Youth And The World Championship: How 10 Top Wrestling Companies Book New Stars

2. Consejo Mundial De Lucha Libre

CMLL – the longest-running operating professional wrestling company currently in existence – recognises twelve World Championships, an apparent traditional trope of Mexican professional wrestling.

These Championships stretch across five weight classes, two tag team divisions, a women’s division and two classes of ‘estrella’. For the reader’s clarity and the writer’s sanity, the championships included will be the CMLL World Heavyweight, CMLL World Lightweight, and the two belts of the light heavyweight, middleweight and welterweight divisions.

Across its 3 generational bookers, an affiliation with the NWA, a rebrand, and two promotion secessions, CMLL's championship age has remained remarkably consistent. Founder Salvador Lutteroth Sr. and the company's most recent owner Paco Alonso both held an average of 31 years for a new champion, whilst Lutterroth Jr.'s short run with the company in the 70s and 80s operated at 29, not denting the company's final average of 31.

Undoubtedly down to the incredibly scrupulous booking style of CMLL (which has led to the firing of wrestlers caught brawling around ringside), each weight class seems to have a fairly succinct age range, with lighter talent hitting the mark a lot sooner than their heavier compeers. This includes a 19-year-old Light Heavyweight Champion Dragon Lee in 2015 and an 18-year-old La Sombra NWA World Welterweight Championship victory in 2007.