CMLL International Gran Prix (1998)
The CMLL International Gran Prix (1998) was a lucha libre, or professional wrestling, tournament produced and scripted by the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL; "World Wrestling Council" in Spanish) which took place on August 14, 1998 in Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico, CMLL's main venue. The 1998 International Gran Prix was the fifth time CMLL has held an International Gran Prix tournament since 1994. All International Gran Prix tournaments have been a one-night tournament, always as part of CMLL's Friday night CMLL Super Viernes shows.
| CMLL International Gran Prix (1998) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Atlantis, defending Mexico's honor | |||
| Promotion | Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre | ||
| Date | August 14, 1998 | ||
| City | Mexico City, Mexico | ||
| Venue | Arena México | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| International Gran Prix chronology | |||
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The fifth International Gran Prix was a one night, 16-man single elimination tournament consisting of Mexican natives and a number of foreign wrestlers, some of which worked for CMLL on a regular basis (such as The Headhunters) and others who were invited specially for the tournament (such as Ricky Santana). The final match saw Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeat Apolo Dantés to win the International Gran Prix, making Rayo de Jalisco Jr. the first person to win the Gran Prix twice; having previously won it in 1994.
Production
Background
In 1994 the Mexican professional wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) organized their first ever International Gran Prix tournament. The first tournament followed the standard "single elimination" format and featured sixteen wrestlers in total, eight representing Mexico and eight "international" wrestlers.[1] In the end Mexican Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated King Haku in the finals to win the tournament.[1] In 1995 CMLL brought the tournament back, creating an annual tournament held every year from 1995 through 1998 and then again in 2002, 2003 and finally from 2005 through 2008.[1]
Storylines
The CMLL Gran Prix show featured four professional wrestling matches where wrestlers were matched up specifically for the tournament instead of as a result of pre-existing scripted feuds. The wrestlers themselves portray either faces (técnicos in Mexico, the "good guy" characters) or heels (referred to as rudos in Mexico, those that portray the "bad guys") as they perform for the fans before, during and after the matches.
Tournament
Tournament overview
| Name | Country | promotion |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantis | Mexico | CMLL |
| El Boriqua | Puerto Rico | CMLL |
| Black Magic | United Kingdom | CMLL |
| Emilio Charles Jr. | Mexico | CMLL |
| Cien Caras | Mexico | CMLL |
| Apolo Dantés | Mexico | CMLL |
| Headhunter A | Puerto Rico | IWA Puerto Rico |
| Headhunter B | Puerto Rico | IWA Puerto Rico |
| Máscara Año 2000 | Mexico | CMLL |
| Miguel Pérez Jr. | Puerto Rico | IWA Puerto Rico |
| Mr. Niebla | Mexico | CMLL |
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | Mexico | CMLL |
| Ricky Santana | Puerto Rico | IWA Puerto Rico |
| Universo 2000 | Mexico | CMLL |
| Vampiro | Mexico | CMLL |
| Kevin Quinn | United States | Independent circuit |
Tournament brackets
| Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||
| Headhunter B | |||||||||||||
| Máscara Año 2000 | W | Máscara Año 2000 | W | ||||||||||
| Miguel Pérez Jr. | W | Miguel Pérez Jr. | |||||||||||
| Atlantis | Máscara Año 2000 | ||||||||||||
| Emilio Charles Jr. | W | Apolo Dantés | W | ||||||||||
| Kevin Quinn | Emilio Charles Jr. | ||||||||||||
| Apolo Dantés | W | Apolo Dantés | W | ||||||||||
| Black Magic | Apolo Dantés | ||||||||||||
| Headhunter A | W | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | ||||||||||
| Universo 2000 | Headhunter A | W | |||||||||||
| Mr. Niebla | El Boriqua | ||||||||||||
| El Boriqua | W | Headhunter A | |||||||||||
| Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | ||||||||||
| Vampiro | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | W | |||||||||||
| Ricky Santana | W | Ricky Santana | |||||||||||
| Cien Caras | |||||||||||||
Tournament show
| No. | Results[2] | Stipulations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Oriental and Sendero defeated Virus and Zumbido | Best two-out-of-three falls tag team match |
| 2 | El Pantera, Mr. Águila, and Tarzan Boy defeated Karloff Lagarde Jr., Rey Bucanero, and Último Guerrero | Best two-out-of-three falls six-man tag team match |
| 3 | Máscara Año 2000 defeated Headhunter B | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 4 | Miguel Pérez Jr. defeated Atlantis | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 5 | Apolo Dantés defeated Black Magic | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 6 | Emilio Charles Jr. defeated Kevin Quinn | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 7 | Ricky Santana defeated Cien Caras by disqualification | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 8 | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Vampiro Canadiense by disqualification | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 9 | Fidel Sierra | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 10 | Headhunter A defeated Universo 2000 | 1998 International Gran Prix first round match |
| 11 | Máscara Año 2000 defeated Miguel Perez Jr. | 1998 International Gran Prix quarter final match |
| 12 | Apolo Dantés defeated Emilio Charles Jr. | 1998 International Gran Prix quarter final match |
| 13 | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Ricky Santana | 1998 International Gran Prix quarter final match |
| 14 | Headhunter A defeated El Boricua | 1998 International Gran Prix quarter final match |
| 15 | Apolo Dantés defeated Máscara Año 2000 | 1998 International Gran Prix semi-final match |
| 16 | Rayo de Jalisco Jr. defeated Headhunter A | 1998 International Gran Prix semi-final match |
| 17 | Apolo Dantés defeated Rayo de Jalisco Jr. | 1998 International Gran Prix final match |
References
- "CMLL Gran Prix Tournament". ProWrestlingHistory.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- "Gran Prix Tournament 1998". ProWrestlingHistory.com. August 14, 1998. Retrieved August 30, 2009.