WWE purchases AAA

[The Thread Killer]

One thing that seems especially odd to me, is the fact that AAA/WWE was promoting the Triplemania Regia show during the Worlds Collide broadcast, and they also apparently promoted it on NXT last night, but as of now, there is no way to legally see the show in North America. Not on PPV, or YouTube or even Triller.  Why promote a show people can’t see?

[El-P]

Why promote a show headlined by a brutal rapist is the actual question.

(as far as no way to watch it legally in the US, it's irrelevant because no one would anyway. It's not a WWEAAA show like Worlds Collide was. The fact there's zero actual WWE workers on it is telling. I'm guessing they were promoting it just for facade, as the deal is not inked yet)

[The Thread Killer]

So, I don’t know if anybody has actually been watching, but much to my surprise, the weekly AAA show has become a must watch. Partially I think it’s because it’s only an hour so even if it’s not great it’s not a chore to sit through.

But in the larger picture, I’ll be damned if they somehow haven’t managed to turn the Americano vs Americano feud into one of the hottest angles I’ve seen in quite some time. Even Jim Cornette of all people had to give them credit after they shot that super hot segment on the April 11 episode, where OG Americano attacked that blind comedian, and then went after the female interviewer (who apparently everybody knows is Ludwig Kaiser’s girlfriend IRL.)

At first, I was a little annoyed that they were focusing this feud south of the border and weren’t going to do the Mask vs Mask match at Wrestlemania, but considering what a shit show Wrestlemania turned out to be, and taking the insanely hot crowds and massive popularity of Americano II into consideration, it turned out to be the smart decision to keep this angle confined to AAA.

It’s also nice to see acts like Los Garza, Fenix, the LWO and War Raiders get a chance to get some decent ring time there as well. I’ve actually been enjoying the angle between War Raiders and Psycho Circus.

@sek69, I don’t suppose you have been watching?

[sek69]

I have been off and on, and it's still kind of jarring to see AAA shows with coherent booking that actually leads to a payoff eventually. 

[NotJayTabb]

AAA is booked by the Undertaker, right? Feels like a really strange fit, and the fact that it's actually going well is even odder. 

[El-P]

For all intents and purposes, AAA is basically NXT Mexico. After a single year, the product has been streamlined to the point there's not much actual lucha libre left at all (and yeah, AAA was always been a americanized version of lucha, stuck in the late 90's, but it was still very much rooted in lucha culture still). The audience is basically Mexican WWE fans (a point illustrated before by the reaction, of lack thereof, a guy like Hijo del Fantasma got when he showed up with his mask, only to get one when he unmasked as Santos Escobar from WWE). That's what WWE wanted. The thing is, I can't even be sorry about AAA. Their last two years was Konnan and Dorian booking Alberto el Rapist as their world champ. AAA deserved nothing but contempt.

3 hours ago, NotJayTabb said:

AAA is booked by the Undertaker, right?

Well... He's working with Jeremy Borash. But of course, he's the one being credited. I feel like this is going the same way as old NXT. It's an easy show to book, being taped one every three weeks or so. They have some cool workers who can do more than they would elsewhere in the WWE landscape. It's still fresh to the eyes of US WWE audience for now. So Taker is gonna get much more credit than he deserves for doing a real easy job, that he isn't doing by himself anyway. (don't get me started on the political aspect of a MAGAhead booking a Mexican promotion bought by a Trump adjacent American company)

The thing is, after one year, they still haven't sold the rights to a US TV, which was the basic reason they bought the thing. 

[Scarletlikesounds]

Yeah, IDK I feel like he's getting a bit much adoration for tolerably booking something where the bar is literally in hell thanks to the bar being set by modern AAA and current WWE.

[The Thread Killer]

So Rey Mysterio is now the storyline “General Manager” of AAA, an unfortunate byproduct of which means that he’s off the announce team, which is a shame because he, Corey Graves and JBL were great together. Mysterio was just getting comfortable in the role and was great at providing backstory to certain things from a Lucha perspective.

The other main issue with this, is that Mysterio acted as the translator for the English announce team, and he was very good at it. He would basically tell the fans what was being said during in ring and backstage promos, pretty much word for word. He was definitely better at it than Konnan was.

Rey’s replacement this week was…Savio Vega. I won’t comment on a Puerto Rican star being selected to replace a Luchadore to explain Lucha Libre. I will say that his overall commentary skills are a major step down, and his translation abilities are, shall we say…lacking. As in…

*Somebody delivers a long promo in Spanish*

* long pause*

Savio Vega: “He say…they going to have a big match!”

[El-P]

Nothing screams 

like the biggest show of WWAAA thus far headlined by two non-Mexican guys doing a parody of a luchador against each other.

(and yeah, I know, it's really popular with the current AAA audience, which is comprised of basically WWE fans)

[The Thread Killer]

I will be the first to freely admit that it is truly bizarre that in 2026, I am actually stoked to watch a match which is essentially Chad Gable vs Ludwig Kaiser, and where the supporting characters are the Creed Brothers, Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne.

But I will be damned if they haven’t managed to make this compelling and exciting. The buildup to the AAA part of this feud has been pretty much flawlessly executed. You cannot say the same of course about the parts of the angle that were shot on RAW, but that also has a lot to do with the American fans not really giving a shit, and the WWE Main Roster “creative team” basically ruining everything they touch by doing it via corporate committee.

lt’s insane how popular Kaiser is with the AAA fans, in large part because he speaks Spanish and has been cutting a bunch of “man of the people” type promos. For the few fans that have been complaining about this, I simply remind them that prior to WWE taking over, AAA was pretty much shit anyway, and their number one star was Alberto Del Rio, so how much has really been lost, really?

[El-P]

10 minutes ago, The Thread Killer said:

For the few fans that have been complaining about this, I simply remind them that prior to WWE taking over, AAA was pretty much shit anyway, and their number one star was Alberto Del Rio, so how much has really been lost, really?

That was were I was with AAA. Considering their last few years before they got bought, they could go to hell. The fact WWE has got a bigger piece of the Mexican market and a historical lucha libre promotion sucks, but I have no doubt the product is a 100 times better now than the last few years of legit AAA. Now, how long will this last is another matter.

[The Thread Killer]

11 minutes ago, El-P said:

Now, how long will this last is another matter.

That’s the million dollar question right there. I don’t know if it’s Jeremy Borash, or The Undertaker or who it is, but somebody is making some very smart booking decisions with that promotion right now. They are using native AAA talent still, but they are also mixing in Mexican WWE talent who are basically treading water on the main roster, and sending some top prospects from NXT. The combination seems to be working. Look what her time in AAA has done for Lola Vice.

For example, the Rey Fenix vs Laredo Kid rivalry or The War Raiders vs Psycho Circus angle? Give me that stuff all day long. It is resulting in great matches, and that’s all I really care about. There is definitely an argument you can make that they are essentially using AAA as a developmental territory, but as long as they continue to feature the best AAA talent they do have, like La Parka, Octagon Jr., Vikingo, and El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr., it still has the appearance of Lucha, even if it’s not the traditional pure style presented by CMLL.

And I love to see guys like Fenix, Cruz Del Toro, Dragon Lee, and Joaquin Wilde actually get a chance to work. Let’s be honest, guys like Jack Cartwheel, TJP and Los Garza are never going to get a shot working on the Main Roster in a significant way anyhow. Throw in Main Roster names like Mysterio (father and son both), Penta, Bayley and Nattie making regular appearances, so far it has been a winning combination. Especially when it is presented on a show that only lasts an hour and is not a total chore to sit through.

[sek69]

The Grande Americanos are having a great Mascara contra Mascara match, with blood and mask ripping, no lame WWE shit here.  We even had Pimpi getting involved.

[sek69]

That was fucking tremendous, all hail Ludwig Kaiser the lucha superhero of Mexico!

[The Thread Killer]

That was awesome. I really enjoyed that show. It’s insane how popular Kaiser…I mean El Grande Americano is.  I assume since he won Rey de Reyes this year, he gets the shot at the Mega Championship at Triplemania? If so, bring it on. Strap that dude up.

Poor Gable was busted up after that match too. It was also amazing to me how much respect the fans gave him after the match, considering how much they hated him during the lead up.

[sek69]

Crazy to think the Undertaker has a legit shot at Booker of the Year, his work in AAA has been top notch. I suppose it shouldn't be that surprising a Texas guy knows ball when it comes to lucha, but it's been a hell of a run.