The Mexican National "Atómicos" Championship was created in 1996 specifically for the AAA promotion to control. The first champions were crowned after an eight-team tournament that saw Pierroth Jr., Villano III, Villano IV, and Villano V become the inaugural champions after defeating Damián 666, El Hijo del Espectro, Halloween, and Karis La Momia. In late 1996 Los Villanos left AAA for "Promo Azteca", which meant the championship was inactive at that point. In 1997 Pierroth Jr. left AAA as well, with no reference made to the "atómicos" championship for about a year. In August AAA held an eight-team tournament that saw "Los Vipers" (Histeria, Maniaco, Mosco de la Merced, and Psicosis) defeat "Los Payasos" ("The Clowns"; Coco Amarillo, Coco Azul, Coco Negro, and Coco Rojo).