The Mexican professional wrestling promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) has held a number of tournaments tag team or their "Trios" (three man teams) divisions over the years. Some of the tournaments were recurring, but have not been held in the last two to three years and others were one-off tournament held for a special event. Being professional wrestling tournaments, they are not won legitimately through competitive matches; instead they are won via predetermined outcomes to the matches that is generally kept secret from the general public.
CMLL held three tournaments under the name Copa de Arena Mexico, named after their main venue Arena Mexico, where all the tournaments also took place. The tournament was held in 1999, 2001 and 2002.
The first Copa de Arena Mexico tournament was a one night, four team single-elimination tournament was held on December 10, 1999, and was also called Torneo Siglo XXI ("21st Century Tournament"). The tournament was won by "Los Guerreros del Infierno" (El Satánico, Rey Bucanero and Último Guerrero), a team name that Bucanero and Guerrero would later use when they split from El Satánico to form their own faction. The winners were given a trophy but no other tangible award was given as a result of the victory. The tournament included four teams who all teamed on a regular basis both before and after the tournament.[1]
The second Copa de Arena Mexico tournament was once again a one night single-elimination tournament, this time with eight teams instead of four. The tournament was held on December 28, 2001, and was won by "Team Shocker" (Black Warrior, Shocker, and Apolo Dantés). The winners were given a trophy but no other tangible award was given as a result of the victory. Some of the teams in the tournament worked together on a regular basis, others were created for the tournament.[2]
The third and last Copa de Arena Mexico tournament was a one night eight team single-elimination tournament, held on July 5, 2002, and was won by "Team Tall" (Black Warrior, Lizmark Jr., and Rayo de Jalisco Jr.). The win made Black Warrior the only wrestler to win the tournament more than once. The winners were given a trophy but no other tangible award was given as a result of the victory. Some of the teams in the tournament worked together on a regular basis, others were created for the tournament. Team Giant only consisted of two members, Giant Silva and Mr. Niebla, due to the size of Giant Silva CMLL counted him as two wrestlers for this tournament and most of the matches he participated in.[3]
On October 26, 1993 Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) wrestler Oro died as a direct result of a match at Arena Coliseo. The following year, on September 25, 1994, CMLL held a tag team tournament in Arena Coliseo to commemorate the loss of the popular wrestler and honor his memory. The tournament winners were presented with a trophy by Oro II, the original Oro's brother who had taken the name out of respect. The tournament was an eight-team single elimination tournament won by Apolo Dantés and El Dandy.[4]
On October 26, 1993 Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) wrestler Oro died as a direct result of a match at Arena Coliseo. CMLL held Copa de Oro one year later in 1994 and followed it with a second Copa de Oro in 1995 on October 24. The tournament winners were presented with a trophy by Oro II, the original Oro's brother who had taken the name out of respect. The tournament was an eight-team single elimination tournament won by Chicago Express and Pierroth Jr.[5]
Wrestling is a family tradition in Lucha libre, with a large number of second or even third-generation wrestlers following in the footsteps of their relatives.[6]Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) held a tag team tournament on September 1, 1995, to pay homage to the wrestling families by holding a tournament for second or third-generation wrestlers. In a few cases the family relationship was not a blood relationship, but more of a storyline with the "Junior" wrestler either paying to use the name or being given the name by the "Senior". The winners got a trophy and no other tangible reward. The second-generation concept led to CMLL creating the La Copa Junior tournament in early 1996.[7] The CMLL Second Generation Tag Team Tournament was won by the team of Apolo Dantés and Emilio Charles Jr.[8]
In 1995 Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) held a one-night single elimination Trios tournament dedicated to the memory of Salvador Lutteroth, the founder of CMLL. The tournament filled the entire Friday night CMLL Super Viernes show, preceding the 1996 Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth show becoming the unofficial forerunner for the event that is now known as Homenaje a Dos Leyendas ("Homage to two Legends") that CMLL holds every spring.[21] The tournament was won by the team of Bestia Salvaje, Emilio Charles Jr. and Sangre Chicana, who received a trophy, but no other obvious awards for winning the tournament.[21]
In 1999 Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) held a one night, single elimination tournament on their annual Homenaje a Dos Leyendas: El Santo y Salvador Lutteroth show, which took place on March 20, 1999. The tournament was dedicated to the memory of Salvador Lutteroth, the founder of CMLL and followed both a singles tournament to honor Lutteroth the preceding year at the 1998 Homenaje a Salvador Lutteroth show and a Trios tournament.[22][23] The tournament featured 8 teams in total, four teams of wrestlers whose careers peaked in the 1980s and early 1990s and four teams who were looking to make a name for themselves at the time. The last match saw the veterans Ringo Mendoza and Super Astro defeat the team of Mr. Niebla and Shocker to win the tournament and the trophy.[22]
In 2009 Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) held a tag team tournament for wrestlers who work in CMLL's Guadalajara, Jalisco Arena Coliseo and its associated wrestling training school. The tournament was named after Guadalajara native and wrestling pioneer Tanque (Tank) Alfonso Dantés.[24] The teams were paired up specifically for the tournament and did not work together on a regular basis prior to it. The teams all competed in a round robin league format, earning points for victories (two) or draws (one).[25] The tournament started on February 15, 2009, and ran until April 12 of that year, spanning five shows in Arena Coliseo. During the tournament wrestler Boomerang had to be replaced with Meteoro for one match and Mr. Trueno replaced Rey Trueno after just one match. The team of Palacio Negro and Samurai won the tournament with four victories, 1 loss and a total of 8 points.[26]
Days after completing the 2013 Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles that concluded at the 2013 Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, CMLL held a similar tournament in Arena Puebla, in Puebla, Puebla. The tournament consisted of two qualifying blocks that took place on March 18 and 25, with a final on April 1, 2013. The tournament is based on the Lucha Libre Parejas Increibles 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".[28] At times some of the team members were part of a pre-existing scriptedfeuds or storylines with each other.[28] The tournament was won by Atlantis and Volador Jr. as they defeated Shocker and Rey Bucanero in the finals after the team failed to get along.[29]
Fantastica Mania, is a series of annual professional wrestling major show co-promoted by Mexicanprofessional wrestling promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Fantastica Mania is a series of two to seven shows that have taken place in Japan, in January of each year since 2010. Starting in 2015 the Fantastica Mania tour has included a CMLL-wrestler only tournament each year, starting with a regular tag team tournament, followed by a tag team tournament featuring only brothers in 2018, while 2019 and 2020 featured tag team tournaments with teams made up of family members.
Torneo de parejas familiares (Spanish for "Family Tag Team Tournament") is aprofessional wrestling tournament, produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling companyConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). The tag team tournament took place on February 24, 2020, at CMLL's regional Arena Puebla venue in Puebla, Puebla. The tournament involved eight teams of relatives, either brothers, fathers and sons or uncles and nephews.
