AJ Styles is pushing for WWE to do more with one specific wrestler.
On his Phenomenally Retro podcast, the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame had nothing but praise for Chad Gable, who lost the mask vs. mask match that took place at AAA Noche de los Grandes last weekend. Styles pushed for WWE to do something with Gable’s newfound momentum following the match.
“He’s a bigger superstar than he’s ever been at this very moment. And if we don’t capitalize, and I say we because because I’m a part of WWE, we don’t capitalize on this, we’re dumb. We’re dummies,” he said. “He can be heavyweight champion. He’s a legit freaking pro wrestler…there’s no way somebody in the crowd’s thinking ‘I could take freaking Chad Gable.’ Uh dude, legit, he will drop you on your head and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Gable appeared on SmackDown following mask loss
After feuding with the second El Grande Americano for most the year, the two had a dramatic match in front of a hot crowd. After Gable’s loss, he commended Americano for his efforts, saying that while he will always be the original Americano, there is now only one Americano. He promised to return to AAA one day.
Gable returned to WWE television on SmackDown this past Friday, apologizing to Rey Fenix over his recent actions. Fenix accepted Gable’s apology, but informed him that he’s not the only luchador that he needs to apologize to.
On Friday, Sami Zayn was seen complaining backstage when Nick Aldis revealed that he had a meeting with someone, eventually revealing the returning Gable. Later backstage, Gable met with Rey Fenix and apologized for his actions under the Grande Americano mask, saying he had learned a lot while wrestling in AAA. Fenix, who won the AAA Cruiserweight title on the same night, said he accepted Gables’ apology, but he wasn’t the only one that needed an apology.
Gable lost his mask at AAA Noche de los Grandes this past weekend, losing to the second El Grande Americano in a mask vs. mask match. After his loss, Gable commended Americano’s efforts saying that while he was the original Americano, there is only one Americano now.
War Raiders return, Kiana James & Giulia split
In another segment, the War Raiders returned to television after winning the AAA Tag Team titles at Noche de los Grandes. They told R-Truth that they would be ready whenever Truth & Priest wanted to put their WWE Tag Team titles on the line.
One team that saw a split on Friday was Giulia and Kiana James. After James was pinned in her Queen of the Ring qualifying match, she chose to blame Giulia for her loss and said she was done with her client. James continued to yell and berate the former United States Champion until she retaliated, laying James out.
In the first episode of a YouTube series documenting his 2025 shoulder injury, Chad Gable shared how surprised he was to learn that he would need to undergo surgery on his left rotator cuff.
Gable documented the injury, surgery, and recovery process so he would have something to do while out of action. He’ll be uploading the series over nine parts. In the first of those, he shared that he suffered a slight tear of his right biceps tendon during a house show match against Gunther in 2024. He continued wrestling and kept training in the gym, but his right arm kept getting worse. He decided to get it checked out and had an MRI done.
The MRI did find that Gable’s right arm was “a mess” — but the bigger issue was his left shoulder. Gable had been having nagging injuries in that arm so he had imaging done on it too, which revealed that his left rotator cuff was torn and surgery would be required.
“It turns out all this time I was so worried about my right side — and the left side was the one that had all these issues, to my surprise. I got this news that the rotator cuff was torn,” Gable said. “This knocked me off my feet bad. I’m the type of guy that expects to go in and be told that this pain I’m dealing with is like, ‘You got some issues, but it’s nothing that requires surgery.’ That’s what it’s always been, through amateur wrestling all the way through my time with WWE, I’ve never been seriously hurt. And they went on to explain to me essentially that it had to be fixed. A torn tendon off the bone is not going to repair itself.”
Because he’s never been hurt like this before, Gable had a hard time accepting his injury. The timing was especially hard because Gable felt like he’d been having the best run of his career with matches against luchadores like El Hijo del Vikingo, Dragon Lee, and Penta.
For the documentary episode, Gable recorded conversations with WWE colleagues Sami Zayn, Bayley, and Finn Balor, who all stressed how important it was for Gable to enjoy this time off, spend time with his family, and not feel guilty about taking the type of extended break that wrestlers rarely get.
Chad Gable’s return —
Gable was forced out of action last summer but returned in January 2026. Though he was worried about the timing of his injury, he’s done some of the most highly praised work of his career since his return, feuding with Ludwig Kaiser in a feud between Original El Grande Americano and Kaiser’s new version of the character.
Moving forward, Gable can no longer use the Americano gimmick after losing to Kaiser in their mask vs. mask match. It took place in Mexico at AAA Noche de Los Grandes last weekend and stands as a strong contender for Match of the Year 2026.
WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett recently discussed Chad Gable and the AAA Noche de Los Grandes match he had against El Grande Americano on his My World podcast. Jarrett praised Gable’s performance and his overall abilities, but also noted that Gable will probably have to leave WWE, as he won’t get the push people are expecting even after the success of the El Grande Americano storyline:
“I just don’t see the WWE [pushing him], because he worked under the Vince regime. And obviously now he’s worked under Triple H regime, [but] they’re not all of a sudden magically going to go ‘Oh yeah, he’s our guy.”
Jeff Jarrett on why Chad Gable needs to be ready to leave WWE
Chad Gable appears to have around a year left on his WWE contract, and Jarrett would note that the former Olympic-level athlete needs to leverage that fact:
“I would absolutely leverage [the contact situation] with New Japan having new owners [etc]…I just think he [Gable] needs to keep doing what he’s doing, but be ready to leave. I don’t see TKO coming to him and saying, ‘Hey man, you performed great in Monterrey, we’re going to give you a bump [in pay].’ I just don’t see that. I think he could monetize his talent more.”
JBL had huge praise after AAA’s mask vs. mask match, calling Chad Gable the best wrestler in the world and highlighting his ability to shine in front of a completely different audience.
Shockwaves from AAA’s mask vs. mask match between the Grande Americanos last weekend continue to reverberate throughout the wrestling world. And one of the announcers on the call that night says that match, and one participant in particular, represent the best that wrestling has to offer.
John “Bradshaw”Layfield was on the mic as El Grando Americano defeated Original Grande Americano on Saturday night in Monterrey, Mexico. The Original then unmasked and identified himself as Chad Gable.
JBL didn’t mince words when discussing the match in an appearance on Busted Open Radio.
“I think Chad Gable’s the best wrestler in the world,” Layfield said. “And I don’t think it’s close. That was absolutely amazing, what he and [Ludwig] Kaiser did.”
Layfield was also impressed with how Gable changed his character to work in front of a new audience.
“It’s easy to be kind of a campy heel like he was in WWE with the videos with the Varsity Club or whatever the heck it was,” Layfield said, momentarily forgetting the name of the Alpha Academy. “But then all of a sudden to try to get heat down in Mexico, that’s different level. It’s not even the same business. He had a match down there with La Parka that was just phenomenal.”
JBL was also quick to praise Ludwig Kaiser, the man behind the El Grande Americano mask.
“Kaiser created all this,” he said. “Kaiser created all this with learning the language. Not just learning the language—as we used to say in Texas, he wasn’t learning Spanish, he was learning Mexican. The local dialect was what he was learning, which was absolutely amazing, what he’s done.”
Of course, the AAA fans themselves played a big part in the night’s success.
“Mexican fans are just passionate fans,” Layfield said. “They love their lucha libre, and they love their stars, and they get into things, and they enjoy it. And that’s what you saw, them at their very best. And I thought you saw wrestling at its very best. I was absolutely blown away by what they did in the match.”
The WWE star announced on social media Monday that a nine-part YouTube documentary series will begin airing this Friday.
“I’ve spent my entire career preaching discipline, preparation, and accountability. Then I got hurt. For the first time in my professional wrestling career, I was forced to stop and figure out who I am when the thing I’ve built my life around gets taken away. So I’m bringing you with me,” he wrote.
“Starting this Friday, follow my 9-part YouTube series as I rebuild from the ground up through rehab, training, nutrition, setbacks, victories, and everything in between. New episodes every Friday. No shortcuts. No excuses. No pretending every day is a good day. Just the work. Subscribe now to my YouTube channel and I’ll see you Friday.”
Shoulder injury kept Gable out of action for most of last year
Gable suffered a shoulder injury in June of last year that required significant time away from the ring. He returned in January at the Royal Rumble, now calling himself the Original El Grande Americano to feud with the current Grande Americano.
Their feud gained momentum in AAA, building to a mask vs. mask match that took place this past weekend at AAA Noche de los Grandes. Gable lost, forcing himself to unmask and reveal his identity. He told fans that he couldn’t overcome the Mexican spirit promised that someday he’d be back in AAA.
WWE is hoping to get as many eyes as possible on the El Grande Americano mask vs. mask match from Lucha Libre AAA.
The rivalry between El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) culminated with Kaiser getting the victory at AAA Noche de Los Grandes this past Saturday. The match has become an instant classic, earning Kaiser and Gable praise from fans and their WWE peers. WWE management apparently thinks very highly of the match as well, with it being announced during Raw today (June 1) that, immediately after the episode ends, WWE will be airing an encore presentation of the mask vs. mask match on Netflix.
Kaiser vs. Gable originally aired on WWE’s YouTube channel, where AAA’s TV is broadcast for free every week for viewers outside of Mexico, Central America, and South America (except Brazil). AAA airs on Fox Mexico in those markets.
The Kaiser vs. Gable rivalry is likely to be in strong contention for 2026’s Feud of the Year in all of professional wrestling. Though Gable originally introduced the character, Kaiser assumed the Americano gimmick last year when Gable was forced out of action due to injury. The two started feuding after Gable returned, and Kaiser became a huge babyface in Mexico during the process.
Kaiser’s May arrest briefly put this mask vs. mask match in jeopardy, but the state of Florida did not object to his motion to continue traveling domestically and internationally while the battery case plays out. A pre-trial conference in the case, where the alleged victim is a male resident of Kaiser’s apartment complex, is scheduled for July 16.
AAA’s next major events —
Coming out of Noche de Los Grandes, AAA has Triplemania 34 — its biggest annual event — set to be held over two nights on September 11 and 13. Night one is set for Las Vegas, with night two being held in Mexico City.
AAA could potentially add another big show to its upcoming schedule with Verano de Escandalo 2026 rumored for July 25.
Bayley was happy to see her friend Chad Gable get a chance to shine at AAA Noche de Los Grandes.
In a career highlight, Gable (as Original El Grande Americano) headlined the May 30 event in a mask vs. mask match against Ludwig Kaiser (El Grande Americano). Gable lost and is now forced to give up the Americano gimmick — but Bayley is confident that only great things are in his future. She was in Mexico for the show and made an Instagram post joining in on the chorus of praise for the main event.
“It’s not everyday that you get to watch your friend create magic in front of the most pure and passionate fans in the world!!,” Bayley wrote. “I’m so proud to know you, @wwegable! You take control of your opportunities and have always made everything count. It’s only up from here my dude!!”
Bayley and Gable came up together in the same era of NXT and have both now been with the company for more than a decade. When part two of Noche de Los Grandes airs this coming Saturday (June 6), a six-woman tag match with Bayley, Lola Vice & La Catalina vs. Flammer, Maravilla & La Hiedra will be part of the lineup.
Chad Gable comments on Noche de Los Grandes match —
It’s been less than two days since the match, but Gable took a moment to make his own Instagram post reflecting on the moment and how much the crowd meant to him.
“What an atmosphere. What a crowd. What a moment,” he wrote. “Thank you Mexico.”
Gable also shared an Instagram stories post from Finn Balor, who called the mask vs. mask match a “masterpiece” and said he’s already watched it multiple times.
“So good I already had to watch it twice,” Balor wrote. “I encourage you also. Masterpiece.”
There just isn’t a place above what happened in Arena Monterrey on Saturday night.
Never mind the match itself being incredible. The presentation of it and the emotion swirling through the venue alone made this something to go out of your way to see.
The match mattered so much to every single person inside that building that anyone watching had to get swept away in it. It was beautiful.
Wrestling Fan of the Year spotted front row at AAA Noche de Los Grandes
There was one fan seated in the front row at Noche de los Grandes who best encapsulated the feeling from the crowd on Saturday night.
The original El Grande Americano, who would later shockingly be revealed to be Chad Gable, was making his ring entrance and walked past a fan holding an El Grande Americano mask. Ever the bad guy, Gable goes to rip the mask out of the fan’s hands, but the fan is having none of it. He clutched onto that mask like Ludwig Kaiser’s career as the character depended on it.
Then the fan got right up into Gable’s face and was ready to have his own Lucha de Apuestas with the man if that’s what needed to happen.
Then El Grande Americano — the Ludwig Kaiser version — makes his entrance for the match, and as he’s walking around ringside, he pauses right by where that fan was. Only now the fan is proudly wearing his El Grande Americano mask and is celebrating with his hero.
That fan might as well have been everybody in the arena last night.
What El Grande Americano represented in Mexico
Not being Mexican, I’ll never truly know the full extent of what Americano means to Mexican wrestling fans.
But I think fans from outside the country understand that this was Americano fighting for the pride of Mexico.
The other Americano was a fraud who didn’t even speak Spanish. Meanwhile, Ludwig Kaiser’s Americano has a Mexican girlfriend, speaks Spanish, and even defended the honor of Pimpinela Escarlata.
One of the best episodes of AAA on Fox that has taken place this year involved Pimpinela attempting to prove that Chad Gable’s Americano was a fraud, trying to prove that he doesn’t even speak Spanish.
This led to Pimpi asking how Gable wanted his quesadillas, either with cheese or without cheese.
Gable, not seeing the comedy in this, attacked poor Pimpi. Later, we’d see Ludwig’s Americano holding Pimpi’s hand and being urged to defend the honor of Mexico.
Americano was now defending Pimpinela and Mexico and, later, the honor of Andrea Bazarte as well, both in Mexico as well as in Orlando-area apartment complex elevators.
The whole storyline was that Americano had pride in Mexican culture, and Gable’s Americano didn’t. At least, not until after he unmasked. By the end, everyone felt that pride, including wrestling fans from around the world.
Chad Gable’s speech after unmasking
As much as this whole thing was a celebration of Americano and the connection that Americano has developed with the Mexican people, this was also Gable’s moment.
Gable’s speech after the match basically turned him into a hero in Mexico as well. He said he put on the mask to learn lucha libre so he could beat all the luchadors whom he hated. But through this process, he developed an appreciation for Mexican culture.
Several people have commented on last night’s El Grande Americano mask vs. mask match at Arena Monterrey.
El Grande Americano, the Ludwig Kaiser version, defeated the original El Grande Americano at AAA Noche de los Grandes on Saturday night. The original Americano then unmasked to reveal himself as Chad Gable.
Since the end of last night’s show, several people have been commenting online about it.
Gable wrote:
“Tonight the mask died. And suddenly I feel more ALIVE than ever.”
An hour later, Gable posted to Instagram again, this time captioning his post with:
“In lucha libre, some moments live forever. Tonight was one of them.”
“An incredible battle to become the one and the only.”
Dave Meltzer wrote:
“If you haven’t watched the Chad Gable vs. Kaiser match, you really should stop whatever you are doing and watch it now. One of the great match presentations of all-time.”
“Kaiser was so massively over and in storyline it was his night. But in real life, this was really Gable’s night to shine.“
“Crowd chanted, “THANK YOU GABLE”, he vowed to return to AAA someday, and presented his mask to Kaiser“
“Chad gave a great speech after the match before unmasking, saying he would always be the original El Grande, but after tonight, Kaiser was the ONLY El Grande. His whole family was in the ring with him. He then unmasked, gave his name and bio and introduced his family.“
Marisela Pena called the event a “magical night,” writing:
“A MAGICAL night, the NIGHT OF THE GREAT ONES Thanks to all the fans who filled Arena Monterrey and to the fans from all over the World who followed the broadcast on @somos_FOX, YouTube and Facebook”
If you haven't watched the Chad Gable vs. Kaiser match, you really should stop whatever you are doing and watch it now. One of the great match presentations of all-time.
The second El Grande Americano defeated the Original Americano, who was later confirmed to be Chad Gable, in an emotionally intense match Saturday at AAA Noche de los Grandes. During the match, which lasted over 30 minutes, there were numerous callback spots from their long-running feud. Comedian Alexis Arroyo, who is blind, attacked the Original with his walking cane after Original attacked him earlier in the year. Pimpinela Escarlata, who Original also attacked, returned to take out Original.
Towards the end of the match, the second Americano’s girlfriend, Andrea Bazarte, appeared in the crowd holding a ticket. Original only agreed to the mask vs. mask match under the condition that she was fired from AAA.
The closing moments of the match had Original, who at this point was a bloody mess, batter Americano’s knee with a steel chair, going for an ankle lock. After fighting out of the submission, Americano launched off the ropes and connected with his running headbutt, finally securing the victory.
Surprise, it was Chad Gable
After the match, Original told the crowd that he put on his mask to prove how much he hated lucha libre and luchadors. It pained him to say this, but he could not overcome the Mexican spirit. He told Americano he’d always be the original Americano, but for now on, he would be the only Americano.
Original Americano then unmasked to reveal himself as Gable. He went over his career before introducing his family. He said he didn’t know when or where, but someday he’d be back in AAA. Fans chanted ‘thank you Gable’ as he handed the mask to Americano.
After Gable left, Americano was raised up by Bravo and Rayo Americano. Once he was back on his feet, he embraced Bazarte as confetti fell and they kissed. ‘Cielito Lindo’ began to play again as the fans joined in to sing along. The show went off the air with Americano posing at the entranceway, pyro going off.
The "Original" El Grande Americano has been UNMASKED!! 😱
The rivalry between El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) is officially set to culminate on May 30.
After a challenge was issued over the weekend, WWE has announced that the two Americanos will face off in a mask vs. mask match at AAA Noche de los Grandes on Saturday, May 30. The news was announced in a tweet sent out by The Undertaker, who is a leading voice in AAA creative
“Circle the date on your calendars!,” Undertaker wrote. “Mask vs. Mask will take place at #AAANocheDeLosGrandes on May 30th at Arena Monterrey. This will be intense!”
Our Dave Meltzer had reported this as the expected date for the bout, with Noche de los Grandes set to air as a full live special rather than being broken up into one-hour blocks.
To build up the match, Kaiser and Gable had a brawl in Mexico last Saturday that has been highly praised by fans for how intense it looked. It included Gable threatening AAA broadcast team member Andrea Bazarte — who is Kaiser’s girlfriend — before Kaiser made the save and laid down the mask vs. mask challenge.
Gable originally played the Americano character but was forced out of action for several months due to a shoulder injury he suffered in 2025. During that time, Kaiser took over the gimmick and expanded on it with the introduction of sidekicks Rayo Americano (Pete Dunne) and Bravo Americano (Tyler Bate).
Circle the date on your calendars!
Mask vs. Mask will take place at #AAANocheDeLosGrandes on May 30th at Arena Monterrey. This will be intense!
Notes from Saturday’s AAA television show that aired immediately after WWE Elimination Chamber 2026.
The February 28 AAA show began with Ludwig Kaiser’s El Grande Americano challenging the original El Grande Americano to prove his authenticity by speaking Spanish. Taking shots at his limited Spanish vocabulary and recent AI vignettes, Kaiser’s Americano sent Pimpinela Escarlata to speak with the original Americano.
However, things soon turned haywire when the original Americano attacked Escarlata, injuring the wrestler. Escarlata was previously scheduled to be in the Rey de Reyes qualifier match with Omos, Ethan Page, and El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. However, after the injury angle, Escarlata was replaced by Kaiser’s Grande Americano in the match.
The episode also featured an AAA World Cruiserweight Championship No 1 contender’s match between Dragon Lee and Jack Cartwheel. Following a heavily praised match, Lee stood tall and became the No 1 contender for the Cruiserweight title. However, he was soon interrupted by TJP before an all-out brawl broke out amongst Laredo Kid, TJP, Lee, and Cartwheel. The segment finished with Cartwheel standing tall with the title.
In the main-event of the show, Omos, Ethan Page, El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., and El Grande Americano II faced off for a chance to qualify in the Rey de Reyes tournament final. In the closing moments of the match, fans saw interuptions from Rayo and Bravo Americano handcuffing Omos to the ring post, Santos Escobar interupting Dr. Wagner Jr., La Parka arriving and hitting the original Americano with chairshots, before Kaiser’s Americano hit Page with the running headbutt and secured himself a spot in the finals.
He will now join Original Grande Americano and La Parka in the four-way match at Rey de Reyes, with four other men competing for the final spot next week.
AAA on Fox lineup | March 7, 2026
Lucha Libre AAA is set to host its Rey de Reyes show on March 14th. However, with one spot remaining, Santos Escobar will be going against Mr. Iguana, Psycho Clown, and Abismo Negro to qualify for the final position on the upcoming March 7, 2026, episode of AAA on Fox.
Santos Escobar vs. Mr. Iguana vs. Psycho Clown vs. Abismo Negro for the last remaining spot in the Rey de Reyes tournament final.
The original El Grande Americano has cost the second El Grande Americano a grand opportunity, and instead himself qualified for the Rey de Reyes tournament finals.
In the February 7th edition of AAA on Fox, the original Americano defeated Rey Fenix, Dragon Lee, and Octagon Jr. to advance to the finals. However, it was El Grande Americano II (Ludwig Kaiser) who was originally scheduled to compete in the match.
Instead, Gable’s Americano attacked and handcuffed Kaiser’s Americano backstage to take his spot in the qualifying match, before winning it himself.
Midway through the match, Los Americanos (Rayo Americano & Bravo Americano) attempted to help Kaiser’s Americano get free from the handcuffs, but were unsuccessful.
In the finishing moments of the match, Americano, in his trademark fashion, slipped a metal plate under his mask to headbutt all of his opponents before hitting Octagon Jr. with a diving headbutt to secure the pinfall.
The post-match segment saw Kaiser’s Americano run to the ring as Gable’s Americano performed a successful near escape. Till now, only Gable’s Americano and La Parka have been confirmed as the first two finalists of the Rey de Reyes tournament. The Rey de Reyes tournament final four-way is scheduled to take place on March 14th, 2026.
Chad Gable returned at the Royal Rumble right where he left off.
Gable entered at number 13 and was billed as the Original El Grande Americano, confronting the current Americano who entered before him. The two had a staredown and soon fought, with the original Americano eliminating the current one. The original was then eliminated by Trick Williams.
Ludwig Kaiser took over the role of El Grande Americano when Gable was injured last June with a shoulder injury that required surgery. Shortly after, Kaiser began making appearances as El Grande Americano in AAA and became a babyface star there, appearing regularly. On Raw, he is a heel with Rayo and Bravo Americano, the former Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate.
Another returning star during Saturday’s Rumble match was LA Knight, who was taken out by The Vision in December. He returned and targeted Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, and Austin Theory, managing to eliminate the latter two.
Aside from Gable, the only other surprise in the men’s Rumble match was the former Powerhouse Hobbs. Royce Keys made his debut, eliminating Damian Priest early and stayed on for a while before ultimately being eliminated by The Vision.
