Gran Alternativa Preview

Putting this together, it clicked that there’s a definite rule this year: only first time novatos allowed. All the veterans have competed before, but none of the young guys have. While the ages vary (mostly unknown with one big outlier), the experience in the tournament is uniform.

– Villano V & El Brujo
Villano V teamed with Super Comando last year in his only recorded Gran Alternativa appearance, and lost to Ultimo Guerrero & Euforia in the first round. He’s clearly here to wrestle Blue Panther somewhere along the way.

El Brujo, expected to be Monterrey area wrestler Caifan Rockero I with a new look, is not actually wrestling here. He suffered an injury last Sunday, and el Brujo did not make his match this past Tuesday. Nosferatu and Artillero are both undercard rudos who have yet to be in this tournament, but no name has been announced.

Update: Villano V is now scheduled to team with Puma Kid. Puma is one of Felino’s two sons who’s wrestling. He’s a little shorter and maybe a little bigger than Tiger Kid, who’s had more CMLL experience.

– Mr. Niebla & Bronco

Niebla first competed in the November 1996 tournament, and won his block in the only known year with group play. Niebla teamed with Hector Garza in the tournament itself, and lost in the finals to Emilio Charles Jr. and Rey Bucanero. Niebla wrestled as a veteran in 1999 tournament, teaming with Atlantico, and once again lost in the finals. This time, it was Blue Panther & Ultimo Guerrero who got him. Mr. Niebla’s most recent appearance was in 2001, teaming with Alan Stone but losing in the first round.

This Bronco, 18 years olds, is making his GA tournament debut, but he’s also the third different one to compete. The Monterrey Bronco teamed with Dos Caras in the June 1996 tournament. Silver King Bronco paired with Texano Jr. in the 2005 tournament. No Bronco has made it to the second round.

– Atlantis & Skandalo

Atlantis is a past winner of the Gran Alternativa, teaming with La Mascara to take the crowd in 2005. Atlantis has participated in several other iterations. In 1995, he teamed with Atlantico and lost in the second round. They teamed up again in 96, in both tournaments held that year. In June, they made it to the finals but lost to Bestia Salvaje and Chicago Express. In November, they lost in the first round. Atlantis did not return to the Gran Atlernativa again until 2001, where he made it to the second round with Volador Jr. They’d team up again in 2004, and again lose in the second round. This year is the first time Atlantis has been in the tournament since he won it.

Skandalo, 26, has never been in this tournament. He’d been wrestled on spots shows for CMLL before going back to 2005, and was working indy shows back in 2004 (or at least someone with that name was.) He’s a member of the Guerrero Tuareg, which has gotten new gear but little else since forming. Skandalo seems to have taken Apocalipis’ spot from the Guerrero Pandilla lineup. More importantly, he’s the son of Juan Manual Mar, the CMLL director of programming.

– Hector Garza & Astro Boy

Hector Garza is the first known novato winner. He’s one of a few who could join Mistico as the only to win as a novato and a veteran. Hector and Negro Casas won the tournament in 1994, beating Satanico and Arkangel in the final. Garza teamed with Niebla in November ’96, but lost in the final. 2 years ago, Hector teamed with Hombre Sin Nombre (Ephesto), winning his first round match but opting to turn on his partner in the second round to help their opponents (Perro Jr. and Misterioso II) advance.

Despite being young and low on the card for the last few years, Astro Boy has never been in this tournament. No previous Astro Boy is recorded as competing under that name, but his (unacknowledged) brother Mistico is a former two time winner.

– Shocker & Angel Azteca Jr.

Shocker is another former novato winner, taking the crown back in 1995 while teaming with Silver King. (The previous year, he and El Dandy lost in the second round.) Since then, he’s competed a few times as a veteran but hasn’t quite won it. Shocker teamed with Astro Rey Jr. (not yet Mephisto) in 1999 and Alan Stone in 2004, busting out in the second round both times. Shocker was listed as participating last year as Valiente’s partner, but was replaced by Dos Caras Jr.

Angel Azteca is 28. Angel Azteca Sr. is not known to have participated. Junior first appeared under that name in 2006, and didn’t start regularly working with CMLL until the death of his father. Azteca Jr. debuted in the same with with Angel Aztea II (who hasn’t been seen much since), teaming with Angel Azteca Sr. That’s usually a sign the original (Sr.) is selling rights to use the names as quick as possible. CMLL’s treated Azteca Jr. like he’s Senior’s actual son and there’s nothing else to cast doubt on the relationship.

– Blue Panther & Axxel

Blue Panther is a former veteran winner, winning the April 1999 tournament with Ultimo Guerrero. If he wins again this year, he ties Emilio Charles Jr. as the only 2 time winners as veterans. Panther advanced to the second round in 2001 with Virus, but has not participated since.

Axxel is 37, way too old to be in this, but that’s now they’re positioning him. This is his first appearance as well. Hijo del Santo is a former winner (with Mistico in 2004.)

– Dos Caras Jr. & Metalik

Dos Caras Jr. never appeared in this tournament as a novato, but has wrestled the last two as a veteran. He and Volador lost in the first round in ’06, and Dos and Valiente made it no farther than the second round in 2007.

Metalik is also making his tournament debut. He wrestled under that name in Guadaljara going back to March of 2007, and that may have been when he started wrestling. He briefly used the Plata II name in the same area. Metalik is a hard guy to bet to win this, because that’d require confidence he could get thru all three matches without hurting himself.

– Ultimo Guerrero & Diamante Negro

As mentioned previously, Ultimo Guerrero is a former winner, taking the April 1999 tournament with Blue Panther. If not for that win, Ultimo Guerrero would be the Buffalo Bills of this tournament. He’s lost in the finals three times: with Dr. X in 2004 (crushed by the silver wave of Santo & Mistico), with Nitro in 2006 (mauled by Perro & Misterioso) and with Euforia in 2007 (overshadowed by Mistico & Sombra.) He’s also lost in the second round with Sangre Azteca in 2005. UG has a good shot of at least a third straight finals loss here.

Diamante Negro, 25, is the most successful rudo of the bunch here. He’s already finished as a runner up in the Gen75 cibernetico, had the (unresolved) feud with Fabian el Gitano, and won his division of the bodybuilding contest last year.

Update: It appears Diamante Negro will now be wrestling as Dragon Rojo Jr. This is keeping in recent practice of CMLL changing the names of young wrestlers (to something CMLL can claim ownership of?) The story is Diamante is the grandson of Dragon Rojo, who wrestled on the 45th Anniversary show. (That’d be 1978, which happens to the best the most recent Anniversary show with no details on the luchawiki.)

Ranking the teams by their chances:
– Ultimo Guerrero & Diamante Negro/Dragon Rojo (Jr.)
– Blue Panther & Axxel
– Hector Garza & Astro Boy
– Dos Caras Jr. & Metalik
– Shocker & Angel Azteca Jr.
– Atlantis & Skandalo
– Mr. Niebla & Bronco
– Villano V & Puma King