The first AAA Triplemania of the WWE era emanates from Arena CDMX in Mexico City, airing live and free on YouTube.
The headliner will feature El Hijo del Vikingo defending his AAA Mega title in a four-way against WWE main roster talents Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee and El Grande Americano.
In a street fight, main roster members and reigning AAA Tag Team Champions Angel & Berto defend against Pagano & Psycho Clown.
In a mixed trios match, Judgment Day’s Finn Balor, JD McDonagh and Raquel Rodriguez face Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice.
The Reina de Reinas title will be on the line in a three-way as Flammer defends against Faby Apache and Natalya.
The Latin American title will also be defended as champion El Mesias faces El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
The card is rounded out by a Copa Bardahl match, similar to a Royal Rumble in terms of entrances but eliminations happen via pin.
Our live coverage begins at 9 PM Eastern.
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I am the perfect audience for this as I’m not a regular, if any, watcher of either CMLL or AAA, but I’m obviously very familiar with the World Wrestling Federation. Will this hook me? Read on and find out.
I found it notable that the WWE stinger that airs at the beginning of all WWE shows also aired here, even though the sale hasn’t officially gone through yet. That was followed by a really well done intro video with nods to the past, the current, and the future.
Within the first few minutes, this 100% felt like a WWE production. Is that good or bad for the longtime fans? That’s not for me to say.
AAA executives, Triple H, Nick Khan, and Shawn Michaels were all in the ring to start the show, leading into the Mexican national anthem. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Khan ever on WWE so this is quite a moment for nerds like me.
Walk-ins from all the major talent were shown as were the AAA announce team. Corey Graves, Konnan and JBL are on the call with Jesus Zuinga as our ring announcer. Konnan will also be inducted into the AAA Hall of Fame by Rey Mysterio.
And with that, we’re off.
Copa Bardahl match
As you read above, this is Royal Rumble-style in terms of entrances but eliminations are by pinfall only.
La Parka was the first entrant, coming in with a Thriller knock-off song and full dance routine which I certainly did not hate. AAA Cruiserweight Champion Laredo Kid (who has worked plenty in TNA through the years) was as entrant two. Kid got a near fall off a 450 which led to Joaquin Wilde from WWE as entrant no. 3.
Shortly after, Abismo Negro Jr. was no. 4 and impressive quickly with his power moves. Then, Taurus (apparently a new version?) was in at no. 5 which as someone that regularly watches AEW, is a strange visual to say the least. Aerostar was in next at no. 6 and took his time getting into the ring. It’s hitting me that this is the perfect match to start this show with so many new fans watching that have zero idea who is in AAA (like me!).
Laredo Kid was eliminated by Aerostar by tossing him over the top which I thought was just by pin only, but I’m learning as we go. That led to Mecha Wolf (former NWA Tag Team Champion) as no. 7 and Cruz Del Toro from WWE was in at no. 8. Wolf eliminated Wilde over the top after spraying mist in his eyes.
Then, things picked up as WWE’s Otis was no. 9, tossing Aerostar over the damn ring post to eliminate him. He then did a worm on Negro Jr. The fans were loving this. Pimpinella was out at no. 10 which was a sight to see and then some. Taurus was then eliminated by a double Pimpinella and Otis clotheslineand I am already loving this show. Otis then teased kissing Pimpinella before accidentally eliminating Pimpinella after getting dropkicked over the top rope.
Cibernetico was in at no. 11, followed by the one and only MICROMAN at no. 12 who seems destined to appear in WWE by year’s end. After fighting off elimination, Cibernetico was eliminated by Otis who picked Microman up and used him as a weapon to do so. Well, then.
No. 13? WWE’s Omos. We’ll see how his NOAH training prepared him for this moment. The remaining people in the ring then all attacked him one-by-one and got taken out one-by-one. This led to, yes, a Microman and Omos interaction in an image that needs to be seen to be believed. Omos then picked Microman up by his head and people shrieked with what he might do. Shrieked, I tell you.
He then eliminated Negro Jr. and Del Toro at the same time before the final entrant was revealed: Octagon Jr. who won last year’s Copa Bardahl. Otis took his shot at Omos and failed, but Microman took advantage and pinned Otis to eliminate him. Omos then picked Microman up high above his head and threatened to toss him into the stands, instead tossing him onto Negro Jr. and Del Toro at ringside to eliminate him.
Parka, Octagon and Mecha Wolf then teamed up to try and take Omos out, but then turned on each other while Omos just awkwardly hung out in the corner. Parka eliminated Wolf and Omos eliminated Octagon with a big boot while he was on the apron.
That left the first entrant and Omos. Parka teased eliminating Omos and had him teetering on the apron, but Omos grabbed Parka with a chokehold and simply pulled him up over the ropes to throw him to the outside for the win.
This match was a lot of fun with a good blend of AAA and WWE talent. Omos has apparently returned, but I could see him go into mothballs again until next year’s Copa.
Match Result: Omos won the Copa Bardahl
-Dragon Lee did a backstage interview in both English and Spanish, neither of which moved me.
-It was time for celeb crowd shots which includes Triple H, Nick Khan and AAA execs, someone named Pipe Punk, and Dr. Wagner Jr. who was sporting a tremendous fur coat and glasses combo.
AAA Latin American Champion El Mesias (w/ Dorian Roldan) defends against El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr.
Mesias is 50 and has held the title for 280 days with three successful title defenses. My guess is the 33-year-old goes over here, but what do I know? Mesias was out in an homage to Doctor Doom of Marvel fame.
I do give WWE credit as they are not shying away from the majority of the presentation being in all Spanish minus the English commentary team. I wonder how long that will continue. One thing TKO must love is all the logos on the mat which is right up their financial alley.
Commentary did a great job establishing Mesias’ background with the elder Wagner Jr. and why there is history here. Father did not love when Roldan attacked his son on the outside of the ring and neither did the fans. Mesias then threatened to rip his son’s mask off in front of him. Konnan leaned into his rivalry with Wagner Jr., siding with Mesias.
Wagner Jr. rallied after a double clothesline spot, firing up and nearly getting the win after a big splash and then again after a power bomb and Wagner Driver. Roldan jumped up on the apron and his father could take it no more. However, Roldan put on his old mask to taunt the father but got socked anyway.
Mesias hit his big finisher, but Wagner Jr. kicked out. He got distracted by the father on the outside of the ring and got superplexed followed by another Wagner driver that got the pin and his first title win.
This started out a bit meh and got really fun when Wagner Jr. got involved on his son’s behalf which just added to the heat. Konnan’s annoyance on commentary only added to the fun.
Vero Rodriguez interviewed the new champion after the match while Konnan called him an ass kisser. This was only in Spanish, so I have no idea what he said.
Match Result: El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Mesias to become the AAA Latin American Champion
-Chuey Martinez interviewed Judgment Day in the back but took off when Rey Mysterio Jr. entered the frame. They disrespected him in both English and Spanish.
-A Cricket ad with Penta aired. Never saw that in AEW.
-A celebrity named Natalia MX (an “influencer”) was shown. Like with their other properties, WWE is leaning heavy into that culture.
Judgment Day (Finn Balor, JD McDonagh & Raquel Rodriguez) (w/ Roxanne Perez) vs. Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice
Back when I was watching Valerie Loureda compete on Bellator undercards, I wouldn’t have guessed her higher calling would be in WWE as Lola Vice but she’s absolutely perfect for it.
This was a party match which the fans loved, especially Hamburguesa as the babyface in peril and Iguana, because, well, he’s Iguana. Hamburguesa eventually got the hot tag to Iguana who cleaned house. As Iguana was running wild, Balor jumped up on the apron to reveal…Demonito, his own puppet done up as his Demon character. Iguana was perplexed and Demonito ate the iguana. Yes, that is a sentence I just wrote in 2025.
Hamburguesa then brought in two burgers and gave Balor one which led to an Iguana enziguri to knock him out of the ring. Hamburguesa then hit a tope on Balor and McDonagh after a Iguana dive, leaving Vice and Rodriguez.
Perez shoved Vice off the top which led to Hiedra running out but she accidentally hit Vice and then chased Perez to the back. Rodriguez then hit her Tejana bomb for the pin and win.
Again, this was a fun party match. The end felt kind of flat with the run-in, but it is what it is.
Match Result: Judgment Day defeated Nino Hamburguesa, Mr. Iguana & Lola Vice
-Brian “El Shulito” Calderon (a singer with 1.1 million Instagram followers) was shown.
AAA Tag Team Champions Los Garza (Angel & Berto) defend against Psycho Clown & Pagano in a street fight
At one point, both Berto and Angel seemed destined to be released as they had no real fit on the WWE main roster. Yet, this team has revitalized them and feels right. This AAA relationship came at a perfect time.
I was interested if this would be a WWE street fight or a AAA street fight (maybe they are the same?) and this felt like the former. It basically stayed in the ring the entire time and felt like a house show street fight with kendo sticks, garbage cans and tables. There was an impressive double press slam on Pagano through a non-Slim Jim table in the ring which led to more tables being brought in. Pagano speared the champions through a table as they were trying to suplex Clown through it.
Pagano and Clown were put through side-by-side tables on the outside of the ring after a Jericho-style springboard dropkick by Berto while Angel had both men ensnared on the apron. Got that? Pagano and Clown rallied with “barbed wire,” wrapping it around Berto, followed by a Spanish fly off the top by Clown to give the challengers the title win in a bit of a surprise. That led to other Clowns coming out to celebrate.
The loss ends the two-month reign of Los Garza.
I do enjoy a good street fight, but this didn’t do anything for me.
Match Result: Pagano & Psycho Clown defeated Los Garza to win the AAA Tag Team titles
Rey Mysterio inducts Konnan into the AAA Hall of Fame
Mysterio spoke in Spanish, but there was also an English translator who was nearly impossible to hear as both men were talking essentially at the same time. Of note, there were “Alberto” chants to which Mysterio said “I’ll bring him. Wait on me.” or something to that effect.
The video featured R-Truth, Norman Smiley, Road Dogg and Penta giving their props in addition to a lot of WCW footage. Konnan thanked a lot of people, yelled at someone to sit down in the crowd twice, and put over the WWE relationship.
Assuming an increasingly English-speaking audience is the goal for WWE with these shows, production needs to figure out how to make the translator thing work as two men talking over each other is distracting.
-El Grande Americano was interviewed backstage in Spanish.
-Vikingo was also interviewed and heavily booed.
-During the night, ads also aired for WrestleMania in addition to the upcoming Canelo Alvarez fight being promoted by TKO.
-Attendance was announced as a sold-out 19,691.
-Briadana Deyanara Moreno (influencer) was shown followed by Mascarita Sagrada, Fantasma and Lady Shani which was quite a visual transition.
AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Flammer defends against Faby Apache and Natalya in a three-way
A loss here would end a 735-day reign (!) as champion for Flammer, one that began in August 2023 but only has five successful title defenses. Natalya came out as the Nattie Neidhart Bloodsport version of her character, aka “The Low Key Legend.” I could see a title change here for Natalya which would give her something notable on the resume.
Apache had a pin on Flammer, but did a super slow count for which the story wasn’t explained. He then did a quick count when Flammer attempted to pin Apache so clearly there’s a story. The fans were also chanting something at each other which wasn’t explained on commentary. Perhaps also distracted, Konnan did randomly say during the match that he can’t wait to see what AAA is like under WWE’s direction in the next year, two years and five years.
Natalya nearly got the win on a quick count on Apache, but Flammer took advantage of a distracted Apache who had just hit a Michinoku driver on Natalya, rolling her up for the pin with a quick count.
Afterward, Natalya and Apache got into it again and had to be separated.
Like the crowd, I wasn’t into this. This went just under 11 minutes and felt a lot longer.
Match Result: Flammer retained the AAA Reina de Reinas title in a three-way over Natalya and Lady Apache
The next Worlds Collide show was announced for Friday, September 12 at 10 PM Eastern from Las Vegas, right after SmackDown.
AAA Mega Champion El Hijo del Vikingo defends against Dominik Mysterio, El Grande Americano and Dragon Lee in a four-way
Americano came out with a mariachi band and sang his way to the ring which the crowd absolutely loved followed by Lee with dragon wings and a Chinese dragon. Then, there was Mysterio, the reigning WWE Intercontinental Champion who was beloved. Vikingo was shown backstage getting props from Rey Mysterio Jr. and also his father who was also roundly booed.
Of note, commentary didn’t say a god damn word during the entrances which I love, love, love. Let the performers have the moment and let us take everything in. Based on the reaction, the people want either Americano or Mysterio. Also, can we give props to Ludwig Kaiser for speaking perfect (I think) Spanish? Who knew that speaking multiple languages was such a plus in today’s WWE?
Perhaps too jacked up about the moment, Lee was off early, missing some kicks and a dropkick into the corner. He and Vikingo teamed up on the not-so-heels before competing against each other. It’s so wild to me to hear Vikingo booed considering how loved he is in the U.S.
As noted several times on commentary, this was, indeed, non-stop action (Total Nonstop Action, perhaps?). They went a little too strong into how great a match this was instead of just letting the action speak for itself.
Things broke down on the outside as the not-so-heels put Vikingo through the English announce table (EAT?) before turning on each other which distracted them from a Lee tope through the ropes. This also knocked out the broadcast team so it was quiet for a while.
Judgment Day came out to distract Lee and hold him in place for a 619 but Americano broke up the pin attempt. The LWO then ran out to even up the odds and the commentary team came back. Two of Americano’s mysterious masked men then came out to aid Americano and nearly won by pinning Lee after a Blockbuster.
He then tried to load the mask, but Lee prevented it and dove onto all the interfering parties on the outside of the ring. He then hit Operation Dragon on Americano, but Vikingo broke up the pin and nearly got one of his own after a 630.
Mysterio then put on his own Rey Mysterio Sr. mask, loaded it up, dumped Vikingo outside and headbutted both Americano and Lee, nearly getting the pin on Lee after a frog splash until a masked man pulled him off.
That was revealed to be AJ Styles who hit a Styles Clash on his rival Mysterio and then left. Vikingo took advantage, hitting a 630 to get the pin and successful title defense.
PHEW.
This was a beautifully chaotic WWE-style main event that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Match Result: El Hijo del Vikingo defeated Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee and El Grande Americano to retain the AAA Mega title
Triplemania Final Thoughts:
For a AAA noob like myself, this was an extremely entertaining three hours, capped by a fun main event. The street fight and women’s title match didn’t do much for me, but everything else checked the boxes for me. The WWE production gave it a familiar gloss which is either good or bad depending on your viewpoint.
If I’m a AAA hardcore, I’d love to hear from you. What did you think of tonight’s show and did it assuage your concerns about the future? Hit me up on X, BlueSky or good ol’ email.
