLL since 2006 in the ]Mini-Estrellas
The term ''Mini-Estrella'' (Spanish for "Mini-Star") is used in lucha libre to describe a division of short professional wrestlers or ''luchadors'', some of whom have dwarfism. The Mexican ''Mini-Estrellas'' is comparable to Midget wrestling prac ...
division and only been moved up to the main division in early 2018. Of the remaining ''novatos'' El Hijo del Signo
Marco Antonio Sánchez RodrÃguez (born April 30, 1987) better known by his ring name El Hijo del Signo or Signo Jr., is a Mexican professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha ...
was the oldest (age 33 or 34) of the rookies and also the ''novato'' with the longest CMLL tenure, having competed in both the 2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
and 2012 tournaments. Audaz, at age 20, was the youngest ''novato'' in the 2018 tournament. Espanto Jr. had competed in three previous Gran Alternativa tournaments in 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
and 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
. Magia Blanco came into the Gran Alternativa with the most momentum of all the rookies by having won the Copa Nueva Valores
The ''Copa Nuevos Valores'' (Spanish for "New Values Cup") was a professional wrestling tournament promoted by the Mexican lucha libre promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) held between April 3 and April 17, 2018 at Arena México. The ...
("New Values Cup") rookie tournament by beating Flyer in the finals on April 17, followed by a very well received Mexican National Welterweight Championship
The Mexican National Welterweight Championship (''Campeonato Nacional Peso Welter'' in Spanish language, Spanish) is a Lucha libre, Mexican professional wrestling championship (professional wrestling), championship created and sanctioned by Comisi ...
match against El Soberano
El Soberano or Soberano Jr. (born August 12, 1993 in Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler currently working for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Luch ...
on May 1 which he lost.
On the veterans side, all competitors had taken part in the Gran Alternativa tournament before, although Bárbaro Cavernario
Leonardo Moreno Ayala (born November 6, 1993), better known by his ring name Bárbaro Cavernario, is a Mexican ''luchador'' (or professional wrestler), currently working for Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He po ...
made his first appearance as a veteran after having won the 2014 tournament as a rookie, teaming with Mr. Niebla
Efrén Tiburcio Márquez (February 22, 1973 – December 23, 2019), known under the ring name Mr. Niebla, was a Mexican luchador enmascarado ( Spanish for masked professional wrestler) who worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). "Ni ...
. Of all the veterans CarÃstico 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 ...
have had the most success in the Gran Alternativa, with both having won the tournament as a rookie and then twice more as a veteran, with CarÃstico winning the previous year's tournament with Soberano.[Between 2004 and 2011 CarÃstico competed under the name "MÃstico", a name that was later given to a new MÃstico.] Último Guerrero and Atlantis
Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
had both competed in 14 Gran Alternativa tournaments prior to the 2018 version,[ and at 55 years of age Atlantis was the oldest competitor in the tournament.] Other previous winners included Volador Jr.
Ramón Ibarra Rivera (born January 26, 1981), better known by his ring name Volador Jr., is a Mexican ''Lucha libre, luchador'' (or professional wrestler), who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ''Face (professional ...
(2016) and El Terrible
Damián Gutiérrez Hernández (born April 12, 1976), better known by his ring name El Terrible, is a Mexican professional wrestler who currently works for the Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ''ru ...
(2012).[ Ephesto competed in the 2006 tournament under the name "Hombre Sin Nombre" but 2018 marked the first time he competed as "Ephesto" after having played the character since 2007.][
]
Tournament results
The 2018 tournament was split out over three Super Viernes shows, with a qualifying block on May 4 and May 11. Block A started with the eight ''novatos'' competing in a 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 first round tag team match ups. CMLL often employs a "Seeding battle royal" for their tag team tournaments, where the first two wrestlers eliminated would be in the first tournament match, the third and fourth man eliminated would meet in the second tournament match, the fifth and sixth man matchup in the third first-round match and the last two wrestlers would meet in the fourth and final first-round match. Flyer and El Hijo del Signo were the last two men in the match, earning the longst rest between matches. The first tag team match of the tournament was also the longest tournament match of the night, as Eléctrico and MÃstico defeated Espanto Jr. and Hechicero in nine minutes, six seconds. Yago and Mephisto, Magia Blanca and Atlantis and the team of Flyer and Volador Jr. all moved to the second round.[ In the second round Yago and Mephisto defeated Eléctrico and MÃstico in 6:52 while Flyer got a small measure of revenge against Copa Nueva Valores winner Magica Blanca, as Flyer and Volador Jr. defeated Magica Blanca and Atlantis.][ In the final block A match Flyer and Volador Jr. defeated Yago and Mephisto to qualify for the finals.][
Block B of the Gran Alternativa took place a week later, and saw Templario and Universo 2000 Jr. outlast Star Jr., Audaz, El Coyote, Astral, Akuma and PrÃncipe Diamante in the seeding battle royal to set the match order for the night.] The ''novato''/veteran teams of Akuma and Euforia, CarÃstico and Star Jr., Audaz and Kráneo, and Templario and Último Guerrero all advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament.[ 2017 Gran Alternativa winner CarÃstico and ''novato'' Star Jr. advanced to the semi-finals with a victory over Akuma and Euforia. In the other quarterfinal Último Guerrero, who like CarÃstico had already won three Gran Alternativa tournaments and his trainee Templario defeated Templarios long time rival Audaz and veteran Kráneo to move on.][ In the second tournament final Templario and Último Guerrero defeated Star Jr. and CarÃstico when Templario pinned CarÃstico.][
The final Gran Alternativa tournament match was held on May 18 and was the only best two-out-of-three falls match of the tournament. The two teams split the first two falls between them, leading to the third and final fall where both team members had to be pinned to end the match. In the final moments of the match ''novato'' Flyer pinned veteran Último Guerrero after executing a Moonsault side slam off the rope, followed by Volador Jr. pinning Templario after rolling him up with a ]rana
Rana may refer to:
Astronomy
* Rana (crater), a crater on Mars
* Delta Eridani or Rana, a star
People, groups and titles
* Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name)
* Rana (title), a histori ...
. After the match was over Flyer and Volador Jr. were attacked by Los Ingobernables
''Los Ingobernables'' (Spanish for "The Ungovernables") is a ''lucha libre'' (Mexican professional wrestling) stable, based in the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion. It was formed in April 2014 by La Máscara, Rush and La Sombra, a ...
, Rush
Rush(es) may refer to:
Places
United States
* Rush, Colorado
* Rush, Kentucky
* Rush, New York
* Rush City, Minnesota
* Rush Creek (Kishwaukee River tributary), Illinois
* Rush Creek (Marin County, California), a stream
* Rush Creek (Mono Cou ...
, El Terrible
Damián Gutiérrez Hernández (born April 12, 1976), better known by his ring name El Terrible, is a Mexican professional wrestler who currently works for the Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a ''ru ...
and La Bestia del Ring
Arturo Muñoz Sánchez is a Mexican '' luchador'', or professional wrestler who is best known for his time performing Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), portraying a ''rudo'' ("Bad guy") wrestling ch ...
to continue an ongoing rivalry between Rush and Volador Jr. moments later Volador Jr,'s uncle L.A. Park
Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' ( masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Major League Wrestling in the United States, where he is a former MLW World Tag ...
and cousin El Hijo de L.A. Park
El Hijo de L.A. Park (born November 20, 1988) is a Mexican ''Luchador'' '' enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. His ring name ("The Son of L.A. Park") indicates he is the son of Adolfo Tapia, the original La Parka, who currently wrest ...
made their surprise return to CMLL by running to the ring and chasing off Los Ingobernables.[ After Flyer and Volador Jr. were given their Gran Alternativa tournament L.A. Park made a challenge to Rush for a ]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 ...
match.[
]
Tournament brackets
Aftermath
The tournament victory helped establish Flyer as a wrestler on the rise in CMLL, but it was the aftermath of the tournament that had the biggest impact both on Flyer's career and CMLL's direction in 2018. The appearance of L.A. Park and El Hijo de L.A. Park marked a period where CMLL began to work with more "independent" wrestlers, allowing wrestlers not under permanent contract to work on CMLL shows. The biggest change was that CMLL would allow independent wrestlers to also work for their rival Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide
Antonio Peña Promotions, S.A. de C.V. d/b/a Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide is a Mexican Lucha Libre (professional wrestling) promotion based in Mexico City, Mexico. Commonly referred to as simply AAA (pronounced "triple A"; an abbreviation of its or ...
(AAA), which had not been allowed every before in the history of the company. In addition to L.A. Park and El Hijo de L.A. Park, this change in approach allowed Penta El 0M
Penta may refer to:
Places
* , an Italian hamlet (') of Fisciano, Salerno
* Penta-di-Casinca, a French municipality of Corsica
* Penta, Chhattisgarh, a town in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, India
* , a small river in Lithuania
Other
* Pent ...
, Fénix, Cibernético
Octavio López Arreola (born April 12, 1975) is a Mexican professional wrestler who is best known under the ring name Cibernético and for working for the Lucha Libre AAA World Wide (AAA) promotion in Mexico. During AAA's short partnership with t ...
(Billed as "Ciber Main Man"), El Zorro ("The Crizh") and Charly Manson
Jesús Luna Pozos (born February 18, 1975) is a Mexican luchador (professional wrestler) who primarily works on the Mexican independent circuit as Sharlie Rockstar, where he competes as a member of ''The Kl4n''. Pozos is best known under the rin ...
("Scharlie Rockstar") to all work for CMLL and become parts of major storylines over the summer of 2018.
The appearance of L.A. Park led to a protracted storyline feud between La Familia Real ("The Royal Family"; L.A. Park, Volador Jr., Flyer and El Hijo de L.A. Park) against Los Ingobernables (Rush, El Terrible and El Bestia del Ring) that played out over the summer of 2018. The main focus was building a rivalry between Rush and L.A. Park, believed to be leading to a 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 ...
, or bet match, at the CMLL 85th Anniversary Show
The CMLL 85th Anniversary Show ( es, 85. Aniversario de CMLL) was a major professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV), scripted and produced by the Mexican ''lucha libre'' wrestling company Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for "World W ...
. The storyline build saw Rush and El Terrible defeat Volador Jr. and Valiente to win the CMLL World Tag Team Championship
The CMLL World Tag Team Championship (''CMLL Campeonato Mundial de Parejas'' in Spanish) is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for "World Wrestling Council") in Mexico ...
on July 13, 2018.
Tournament shows
;May 4, 2018 ''Super Viernes''
;May 11, 2018 ''Super Viernes''
;May 18, 2018 ''Super Viernes''
Footnotes
References
{{Portal bar, Mexico
2018 in professional wrestling
2018 in Mexico
CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa
May 2018 events in Mexico