CMLL Arena Mexico results: Gran Alternativa tournament finals
Images: CMLL. Photography: Alexis Salazar.
The atmosphere in Arena Mexico became proverbially electric when hosting an outstanding match in the Gran Alternativa tournament finals on Friday night in Mexico City.
The main event featured Caristico teaming with Soberano Jr. to win the tournament in a tag team match against Ultimo Guerrero & Sanson. The annual CMLL tag team tournament pairs veteran luchadores with young up-and-comers the promotion wants to establish as future stars.
Amongst the brawling and trios matches that filled out the undercard, Dragon Lee and Barbaro Cavernario did what they could in trying to steal the show with the ten minutes they got in a lightning match.
The entire show is available to watch for free via CMLL’s YouTube channel:
While closing with a tag team match, the show also opened with one as well.
Virus & Raziel defeated Sangre Imperial & Magia Blanca
The rudos captured the first and third falls to take the match. In the first fall, Virus pinned Blanca after dropping a flying elbow, and Raziel tied Imperial in a knot to submit him. The tecnicos began a comeback in the second fall, leading to Imperial submitting Virus and Blanca submitting Raziel.
The rudos would curtail a tecnicos rally in the third fall, with Raziel pinning Blanca after Raziel delivered a neckbreaker while Virus held Blanca in a Romero Special. Virus then submitted Imperial with a stump puller to win the match.
Misterioso Jr., Polvora & captain Dragon Rojo Jr. defeated Drone, Guerrero Maya Jr. & captain Stuka Jr.
The rudos won the second and third falls en route to taking the match. The first fall had a triple roll-up spot by the tecnicos for a near fall. Right afterwards, the rudos tried triple roll-ups of their own for a two count. To end the first fall, Drone and Stuka stretched the other two rudos as Guerrero Maya pinned rudo captain Dragon Rojo after a hurricanrana.
To end the second fall, Dragon Rojo came off the top with a double foot stomp for a pinfall on Guerrero Maya while Polvora also covered Drone after giving him an off the top rope sit-out version of Farooq’s Dominator.
The tecnicos fired up as the third fall got underway, but not before Dragon Rojo took time to tear at Drone’s mask. To end the match, Misterioso dropped Stuka into a Gory Bomb and covered the tecnico captain for the pinfall. Misterioso also stole Stuka’s mask.
Vangellys, El Terrible & captain Shocker defeated Kraneo (w/ Mije), Pierroth & captain Rush
The match started as a wild brawl during the introductions as Los Ingobernables attacked. They brawled all around the ring. When they got back in the ring, Pierroth jumped off the middle rope into a senton to pin Vangellys. To end the first fall, Rush charged into a corner on Terrible for an assist in setting up Kraneo pinning Terrible.
The brawling continued like this was 1979 and they were in a concession stand in Tupelo, minus the condiments. Los Ingobernables looked to keep on dominating, but their opponents rallied. Terrible applied a Boston crab on Rush to submit the rudo captain, evening the falls.
Into the third fall, Los Ingobernables left Kraneo hanging at one point as they did a Zbyszko stalk. Terrible eliminated Kraneo when he pinned him after a splash off the top. Rush then eliminated Terrible by pinning him.
Pierroth covered Vangellys for a pinning attempt, but the referee was distracted trying to get Terrible out of the ring. Pierroth went to confront the ref when Vangellys fouled Pierroth with a blatant low blow. With his back turned, the ref never saw the foul. Vangellys covered Pierroth, which the ref did see as he counted three for the deciding pinfall.
Vangellys cut a promo on Pierroth afterwards. Rush responded with a promo of his own. Since the beef remains between Vangellys and Pierroth, this feud must continue.
Dragon Lee defeated Barbaro Cavernario in a lightning match
Being a one fall match hampered by a ten-minute time limit, they had a great bout while it lasted. The first dive by Dragon Lee came a minute and a half into the match. Moments later, he jumped off the top rope with a frog splash for a near fall. Shortly thereafter, Cavernario cut him off and took control.
Cavernario set him up for Shattered Dreams but instead gave him into a codebreaker. The action spilled to the outside, where Cavernario did his crazy tope suicida through the turnbuckles. An even crazier DDT by Cavernario got a near fall. For another near fall, Dragon Lee caught Cavernario with a running Spanish Fly.
With the clock ticking past the eight-minute mark, Cavernario splashed Dragon Lee and covered him for a two count. Dragon Lee finished off Cavernario with a Del Rio double foot stomp, followed by a pinfall with about 30 seconds of time remaining.
Angel de Oro, El Valiente (w/ KeMonito) & captain Niebla Roja defeated Negro Casas (w/ El Perico Zacarias), Euforia & captain Gran Guerrero
Valiente replaced Diamante Azul, who was advertised as part of the tecnico side of this trios match. The tecnicos won in two straight falls, though that included a disqualification in the second fall. In a scene similar to a previous trios match on the card, the rudos ambushed the tecnicos during an entrance.
Los Guerreros Laguneros were back to their routine of administering a beatdown on Niebla Roja. Still, the tecnicos made a comeback to win the first fall. Angel de Oro pinned Euforia with a hurricanrana, and Valiente submitted Casas with a Romero Special.
The rudos again gained an advantage as the beatdown resumed. That led into Niebla Roja leading a comeback that culminated in a parade of dives. Gran Guerrero unmasked Niebla Roja for a DQ to end the match.
Following the DQ, Gran Guerrero cut a promo on Niebla Roja. That could possibly lead to a match down the line for Roja’s light heavyweight title that he recently won.
Caristico & Soberano Jr. defeated Ultimo Guerrero & Sanson in the Gran Alternativa tournament finals
The tremendous atmosphere inside Arena Mexico hosted an outstanding match, which is worth going out of your way to see.
In the first fall, Guerrero ripped Soberano’s mask as Sanson also tore at Caristico’s mask. Guerrero catapulted Sanson into a double foot stomp on Soberano, followed by Sanson pinning Soberano. Guerrero then applied Pulpo Guerrero on Caristico for a submission to win the first fall.
Caristico and Soberano made a comeback in the second fall, leading to some spectacular flying that lit the crowd on fire. Soberano ripped the mask of Sanson. Evening the falls, Soberano pinned Guerrero with a victory roll while Caristico submitted Sanson with the Black Widow.
The place was electric as the climactic final fall began. A spectacle of flight gave way to a brawl on the floor. That set up Guerrero doing his signature spot of leaping over the barricade into a flying body block.
Guerrero became a base for Soberano to fly, but he would also deadlift Soberano into a superplex. Guerrero also went back to the top rope to give Soberano a super gourdbuster. Soberano kicked out at two and a half, and he countered seconds later with a Frankensteiner off the top for a two count.
Sanson and Caristico tagged in to trade near falls as they squared off. Guerrero made the save on a cover, then he and Caristico traded near falls. Guerrero powerbombed Caristico off the top rope, and Guerrero took a Frankensteiner off the top from Caristico.
Soberano and Sanson fought each other in the closing moments. Sanson lifted Soberano in a torture rack, then spun him around into a sit-out powerbomb. Upon a save by Caristico that also brought Guerrero back into the ring, Soberano executed a guillotine moonsault on Guerrero to eliminate him via pinfall
As that unfolded, Caristico launched into the application of La Mistica to submit Sanson and win the match.
Having joined Ultimo Guerrero as the only luchadores to win the tournament on three separate occasions throughout the years, Caristico was under the guise of a different name when he won previously in 2007 (as Mistico teaming with La Sombra) and 2004 (as Mistico teaming with El Hijo del Santo).
Soberano Jr. gets another tournament victory as the rocket stays firmly attached to his back in his continuing push up the cards.
The winners stuck around afterwards, but so did Ultimo Guerrero. He shook hands and posed for selfies with adoring fans gathered at ringside. The masses were sent home with a happy ending to conclude a stellar show.