WWE has made a surprising announcement that it has bought the Mexican Lucha Libre promotion AAA. This unexpected deal is causing a lot of excitement, especially in North America where AAA had a strong presence. On the “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer discussed the deal and what it might mean moving forward.
Meltzer said, “AAA has wanted this for 18 years. They have always wanted someone with money to come in and invest.” This deal will allow AAA to grow in ways it could not did before. He also mentioned that there had been talks in the past that never went through. “There were talks where WWE might have taken control of AAA.”
Meltzer pointed out that WWE was involved in Dragon Lee’s exit from AAA. Dragon Lee had to give up the AAA Tag Team Titles right after winning them from AEW stars Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler. AEW was not happy that Dragon Lee made the moment about his WWE signing.
Meltzer said, “I’m sure AAA wanted to make a deal; they were obviously trying to please WWE with the Dragon Lee situation.” He added, “The sale has been in the works for more than a year.”
WWE and AAA Deal Impact
At first, AAA was hesitant to let WWE control the company, which is why the deal didn’t happen sooner. Meltzer also criticized Paul Levesque’s comments about keeping AAA a “traditional” lucha libre promotion, as Meltzer feels there has been nothing “traditional” about it since 2000.
Meltzer said, “What WWE plans to do remains to be seen. They might also look to buy other companies.” He guessed WWE would also be interested in purchasing other companies in the future. “There are so many questions… Will they keep Alberto Del Rio as World Champion? Will Dorian stay in charge with new money, or will WWE send their own people?”
Meltzer also discussed Vikingo, saying, “Vikingo is going to be involved because of his participation in WrestleMania 41.”
How Will This Affect CMLL?
AAA’s main rival, CMLL, now faces competition from WWE-backed AAA. Meltzer believes that AAA now has a stronger position to negotiate with Mexican wrestlers.
Meltzer said, “I think Rey Fenix and Penta will work for AAA. Penta is very popular, and Rey is like a god there… The question is, will they try to steal wrestlers from CMLL? With WWE money, CMLL wrestlers don’t make huge money… Will they try to bring them in? I think they probably will, especially as they see how much business CMLL is doing.”
Meltzer also wondered whether AAA will stay in Mexico or expand into the United States. CMLL has partnerships with NJPW and AEW, but they don’t have the kind of funding that AAA might now receive from WWE. AAA already has a partnership with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, where WWE stars have also appeared in the past.
AAA and WWE’s “Worlds Collide” Event
WWE and AAA will present the “Worlds Collide” event during Money In The Bank weekend in June. The show will take place at the Kia Forum the afternoon before Money In The Bank.
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