# Torneo Gran Alternativa (2019)

The Torneo Gran Alternativa 2019 was professional wrestling tournament produced by the Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLLl; Spanish "World Wrestling Council") that ran from October 4, 2019, over the course of three of CMLL's Friday night shows in Arena México, and end of October 18. The Torneo Gran Alternativa (Great alternative tournament) concept sees a Novato or rookie team up with an experienced wrestler for a tag 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 2019 tournament was the 24th Gran Alternativa tournament that CMLL has held since its inception in 1994. Block A saw rookie Fugaz and veteran Místico qualify for the finals. Rookie Star Jr. and veteran Valiente won block B to set up the finals for October 18, which were won by Star Jr. and Valiente

## History

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. 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 2019 Gran Alternativa tournament was the 21st overall Gran Alternativa tournament. All tournaments have been held in Arena México, CMLL's main venue and has taken place on Friday nights, with the 2016 tournament being the only time the Gran Alternativa was held on Tuesday nights. The 2019 Gran Alternativa tournament was the 24th tournament held by CMLL in the 25 years since the first installment.

## Tournament background

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

### Gran Alternativa participants

| Block | Rookie | Veteran |
| Block A | Arkalis | Stuka Jr. |
| Block A | El Coyote | El Terrible |
| Block A | Difunto | Último Guerrero |
| Block A | Dulce Gardenia | Volador Jr. |
| Block A | Espíritu Negro | Mr. Niebla |
| Block A | Fugaz | Místico |
| Block A | Grako | Mephisto |
| Block A | Retro | Diamante Azul |
| Block B | Akuma | Euforia |
| Block B | Espanto Jr. | Bárbaro Cavernario |
| Block B | Furia Roja | Gran Guerrero |
| Block B | Magia Blanca | Niebla Roja |
| Block B | Sonic | Ángel de Oro |
| Block B | Súper Astro Jr. | Titán |
| Block B | Star Jr. | Valiente |
| Block B | Yago | Negro Casas |
Of all Group A participants, only El Coyote and Espíritu Negro had participated in previous Gran Alternativa tournaments, in 2018 and 2014 respectively. The remaining six rookies made their tournament debut in 2019. Four of the eight veterans in Group A had previously won one or more Gran Alternativa tournaments. Último Guerrero has won three (1999, 2008 and 2011), the first as a rookie and the remaining as a veteran. Volador Jr. has won the second most tournaments, winning both the 2018 and the 2016 tournaments. El Terrible won the 2012 tournament and Mr. Niebla won the 2014 tournaments, While Diamante Azul, Mephisto, Místico, and Stuka Jr. have all participated before but never won the tournament.

## Tournament
### Tournament brackets

| Round of 16 | Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Finals | Finals |
| El Coyote and El Terrible | W | | | | | | |
| Grako and Mephisto | | El Coyote and El Terrible | | | | | |
| Dulce Gardenia and Volador Jr. | W | Dulce Gardenia and Volador Jr. | W | | | | |
| Espíritu Negro and Mr. Niebla | | | | Dulce Gardenia and Volador Jr. | | | |
| Fugaz and Místico | W | | | Fugaz and Místico | W | | |
| Arkalis and Stuka Jr. | | Fugaz and Místico | W | | | | |
| Difunto and Último Guerrero | W | Difunto and Último Guerrero | | | | | |
| Retro and Diamante Azul | | | | | | Fugaz and Místico | |
| Bárbaro Cavernario & Espanto Jr. | W | | | | | Star Jr. and Valiente | W |
| Sonic and Ángel de Oro | | Espanto Jr. and Bárbaro Cavernario | W | | | | |
| Súper Astro Jr. and Titán | W | Súper Astro Jr. and Titán | | | | | |
| Yago and Negro Casas | | | | Espanto Jr. and Bárbaro Cavernario | | | |
| Furia Roja and Gran Guerrero | W | | | Star Jr. and Valiente | W | | |
| Magia Blanca and Niebla Roja | | Furia Roja and Gran Guerrero | | | | | |
| Star Jr. and Valiente | W | Star Jr. and Valiente | W | | | | |
| Akuma and Euforia | | | | | | | |

### Tournament shows
#### October 4 Super Viernes

| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
| 1 | La Seductora and Reyna Isis defeated La Magnifica and Silueta | Best two-out-of-three falls tag team match | 16:47 |
| 2 | Esfinge, Guerrero Maya Jr., and Rey Cometa defeated Dark Magic, Okumura, and Vangellys | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 15:37 |
| 3 | Templario defeated Soberano Jr. | Singles match | 14:02 |
| 4 | Bárbaro Cavernario, El Cuatrero, and El Hijo del Villano III defeated Flyer, Titán, and Valiente | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 13:02 |
| 5 | Retro and Difunto defeated Arkalis, El Coyote, Dulce Gardenia, Espíritu Negro, Grako, Retro, and Fugaz | Gran Alternativa 2019 seeding battle royal | 03:57 |
| 6 | El Coyote and El Terrible defeated Grako and Mephisto | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 06:18 |
| 7 | Dulce Gardenia and Volador Jr. defeated Espíritu Negro and Mr. Niebla | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 06:41 |
| 8 | Fugaz and Místico defeated Arkalis and Stuka Jr. | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 03:56 |
| 9 | Difunto and Último Guerrero defeated Retro and Diamante Azul | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 02:11 |
| 10 | Dulce Gardenia and Volador Jr. defeated El Coyote and El Terrible | Gran Alternativa 2019 Quarter final tag team match | 04:22 |
| 11 | Fugaz and Místico defeated Difunto and Último Guerrero | Gran Alternativa 2019 Quarter final tag team match | 02:05 |
| 12 | Fugaz and Místico defeated Dulce Gardenia and Volador Jr. | Gran Alternativa 2019 Semi-final tag team match | 07:03 |
| 13 | Los Guerreros del Infierno (Euforia and Gran Guerrero) (c) defeated Los Hermanos Chávez (Ángel de Oro and Niebla Roja) | Best two-out-of-three falls tag team match for the CMLL World Tag Team Championship | 12:14 |
| (c) – the champion(s) heading into the match ||||

#### October 11 Super Viernes

| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
| 1 | Espíritu Negro and Grako defeated Eléctrico and Príncipe Diamante | Best two-out-of-three falls tag team match | 04:49 |
| 2 | Átomo, El Gallito, and Microman defeated Chamuel, El Guapito, and Perico Zacarías by disqualification | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 13:19 |
| 3 | El Felino defeated Rey Cometa | Lighting match (Singles match, 10 minute time limit) | 07:30 |
| 4 | Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., and Audaz defeated Hechicero, El Hijo del Villano III, and Mr. Niebla | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 10:07 |
| 5 | Akuma and Star Jr. defeated Espanto Jr., Furia Roja, Magia Blanca, Sonic., Súper Astro Jr. and Yago | Gran Alternativa 2019 seeding battle royal | 01:50 |
| 6 | Espanto Jr. and Bárbaro Cavernario defeated Sonic and Ángel de Oro | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 06:09 |
| 7 | Súper Astro Jr. and Titán defeated Yago and Negro Casas | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 06:13 |
| 8 | Furia Roja and Gran Guerrero defeated Magia Blanca and Niebla Roja | Gran Alternativa 2019 first round tag team match | 05:25 |

#### October 18 Super Viernes

| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times |
| 1 | Pequeño Nitro and Pierrothito defeated Angelito and Fantasy | Best two-out-of-three falls tag team match | 14:13 |
| 2 | Black Panther and Blue Panther Jr.) and Pegasso defeated Misterioso Jr., Okumura, and Sagrado | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 10:11 |
| 3 | Rey Cometa defeated Stigma | Lighting match (Singles match, 10 minute time limit) | 05:59 |
| 4 | Nueva Generacion Dinamitas (El Cuatrero, Forastero, and Sansón) defeated Atlantis Jr., Audaz, and Soberano Jr. | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 22:27 |
| 5 | Ángel de Oro, Carístico, and Diamante Azul defeated Los Guerreros Laguneros (Euforia, Gran Guerrero, and Último Guerrero) | Six-man "Lucha Libre rules" tag team match | 10:42 |
| 6 | Star Jr. and Valiente defeated Fugaz and Místico | 2019 Gran Alternativa tournament final | 17:42 |