Date September 17,1982 Venue Arena México | Attendance 16,000 City Mexico City, Mexico | |
Promotion Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre EMLL 49th Anniversary Show 27. Aniversario de Arena México | ||
The EMLL 49th Anniversary Show was a professional wrestling major show event produced by Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (EMLL) that took place on September 17, 1982 in Arena México, Mexico City, Mexico. The event commemorated the 49th anniversary of EMLL, which would become the oldest professional wrestling promotion in the world. The Anniversary show is EMLL's biggest show of the year, their Super Bowl event.
Contents
Background
The 1982 Anniversary show commemorated the 49th anniversary of the Mexican professional wrestling company Empresa Mexicana de Lucha Libre (Spanish for "Mexican Wrestling Promotion"; EMLL) holding their first show on September 22, 1933 by promoter and founder Salvador Lutteroth. EMLL was rebranded early in 1992 to become Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre ("World Wrestling Council"; CMLL) signal their departure from the National Wrestling Alliance. With the sales of the Jim Crockett Promotions to Ted Turner in 1988 EMLL became the oldest, still-operating wrestling promotion in the world. Over the years EMLL/CMLL has on occasion held multiple shows to celebrate their anniversary but since 1977 the company has only held one annual show, which is considered the biggest show of the year, CMLL's equivalent of WWE's WrestleMania or their Super Bowl event. CMLL has held their Anniversary show at Arena México in Mexico City, Mexico since 1956, the year the building was completed, over time Arena México earned the nickname "The Cathedral of Lucha Libre" due to it hosting most of EMLL/CMLL's major events since the building was completed. Traditionally EMLL/CMLL holds their major events on Friday Nights, replacing their regularly scheduled Super Viernes show.
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 main event of the show was supposed to see Ric Flair defend the NWA World Heavyweight Championship against Halcón Ortiz, but Flair was unable to work the previous week's CMLL Super Viernes show as well as the Anniversary show due to issues with the visa he needed to allow him to be more than just a tourist.
Event
With Ric Flair being unable to compete EMLL booked Halcón Ortiz to defend his Mexican National Heavyweight Championship against rival Dr. Wagner instead. Ortiz was successful in turning back the challenge of El Galeno del Mal ("The Bad Doctor") in a best two-out-of three falls match. The main event of the show saw both Perro Aguayo and Tony Salazar put their hair on the line in a Lucha de Apuesta, the most prestigious match type in Mexican Wrestling. Aguayo defeated Salazar two falls to one, which meant that Salazar was shaved completely bald after the match.
Aftermath
Halcón Ortiz would hold the Mexican National Heavyweight Championship until August, 1983 when he lost it to Pirata Morgan. Ortiz never got a match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.