In professional wrestling, championships are competed for in pre-determined matches that arise as a result of storylines featuring a professional wrestling promotion's roster of wrestlers. As of 2024, the Mexican Lucha libre or professional wrestling promotion known as Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (Spanish for "World Wrestling Council"; CMLL) promotes 32 different championships; 13 championships designated as World Championships in various divisions, 9 championships on a national level and 10 championships on a regional level.[a] The championships are divided into weight limits as well as gender specific and size-specific divisions.[a] The professional wrestling championships are not won through legitimate athletic competition; they are instead won via scripted endings to a match or on occasion awarded to a wrestler because of a storyline.[1]
A total of 34 wrestlers hold the 30 officially CMLL promoted championships.[a] There are thirteen male singles championships spread out over various weight classes, four championships for tag teams, three for Trios (three-man teams), three for female competitors and three for Mini-Estrella and Micro-Estrella competitors.[a] The oldest CMLL championship is the Mexican National Welterweight Championship, created on June 17, 1934, which is also the oldest championship in professional wrestling still active.[b]
The titles branded as "World" level can or have been defended outside of Mexico, whereas the Mexican National championships are normally only defended in Mexico and only Mexican citizens are eligible to hold the championships, although occasional exceptions have been made.[c] The regional championships are typically not promoted outside the area to which they belong, such as a specific Mexican state. The CMLL Arena Coliseo Tag Team Championship was normally defended only in Arena Coliseo until 2016 when it was defended in Japan.[6] In the 20th century CMLL strictly enforced the weight divisions, but since around 2000 the rules have occasionally been ignored. One example of this was Mephisto holding the NWA World Welterweight Championship, a belt with a 78 kg (172 lb) upper limit, despite weighing 90 kg (200 lb).[7][8][9] The Mexico City Boxing and Pro Wrestling Commission governs the Mexican National Championships but have granted CMLL control of the five championships listed.[d] The Occidente ("Western") championships are endorsed by the Jalisco state boxing and wrestling commission and promoted by CMLL's Guadalajara branch.[11]
^Italian born Jack O'Brien was the first to hold the Mexican National Lightweight Championship and was allowed to defend it. Later on Mishima Ota won the same championship but had it taken from him for not being Mexican born.[5]
^In this statement, "control" refers to the everyday use of the title, determining which storylines the title is being used in, who gets to challenge for the title and how to use it in a public relations sense.[10]
^Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^"Los Reyes de Mexico: La Historia de Los Campeonatos Nacionales". Lucha 2000 (in Spanish). December 20, 2004. Especial 21.
^Gary Will and Royal Duncan (2006). "(United States: 19th Century & widely defended titles – NWA, WWF, AWA, IW, ECW, NWA) National Wrestling Alliance World Heavyweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: National Lightweight Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Pennsylvania: Archeus Communications. p. 393. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
^Royal Duncan and Gary Will (2000). "Mexico: Mexican National Midget (Miniestrella) Title". Wrestling Title Histories. Archeus Communications. p. 401. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
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