CMLL Announces Tournament To Crown New CMLL Universal Champion

Long before the WWE Universal Championship graced everyone with its presence, another red strapped Universal Title existed in the form of the CMLL Universal Championship. Unlike its WWE imitation, the CMLL Universal Title, created in 2009, is not a regularly defended championship, but a title contested for once a year, fought for by all the current CMLL, Mexican National, and Historical Champions on the CMLL roster.

And this year will be no different, albeit with a twist. On Twitter Wednesday evening, CMLL announced the brand new format for the CMLL Universal Championship tournament. This year's tourney will consist of three eliminator brackets, starting with the Historical Champions on April 7, the Mexican National Champions on April 14, and the CMLL Champions on April 21. The winners of each respective bracket will then face off each other in a three-way final on April 28, to crown the next Universal Champion.

This is the second straight year changes have been made to the Universal Championship tournament, which has generally been comprised of 16 luchadores in two separate brackets, with the winners of each bracket facing off in the finals. Last year's tournament however featured 18 luchadores, and this year will feature 22, thanks to the further expansions in the format. The champions featured will be from the respective singles, tag team, and trios divisions. Right now, Mistico, aka the original Sin Cara, is the only luchador in the field eligible to win the Universal Title a second time, having won the tournament last year.

As it stands, the Historical bracket will consist of only three luchadores, while the National and CMLL brackets would feature nine and 10 respectively. The current Historical champions are Atlantis Jr., Mistico, and Rocky Romero, the current National Champions are Sagrado, Angel de Oro, Dragon Rojo Jr., Magia Blanca, Panterita del Ring Jr., Esfinge, Fugaz, Dulce Gardenia, Rey Cometa, and Espiritu Negro Jr., in the National bracket, and the current CMLL Champions are Gran Guerrero, Barbaro Cavernario, Templario, Titan, Stigma, Oro again, Niebla Roja, Euforia, Mephisto, and Hechicero.

Oro would currently compete in both the National and CMLL brackets, as he holds both the Mexican National Light Heavyweight Title, and is one half of the CMLL World Tag Team Champions. It should be noted, however, that these fields are not set in stone, as with three weeks to go till the tournament begins and CMLL running a regular schedule of shows on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, title changes are still very much in play.

The tournament will not include CMLL or National Championships in the luchadoras division, of which there are three combined titles, nor the CMLL Mini-Estrellas or Micrs divisions, of which there are a combined two. While CMLL has held a Universal Championship tournament, the CMLL Universal de Amazons, for it's women's roster over the last two years, said tournament is separate from the men's one, and usually takes place later in the year.