Background , CMLL's main venue and location of the Anniversary Show The Mexican
Lucha libre (professional wrestling)
company Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) started out under the name
Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre ("Mexican Wrestling Company"; EMLL), founded by
Salvador Lutteroth in 1933. Lutteroth, inspired by professional wrestling shows he had attended in Texas, decided to become a wrestling promoter and held his first show on September 21, 1933, marking what would be the beginning of organized professional wrestling in Mexico. Lutteroth would later become known as "the father of Lucha Libre" . A year later EMLL held the
EMLL 1st Anniversary Show, starting the annual tradition of the
Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre Anniversary Shows that have been held each year ever since, most commonly in September. Over the years the anniversary show would become the biggest show of the year for CMLL, akin to the
Super Bowl for the
National Football League (NFL) or
WWE's
WrestleMania event. The first anniversary show was held in
Arena Modelo, which Lutteroth had bought after starting EMLL. In 1942–43 Lutteroth financed the construction of
Arena Coliseo, which opened in April 1943. The
EMLL 10th Anniversary Show was the first of the anniversary shows to be held in Arena Coliseo. When
Jim Crockett Promotions was bought by
Ted Turner in 1988 EMLL became the oldest still active promotion in the world.
Storylines The event featured six
professional wrestling matches with different wrestlers involved in pre-existing
scripted feuds,
plots and
storylines. Wrestlers were portrayed as either
heels (referred to as
rudos in Mexico, those that portray the "bad guys") or
faces (
técnicos in Mexico, the "good guy" characters) as they followed a series of tension-building events, which culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. The following month on December 25, Rush and El Terrible were the two final survivors in a
torneo cibernetico match used to determine who would fight for the vacant
CMLL World Heavyweight Championship the following week. On January 1, 2012, El Terrible defeated Rush two falls to one to win the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship. In February, Rush was teamed with El Terrible in the 2012
Torneo Nacional de Parejas Increibles ("National Incredible Pairs Tournament"), a tag team tournament where all teams were made up of rivals. Rush and El Terrible eventually made it to the finals of the tournament on March 2, 2012 at
Homenaje a Dos Leyendas, where they were defeated by the team of
Atlantis and
Mr. Niebla. Two days later, Rush successfully defended the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship against El Terrible. Over the summer of 2012 the feud between the two escalated until a
Lucha de Apuestas, or bet match, between the two was agreed to. In the weeks before the 79th Anniversary Show held their annual
2012 Universal Championship tournament. Since both Rush and El Terrible held CMLL championships they entered the tournament and ended up facing off in the semi-finals of the tournament. El Terrible won the match over Rush, after which El Terrible and his stablemate
Rey Bucanero attacked Rush. On September 9, only five days before the anniversary show, Rush defeated Rey Bucanero in a
steel cage match to retain the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship. ==Aftermath==