''Promo Azteca'' (AZTECA, originally known as ''Promotora Mexicana de Lucha Libre'', PROMELL) was a

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 mana ...

that was founded in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

, by Fuerza Guerrera in 1995. It was taken over by Konnan and Jorge Rojas the following year and was home to many of the '' luchadors'' wrestling for

World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling, Inc. (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of Nati ...

(WCW) during the late-1990s. Promo Azteca sought to become the third national wrestling promotion in Mexico with the support of Televisión Azteca, the country's second-largest television network; however, WCW eventually withdrew its support and banned luchadors under WCW contract from working for Promo Azteca. Promo Azteca was unable to recover from this loss and closed at the end of 1998.

History

Promo Azteca had its origins in 1995 under the Promotora Mexicana de Lucha Libre banner owned by Fuerza Guerrera. Guerrera initially co-promoted shows with AAA until selling the company that same year to Konnan, Jorge Rojas and the

TV Azteca TV Azteca, S.A.B. de C.V. is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate owned by Grupo Salinas. It is the second-largest mass media company in Mexico after Televisa. It primarily competes with Televisa as well as some local operators. It owns two natio ...

network. In October 1996, Konnan left AAA after a falling out with owner

Antonio Pena Antonio Pena ( Montevideo, 3 December 1894 - 7 December 1947) was a Uruguayan sculptor. including, most notably,

Juventud Guerrera Eduardo Aníbal González Hernández (born November 23, 1974) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Juventud "Juvi" Guerrera. Guerrera is best known for his appearances with the Mexican professional wrestling prom ...

Rey Misterio Jr. Óscar Gutiérrez (born December 11, 1974), better known by his ring name Rey Mysterio, is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand. Widely regarded as one of the greatest profes ...

, Super Calo, La Parka and

Psicosis Dionicio Castellanos Torres (born May 19, 1971) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring names Psicosis (sometimes Anglicised as Psychosis) and Nicho el Millonario. He is best known for his appearances with the promotions Luc ...

. Many were competing in

's (WCW) new cruiserweight division at the time and shared much of Konnan's frustrations with AAA's management over money. These luchadors were on limited contracts in WCW which meant they were paid only for the nights they worked rather than receiving a yearly salary. Once leaving the AAA, however, this left them with a lot of spare time and few opportunities to work in Mexico. One of the key reasons Konnan took over Promo Azteca was to establish a place where he and other luchadors could compete when they were not wrestling in the United States. WCW agreed to let those under contract continue wrestling in their native country when they were not needed at live events. He and Rojas envisioned these wrestlers as Promo Azteca's main stars.

Notable talent

In addition to the former AAA talent that followed Konnan to Promo Azteca, older veterans such as

Angel Azteca In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

, Blue Panther,

Cien Caras Carmelo Reyes González (born October 18, 1949) is a Mexican retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Cien Caras ("Hundred Faces"). He is best known for his appearances with the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. Personal lif ...

, Máscara Año 2000 and Universo Dos Mil were also involved. In early 1997, Konnan formed a version of the New World Order with

Damián 666 Leonardo Carrera Gómez (born July 9, 1961) is a Mexican professional wrestler best known under the name Damián 666. He has worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW), Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CM ...

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observan ...

, Psicosis and Los Villanos (

Villano IV Tomás Díaz Mendoza (born April 9, 1965) is a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Villano IV (''Villano Cuarto''). Within the stable Los Villanos, he has wrestled for Universal Wrestling Association (UWA), AAA, and ...

and Villano V). Other WCW luchadors to regularly appear in Promo Azteca included El Dandy, Hector Garza,

Lizmark Jr. Juan Carlos Baños (born October 16, 1972) is a Mexican professional wrestler or "Luchador" known as Lizmark Jr. or El Hijo de Lizmark (The Son of Lizmark). Baños previously worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre and AAA. Lizmark Jr. works as ...

and Norman Smiley. The promotion featured a number of then-unknown wrestlers who would become major stars in Mexico and the United States during the next decade, including Ephesto (then known as Pantera del Ring),

Mr. Águila José Delgado Saldaña (born December 10, 1977) is a Mexican professional wrestler (or ''luchador'') best known by his ring name Mr. Águila in Mexican wrestling promotions CMLL and AAA. Outside Mexico, Saldaña is best known for his work as Ess ...

, Toscano, Último Guerrero, Último Rebelde, and El Zorro. Super Crazy, in particular, was considered the standout star of its cruiserweight division. He rose to prominence during a feud with Venum Black, which culminated on March 6, 1997 in a "mask vs. hair" ''

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 fo ...

'', or "bet match", that Super Crazy won, and later found success in the U.S. with

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

(ECW). Some visiting Japanese wrestlers made their first appearances in Mexico with Promo Azteca such as CIMA, Kaz Hayashi and Yoshihiro Tajiri.

Style and television

Promo Azteca was presented as a "rebel" wrestling promotion, similar to Extreme Championship Wrestling in the United States. It is notable for introducing "

hardcore wrestling Hardcore wrestling is a form of professional wrestling where disqualifications, count-outs, and all other different rules do not apply. Taking place in usual or unusual environments, hardcore wrestling matches allow the use of numerous items, inclu ...

" and other elements of American-style pro wrestling to Mexican audiences. One of these, the one-fall match, was later adopted by AAA. Promo Azteca had the support of

, one of the largest networks in Mexico, and from which the promotion's name was derived. TV Azteca was eager to compete against

Televisa Grupo Televisa is a Mexican multimedia mass media company. A major Latin American mass media corporation, it often presents itself as the largest producer of Spanish-language content. In April 2021, Televisa and Univision Communications announce ...

, which aired both AAA and CMLL television programming. Its American counterpart ECW, on the other hand, struggled for years to secure a spot on a U.S. television network. Promo Azteca's televised events aired weekly on Friday nights from October 1996 to March 1998. ''Promo Azteca TV'' was reportedly set to resume after the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for t ...

, but the show did not return to television. Though it did not air in the U.S., the series was covered by the

Wrestling Observer Newsletter The ''Wrestling Observer Newsletter'' (''WON'') is a newsletter that covers professional wrestling and mixed martial arts. Founded in print in 1982 by Dave Meltzer, the ''Wrestling Observer'' website merged with Bryan Alvarez's ''Figure Four W ...

Role in the Mexican and U.S. promotional wars

At the time of Promo Azteca's founding, a major promotional war was being fought between Mexico's two major promotions: AAA and

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). The emergence of a "renegade" promotion such as Promo Azteca added to an already chaotic situation in the world of lucha libre. Promo Azteca enjoyed an exclusive partnership with

, partially due to Konnan's involvement in developing WCW's cruiserweight division. This encouraged many luchadors to defect from AAA and CMLL in the hopes of working for the U.S. promotion. Kevin Quinn, Steele, Super Astro and The Headhunters were among CMLL talent to jump to Promo Azteca. When La Parka, Máscara Sagrada and other '' luchador'' '' enmascarados'' left AAA for Promo Azteca, however, the promotion countered by having other wrestlers portray the originals resulting in two versions wrestling on national television. The departure of La Parka was an especially serious setback for AAA and he was later blackballed by the promotion. According to Konnan, he and other AAA stars were also denied work by promoters upon returning to Mexico in 2001. Promo Azteca also had a role in the U.S. promotional rivalry between WCW and the

World Wrestling Federation 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 var ...

. Konnan, convincing many of WCW's interest showcasing lucha libre-style wrestling, was able to lure Mexican talent away from the WWF's fledgling cruiserweight division. Víctor Quiñones, a key figure in the CMLL-WWF talent exchange agreement, jumped to Promo Azteca in September 1997. That same month, WCW President Eric Bischoff brokered a meeting with Konnan and rival CMLL promoter Paco Alonzo. Bischoff, interested in CMLL's talent and association with Televsia, was reportedly unable to negotiate a truce between the two men. Konnan was also upset over Mike Tenay filming CMLL wrestlers that summer for a series of documentary shorts on Mexican wrestling. It was speculated by the '' Pro Wrestling Torch'' that WCW's interest in CMLL was partly motivated by curbing the power of Konnan's crew of Mexican talent in WCW.

Demise

For a brief time, Promo Azteca's superior talent and backing from TV Azteca threatened to overtake both AAA and CMLL as the Mexico's top lucha libre promotion. In November 1997, ''

Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American internationally sold professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publi ...

'' ranked Promo Azteca among the top promotions in the world. However, its success was short-lived. WCW, fearing its luchadors would become injured, withdrew its support and banned those under contract from working in Promo Azteca. Konnan's wrestling career in the U.S. also prevented him from devoting his full attention to Promo Azteca. The promotion struggled for a while longer, largely relying on regulars in the Mexican independent wrestling scene, but was ultimately unable to recover from losing the WCW luchadors. It held a few interpromotional shows with CMLL before quietly closing its doors at the end of 1998.

Alumni

Male wrestlers

Female wrestlers

Mini-Estrella wrestlers

{, class="pretty sortable wikitable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center; width:70%;" , - !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Birth name: !style="background: #e3e3e3;",

Ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or project ...

(s): !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Tenure: !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Notes , - , {{sort, Aguirre, Roberto Rodriguez, Bracito de Oro, Roberto Rodriguez , sort, 1996–1997 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Bracito de Plata , sort, 1996 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Dragoncito de Oro , sort, 1996–1997 , , - , {{sort, Jiménez, Alejandro Pérez, Espectrito II, Alejandro Pérez Jiménez , Espectrito II / Guerrerito del Futuro , sort, 1996
1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Fuercita Guerrera , sort, 1996 , , - , {{sort, Del Rio, Enrique, Enrique Del Rio , Jerrito Estrada , sort, 1996–1998 , , - , {{sort, Serrano, Vicente, Vicente Serrano , Mascarita Mágica , sort, 1998 , , - , {{sort, Daniel, Domingo Fuentes, Domingo Fuentes Daniel , Mascarita Sagrada , sort, 1996–1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Mini Andy Barrow , sort, 1997 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Mini Elektra / King Flashito , sort, 1996–1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Mini Konnan , sort, 1997–1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Mini Rey Misterio Jr. , sort, 1997–1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Mini Star , sort, 1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Mini Super Calo , sort, 1997–1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Octagoncito / Panterita , sort, 1996–1998 , , - , {{sort, Romero, Rolando Fuentes, Rolando Fuentes Romero , Pequeño Cochisse , sort, 1997 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Pierrothito , sort, 1997–1998 , , - , {{sort, Rodríguez, Raymundo, Raymundo Rodríguez , Piratita Morgan , sort, 1996–1998 , , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Último Dragoncito , sort, 1997 ,

Stables and tag teams

{, style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable" !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="25%",

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 ...

/ Stable(s) !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="50%", Members !style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3;" width="25%", Tenure(s) , - , Los Bravos , Fuerza Guerrera and

, 1996 , - , Los Comandos , Comando I and Comando II , 1997 , - , The Headhunters ,

Headhunter A The Headhunters were a professional wrestling tag team that consists of American twin brothers Manuel and Victor Santiago (born August 11, 1968, in New York, New York, USA), best known by the respective ring names, Headhunter A and Headhunter B, ...

and

Headhunter B The Headhunters were a professional wrestling tag team that consists of American twin brothers Manuel and Victor Santiago (born August 11, 1968, in New York, New York, USA), best known by the respective ring names, Headhunter A and Headhunter ...

, 1997–1998 , - , Los Hermanos Dinamita ,

, Máscara Año 2000 and Universo 2000 , 1996–1997 , - , Los Hooligans , Último Guerrero and Último Rebelde , 1996–1997 , - , Los Kamikazes , Goku, Jiraiya and Lyguila , 1997 , - , Los Nuevos Brazos , Brazo Cibernético,

Brazo de Platino Daniel Alvarado Nieves (born March 7, 1973) is a Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Brazo de Platino ("Platinum Arm"). He is a part of the extensive Alvarado wrestling family that was founded by his fath ...

and El Brazo , 1998 , - , Los Pandilleros , Pandillero #1, Pandillero #2 and Pandillero #3 , 1996–1997 , - , Los Payasitos , Payasito I and Payasito II , 1996–1997 , - , New World Order , Konnan,

and Villano V , 1997 , - , Los Rayos Tapatios , El Rayo Tapatio I and El Rayo Tapatio II , 1996–1997 , - , Los Vatos Locos , Vato Loco I and Vato Loco II , 1997 , - , Los Villanos ,

Villano III Arturo Díaz Mendoza (March 23, 1952 – August 21, 2018) was a Mexican professional wrestler who performed under the ring name Villano III (in Spanish Villano Tercero). Díaz was a second-generation wrestler, son of ''luchador'' Ray Mendoza a ...

and Villano V , 1997–1998

Managers and valets

{, class="pretty sortable wikitable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center; width:70%;" , - !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Birth name: !style="background: #e3e3e3;",

(s): !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Tenure: !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Notes , - , {{sort, Moreno, Victoria Ann, Victoria Ann Moreno , Lady Victoria , sort, 1998 ,

Other personnel

{, class="pretty sortable wikitable" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center; width:70%;" , - !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Birth name: !style="background: #e3e3e3;",

(s): !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Tenure: !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Notes , - , {{sort, 0, Unknown , Fuerza Guerrera , sort, 1995–1996 , Promoter , - , {{sort, Ashenoff, Charles, Charles Ashenoff , Konnan , sort, 1996–1998 , Promoter
Booker , - , {{sort, Rojas, Jorge, Jorge Rojas , Jorge Rojas , sort, 1996–1998 , Promoter , - , {{sort, Quiñones, Víctor, Víctor Quiñones , Víctor Quiñones , sort, 1997 , {, class="wikitable" width="70%" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center;" !style="background: #e3e3e3;" colspan="2", Company name to Year , - !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Company name: !style="background: #e3e3e3;", Years: , - , Promotora Mexicana de Lucha Libre , 1995–1996 , - , Promo Azteca , 1996–1998 , - !style="background: #e3e3e3;" colspan="2", Notes , - , colspan="2", ^† {{note, DeceasedIndicates they are deceased. , - , colspan="2", ^‡ {{note, DiedwithPromoAztecaIndicates they died while they were employed with Promo Azteca. , - , colspan="2", ^WCW {{note, WCWIndicates they were part of a talent exchange with

Footnotes

*{{note label, birthname, a, a – Entries without a birth name may indicate it is not a matter of public record, as is often the case with masked wrestlers in Mexico where their private lives are kept a secret from the wrestling fans.{{cite book, author=Madigan, Dan, title=Mondo Lucha a Go Go: the bizarre and honorable world of wild Mexican wrestling, publisher=HarperCollins Publishers, year=2007, chapter=Okay... what is Lucha Libre?, pages=29–40, isbn=978-0-06-085583-3

Championships and programming

Championships

;Promo Azteca promoted championships {, class="wikitable" style="background:#fcfdff;" , - ! Championship , , Champion , , Notes , - , {{nobr, Promo Azteca Heavyweight Championship ,

Pirata Morgan Pedro Ortiz Villanueva (born July 29, 1962) is a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, and wrestling trainer who is best known under the ring name Pirata Morgan. Ortiz made his professional wrestling debut in 1979 and has in the last 20 y ...

, The heavyweight title of Promo Azteca. It was established in 1998 and was defended through the year. Pirata Morgan was the only champion , - , {{nobr, Promo Azteca Middleweight Championship ,

Pantera Pantera () is an American 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-known lineup cons ...

, The secondary title of Promo Azteca. It was established in 1997 and was defended through the year. Pantera was the only champion ;Championships recognized by Promo Azteca {, class="wikitable" style="background:#fcfdff;" , - ! Championship , , Champion , , Notes , - , IWC World Heavyweight Championship , La Parka , The heavyweight title of the International Wrestling Council. It was defended in the promotion from 1997 to 1998. , - , IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship , Pantera , A secondary title of the

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, S ...

. It was defended in the promotion during 1997. , - , {{nobr, LAWA Middleweight Championship , Super Caló , A secondary title of the Latin American Wrestling Association. It was defended in the promotion during 1997. , - , Mexican National Lightweight Championship ,

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...

, The lightweight title of

. It was defended in the promotion during 1998. , - , Mexican National Welterweight Championship , El Torero , The welterweight title of AAA. It was defended in the promotion during 1997. , - , {{nobr, WWO Heavyweight Championship , Tinieblas Jr. , The heavyweight title of the World Wrestling Organization. It defended in the promotion during 1997.{{cite web , url=http://www.thecubsfan.com/cmll/events/199710azteca.php , title=AZTECA: 1997-10 , website=TheCubsFan.com

Programming

{, class="wikitable" style="background:#fcfdff; font-size:95%;" , - ! Programming , , Notes , - , ''Promo Azteca TV'' , (1996–1998) Broadcast exclusively on

References

Specific

{{Reflist

General

*{{cite news , author=Hernández, Carlos , date=January 17, 1997 , title=TvAzteca y Televisa ponen en la lona a la lucha libre , url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/1997/01/17/luchalibre.html , newspaper=

La Jornada ''La Jornada'' (''The Working Day'') is one of Mexico City's leading daily newspapers. It was established in 1984 by Carlos Payán Velver. The current editor ''(directora general)'' is Carmen Lira Saade. ''La Jornada'' has presence in eight sta ...

, location=Mexico City , publisher=Desarrollo de Medios S.A. de C.V. , language=es , access-date=June 9, 2016 *{{cite web , url=http://www.thecubsfan.com/cmll/events/199601azteca.php , title=AZTECA , date=2016 , website=TheCubsFan.com *{{cite web , url=http://www.wrestleview.com/uncategorized/36744-viva-la-raza-lucha-weekly-179/ , title=LUCHA SPOTLIGHT: Remembering Promo Azteca , author=Boutwell, Josh , date=October 20, 2012 , website=WrestleView.com *{{cite news , author=Hernández, Carlos , date=January 17, 1997 , title=TvAzteca y Televisa ponen en la lona a la lucha libre , url=http://www.jornada.unam.mx/1997/01/17/luchalibre.html , newspaper=

, location=Mexico City , publisher=Desarrollo de Medios S.A. de C.V. , language=es , access-date=June 9, 2016 *{{cite podcast , host=Zellner, Kris and David Bixenspan , title=Between the Sheets #17: November 10-16, 1996 with Dave Prazak , website=PlaceToBeNation.com , publisher=PWO-PTBN Podcast Network , date=16 November 2015, time=02:11:52 , url=http://placetobenation.com/between-the-sheets-17-november-10-16-1996/ , access-date=3 June 2016

External links

Promo Azteca at Cagematch.netPromo Azteca at Wrestlingdata.com
{{Professional wrestling in Mexico Mexican professional wrestling promotions 1995 establishments in Mexico 1998 disestablishments in Mexico

History

Notable talent

Style and television

Role in the Mexican and U.S. promotional wars

Demise

Alumni

Male wrestlers

Female wrestlers

Mini-Estrella wrestlers

Stables and tag teams

Managers and valets

Other personnel

Footnotes

Championships and programming

Championships

Programming

See also

References

Specific

General

Further reading

External links