Torneo Gran Alternativa (2016)

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.[3][4] The tournament was called El Torneo Gran Alternativa, or "The Great Alternative Tournament" and 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. The 2016 Gran Alternativa tournament will be the 21st overall Gran Alternativa tournament. All tournaments have been held in Arena México, CMLL's main venue and up until 2016 all tournaments had taken place on Friday nights, with the 2016 tournament being the first time the Gran Alternativa was held as part of CMLL's Tuesday night shows.[5]

The tournament features 15 professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers teaming up, some of which may be involved in pre-existing scripted feuds or storylines while others are simply paired up for the tournament. Wrestlers portray either villains (referred to as Rudos in Mexico) or fan favorites (Técnicos in Mexico) as they compete in wrestling matches with pre-determined outcomes. The tournament format follows CMLL's traditional tournament formats, with two qualifying blocks of eight teams that compete on the first and second week of the tournament and a final match between the two block winners.[1][2] The qualifying blocks were one-fall matches while the tournament finals will be a best two-out-of-three-falls tag team match. Each qualifying block started with all 8 Novatos competing in a "seeding" battle royal to determine the brackets for the block.[1]

Gran Alternativa participants

Mephisto, teamed with rookie Yago and was eliminated in the semi-finals.

Block A of the 2016 tournament marked the first time Rocky Casas, El Cuatrero, Flyer, Fuji, Magia Blanca and Super Halcón Jr. has competed in a Gran Alternativa tournament. The tournament also marked the CMLL debut of Rocky Casas and Arena México debut of Magia Blanca. Oro Jr. previously competed in both the 2013 and 2014;[9][10][11] tournaments while Tritón was part of the 2012 tournament,[12] and also worked the 2011 tournament under his previous identity of "Metal Blanco".[13] For Block B the 2016 tournament marked the first time CMLL regulars Esfinge, Raijin, Sansón and Stigma competed in the tournament, with Raijin and Sansón making their CMLL debut in 2016. Warrior Steel and Yago had not worked regularly for CMLL prior to the tournament, but primarily worked for the CMLL-affiliated Lucha Elite promotion while Golden Magic had never worked a CMLL show prior to his entry in the Gran Alternativa.[14][15] Pegasso was the lone rookie to have competed before, having been part of the 2010 Gran Alternativa tournament, six years prior.[16]

On the veteran side Último Guerrero had won the tournament twice, in 1999 as a novato,[4][17] and in 2008 as a veteran.[18] In 2008 Guerrero won the tournament with Rey Escorpión as the rookie, two years later Rey Escorpión teamed up with Boby Zavala to win the 2013 tournament.[9] Rey Bucanero won the second 1996 tournament as a rookie and Atlantis won the 2005 tournament as a vet.[4][19][20] Block B veterans included Comandante Pierroth for the first time in his career, including previous stints in CMLL as "Poder Boricua" and "Poder Mexica". For the 2016 tournament veteran winner of the 2012 Gran Alternativa tournament El Terrible was teamed up with rookie Sansón.[8]

Block A of the 2016 Gran Alternativa tournament started out with all eight novatos fighting in a battle royal where the order of eliminations helped determine the team match-ups for the first round. Magia Blanca and Oro Jr. outlasted Flyer, Rocky Casas, Super Halcón Jr.Fujin, El Cuatrero and Tritón which meant that those two teams would face off in the last first round tournament match, giving them longer to rest before having to wrestle again.[7] Due to their early elimination Flyer and Rocky Casas had to compete in the first tournament match moments after the battle royal concluded. Atlantis and Flyer defeated Rocky and Negro Casas to advance to the second round. They would be joined by Fujin and Rey Escorpión, Tritón and Místico and finally Magia Blanca and Último Guerrero.[1] In the second round Japanese wrestler Fujin and Mexican Rey Escorpión defeated Atlantis and Flyer, which the tecnico team of Tritón and Místico defeated the rudos Magia Blanca and Último Guerrero.[6] The final match of the March 22 show saw Fujin and Rey Escorpión defeat Tritón and Místico to qualify for the finals of the Gran Alternativa tournament.[7]

In Block B the rookies followed the same pattern of first competing in a seeding battle royal. For the match Yago came to the ring wearing a spiked mask that resembled that of his "veteran" partner Mephisto as well as the robes normally worn by Mephisto's team Los Hijos del Infierno ("The Sons of the Inferno", Mephisto, Ephesto and Luciferno) as a sign of team unity.[21] Golden Magic and Warrior Steel were the last two competitors, earning the rights to compete last in the tournament.[2][21] Pegasso and Máscara Dorada defeated Sansón and El Terrible while Yago and Mephisto's unity and team work brought them the victory in the all-rudo match against Commandante Pierroth and Raijin. The teams of Esfinge and Volador Jr. and Golden Magic and Rush rounded out the last two teams to advance.[8] In the second round, Yago and Mephisto continued to work well together, defeating Pegasso and Máscara Dorada to advance to the semi-finals. In the other quarter-final match Rush got himself intentionally disqualified when he pulled off Esfinge's mask in front of the referee. Afterwards, he showed little remorse over losing the match and little interest in his partner Golden Magic.[2] In the semi-final, Mephisto pinned Volador Jr. but Esfinge ended up pinning the rudo veteran to earn his team a spot in the finals of the tournament.[2][8] In the tournament finals Esfinge and Volador Jr. defeated Fujin and Rey Escorpión in the main event of the April 5 Arena México in a best two-out-of-three falls match to win the tournament. The victory marked the first time that both rookie Esfinge and veteran Volador Jr. won the Gran Alternativa tournament.[22]