Torneo Gran Alternativa (1994)

The Torneo Gran Alternativa (1994) (Spanish for "Great Alternative Tournament") was the very first CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa 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 December 30, 1994, in Mexico City, Mexico at CMLL's main venue, Arena México. 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]

Torneo Gran Alternativa (1994)
Héctor Garza, the first rookie winner of the Gran Alternativa
PromotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
DateDecember 30, 1994
CityMexico City, Mexico
VenueArena México
Event chronology
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Torneo Gran Alternativa chronology
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1995

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. The finals saw the team of veteran Negro Casas and rookie Héctor Garza defeat the team of Satánico and rookie Arkangel de la Muerte. In the subsequent years, Héctor Garza would rise up through the ranks in CMLL as well as working stints for World Championship Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in the U.S. and becoming a fixture on the CMLL main event scene.

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.[2][3]

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.[4] CMLL would later modified 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, but continuing annually since then[5]

Tournament brackets
Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals
         
Astro Rey Jr. and Gran Markus Jr. [2]
Dr. Wagner Jr. W
Halcon Negro Jr. and Dr. Wagner Jr. [2]
Negro Casas and Héctor Garza W
Héctor Garza and Negro Casas W
Guerrero de la Muerte and Pierroth Jr. [2]
Héctor Garza and Negro Casas W
Arkangel de la Muerte and El Satánico [2][3]
Olímpico and Dos Caras [2]
Arkangel de la Muerte and El Satánico W
Arkangel de la Muerte and El Satánico [2]
Shocker and El Dandy W
Shocker and El Dandy W
Máscara Mágica and La Fiera [2]

Aftermath

The tournament win helped elevate Héctor Garza in CMLL as the young tecnico wrestler defeated both Bestia Salvaje and El Satánico in Luchas de Apuestas, or "bet matches", where the loser was shaved bald.[6] He later worked on a regular basis for the US based World Championship Wrestling and won the CMLL World Trios Championship with Dos Caras and La Fiera.[7] In 1996 Garza left CMLL for rival promotion AAA. In 2004 he worked for the US based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling where he was part of the team that won the America's X Cup tournament.[8] In 2005 Garza returned to CMLL and became an integral part of the Los Perros del Mal group. Garza lost the main event of the CMLL 72nd Anniversary Show, CMLL's most important show of the year, and as a result had all his hair shaved off.[9] He would later hold the CMLL World Trios Championship twice more as well as winning the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship. In 2011 Garza left CMLL, opting to work for Perros del Mal Producciones,[10] and later on for AAA.[11] Garza died from Lung cancer on May 23, 2013.[12] He was posthumously inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame.[13]

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 how much, or how little they were pushed by promoters
  2. "CMLL Gran Alternativa #1". Pro Wrestling History. December 30, 1994. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  3. Flores, Manuel (July 18, 2008). Ocampo, Ernesto (ed.). "Histórico de ganadores del torneo: La Gran Alternativa". Súper Luchas (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico: Impresos Camsam, SA de CV. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  4. "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.
  5. "CMLL Gran Alternativa History". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  6. "Wrestler profile: Hector Garza". Online World of Wrestling.
  7. Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: EMLL CMLL Trios Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 396. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4.
  8. Martin, Adam (February 12, 2004). "Full NWA TNA PPV Results - 2/11/04 (AAA wins the America's X Cup + more)". WrestleView.com. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  9. Ocampo, Jorge (October 9, 2006). "Aniversario: Universo Rapó Garza". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). issue 126.
  10. Ruiz Glez, Alex (November 12, 2011). "Héctor Garza deja el CMLL, se une con los Perros del Mal" (in Spanish). SuperLuchas Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  11. "Noche de grandes sorpresas en Irapuato". Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (in Spanish). November 15, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  12. Ocampo Alcázar, Jorge (May 26, 2013). "Muere Héctor Garza "El Querubín" (1969–2013), víctima del cancer". SuperLuchas (in Spanish). Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  13. Meltzer, Dave (August 9, 2015). "AAA TripleMania live coverage from Arena Ciudad in Mexico City - Mysterio vs. Myzteziz, Alberto vs. Cage hair match". Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
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