CMLL Universal Championship

Last updated
CMLL Universal Championship
CMLL Universal Championship.jpg
The belt awarded to the tournament winner each year.
Details
Promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Date establishedJune 22, 2009
Current champion(s) Místico
Date wonApril 29, 2022
Statistics
First champion(s) Último Guerrero
Most reigns Último Guerrero and El Terrible (2 times)
Oldest champion Atlantis (53 years, 18 days)
Youngest champion La Sombra (22 years, 12 days)
Heaviest champion El Terrible (106 kg (234 lb))
Lightest champion La Sombra (80 kg (180 lb))

The CMLL Universal Championship (Campeonato Universal in Spanish) is an annual lucha libre tournament held by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) since 2009. The tournament format is a "tournament of champions" with sixteen male CMLL champions participating. With the 2019 tournament CMLL has held nine tournaments in total with only two repeat winners, Último Guerrero who won in both 2009 and 2014 and El Terrible who won in 2012 and 2019.

Contents

Even though the tournament winner is given a title belt, it is not defended like a regular championship throughout the year.

Male tournament winners

YearWinnerChampionship heldDateRef(s)
2009 Último Guerrero CMLL World Heavyweight Championship June 22, 2009 [1]
2010 Jushin Thunder Liger CMLL World Middleweight Championship August 13, 2010 [2]
2011 La Sombra NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship September 16, 2011 [3]
2012 El Terrible CMLL World Heavyweight Championship August 31, 2012 [4]
2013 Tanahashi CMLL World Tag Team Championship September 6, 2013 [5]
2014 Último Guerrero (2) CMLL World Trios Championship August 29, 2014 [6]
2015 Atlantis Mexican National Light Heavyweight Championship October 16, 2015 [7]
2016 Valiente CMLL World Trios Championship October 28, 2016 [8] [9]
2017 Volador Jr. NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship
CMLL World Trios Championship
July 14, 2017 [10]
2019 El Terrible (2) Mexican National Heavyweight Championship February 15, 2019 [11]
2022 Místico NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship April 29, 2022 [12]

Female tournament winners

CMLL Universal Amazons Championship
Amazons Universal Championship.jpg
The belt awarded to the tournament winner each year.
Details
Promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Date establishedSummer 2019
Current champion(s)La Catalina
Date wonOctober 20, 2023
Statistics
First champion(s)Dalys la Caribeña
Most reignsDalys la Caribeña (1 time)
YearWinnerDateRef(s)
2019 Dalys la Caribeña August 16, 2019 [13]
2021 La Jarochita August 27, 2021
2022 Lluvia October 21, 2022
2023La CatalinaOctober 20, 2023

Tournament history

The 2013 Universal Champion Tanahashi wearing the championship belt CMLL Universal Championship Tanahashi.JPG
The 2013 Universal Champion Tanahashi wearing the championship belt

The Universal Championship tournament was created in 2009 to replace the Leyenda de Plata as CMLL's top tournament of the year. The Leyenda de Plata commemorated El Santo, a legend in lucha libre, but when CMLL and El Santo's son, El Hijo del Santo had a very public falling out in 2008 they decided to no longer run the annual Leyenda de Plata tournament. They came up with the concept of the Universal Championship tournament, a tournament exclusively for CMLL champions. The first Universal Championship tournament took place over three shows in June, with June 5, 2009, and June 12, 2009 CMLL Super Viernes shows each hosting a three-round block of the tournament and the June 19, 2009 Super Viernes featuring the finals as its main event. On June 19, 2009 CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, and one of the tournament favorites, Último Guerrero defeated El Texano Jr. the reigning NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion. [1] [14] [15] CMLL later announced the 2010 Universal Championship, confirming that it will indeed be an annual event. [16] The second annual Universal Championship tournament started on July 30, 2010, ended on August 13 and saw New Japan Pro-Wrestling representative and CMLL World Middleweight Champion Jushin Thunder Liger defeat CMLL World Trios Champion La Sombra to become the 2010 Universal Champion. [2] The 2011 edition started on September 2, ended on September 16 and saw La Sombra, now the NWA World Historic Welterweight Champion, come back to defeat CMLL World Trios Champion Averno in the finals to win the tournament. [3] In 2012, CMLL World Heavyweight Champion El Terrible defeated New Japan Pro Wrestling's IWGP Heavyweight Champion Tanahashi to win the tournament. [4] The following year, Tanahashi, now the CMLL World Tag Team Champion, became the second Japanese winner of the tournament by defeating Mexican National Trios Champion Rush in the finals. [5] In 2014, CMLL World Trios Champion and the 2009 Universal Champion Último Guerrero defeated the NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion and 2011 Universal Champion La Sombra to become the first two-time Universal Champion. [6]

Ultimo Guerrero, the first two-time champion (in 2009 and 2014) U-Guerrero.jpg
Último Guerrero, the first two-time champion (in 2009 and 2014)

40 individuals have competed in the six tournaments that have been held up to and including the 2014 Universal Championship tournament, with 13 wrestlers having appeared at only 1 tournament so far. Dragón Rojo Jr., La Máscara, La Sombra, Máscara Dorada and Mephisto have all participated in five of the six tournaments held so far. Diamante Azul previously competed in the tournament as "Metro" and is the only wrestler to compete under two different ring identities. Only one non-CMLL champion has participated in the tournament, Hiroshi Tanahashi, who held the IWGP Heavyweight Championship when he participated in 2012 and 2013, but held the CMLL World Tag Team Championship when participating in 2011. Despite holding the CMLL World Lightweight Championship Virus did not compete in the 2011 and 2012 tournaments but did participate in 2013 and 2014. Jushin Thunder Liger won the tournament in 2010 but did not compete in 2011 or 2012 despite holding CMLL championships at the time, the CMLL World Middleweight Championship and the CMLL World Tag Team Championship respectively. Prince Devitt did not participate in the 2012 tournament despite holding the NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship as he was in Japan at the time. Místico the holder of the CMLL World Welterweight Championship was unable to participate in the 2014 tournament due to an injury.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Último Guerrero</span> Mexican professional wrestler (born 1972)

José Gutiérrez Hernández, better known by his ring name Último Guerrero, is a Mexican luchador, who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He is not related to the lucha libre legend Gory Guerrero or any of his children; "Guerrero" in this case is the Spanish word for warrior and not the surname of the character. On September 19, 2014, Último Guerrero lost a Lucha de Apuestas match to Atlantis, after which he was forced to unmask and reveal his birth name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantis (wrestler)</span> Mexican professional wrestler

Atlantis is a Mexican luchador enmascarado, working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) where he performs as a Técnico and is one of the longest-tenured luchador in CMLL history. Atlantis was trained by Diablo Velasco, made his in-ring debut in 1983 and has always wrestled under the ring name Atlantis, named after the sunken city of Atlantis. Atlantis has held a large number of professional wrestling championships over the years, both in Mexico and in Japan, both individually and as a tag team. He has also won the mask of several prominent wrestlers through his career including Kung Fu, Villano III, Último Guerrero and La Sombra.

The CMLL World Heavyweight Championship is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). It was introduced in 1991 to signal CMLL's independence from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), as CMLL had left the NWA in the late 1980s but had continued to promote the NWA's championships. As part of the move away from the NWA, CMLL established championships designated as "CMLL World Championships" for several weight divisions. The Heavyweight Championship was the first CMLL title to be created, and the inaugural champion was Konnan el Bárbaro, who won the title on June 9, 1991. The current champion is Gran Guerrero, who is in his first reign. He defeated Hechicero on November 7, 2022. Eighteen different wrestlers have held the championship, split over 22 separate championship reigns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Máscara</span> Mexican professional wrestler

Felipe de Jesús Alvarado Mendoza is a Mexican luchador, or professional wrestler best known by the ring name La Máscara for his time working for Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) and was the co-founder and leader of Los Mercenarios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volador Jr.</span> Mexican professional wrestler (born 1981)

Ramón Ibarra Rivera, better known by his ring name Volador Jr., is a Mexican luchador, who works for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He portrays a técnico wrestling character and is considered one of the top level técnicos in the promotion. He is the son of Super Parka, and his ring name refers to his father's previous gimmick, Volador. Ibarra is the nephew of the original La Parka, the cousin of El Hijo de L.A. Park and the uncle of Flyer; he is also related to a number of other luchadors in the Ibarra family.

DMT Azul 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 wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). He originally wrestled under the ring name El Romano but in 2009 he was given a new name and mask, Metro, a ring name that had been used by at least three other CMLL wrestlers before 2009. The "Metro" ring character was sponsored by the Mexico City Metro newspaper, incorporating the newspapers logo and color scheme in the mask and wrestling trunks. In early 2012 he was given a new image and ring name, dropping the sponsored ring name to become Diamante Azul instead. Diamante Azul is Spanish for "Blue Diamond".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL Universal Championship (2009)</span> Mexican professional wrestling tournament

The CMLL Universal Championship 2009 was a professional wrestling annual tournament produced by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) that took place over three CMLL Super Viernes shows between June 5, 2009 and June 19, 2009 in Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico. The CMLL Universal Championship is an annual tournament of CMLL Champions that was first held in 2009. All officially recognized male CMLL Champions participated in a 15-match single elimination tournament. In the final CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Último Guerrero defeated NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion El Texano Jr. to become the first CMLL Universal Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship</span> Professional wrestling championship

The NWA World Historic Middleweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The official definition of the middleweight weight class in Mexico is between 82 kg (181 lb) and 87 kg (192 lb), but is not always strictly enforced. For example, previous NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion Último Guerrero is billed as weighing 95 kg (209 lb). Místico is the current champion, he is the eighth champion overall and he is in his first reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship</span> Wrestling championship

The NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship governed by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). CMLL had held the NWA World Welterweight Championship for over 53 years even after leaving the NWA in 1989. In 2010 the National Wrestling Alliance, represented by Blue Demon Jr., the president of NWA Mexico, sent letters to CMLL telling them to stop promoting NWA-branded championships since CMLL was not part of the NWA any longer. On August 12, 2010, CMLL debuted the new NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship belt and named Mephisto, the final CMLL-recognized NWA World Welterweight Champion, as the inaugural champion. The championship was initially announced as the CMLL Historic Welterweight Championship, but when the belt was unveiled, it was labelled the "NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Championship</span> American professional wrestling championship

The NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). CMLL had held the NWA World Light Heavyweight Championship for over 48 years, when the relationship between the promotion and National Wrestling Alliance broke down in March 2010. Blue Demon Jr., the president of NWA Mexico, sent letters to CMLL, telling them to stop promoting the NWA-branded championships since they were no longer part of the NWA. On August 12, 2010, CMLL debuted the new NWA World Historic Light Heavyweight Championship belt and named El Texano Jr., the final CMLL-recognized NWA World Light Heavyweight Champion, as the inaugural champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL 80th Anniversary Show</span> Mexican professional wrestling supercard show

The CMLL 80th Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling event produced by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) that took place on September 13, 2013, in CMLL's home arena Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico. The event commemorated the 80th anniversary of CMLL, the oldest professional wrestling promotion in the world. CMLL's anniversary show is their biggest, most important show of the year, comparable to the Super Bowl for the National Football League or WrestleMania for WWE. The CMLL Anniversary Show series is the longest-running annual professional wrestling show, starting in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL Universal Championship (2014)</span> Mexican professional wrestling tournament

The CMLL Universal Championship 2014 was a professional wrestling tournament produced by the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion, which took place over three Super Viernes shows between August 15 and 29, 2014, in Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico. The CMLL Universal Championship is an annual tournament of CMLL champions that was first held in 2009 and has been held annually ever since. Being a professional wrestling tournament, it is not won legitimately; it is instead won via predetermined outcomes to the matches that is kept secret from the general public.

August started out with the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) holding a special major event called Juicio Final on Friday August 1 instead of their traditional Friday night CMLL Super Viernes show, but for the remaining four Fridays they held their traditional Super Viernes show, CMLL's main weekly show. The shows focused both on continuing storylines from Juicio Final as well as storylines building interest for their next show, the CMLL 81st Anniversary Show. At the Juicio Final show long time rivals Atlantis and Último Guerrero finally agreed to a Lucha de Apuestas, or bet match, for their wrestling masks, which they promoted as La Lucha del siglo. The shows also furthered issues between the trio known as Los Ingobernables and their continuing rivalry with Negro Casas and his team known as La Peste Negra as well as Shocker building towards a match at the 81st Anniversary Show. The August 8 Super Viernes featured the only championship match of the month as Dragón Rojo Jr. successfully defended the CMLL World Middleweight Championship against rival Rey Escorpión, continuing the feud between the two that started when Dragón Rojo Jr. left a group known as Los Revolucionarios del Terror, a group led by Rey Escorpión. August also saw the annual Universal Championship return as CMLL held the two first rounds on the 15th and 22nd. Former Universal Champions La Sombra and Último Guerrero both qualified for the finals and in the end Guerrero won, making him the first ever two time Universal Champion, The August 22, 2014 Super Viernes marked the first Super Viernes show where El Sagrado worked as a heel (referred to as a "Rudo" in Mexico when he teamed up with Misterioso Jr. and El Terrible, losing to the team of Blue Panther, Rey Cometa and Sagrado's rival Fuego.

<i>CMLL Sin Salida</i> Mexican professional wrestling supercard show series

Sin Salida is the collective name of a series of intermittently major professional wrestling, or Lucha Libre, shows held by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). To date CMLL has held six shows under the Sin Salida date. The main event of each of the shows has featured one or more wrestlers putting their hair on the line in a Lucha de Apuesta, or bet match. In 2009 and 2010 the theme of the main event was "Mexico vs. Japan" as CMLL regulars faced off against wrestlers from CMLL's partner promotion in Japan New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and marked the end of extended tours for Yujiro Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito and Taichi Ishikari. In 2013 10 Mini-Estrellas put their hair or their wrestling mask on the line in a Steel cage elimination match where the last man, Pequeño Violencia was shaved bald. CMLL held their most recent Sin Salida show on July 19, 2015.

<i>TRT: La Máquina de la Destrucción</i> Professional wrestling stable

TRT: La Máquina de la Destrucción was a Mexican Lucha Libre group, also known as a "stable" in wrestling terms, that has been active in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) since April, 2011. The group consisted of El Texano, Rey Bucanero and Vangelis. The group was originally known as La Fuerza TRT consisting of El Terrible, Rey Bucanero and El Texano, Jr. In 2013 the group was briefly billed as Bullet Club Latinoamerica when El Terrible and Rey Bucanero teamed up with New Japan Pro-Wrestling Bullet Club member Tama Tonga. For a while Tiger was a member of the group but was kicked out in 2013. The group has always worked as Rudos and often in the main event of some of CMLL's major shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL Universal Championship (2015)</span> Mexican professional wrestling tournament

The CMLL Universal Championship 2015 is an ongoing professional wrestling tournament, originally announced by the Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) promotion as starting in August 2015. CMLL started the tournament in October, with no explanation for the change to the schedule. Traditionally the Universal Championship tournament takes place over three Super Viernes. The CMLL Universal Championship is an annual tournament of CMLL champions that was first held in 2009, making the 2015 version the seventh overall tournament. Being a professional wrestling tournament, it is not won legitimately; it is instead won via predetermined outcomes to the matches that is kept secret from the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL Universal Championship (2016)</span> Mexican professional wrestling tournament

The CMLL Universal Championship (2016) was a professional wrestling tournament produced and scripted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The tournament took place from October 14, 2016 and ran for three Super Viernes shows with the finals on October 28, 2016. The CMLL Universal Championship is an annual tournament exclusively for wrestlers holding CMLL-recognized champions; first held in 2009, making the 2016 version the eight overall tournament. Being a professional wrestling tournament, it is not won legitimately; it is instead won via predetermined outcomes to the matches that is kept secret from the general public.

The Torneo Gran Alternativa was a professional wrestling tournament held by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. The tournament was held on April 2, 1999, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL Universal Championship (2017)</span> Mexican professional wrestling tournament

The CMLL Universal Championship (2017) was a professional wrestling tournament produced and scripted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. The tournament started on June 30, 2017 and ran for three Super Viernes shows with the finals taking place on July 14, 2017 at Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico. The CMLL Universal Championship is an annual tournament exclusively for wrestlers who hold a CMLL-recognized championship at the time of the tournament. The tournament was first held in 2009, making the 2017 version the ninth overall tournament. Being a professional wrestling tournament, it is not won legitimately; it is instead won via predetermined outcomes to the matches that is kept secret from the general public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMLL Universal Championship (2019)</span> 2019 Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre event

The CMLL Universal Championship (2019) is a professional wrestling tournament produced and scripted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. The tournament started on February 2, 2019 and ran for three Super Viernes shows with the final held on February 14, 2019 at Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico.

References

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