CMLL World Heavyweight Championship | |||||||||||||||||||
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Details | |||||||||||||||||||
Promotion | Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | ||||||||||||||||||
Date established | June 9, 1991 [lower-alpha 1] | ||||||||||||||||||
Current champion(s) | Gran Guerrero | ||||||||||||||||||
Date won | November 7, 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||
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The CMLL World Heavyweight Championship (Spanish : Campeonato Mundial de Peso Completo del CMLL) is a men's professional wrestling world heavyweight championship created and promoted by the Mexican ( lucha libre ) 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.
In most professional wrestling promotions around the world, the "world heavyweight" designation is used to indicate the highest-ranking championship instead of an actual weight division. Traditionally, however, lucha libre has used multiple weight divisions, often with the lower weight classes receiving more attention from the promoters. CMLL carries on this tradition. [lower-alpha 2]
The Mexican professional wrestling promotion Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) was founded in 1933 and initially recognized a series of "Mexican National" wrestling championships, endorsed by the Comisión de Box y Lucha Libre Mexico D.F. (Mexico City Boxing and Wrestling Commission). The Mexican National Heavyweight Championship was created in 1926, and over time, EMLL began promoting matches for that championship with the approval and oversight of the wrestling commission. [lower-alpha 3] In the 1950s, EMLL became a member of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), recognized the NWA World Heavyweight Championship as the highest ranking championship, and began promoting title matches for the NWA in Mexico on occasion. [5] [6]
In the late 1980s, EMLL left the NWA to avoid their politics and would later rebrand themselves as "Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre" (CMLL). Although they had left the NWA, they were still promoting the NWA's titles. By the start of the 1990s, CMLL began to downplay the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship bouts, featuring them less frequently on CMLL shows, and eventually stopped promoting them altogether. In 1991, CMLL began creating a series of CMLL-branded world championships, the first of which was for the heavyweight division. [lower-alpha 4] The first CMLL World Heavyweight Champion was crowned in the finals of a 16-man tournament that saw Konnan el Bárbaro defeat Cien Caras. [lower-alpha 1] Konnan lost the title to Cien Caras in his first title defense on August 18, 1991, [lower-alpha 5] making him one of three champions without a single successful title defense. [lower-alpha 6]
Cien Caras left CMLL in the summer of 1992 to join former CMLL promoter Antonio Peña in Peña's newly formed Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) wrestling promotion, leaving CMLL without a heavyweight champion. [lower-alpha 7] CMLL held a 16-man single-elimination tournament from October 30, 1992, to November 20, 1992, which ended with Black Magic defeating Rayo de Jalisco Jr. to win the championship. [lower-alpha 8] With that victory, he became the first non-Hispanic, [1] [2] and so far the only British wrestler, to win the championship. On June 27, 1993, Mexican native Brazo de Plata defeated Black Magic for the title at Arena México, CMLL's main venue. [lower-alpha 9]
On April 18, 1997, Steel became the first Canadian to win the championship by defeating then-champion Rayo de Jalisco Jr. to become the eighth overall champion. [lower-alpha 10] In September 1997, Steel signed a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, renamed WWE in 2002) forcing CMLL to vacate the championship for the second time. [lower-alpha 11] Instead of holding a traditional tournament to crown another champion, CMLL had the new champion decided in a triple threat match between the top three heavyweight contenders, Universo 2000, Rayo de Jalisco Jr., and Cien Caras. On October 19, 1997, Universo 2000 won the title, [lower-alpha 12] starting the first of his three reigns, more than any other wrestler. [1] [2] Universo 2000 lost the title to and regained the title from Rayo de Jalisco Jr. [lower-alpha 13] Universo 2000's second reign as champion lasted 1,225 days, the championship's longest reign. [1] [2] This record-breaking run ended on April 18, 2003, when Mr. Niebla won the title. [1] Mr. Niebla was champion for 543 days before Universo 2000 regained the championship for his record-setting third reign. [1]
On July 8, 2007, Dos Caras Jr. became the fourteenth overall champion. [1] His reign lasted 533 days, but only saw him defend the title a few times, defeating Lizmark Jr. and Último Guerrero. [12] On December 22, 2008, Último Guerrero won the championship from Dos Caras Jr., who shortly afterwards left CMLL to work for WWE. [lower-alpha 14] On April 2, 2009, Último Guerrero successfully defended the title against Rey Mendoza Jr. on an independent wrestling promotion show in Gomez Palacio, marking the first time the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship was defended on a non-CMLL promoted show. [lower-alpha 15] After a 963-day reign and 17 successful defenses, Guerrero lost the title to Héctor Garza on August 12, 2011. [lower-alpha 16] The championship was vacated on November 11, 2011, after Garza left CMLL for Perros del Mal Producciones, a group of former CMLL wrestlers who broke away from the promotion in late 2011. [15] On January 1, 2012, El Terrible became the new champion when he defeated CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion Rush in a decision match. [lower-alpha 17] The two had won a torneo cibernetico match a week earlier to earn spots in the match. [lower-alpha 18]
Máximo Sexy won the championship on January 30, 2015, by defeating El Terrible. [lower-alpha 19] On May 22, 2017, then-reigning champion Máximo Sexy was fired by CMLL for his involvement in an act of vandalism and the championship was vacated. [lower-alpha 20] [lower-alpha 21] On June 6, 2017, Marco Corleone won a 10-man torneo cibernetico match to become the new CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, but he vacated the title after 442 days when he left the promotion. [21] [22] Último Guerrero won the title for a second time when he defeated Diamante Azul in the finals of a tournament on October 16, 2018. [23] After 1,074 days, Hechicero defeated Último Guerrero at CMLL 88. Aniversario to win the title. [24] Hechicero lost the title on November 7, 2022 against Gran Guerrero. [25]
The championship is designated as a heavyweight title, which means that it can only be officially competed for by wrestlers weighing 105 kg (231 lb) and above. In the 20th century, Mexican wrestling enforced the weight divisions more strictly, but in the 21st century, the rules have been occasionally ignored for the various weight divisions. The Heavyweight Championship was no exception as several champions were under the weight limit, including Héctor Garza, who was billed as weighing 95 kg (209 lb) when he won the championship and was thus considered a Junior Light Heavyweight. [lower-alpha 22] [lower-alpha 23] While the "world heavyweight" title is traditionally considered the most prestigious weight division in most professional wrestling promotions, [28] CMLL places more emphasis on the lower weight divisions, and the CMLL World Heavyweight title is not considered the top CMLL championship. [lower-alpha 24]
With a total of 12 CMLL championships being labeled as "World" titles, the promotional focus shifts over time with no single championship being promoted as the "main" one. Championship matches are usually decided by two-out-of-three falls. On occasion, single-fall title matches have taken place, especially when promoting CMLL title matches in Japan, conforming to the traditions of the local promotion. [lower-alpha 26]
The tournament to crown the inaugural CMLL World Heavyweight Champion ran from May 24 to June 9, 1991, and featured 16 competitors. [31] The first round of the tournament saw two eight-man battle royals, each ending when four wrestlers were left in the ring. This was used to cut the field in half with the last four remaining wrestlers from each match advancing to the next round. Konnan, Rayo de Jalisco Jr., Black Magic, and Mascara Ano 2000 advanced in the first battle royal, while Brazo de Plata, Vampiro Canadiense, Universo 2000, and El Egipcio were eliminated. In the second battle royal, Nitron, Pierroth Jr., Pirata Morgan, and Cien Caras advanced while Fabulous Blondie, Gran Markus Jr., Máscara Sagrada, and El Egipcio [lower-alpha 27] were eliminated. [31] The second round saw another pair of battle royals with four men in each, ending when two wrestlers were left in the ring. This narrowed the tournament down to the final four wrestlers, who faced off in traditional semi-finals matches, [31] before the final match to crown the inaugural champion. [lower-alpha 1]
Semifinals | Final | ||||||||
1 | Konnan | W | |||||||
4 | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | ||||||||
Konnan | W | ||||||||
Cien Caras | |||||||||
3 | Nitron | ||||||||
2 | Cien Caras | W |
After Cien Caras left CMLL for AAA in 1992, CMLL decided to hold a traditional 16-man single-elimination tournament to crown a new World Heavyweight Champion. The tournament ran from October 30 to November 20, 1992. [32] On the first night of the tournament, all 16 competitors competed in a battle royal where the order of elimination determined the pairings for the first round. The last two wrestlers were Vampiro and El Egipico, who faced off in the last of the first round matches. [33] The first two matches of the first round were held on November 3 at CMLL's weekly "Martes de Coliseo" show where Rayo de Jalisco Jr. and Rick Patterson both won their respective matches, followed by Jalisco Jr. winning his quarterfinal match the same night. [34] On November 6 at the weekly CMLL Super Viernes show, King Haku and Brazo de Plata advanced in the first round with King Haku qualifying for the semi-final match with another victory. [34] On November 8, an additional tournament match was held with Pirata Morgan advancing to the second round. The November 10 show saw Black Magic and Kahoz advance to face each other, with Black Magic moving to the semi-finals. [34] On November 11, CMLL held the final first round and quarterfinal match, which Vampiro won, and then held both the semi-finals on the same night. By the end of the night, Black Magic and Jalisco Jr. qualified for the final. [34] The following week at the November 20 Super Viernes, Black Magic won the finals and became the third CMLL World Heavyweight Champion. [lower-alpha 8]
First round | Second round | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||
Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | ||||||||||||||
Sultan Gargola | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | |||||||||||||
MS-1 | Rick Patterson | ||||||||||||||
Rick Patterson | W | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | ||||||||||||
King Haku | W | King Haku | |||||||||||||
Popetikus | King Haku | W | |||||||||||||
Brazo de Plata | W | Brazo de Plata | |||||||||||||
Aaron Grundy | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | ||||||||||||||
Black Magic | W | Black Magic | W | ||||||||||||
Gran Markus Jr. | Black Magic | W | |||||||||||||
Troglodita | Kahoz I | ||||||||||||||
Kahos I | W | Black Magic | W | ||||||||||||
Vampiro | W | Vampiro | |||||||||||||
El Egipcio | Pirata Morgan | ||||||||||||||
Pirata Morgan | W | Vampiro | W | ||||||||||||
Masakre |
On December 18, 2011, CMLL announced that their World Heavyweight Champion Héctor Garza had decided to leave CMLL to work for Perros del Mal Producciones, vacating the championship. [15] They also announced that the following week, there would be a tournament to determine a new champion. [17] The main event of the December 25 Domigos Arena México show was a 10-man torneo cibernetico match designed to reduce the field of championship contenders from ten to two. The match ended when El Terrible pinned Marco Corleone to eliminate him, leaving El Terrible and Rush to face off the following week. On January 1, 2012, El Terrible defeated Rush in a two-out-of-three falls match to become the 17th overall champion. [16]
# | Eliminated | Eliminated by |
---|---|---|
1 | Olímpico | Metro |
2 | El Hijo del Fantasma | Rey Bucanero |
3 | Mr. Águila | Brazo de Plata |
4 | Metro | Mr. Niebla |
5 | Brazo de Plata | El Terrible |
6 | Rey Bucanero | Rush |
7 | Mr. Niebla | Marco Corleone |
8 | Marco Corleone | El Terrible |
9 | Co-Winners | El Terrible and Rush |
On May 22, 2017, reigning CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Máximo Sexy was fired by CMLL and the championship was declared vacant. [lower-alpha 20] The company announced that they were holding a 10-man torneo cibernetico on June 6, 2017, in Guadalajara, Jalisco to determine the next champion. [35] The torneo ciberntico sides pitted Gran Guerrero, Euforia, El Terrible, Rush, and Pierroth against Marco Corleone, Dragón Rojo Jr., Kráneo, Mr. Niebla, and Rey Bucanero. The match came down to former champion El Terrible and Corleone, with Corleone gaining the deciding pinfall and the championship. With the victory, he became the 19th overall champion. [36]
# | Eliminated | Eliminated by |
---|---|---|
1 | Rey Bucanero | |
2 | Dragón Rojo Jr. | Pierroth |
3 | Gran Guerrero | Rush |
4 | Euforia | Kráneo |
5 | Pierroth | Mr. Niebla |
6 | Kráneo | El Terrible |
7 | Rush | Corleone |
8 | Mr. Niebla | El Terrible |
9 | El Terrible | Corleone |
The current champion is Gran Guerrero, who is in his first reign. He defeated Hechicero on November 7, 2022. [25] Universo 2000 holds the record for the most reigns at three. His second reign is the longest in the title's history at 1,225 days, and he also holds the record for the longest combined reign with 2,555 days. Konnan, who was the inaugural champion, holds the record for the shortest reign at 70 days. [1] [2] Three champions never had a successful title defense: both Garza and Steel left CMLL before they could defend the championship, and Konnan lost the championship in his first defense. [37] [38] [39]
CMLL has been forced to declare the championship vacant five times. [1] [2] Each time, the reigning champion left CMLL without losing the title in a match. Under normal circumstances, wrestlers give notice, or their contract is not renewed, and the championship transitions to a different wrestler. In the case of Cien Caras, Steel, Héctor Garza, and Marco Corleone, their departures from the company were so sudden and unexpected that no plans were in place and CMLL had to organize a tournament to determine the next champion. [15] [31] [32] In Máximo Sexy's case, he was fired from the company while still the champion, causing the championship to be vacated as a result. [lower-alpha 20]
Mark Robert Jindrak is a former American professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) under his own name and for his appearances with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Marco Corleone. He is a former CMLL World Heavyweight Champion, CMLL World Trios Champion, and WCW World Tag Team Champion.
Los Capos was a Lucha Libre stable consisting of Cien Caras, Máscara Año 2000 and Universo 2000, and at one point also included Apolo Dantés. Los Capos is also often referred to as Los Hermanos Dinamita when working without Apolo Dantés as Cien Caras, Máscara Año 2000 and Universo 2000 are brothers. They have worked primarily in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) but also worked in AAA and currently do guest spots for the International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG).
Los Guerreros Laguneros is a lucha libre stable based in Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The stable was created in 2001 and has, since its inception, been led by Último Guerrero and has been the top rudo stable in CMLL. Los Guerreros Laguneros currently consists of Último Guerrero, his younger brother Gran Guerrero and Templario.
José Delgado Saldaña is a Mexican professional wrestler 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 Essa Ríos in the WWF.
Héctor Solano Segura was a Mexican professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Héctor Garza. During his career he worked for various major Mexican professional wrestling promotions such as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Perros del Mal Producciones and, at the time of death, AAA. Garza also worked for several major promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in the United States.
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.
The CMLL World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling World Tag Team Championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre in Mexico and is for two-man tag teams only. The championship was created in 1993 to replace the Mexican National Tag Team Championship and is still promoted by CMLL to this day. It is the top championship promoted by CMLL, with the CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship and the Occidente Tag Team Championship considered lower ranked, regional tag team championships. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is won or lost via wrestling matches.
The CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) since 1991. As it is a professional wrestling championship, it is not won via legitimate competition; it is instead won via a scripted ending to a match or on occasion awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline. The official definition of the light heavyweight division in Mexico is between 92 kg (203 lb) and 97 kg (214 lb), but the weight limits are not always strictly adhered to. Because CMLL puts more emphasis on the lower weight classes, this division is considered more important than the heavyweight division, which is considered the most important championship by most promotions outside Mexico.
The CMLL World Trios Championship is a professional wrestling championship promoted by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) in Mexico. The title has existed since 1991 and is contested for by teams of three wrestlers. 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
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Damián Gutiérrez Hernández, 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 rudo wrestling character. He started out under the ring name Engendro del Mal and later adopted the name Damián El Terrible, before being shortened to his current name.
El Alebrije is a Mexican Luchadorenmascarado, or masked professional wrestler, currently working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) under the ring name Kraneo. He best known for his work in Asistencia Asesoría y Administración, where he worked for 12 years as El Alebrije, along with his Mini-Estrella companion Cuije. He has also played the role of Máscara Sagrada II after the Original Máscara Sagrada left AAA. El Alebrije's real name 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.
Rayo de Jalisco Jr. is the ring name of a Mexican Luchador Enmascarado whose real name has not been revealed, per Lucha Libre traditions. Rayo de Jalisco Jr. is the son of Rayo de Jalisco a famous wrestler from the early days of Lucha Libre; he also has a son who wrestles under the name Rayman. Rayo Jr. is a former two time CMLL World Heavyweight Champion and the reigning WWA World Heavyweight Champion, a title he has held since March 21, 2003. Rayo de Jalisco Jr.'s real name 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.
Andrés Reyes González was a Mexican professional wrestler, or luchador, who was best known under the ring name Universo 2000. Reyes made his professional wrestling debut in 1985 and worked for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) and, International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). Reyes was a part of a wrestling family that includes his brothers Carmelo and Jesús as well as his nephew who wrestles under the name Máscara Año 2000 Jr. Together with his brothers he formed a group called Los Hermanos Dinamita, also known as Los Capos when they teamed up with Apolo Dantés. Reyes was the only three-time CMLL World Heavyweight Champion in the history of the championship. He was originally an Enmascarado, a masked wrestler, but lost his mask in a match against El Canek on September 17, 2004.
William Arturo Muñoz González is a Mexican luchador, known under the ring name Rush. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is best known for his time performing for the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) as well as the U.S. based Ring of Honor (ROH). Muñoz's father Arturo Muñoz is also a professional wrestler, most recently known under the ring name La Bestia del Ring. William's younger brothers are also professional wrestlers, using the ring names Dralístico and Dragon Lee. While most luchadors portray clear cut good guys or bad guys in the ring, Rush portrays a character that straddles that divide, his in-ring actions is often chaotic or brawling, with tendencies to cheat but is still popular with the fans.
Homenaje a Dos Leyendas (2013) was a professional wrestling supercard show event, scripted and produced by Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre. The Dos Leyendas show took place on March 15, 2013 in CMLL's main venue, Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico. The event was to honor and remember CMLL founder Salvador Lutteroth, who died in March 1987. Starting in 1999 CMLL honored not just their founder during the show, but also a second lucha libre legend, making it their version of a Hall of Fame event. For the 2013 show CMLL commemorated the life and career of wrestler and lucha film star Rayo de Jalisco Sr. This was the 15th March show held under the Homenaje a Dos Leyendas name, having previously been known as Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth from 1996 to 1998.
The CMLL Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increíbles 2013 or "National Incredible Pairs Tournament 2013" was the fourth of a series of Lucha Libre tournaments for Tag Teams traditionally held early in the year. The tournament was based on the Lucha Libre Parejas Increíbles match type where two wrestlers of opposite allegiance, portraying either villains, referred to as "Rudos" in Lucha Libre wrestling terminology or fan favorites, or "tecnicos". At times some of the team members were part of a pre-existing scripted feuds or storylines with each other. The tournament was won by the team of La Sombra and Volador Jr.
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.
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.