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For pro wrestling fans, it’s easy to criticize when things are off the mark or if the crescendo of a story doesn’t live up to high expectations. The naysayers consistently log on, and the criticism is often louder and more exaggerated when those things happen.
It was safe to say that Saturday night’s conclusion to the storyline between El Grande Americano and Original El Grande Americano at AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide’s Noche de Los Grandes exceeded expectations and cemented itself as one of the best wrestling matches of the year.
The hype was palpable. El Grande Americano appeared on WWE and AAA programming and became a fan favorite in Mexico. Pro wrestling fans in the country chanted for him and welcomed him into the Lucha Libre culture. Original El Grande Americano was the hated villain that fans loudly booed, turned their middle fingers to, and pushed back against any momentum he would gain.
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El Grande Americano will face El Grande Americano at WWE’s Royal Rumble at the Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026. (Joe Maher/WWE)
It all culminated in an extraordinary match Mask vs. Mask fight in Monterey in front of a jammed arena. In the end, El Grande Americano defeated Original El Grande Americano in a bloody contest. The original El Grande Americano was forced to remove his mask and revealed himself as WWE star Chad Gable.
It was a lengthy affair with Gable attacking El Grande Americano with a guitar shot to start the match, Rayo and Bravo taking out the Creed Brothers and El Grande Americano putting Gable through a table.
Both men hit each other and tried to remove each other’s masks before the match was over. They were left bloodied, battered and beaten in the end.
El Grande Americano enters the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., accompanied by Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano on the May 4, 2026 Monday Night RAW. (Georgina Dallas/WWE)
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Pro wrestling fans universally agreed that it was one of, if not, the best match of the year.
“I put this mask on to go on a quest to learn the art of Lucha Libre so I can defeat all the Luchadores in the world that I hated, hated, hated,” Gable said after the match. “In that process of my journey I learned everything there was to know about Lucha Libre, about Mexico, about AAA, the Mexican people and the Mexican culture.
Original El Grande Americano makes his debut on Monday Night RAW at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas on March 16, 2026. (Rich Wade/WWE)
“I am man enough to admit, I stand here before you, not as a mask, but as a man. And it pains me to say this, it pains me, but with all the honor in the world, I will say that tonight, I could not overcome the Mexican spirit.”
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Gable later wrote on Instagram that he traveled to Italy. It’s unclear what he’ll do next, but WWE will host Clash of Italy in Turin on Sunday.
