CMLL Roundup: Former champion returns from AAA, Middleweight title tournament, more!

Let’s catch up on CMLL news from the lucha libre world.

The list of luchadores leaving CMLL this year was littered with big names. Diamante Azul, Mistico (aka Dralistico), and La Nueva Generación Dinamita were major players. All of them landed with AAA. Now, CMLL is bringing back a former champion from the free agent market by announcing Averno has returned.

Averno’s list of championships include the world middleweight, world tag team three times, world trios, Mexican national trios, Mexican national welterweight, NWA middleweight, and NWA historic middleweight belts during his run in CMLL from 1995 to 2014. Averno also collected the tag titles once and trios titles thrice in AAA. He was leading the OGT faction alongside Chessman and Super Fly.

CMLL held a World Middleweight Championship eliminator tournament Friday night (Dec. 3). The belt became vacant after Cuatrero exited the company. The lineup included Star Jr., Soberano Jr., Espiritu Negro, Guerrero Maya Jr., Templario, Dragon Rojo Jr., Virus, and Felino Jr., who was a replacement for Raziel.

Opening round matchups were determined via battle royal. Results were Espiritu Negro pinning Felino Jr. on a Mexican Destroyer, Templario submitting Virus on a cloverleaf variation, Dragon Rojo Jr. pinning Star Jr. on a flying dropkick stomp, and Soberano Jr. submitting Guerrero Maya Jr. on a neck crank variation. In the semifinals, Templario took out Espiritu Negro on a handspring backflip splash from the ramp over the ropes into the ring, and Soberano advanced past Dragon Rojo on a sitdown piledriver.

Enjoy the highlights.

Templario and Soberano will battle for the middleweight belt on December 10.

Also of note, there is a new pair of micro wrestlers in CMLL. Los Gemelos Diablos brought their smaller versions aboard.

Los Micro Gemelos Diablos teamed with Mije in trios action against Chamuel, Micro Angel, & Atomo. The Diablos hit moonsaults off the apron. They closed out the contest with a teamwork press to toss Mije into the air for a splash on the winning pin.

Lucha! Lucha! Lucha!