Torneo Gran Alternativa (2004)
PromotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
DateAugust 20, 2004
CityMexico City, Mexico
VenueArena México
Event chronology
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CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa chronology
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2005

The Torneo Gran Alternativa (2004) (Spanish for "Great Alternative Tournament") was a professional wrestling tournament held by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; Spanish for "World Wrestling Council"). The tournament was held on August 20, 2004, in Mexico City, Mexico at CMLL's main venue, Arena México. The Gran Alternativa tournament features tag teams composed of a rookie, or novato, and a veteran wrestler for an elimination tournament. The idea is to feature the novato wrestlers higher on the card that they usually work and help elevate one or more up the ranks. CMLL made the Torneo Gran Alternativa an annual event in 1995, only skipping it four times between 1994 and 2017. since it is a professional wrestling tournament, it is not won or lost competitively but instead by the decisions of the bookers of a wrestling promotion that is not publicized prior to the shows to maintain the illusion that professional wrestling is a competitive sport.[1]

The 2004 Gran Alternativa was held on August 20, 2004, and once again featured a Battle Royal between the eight rookies to determine the seeding for the tournament. Místico won the battle royal to earn the top seed for El Hijo del Santo and himself. The order of elimination for the rest of the rookies is unknown, except for Misterioso Jr. who was eliminated first, as for the elimination order of Sangre Azteca, Volador Jr., Neutron, Doctor X, El Sagrado and Alan Stone it has not been found recorded anywhere. Místico and El Hijo del Santo qualified for the finals by defeating the teams of Misterioso and Misterioso Jr. and Atlantis and Volador Jr. Último Guerrero and Doctor X qualified for the finals by defeating Último Dragón and Neutron in the first round and Shocker and Alan Stone. Místico and Hijo del Santo won the Gran Alternativa, a victory that set off Místico's rise to the top of CMLL, where he was the number one tecnico from 2006 until his departure in 2011.[2][3]

History

Starting in 1994 the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) created a special tournament concept where they would team up a novato, or rookie, with a veteran for a single-elimination tag team tournament with the purpose of increasing the profile of the rookie wrestler.[4][5]

CMLL had used a similar concept in August 1994 where Novato Shocker teamed up with veterans Ringo Mendoza and Brazo de Plata to defeat novato Apolo Dantés and veterans Gran Markus Jr. and El Brazo in the finals of a six-man tag team tournament.[6] CMLL would later modify the concept to two-man tag teams instead, creating a tournament that would be known as El Torneo Gran Alternativa, or "The Great Alternative Tournament", which 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.[7]

Tournament background

Gran Alternativa participants
Rookie Veteran Ref(s)
Doctor XÚltimo Guerrero[2]
Misterioso Jr.Misterioso[2]
MísticoEl Hijo del Santo[2]
NeutronÚltimo Dragón[2]
El SagradoMáscara Sagrada[2]
Sangre AztecaPerro Aguayo Jr.[2]
Alan StoneShocker[2]
Volador Jr.Atlantis[2]

Tournament brackets

Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Místico and El Hijo del Santo W
Misterioso Jr. and Misterioso [2][8][9]
Místico and El Hijo del Santo W
Volador Jr. and Atlantis [2][8][9]
Sangre Azteca and Perro Aguayo Jr. [2][8][9]
Volador Jr. and Atlantis W
Místico and El Hijo del Santo W
Doctor X and Último Guerrero [2][8][9]
Neutron and Último Dragón [2][8][9]
Doctor X and Último Guerrero W
Doctor X and Último Guerrero W
Alan Stone and Shocker [2][8][9]
El Sagrado and Máscara Sagrada [2][8][9]
Alan Stone and Shocker W

Aftermath

Winning the 2004 Gran Alternativa was one of the early signs of success for Místico, developing into one of the most popular wrestlers in Mexico at the time, as well as drawing a large number of sell-out crowds. He was named the Wrestling Observer Newsletter "Biggest Box Office draw of the decade for the first decade of the 21st century.[10] He would go on to win the Gran Alternativa again as a veteran,[11] as well as a multitude of championships as well as the masks of Black Warrior,[12] El Hijo del Diablo,[13] Sepulturero,[13] Skayde,[13] and El Oriental.[14] He later worked for WWE under the name "Sin Cara" from 2011 to 2014,[15][16] and after his return to Mexico he worked under the name Myztezis for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide,[17] before finally returning to CMLL in 2015, taking the name Carístico as someone else had begun wrestling as Místico.[18][19]

In early 2005 the wrestling group Los Guerreros del Infierno created an affiliated group of low to mid-carders called Pandilla Guerrera (Spanish for "Gang of Warriors") which included Doctor X along with several other mid-card rudos. On 25 March 2005 Doctor X teamed up with fellow Pandilla Guerrera members Sangre Azteca and Nitro to defeat El Felino, Safari and Volador Jr. to win the Mexican National Trios Championship.[20] Guerrero Pandilla's Trios title reign lasted 196 days before they lost to Máximo, El Sagrado and El Texano Jr.[20] After making it to the finals of the 2005 Gran Alternativa he teamed with Universo 2000 for the 2005 Gran Alternativa. In the first round the team defeated Bronco and El Texano Jr. before losing to eventual winners Dr. Wagner. Jr. and Misterioso Jr. in the semi-final.[21] In 2007 most members of Pandilla Guerrera broke away from Los Guerreros del Infierno, wanting to break out of their shadow and move up the rankings themselves, forming a group originally known as Rebeldes del Desierto (Rebels of the desert) but later on would become generally known as Los Guerreros Tuareg (Tuareg Warriors), or Rebeldes Tuareg. In mid-2011, Doctor X quit CMLL, looking for better opportunities.[22] On October 11, 2011, Doctor X (real name Clemente Marcelino Valencia Nájera) was shot in the head and killed when he tried to break up a fight while attending a religious party in Santa María Aztahuacán, Iztapalapa, Mexico City.[23][24]

References

  1. ↑ Hornbaker, Tim (2016). "Statistical notes". Legends of Pro Wrestling - 150 years of headlocks, body slams, and piledrivers (Revised ed.). New York, New York: Sports Publishing. p. 550. ISBN 978-1-61321-808-2. Professional wrestling is a sport in which match finishes are predetermined. Thus, win–loss records are not indicative of a wrestler's genuine success based on their legitimate abilities - but on now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "CMLL Gran Alternativa #10". Pro Wrestling History. August 20, 2004. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  3. ↑ Ruiz, Jose (August 30, 2004). "Gran Alternativa 2004". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). issue 70.
  4. ↑ "CMLL Gran Alternativa #1". Pro Wrestling History. December 30, 1994. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  5. ↑ Flores, Manuel (July 18, 2008). "Histórico de ganadores del torneo: La Gran Alternativa". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Torneo de Gran Alternativa. Inigualable oportunidad para nuevos valores" [Great Alternative Tournament. Unique opportunity for new blood] (in Spanish). Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. May 31, 2017. Retrieved July 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ "CMLL Gran Alternativa History". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "CMLL Super Viernes". CageMatch. August 20, 2004. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "CMLL Súper Viernes - Torneo Gran Alternativa 2004". WrestlingData. August 20, 2004. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  10. ↑ Beltrán, William (August 3, 2010). "Según el Wrestling Observer... ¿Quiénes son los mejores los mejores de la década?" [According to the Wrestling Observer ... Who are the best the best of the decade?]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 27, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Gran Alternativa #13". Pro Wrestling History. June 29, 2007. Archived from the original on August 29, 2009. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
  12. ↑ Ruiz Glez, Alex (September 7, 2010). "CMLL: 79 historias, 79 Aniversario, las 79 luchas estelares" [CMLL: 79 stories, 79 anniversaries, 79 main events]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 "Enciclopedia de las Mascaras" [Encyclopedia of Masks]. Místico (in Spanish). Mexico. October 2007. p. 36. Tomo III.
  14. ↑ "El Oriental pierde la máscara ante Místico en Nuevo Laredo" [El Oriental loses his mask to Místico in Nuevo Laredo]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). July 13, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Sin Cara Joins WWE". World Wrestling Entertainment. February 24, 2011. Archived from the original on February 27, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Sin Cara está fuera de WWE" [Sin Cara is not with WWE]. MedioTiempo (in Spanish). January 24, 2014. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  17. ↑ Zellner, Kris (June 5, 2014). "Original Sin Cara update". Pro Wrestling Insider. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  18. ↑ López Peralta, Gonzalo (April 23, 2016). "Lucha Libre Arena México 22 de Abril de 2016" [Professional Wrestling in Arena Mexico April 22, 2016]. Yahoo! Deportes (in Spanish). Yahoo!. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  19. ↑ Vacah, Jose (April 30, 2016). "Resultados Final del Torneo Increíble de Parejas: Místico y Mephisto conquistan el Paraíso" [Results of the finals of the Incredible Pairs tournament: Místico and Mephisto conquer paradise]. Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  20. 1 2 SuperLuchas staff (22 January 2006). "Número Especial - 2005". Super Luchas (in Spanish). 142.
  21. ↑ Ruiz, Jose (12 July 2005). "Gran Alternativa 2005". Super Luchas (in Spanish). issue 115.
  22. ↑ Gutiérrez, Humberto (4 August 2010). "Exclusiva: Doctor X fuera del CMLL" (in Spanish). Super Luchas Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  23. ↑ Acosta, Carlos R. (11 October 2011). "Descanse en paz Dr. X-Treme" (in Spanish). Super Luchas Magazine. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  24. ↑ "Falleció Dr. X-Treme". Récord (in Spanish). 11 October 2011. Archived from the original on 12 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
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