CMLL Universal Championship (2016) explained

CMLL Universal Championship (2016)
Promotion:Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Date:October 14, 2016 to October 28, 2016
Venue:Arena México
City:Mexico City, Mexico[1]
Liveevent:Y
Lastevent:Reyes del Aire
Nextevent:Día de Muertos
Event:CMLL Universal Championship tournaments
Lastevent2:2015
Nextevent2:2017

The CMLL Universal Championship (2016) (Spanish; Castilian: Campeonato Universal) 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 2016 tournament saw CMLL World Trios Champion Valiente defeat his regular Trios partner Volador Jr. in the finals of the tournament to win his first Universal Championship tournament.

Background

The tournament featured 15 professional wrestling matches under single-elimination tournament rules, which means that wrestlers would be eliminated from the tournament when they lose a match. All male "non-regional" CMLL champions at the time of the tournament are eligible to participate in the tournament. The CMLL World Mini-Estrella Championship and Mexican National Lightweight Championship are both exclusively for CMLL's Mini-Estrella division and thus not eligible for the tournament. Regionally promoted championships such as the CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship and the Occidente championships promoted in Guadalajara, Jalisco have not been included in the tournament in the past; only titles that have been defended in CMLL's main venue Arena Mexico are normally included, although exceptions have been made to allow New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) champions to compete if they were in Mexico at the time. For the 2016 version of the tournament only 15 out of the 16 participants had competed in at least one Universal Championship tournament before, only Rey Cometa (the Mexican National Welterweight Champion[2]) was a first time competitor. Atlantis (Mexican National Light Heavyweight Champion[3]) and Último Guerrero (NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion) were the only former tournament winners to participate in the 2016 tournament.[4] [5] [6] Mephisto's (CMLL World Welterweight Champion and Mexican National Trios Champion) participation made him the only wrestler to participate in seven out of the eight Universal Championship tournaments up until that point. Negro Casas (CMLL World Tag Team Champion), La Máscara (CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion), Último Guerrero and Volador Jr. (NWA World Historic Welterweight Champion and CMLL World Trios Champion) all marked their sixth Universal Championship tournament.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] CMLL originally announced that Cavernario would be part of the tournament, despite having lost the Mexican National Welterweight Championship to Rey Cometa on June 10, 2016.[2] They later corrected the participant list, replacing Cavernario with Rey Cometa.

Eligible champions

ChampionChampionship heldBlock
AtlantisMexican National Light Heavyweight ChampionshipBlock B
CMLL World Tag Team ChampionshipBlock A[11]
Dragon LeeCMLL World Lightweight ChampionshipBlock B[12]
Dragón Rojo, Jr.CMLL World Middleweight ChampionshipBlock B[13]
EphestoMexican National Trios ChampionshipBlock B
LucifiernoMexican National Trios ChampionshipBlock B
La MáscaraCMLL World Light Heavyweight ChampionshipBlock B[14]
Máximo SexyCMLL World Heavyweight ChampionshipBlock A[15]
MephistoCMLL World Welterweight Championship
Mexican National Trios Championship
Block A[16] [17]
MísticoCMLL World Trios ChampionshipBlock A[18]
Rey CometaMexican National Welterweight ChampionshipBlock A
Rey BucaneroNWA World Historic Light Heavyweight ChampionshipBlock B[19]
ShockerCMLL World Tag Team ChampionshipBlock A
Último GuerreroNWA World Historic Middleweight ChampionshipBlock A[20]
ValienteCMLL World Trios ChampionshipBlock A
Volador Jr.CMLL World Trios Championship
NWA World Historic Welterweight Championship
Block B[21]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Arena México Cartelera . October 8, 2016 . Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Spanish.
  2. Web site: Rey Cometa, nuevo campeón nacional welter . MedioTiempo . . Spanish . June 11, 2016 . June 11, 2016.
  3. Web site: Atlantis, nuevo Campeón Nacional Semicompleto. August 25, 2015 . August 25, 2015 . Medio Tiempo . Spanish.
  4. News: Rivera, Manuel . Ultimo Guerrero, Campeon Universal . Super Luchas Magazine . 3–5 . Issue 320 . June 22, 2009 . May 3, 2010 . CAMSAN Impresores, S.A. de C.V. . . Spanish.
  5. Web site: Resultados Arena México Viernes 29 de Agosto '14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702063843/http://cmll.com/02_resultados/super_viernes/super_viernes_cmll.htm . Reducindo . Miguel . July 2, 2014 . August 30, 2014 . August 30, 2014 . . Spanish . dead .
  6. Web site: Atlantis se proclamó Campeón Universal 2015 . October 17, 2015 . October 17, 2015 . MedioTiempo . Spanish.
  7. Web site: Resultados Arena México (13 agosto 2010): ¡Liger, Campeón Universal! ¿14 luchadores a la jaula del 3 de septiembre? . Rivera, Manuel . August 14, 2010 . September 16, 2011 . Super Luchas Magazine . Spanish.
  8. Web site: La Sombra, Campeón Universal . September 16, 2011 . September 16, 2011 . . Spanish . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120727024439/http://www.record.com.mx/luchalibre/2011-09-16/la-sombra-campeon-universal . July 27, 2012 .
  9. Web site: Viernes 31 de Agosto '12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702063843/http://cmll.com/02_resultados/super_viernes/super_viernes_cmll.htm . Salazar López . Alexis A. . July 2, 2014 . September 1, 2012 . September 1, 2012 . . Spanish . dead .
  10. Web site: Resultados Arena México Viernes 6 de Septiembre '13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702063843/http://cmll.com/02_resultados/super_viernes/super_viernes_cmll.htm . Salazar López . Alexis A. . July 2, 2014 . September 7, 2013 . September 7, 2013 . . Spanish . dead .
  11. Web site: Resultados Arena México Viernes 13 de Junio '14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702063843/http://cmll.com/02_resultados/super_viernes/super_viernes_cmll.htm . Salazar López . Alexis A. . July 2, 2014 . June 14, 2014 . June 14, 2014 . Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Spanish . dead .
  12. Web site: NJPW Presents CMLL Fantastica Mania 2016 . January 24, 2016 . . Japanese.
  13. Web site: Dragón Rojo Jr., nuevo Campeón peso Medio del CMLL . González, Fernando . 2011-11-19 . 2011-11-20 . . Spanish . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019133442/http://www.record.com.mx/tmf/2011-11-19/dragon-rojo-jr-nuevo-campeon-peso-medio-del-cmll . 2013-10-19 .
  14. Web site: Viernes 8 de Abril '16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160404202904/http://cmll.com/?p=1788 . Salazar . Alexis . April 8, 2016 . April 4, 2016 . April 9, 2016 . Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Spanish . dead .
  15. Web site: Resultados Arena México® Viernes 30 de Enero '15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702063843/http://cmll.com/02_resultados/super_viernes/super_viernes_cmll.htm . Barradas . Bibiana . Estrellita (wrestler) . July 2, 2014 . January 31, 2015 . January 31, 2015 . Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Spanish . dead .
  16. Web site: Lucha Libre Arena México 03 de Mayo de 2016 . May 4, 2016 . May 4, 2016 . Gonzalo . López Peralta . Yahoo Deportes . . Spanish.
  17. Web site: CMLL: Resultados 9/08/2015 . Vacah . August 10, 2015 . August 10, 2015 . SuperLuchas . Spanish.
  18. Web site: 'Sky team', satisfechos por título de tercias . February 14, 2015 . February 14, 2015 . MedioTiempo . Spanish.
  19. Web site: Resultados Arena México Domingo 8de Marzo '15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150313055926/http://www.cmll.com/02_resultados/dom_familiares/dom_familiares.htm . Barradas . Bibiana . Estrellita (wrestler) . March 13, 2015 . March 9, 2015 . March 9, 2015 . Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Spanish . dead .
  20. Web site: Último Guerrero destronó a La Sombra . September 1, 2015 . September 1, 2015 . MedioTiempo . Spanish.
  21. Web site: Resultados Arena México Viernes 1º de Agosto '14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140702063843/http://cmll.com/02_resultados/super_viernes/super_viernes_cmll.htm . Salazar López . Alexis A. . July 2, 2014 . August 2, 2014 . August 2, 2014 . Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre . Spanish . dead .