The Torneo Gran Alternativa 2019 was

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 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 ran from October 4, 2019, 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 ...

, and end of October 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 2019 tournament was the 24th Gran Alternativa tournament that CMLL has held since its inception in 1994. Block A saw rookie

Fugaz Fugaz (born April 12, 1996) is the ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler, currently working for the Mexican Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) wrestling promotion. Fugaz's real name is not a matter ...

and veteran

Místico Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde (born December 22, 1982), better known by his ring name Místico (Spanish for "Mystic"), is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' (or masked professional wrestler), who currently works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Li ...

qualify for the finals. Rookie Star Jr. and veteran Valiente won block B to set up the finals for October 18, which were won by Star Jr. and Valiente

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 ...

(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 2014, opting not to hold a tournament in 2015. The 2019 Gran Alternativa tournament was the 21st overall Gran Alternativa tournament. All tournaments have been held in

, 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 2019 ''Gran Alternativa'' tournament was the 24th tournament held by CMLL in the 25 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. Back ...

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 a ...

(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 follows CMLL's traditional tournament formats, with two qualifying blocks of eight teams that compet in the first and second week of the tournament and a final match between the two block winners. The qualifying blocks are one-fall matches while the tournament finals is a best two-out-of-three-falls tag team match. Each qualifying block starts 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 Of all Group A participants, only El Coyote and Espíritu Negro had participated in previous ''Gran Alternativa'' tournaments, in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

and

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 ...

respectively. The remaining six rookies made their tournament debut in 2019. Four of the eight veterans in Group A had previously won one or more ''Gran Alternativa'' tournaments.

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 ...

has won three (

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

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 ...

), the first as a rookie and the remaining as a veteran.

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 ...

has won the second most tournaments, winning both the 2018 and the

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

tournaments.

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 ...

won the

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 ...

tournament and Mr. Niebla won the 2014 tournaments, While

Diamante Azul DMT Azul (born December 20, 1982) is the best known ring name of a Mexican ''Luchador Enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. Azul is best known for his time in Mexican professional w ...

Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...

, and

Stuka Jr. Omar Alvarado García (born July 17, 1974) better known by his ring name Stuka Jr. is a Mexican second-generation ''Lucha libre, luchador wrestling mask, enmascarado'', or masked professional wrestling, professional wrestler, who works for the M ...

have all participated before but never won the tournament.

Tournament

Tournament brackets

Tournament shows

October 4 '' Super Viernes''

October 11 '' Super Viernes''

October 18 '' Super Viernes''

References

{{Portal bar, Mexico 2019 in professional wrestling 2019 in Mexico CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa October 2019 events in Mexico