This deal changes the wrestling landscape: WWE announces the acquisition of Mexican league AAA on the first day of WrestleMania. The league thus secures the services of an up-and-coming phenomenon.
Wrestling market leader WWE announced a major and momentous deal in the wake of the first night of WrestleMania: The promotion is taking over the Mexican league Lucha Libre AAA, thereby securing the services of one of the industry’s biggest up-and-coming phenomena.
The strategic investment in the former partner league of rival AEW – the first WWE deal of its kind since the historic purchase of WCW in 2001 – will permanently change the wrestling landscape in the traditional stronghold of Mexico. It also increases WWE’s global market power and talent pool. As the crown jewel, WWE now also has the most exciting Mexican wrestler of the new generation under contract: El Hijo del Vikingo, who also competed at WrestleMania.
A partnership that will benefit the entire world of sports entertainment. @luchalibreaaa has been a cultural mainstay in Mexico and the home to many @WWE Superstars. This partnership will guarantee that AAA remains the premier destination for wrestling in Mexico.
A special… pic.twitter.com/mzsEip0SoG
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 19, 2025
WrestleMania 41: Vikingo is about to join the fray
The exceptionally talented acrobat Vikingo was photographed prominently alongside WWE Executive Vice President Paul Levesque, aka “Triple H,” at the announcement of the deal, and just a few hours later he joined the WWE action at WrestleMania.
Vikingo sat in the front row for the match between his former AAA colleague Rey Fenix – standing in for Mexican icon Rey Mysterio, who was injured at short notice – and the masked Luchador parody El Grande Americano (obviously Chad Gable in disguise). Vikingo missed a kick at Americano when he got into a scuffle with him and pushed him. Later, Vikingo helped Fenix to his feet after Americano won unfairly with a metal plate under his mask.
bad move WrestleMania pic.twitter.com/OrZa7AdkBZ
— WWE (@WWE) April 20, 2025
It’s safe to assume that Vikingo – often compared to a young Rey Mysterio and introduced to US audiences in 2023 with a big AEW match against Kenny Omega at AEW – will play a prominent role in WWE. However, the implications of the WWE-AAA deal run much deeper.
WWE buys AAA, a league with a lot of history
“WWE will take Lucha Libre to a new level,” Levesque announced when the deal was announced, for which WWE’s parent company TKO collaborated with Mexican holding company Filip: The new partnership is “a guarantee that AAA will remain the premier wrestling destination in Mexico.”
Alongside Levesque were Vikingo and various stars with AAA pasts (Mysterio, Fenix, his brother Penta, Stephanie Vaquer, Andrade, Vikingo, and Santos Escobar) as well as AAA executives Marisela Pena and Dorian Roldan, relatives of Antonio Pena, who died in 2006 and founded AAA in 1992 as an alternative to the traditional Mexican league CMLL.
In addition to Mysterio, WWE favorite Eddie Guerrero, who died in 2005, was also active in AAA, and the league had various connections to the US scene: in 1997, there was a brief collaboration with WWE, and before that with rival WCW, with whom the legendary event When Worlds Collide was staged in Los Angeles in 1994. It is particularly remembered for the spectacular Mask vs. Hair Match between the duo Octagon and El Hijo del Santo against the Pareja del Terror (Terror Couple) consisting of Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr, who tragically died young shortly afterwards.
As one of the first joint announcements, WWE announced a new edition of When Worlds Collide, on June 7 at the KIA Forum in Los Angeles, featuring stars from AAA and WWE’s developmental roster NXT.
Former partner AEW now cooperating with AAA competitor CMLL
AAA had a partnership with WWE rival AEW starting in 2019, and hints of a reorientation had been around since at least the end of 2022, when WWE announced the signing of AAA star Dragon Lee in a guerrilla-style move shortly after he and his brother Dralistico dethroned the AEW duo FTR as AAA Tag Team Champions.
In the years that followed, WWE signed several stars with AAA backgrounds and AEW connections: Vaquer and, most notably, the Lucha Bros. Fenix and Penta, previously pillars of the AEW tag team division. Vikingo now joins the list of personnel coups that are particularly significant given the large Latin American community in the US home market.
In return, AEW turned to a cooperation with AAA competitor CMLL, which was deepened just a few days ago: On June 18, shortly after When Worlds Collide, AEW will celebrate its debut in Mexico in collaboration with CMLL with the event “Grand Slam: Mexico” at the Arena Mexico in Mexico City, the country’s most famous and traditional show fighting venue.
A fierce global battle for influence in all major wrestling countries is now raging between WWE and AEW: In Japan, AEW is working with the largest league, NJPW, and the women’s promotion Stardom, while WWE has in turn arranged collaborations with competitors Pro Wrestling NOAH and Marigold – formed from a split with Stardom founder Rossy Ogawa, in which WWE also played a role behind the scenes.
