Torneo Gran Alternativa (2018)
Official poster for the tournament finalCMLL Super Viernes show
Promotion	Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre
Date	May 4, 2018 May 11, 2018 May 18, 2018
City	Mexico City, Mexico
Venue	Arena México
Event chronology
← Previous 62. Aniversario de Arena México Next → Atlantis 35th Anniversary Show
Torneo Gran Alternativa chronology
← Previous 2017 Next → 2019

TheTorneo Gran Alternativa 2018 was aprofessional wrestling tournament event produced by the Mexican wrestling promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLLl; Spanish "World Wrestling Council") that began on May 4, 2018 and ran over the course of three of CMLL's Friday night shows inArena México through May 18. TheTorneo Gran Alternativa (Great alternative tournament) concept sees aNovato or rookie team up with an experienced wrestler for atag team tournament. The rookie winner is often elevated up the ranks of CMLL as a result of winning the tournament, but there is no specific "prize" for winning the tournament beyond a symbolic trophy.

The 2018 tournament was the 23rd Gran Alternativa tournament that CMLL has held since its inception in 1994 and was won byFlyer and his uncleVolador Jr. as they defeatedÚltimo Guerrero andTemplario in the finals. The tournament victory helped elevate Flyer in the ranks as he began working higher on CMLL shows after the tournament victory. The finals of the 2018 tournament also served as the catalyst for the return ofL.A. Park and his sonEl Hijo de L.A. Park's return to CMLL.

Starting in 1994 the Mexicanprofessional wrestling promotionConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) created a special tournament concept where they would team up anovato, or rookie, with a veteran for a single-eliminationtag team tournament.^[1][2] The tournament was calledEl 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 inArena México, CMLL's main venue and has taken place on Friday nights, with the2016 tournament being the only time the Gran Alternativa was held on Tuesday nights.^[3] The 2018Gran Alternativa tournament was the 23rd tournament held by CMLL in the 24 years since the first installment.^[3]

The tournament featured 15professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers teaming up, some of which were involved in pre-existingscripted feuds orstorylines while others are simply paired up for the tournament. Wrestlers portrayed eithervillains (referred to asRudos in Mexico) orfan favorites (Técnicos in Mexico) as they competed in wrestling matches with pre-determined outcomes. The tournament format followed CMLL's traditional tournament formats, with two qualifying blocks of eight teams that competed in the first and second week of the tournament and a final match between the two block winners.^[4][5] The qualifying blocks were one-fall matches while the tournament finals was a best two-out-of-three-falls tag team match. Each qualifying block started with all 8Novatos competing in a "seeding"battle royal to determine the brackets for the block.^[4]

Gran Alternativa participants

The 2018 tournament marked the first time thatAudaz, El Coyote,Magia Blanca, Maquiavelo, Principe Diamante,Templario andUniverso 2000 Jr. competed in a Gran Alternativa tournament.^[3] While this was also Eléctrico's first Gran Alternativa, he had worked for CMLL since 2006 in theMini-Estrellas division and only been moved up to the main division in early 2018.^[6] Of the remainingnovatosEl Hijo del Signo was the oldest (age 33 or 34) of the rookies and also thenovato with the longest CMLL tenure, having competed in both the2011 and2012 tournaments. Audaz, at age 20, was the youngestnovato in the 2018 tournament. Espanto Jr. had competed in three previous Gran Alternativa tournaments in2013,2014 and2017. Magia Blanco came into the Gran Alternativa with the most momentum of all the rookies by having won theCopa Nueva Valores ("New Values Cup") rookie tournament by beating Flyer in the finals on April 17,^[7][8] followed by a very well receivedMexican National Welterweight Championship match againstEl Soberano on May 1 which he lost.^[9]

On the veterans side, all competitors had taken part in the Gran Alternativa tournament before, althoughBárbaro Cavernario made his first appearance as a veteran after having won the2014 tournament as a rookie, teaming withMr. Niebla.^[10] Of all the veteransCarístico andÚltimo Guerrero have had the most success in the Gran Alternativa, with both having won the tournament as a rookie and then twice more as a veteran, with Carístico winning theprevious year's tournament with Soberano.^{[11][Note 1]} Último Guerrero andAtlantis had both competed in 14 Gran Alternativa tournaments prior to the 2018 version,^[3] and at 55 years of age Atlantis was the oldest competitor in the tournament.^[12] Other previous winners includedVolador Jr. (2016) andEl Terrible (2012).^[3] Ephesto competed in the2006 tournament under the name "Hombre Sin Nombre" but 2018 marked the first time he competed as "Ephesto" after having played the character since 2007.^[3]

The 2018 tournament was split out over threeSuper Viernes shows, with a qualifying block on May 4 and May 11. Block A started with the eightnovatos competing in aBattle royal to determine the first round tag team match ups. CMLL often employs a "Seeding battle royal" for their tag team tournaments, where the first two wrestlers eliminated would be in the first tournament match, the third and fourth man eliminated would meet in the second tournament match, the fifth and sixth man matchup in the third first-round match and the last two wrestlers would meet in the fourth and final first-round match. Flyer and El Hijo del Signo were the last two men in the match, earning the longst rest between matches.^[13][4][14] The first tag team match of the tournament was also the longest tournament match of the night, as Eléctrico and Místico defeated Espanto Jr. and Hechicero in nine minutes, six seconds. Yago and Mephisto, Magia Blanca and Atlantis and the team of Flyer and Volador Jr. all moved to the second round.^[13][4][14] In the second round Yago and Mephisto defeated Eléctrico and Místico in 6:52 while Flyer got a small measure of revenge against Copa Nueva Valores winner Magica Blanca, as Flyer and Volador Jr. defeated Magica Blanca and Atlantis.^[13][4][14] In the final block A match Flyer and Volador Jr. defeated Yago and Mephisto to qualify for the finals.^[13][4][14]

Block B of the Gran Alternativa took place a week later, and saw Templario and Universo 2000 Jr. outlast Star Jr., Audaz, El Coyote, Astral, Akuma and Príncipe Diamante in the seeding battle royal to set the match order for the night.^[5] Thenovato/veteran teams of Akuma and Euforia, Carístico and Star Jr., Audaz and Kráneo, and Templario and Último Guerrero all advanced to the quarterfinal round of the tournament.^[5] 2017 Gran Alternativa winner Carístico andnovato Star Jr. advanced to the semi-finals with a victory over Akuma and Euforia. In the other quarterfinal Último Guerrero, who like Carístico had already won three Gran Alternativa tournaments and his trainee Templario defeated Templarios long time rival Audaz and veteran Kráneo to move on.^[5] In the second tournament final Templario and Último Guerrero defeated Star Jr. and Carístico when Templario pinned Carístico.^[5]

The final Gran Alternativa tournament match was held on May 18 and was the only best two-out-of-three falls match of the tournament. The two teams split the first two falls between them, leading to the third and final fall where both team members had to be pinned to end the match. In the final moments of the matchnovato Flyer pinned veteran Último Guerrero after executing aMoonsault side slam off the rope, followed by Volador Jr. pinning Templario after rolling him up with arana.^[15][16] After the match was over Flyer and Volador Jr. were attacked byLos Ingobernables,Rush,El Terrible andLa Bestia del Ring to continue an ongoing rivalry between Rush and Volador Jr. moments later Volador Jr,'s uncleL.A. Park and cousinEl Hijo de L.A. Park made their surprise return to CMLL by running to the ring and chasing off Los Ingobernables.^[15][16] After Flyer and Volador Jr. were given their Gran Alternativa tournament L.A. Park made a challenge to Rush for aLucha de Apuestas match.^[15][16]

The tournament victory helped establish Flyer as a wrestler on the rise in CMLL, but it was the aftermath of the tournament that had the biggest impact both on Flyer's career and CMLL's direction in 2018. The appearance of L.A. Park and El Hijo de L.A. Park marked a period where CMLL began to work with more "independent" wrestlers, allowing wrestlers not under permanent contract to work on CMLL shows.^[17] The biggest change was that CMLL would allow independent wrestlers to also work for their rivalLucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), which had not been allowed every before in the history of the company. In addition to L.A. Park and El Hijo de L.A. Park, this change in approach allowedPenta El 0M,^[18]Fénix,^[19]Cibernético (Billed as "Ciber Main Man"),El Zorro ("The Crizh") andCharly Manson ("Scharlie Rockstar") to all work for CMLL and become parts of major storylines over the summer of 2018.^[20]

The appearance of L.A. Park led to a protracted storyline feud between La Familia Real ("The Royal Family"; L.A. Park, Volador Jr., Flyer and El Hijo de L.A. Park) against Los Ingobernables (Rush, El Terrible andEl Bestia del Ring) that played out over the summer of 2018. The main focus was building a rivalry between Rush and L.A. Park, believed to be leading to aLucha de Apuestas, or bet match, at theCMLL 85th Anniversary Show. The storyline build saw Rush and El Terrible defeat Volador Jr. andValiente to win theCMLL World Tag Team Championship on July 13, 2018.^[21]

May 4, 2018Super Viernes

May 11, 2018Super Viernes

May 18, 2018Super Viernes

• 2018 in professional wrestling
• 2018 in Mexico
• CMLL Torneo Gran Alternativa
• May 2018 in Mexico

• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)
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