# IWRG Rey del Ring

The IWRG Rey del Ring (Spanish for "King of the Ring") refers both to an annual tournament and a professional wrestling championship promoted by the Mexican Lucha libre professional wrestling promotion International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG). From 2002 until 2011 the IWRG Rey del Ring only referred to an annual 30-man tournament, but as of the 2011 tournament there is also a physical championship belt that is and can be defended throughout the year.
As it is a professional wrestling championship, the championship was not won not by actual competition, but by a scripted ending to a match determined by the bookers and match makers. On occasion the promotion declares a championship vacant, which means there is no champion at that point in time. This can either be due to a storyline, or real life issues such as a champion suffering an injury being unable to defend the championship, or leaving the company.

## Rey del Ring tournament

Originally the Rey del Ring tournament was a 30-man elimination match, starting with four wrestlers in the ring, then when a wrestler was eliminated through pinfall, submission, count out or disqualification another participant was added until 29 men had been eliminated. In 2008 IWRG changed the format to be more like World Wrestling Entertainment's Royal Rumble match; two men start in the ring and a new wrestler joins the match at a specific time interval. Unlike the Royal Rumble throwing a wrestler out of the ring did not result in elimination. The first tournament, the 2002 Rey del Ring was held on June 6, 2002, in IWRG's primary arena, Arena Naucalpan in Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico. The tournament was won by Último Vampiro when he eliminated Bombero Infernal as the last participant. In 2004 the winner of that year's Rey del Ring tournament was also awarded the vacant IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship; the match saw Fantasy eliminate Avisman as the last participant to win the tournament and the championship. Cerebro Negro won both the 2005 and 2006 tournaments, making him the only person to win the tournament twice. In 2007 the Rey del Ring was won by Yamato, the first non-Mexican to win the tournament. Yamato worked for IWRG through a deal struck with Japanese wrestling promotion All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) that allowed AJPW to send young wrestlers to Mexico to gain in-ring experience. The 2008 Rey del Ring was won by Scorpio, Jr. while the 2009 Rey del Ring tournament was won by Puerto Rican Ricky Cruzz. The two Rey del Ring winners would later team up to win the IWRG Intercontinental Tag Team Championship from Los Junior Dinamitas (El Hijo de Cien Caras and Máscara Año 2000, Jr.). IWRG did not hold a Rey del Ring tournament in 2010 and never gave an official explanation as to why not. In 2011 IWRG introduced the Rey del Ring Championship to be awarded to the winner of the 2011 Rey del Ring tournament winner El Pantera. Pantera would vacate the Championship on the date of the 2012 Rey del Ring tournament, allowing tournament winner Oficial Factor to become the new champion as well. After Oficial 911 won the 2013 Rey del Ring tournament Oficial Factor handed over the championship belt to 911.

## Rey del Ring Championship

El Pantera became the first ever Rey del Ring Champion as a result of winning the 2011 Rey del Ring tournament on June 16, 2011 when he eliminated Último Gladiador as the last tournament participant. He was awarded with an actual championship belt, to be work for IWRG matches and defended when appropriate between tournaments. Pantera made the first ever championship defense on July 10, 2011 when he successfully defeated Último Gladiador to retain the championship. The championship was vacated for the 2012 Rey del Ring tournament so that the winner of the tournament could become the new Rey del Ring Champion at the same time. Oficial Factor won the tournament, lastly eliminating Hijo del Pirata Morgan to win the Championship. on August 12, 2012 Hijo del Pirata Morgan became the first person to win the Rey del Ring Championship outside of the tournament when he defeated Oficial Factor. He held the championship for a total of 42 days, until September 23, 2012 when Oficial Factor regained the championship. Factor won the title in a Relevos Suicidas match that also included Trauma I and Mascara Ano 2000 Jr., and as a result of his victory Factor also won the IWRG Junior de Juniors Championship from Hijo del Pirata Morgan.

## Rey del Ring Tournament winners

| Year | Winner | Date | Location | Notes |
| 2002 | Último Vampiro | June 9, 2002 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2003 | Unknown | 2003 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2004 | Fantasy | March 18, 2004 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | Won the vacant IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship as a result. |
| 2005 | Cerebro Negro | November 17, 2005 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2006 | Cerebro Negro | 2006 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | Only two-time winner. |
| 2007 | Yamato | July 26, 2007 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2008 | Scorpio, Jr. | July 24, 2008 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2009 | Ricky Cruzz | July 16, 2009 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2010 | N/A | N/A | N/A | No Rey del Ring tournament was held in 2010 |
| 2011 | El Pantera | June 16, 2011 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2012 | Oficial Factor | May 31, 2012 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2013 | Oficial 911 | May 19, 2013 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2014 | Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 | May 4, 2014 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2015 | Ricky Cruz | April 5, 2015 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2016 | Máscara Año 2000 Jr. | December 11, 2016 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2017 | Imposible | May 14, 2017 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2018 | Emperador Azteca | May 20, 2018 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2019 | Demonio Infernal | May 19, 2019 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2020 | Demonio Infernal | June 14, 2020 August 23, 2020 August 30, 2020 September 6, 2020 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2021 | Hijo de Canis Lupus | May 9, 2021 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2022 | El Hijo de Pirata Morgan | May 15, 2022 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2023 | El Hijo de Pirata Morgan | May 7, 2023 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |
| 2024 | Vangellys | May 5, 2024 May 12, 2024 | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | |

## Rey del Ring Championship history

Key :
| No. | Overall reign number |
| Reign | Reign number for the specific champion |
| Days | Number of days held |
| N/A | Unknown information |
| (NLT) | Championship change took place "no later than" the date listed |
| † | Championship change is unrecognized by the promotion |
| + | Current reign is changing daily |
| No. | Champion | Championship change | Championship change | Championship change | Reign statistics | Reign statistics | Notes | Ref. |
| No. | Champion | Date | Event | Location | Reign | Days | Notes | Ref. |
| 1 | El Pantera | June 16, 2011 | Rey del Ring (2011) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 350 | Awarded a championship belt after winning the 2011 Rey del Ring tournament. | |
| — | Vacated | May 31, 2012 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2012 tournament. | |
| 2 | Oficial Factor | May 31, 2012 | Rey del Ring (2012) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 91 | Won the 2012 Rey del Ring tournament. | |
| 3 | Hijo de Pirata Morgan | August 12, 2012 | Caravan de Campeones (2012) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 42 | | |
| 4 | Oficial Factor | September 23, 2012 | IWRG show | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 2 | 238 | | |
| 5 | Oficial 911 | May 19, 2013 | Rey del Ring (2013) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 350 | | |
| 6 | Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 | May 4, 2014 | Rey del Ring (2014) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 154 | | |
| 7 | El Hijo de Dos Caras | October 5, 2014 | IWRG show | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 98 | | |
| 8 | Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 | January 11, 2015 | IWRG show | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 2 | 84 | | |
| — | Vacated | April 5, 2015 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2015 tournament. | |
| 9 | Ricky Cruz | April 5, 2015 | Rey del Ring (2015) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 2 | 616 | | |
| — | Vacated | December 11, 2016 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2016 tournament. | |
| 10 | Máscara Año 2000 Jr. | December 11, 2016 | Rey del Ring (2016) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 154 | | |
| — | Vacated | May 14, 2017 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2017 tournament. | |
| 11 | Imposible | May 14, 2017 | Rey del Ring (2017) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 371 | Won the 2017 Rey del Ring tournament | |
| — | Vacated | May 30, 2018 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2018 tournament. | |
| 12 | Emperador Azteca | May 20, 2018 | Rey del Ring (2018) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 364 | Won the 2018 Rey del Ring tournament | |
| — | Vacated | May 19, 2019 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2019 tournament. | |
| 13 | Demonio Infernal | May 19, 2019 | Rey del Ring (2019) | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 672 | This was a 30-man battle royal where Demonio Infernal won by lastly eliminating Huracan Ramirez Jr. | |
| 14 | Eterno | March 21, 2021 | Guerreros de Acero | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 49 | This was a Lucha de Apuestas Hair and Mask vs Titles tag team match between Eterno (hair) and El Hijo del Espectro Jr. (mask) against Fresero Jr. (Intercontinental Heavyweight) and Demonio Infernal (Rey del Ring). Eterno pinned Demonio Infernal to win the title. | |
| — | Vacated | May 9, 2021 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2021 tournament. | |
| 15 | Hijo de Canis Lupus | May 9, 2021 | Rey del Ring | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 371 | Defeated DMT Azul by DQ to win the vacant title. DMT Azul performed a piledriver (which is a banned move in Mexico), being DQ'd, so Hijo de Canis Lupus won the title. | |
| — | Vacated | May 15, 2022 | — | — | — | — | Vacated for the 2022 tournament. | |
| 16 | Hijo del Pirata Morgan | May 15, 2022 | Rey del Ring | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 2 | 364 | This was a 30-man battle royal where Hijo del Pirata Morgan won by lastly eliminating Flamita. | |
| 17 | Hijo de Canis Lupus (II) | May 14, 2023 | IWRG show | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 126 | Not to be confused with the original Hijo de Canis Lupus, which currently goes by the name, Alpha Wolf. | |
| 18 | Vito Fratelli | September 17, 2023 | Lucha Libre Luchadores Al Grito De Guerra | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 238 | | |
| 19 | Vangellys | May 12, 2024 | IWRG show | Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico | 1 | 224+ | | |

## Combined reigns

As of December 22, 2024.
| † | Indicates the current champion |
| Rank | Wrestler | No. of reigns | Combined days |
| 1 | Demonio Infernal | 1 | 672 |
| 2 | Ricky Cruz | 1 | 616 |
| 3 | El Hijo de Canis Lupus | 1 | 371 |
| 3 | Imposible | 1 | 371 |
| 5 | Emperador Azteca | 1 | 364 |
| 5 | El Hijo de Pirata Morgan | 2 | 364 |
| 7 | El Pantera | 1 | 350 |
| 7 | Oficial 911 | 1 | 350 |
| 9 | Oficial Factor | 2 | 329 |
| 10 | Hijo de Máscara Año 2000 | 2 | 258 |
| 11 | Vito Fratelli | 1 | 238 |
| 12 | Máscara Año 2000 Jr. | 1 | 154 |
| 13 | Hijo de Canis Lupus (II) | 1 | 126 |
| 14 | El Hijo de Dos Caras | 1 | 98 |
| 15 | Eterno | 1 | 49 |
| 16 | Vangellys † | 1 | 224+ |

## Rey del Ring (2002)

The very first 'Rey del Ring tournament was held on April 21, 2002, produced and scripted by IWRG and held in Arena Naucalpan. While most of the match results are known, sources are unclear on who competed in the Rey del Ring Torneo Cibernetico match, only recording that Bombero Infernal won the match.
| No. | Results | Stipulations |
| 1 | Avisman defeated Maligno | Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match |
| 2 | Black Jaguar defeated Zonik 2000 | Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match |
| 3 | Cirujano and Paramedico defeated Los Megas (Mega and Ultra Mega) | Best Two Out Of Three Falls Tag Team Match |
| 4 | Los Payasos Tricolor (Coco Blanco, Coco Rojo and Coco Verde) defeated Comando Delta, Engendro and Toro Irisson | Best Two Out Of Three Falls Six Man Tag Team Match |
| 5 | Bombero Infernal won | Rey del Ring Torneo Cibernetico elimination match |

## Rey del Ring (2004)

The 2004 Rey del Ring show was a Mexican lucha libre, or professional wrestling supercard show held March 18, 2004. The show was produced and scripted by International Wrestling Revolution Group (IWRG) and was held in Arena Naucalpan, IWRG's main venue, located Naucalpan, State of Mexico, Mexico. The show marked the second time IWRG hed a ""Rey del Ring" ("King of the Ring") and it would later grow into an annual tradition. Due to minimal record keeping for professional wrestling the full show results are not known. It is only known that Fantasy won the "Rey del Ring" tournament, and as a result won the vacant IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship as a result.

### Results

| No. | Results | Stipulations |
| 1 | Fantasy won the tournament, opponents undocumented | Rey del Ring elimination match for the IWRG Intercontinental Middleweight Championship |

## Footnotes

* ↑ Hornbaker (2016) p. 550: "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 now much, or how little they were pushed by promoters"
* ↑ Duncan & Will (2000) p. 271, Chapter: Texas: NWA American Tag Team Title [World Class, Adkisson] "Championship held up and rematch ordered because of the interference of manager Gary Hart"
* ↑ Duncan & Will (2000) p. 20, Chapter: (United States: 19th Century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IW, ECW, NWA) NWA/WCW TV Title "Rhodes stripped on 85/10/19 for not defending the belt after having his leg broken by Ric Flair and Ole & Arn Anderson"
* ↑ Duncan & Will (2000) p. 201, Chapter: (Memphis, Nashville) Memphis: USWA Tag Team Title "Vacant on 93/01/18 when Spike leaves the USWA."
* ↑ Reference to the 2003 tournament has been found but no winner was identified.