{"id":154935,"date":"2026-03-17T07:00:03","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T11:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=154935"},"modified":"2026-03-16T17:49:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T21:49:32","slug":"why-el-grande-americano-won-the-2026-aaa-rey-de-reyes-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/17\/why-el-grande-americano-won-the-2026-aaa-rey-de-reyes-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"Why El Grande Americano Won the 2026 AAA Rey de Reyes Tournament"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Every year, Lucha Libre AAA holds the Rey de Reyes tournament. Competitors compete in a fatal four-way match, with the winner getting the Rey de Reyes sword. But this year, the winner would also become the number one contender for the AAA Mega Championship. After weeks of qualifying, the field was set as El Grande Americano, La Parka, Santos Escobar, and \u201cThe Original\u201d El Grande Americano, who competed for the sword and future title match. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">With\u00a0the\u00a0Original Americano handcuffed in the upper deck, Americano had a clear path to victory. He headbutted both Escobar and La Parka <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=c1EPKI4lh4U\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">to win<\/a> the Rey de Reyes tournament. His win is very interesting for several different reasons. He now faces Dominik Mysterio for the AAA Mega Championship. In addition, the win ensures that the feud between him and the Original Americano still goes on.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_154963\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-154963\" style=\"width: 768px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/dchiaaa_rdr2026_04_yt_rev_1_1773544960.jpg\" alt=\"A graphic of El Grande Americano at AAA Rey de Reyes 2026\" width=\"768\" height=\"432\" class=\"size-full wp-image-154963\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/dchiaaa_rdr2026_04_yt_rev_1_1773544960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2026\/03\/dchiaaa_rdr2026_04_yt_rev_1_1773544960-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-154963\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: WWE\/Lucha Libre AAA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2><strong>Winning the Mega Championship Will Increase\u00a0His\u00a0Popularity\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Ever since the two Americanos started their storyline, AAA crowds have had\u00a0a very interesting\u00a0reception\u00a0to\u00a0them. The Original Americano, played by Chad Gable, has gotten choruses of boos.\u00a0Americano, played by Ludwig Kaiser, has been getting cheers from everyone in the audience. His win to get a Mega Championship opportunity made perfect sense from that standpoint. However,\u00a0his\u00a0challenger\u00a0will be hard to beat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Mysterio\u00a0has held the title since last September and has made two retentions against Dragon Lee and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/24\/will-dominik-mysterio-retain-the-aaa-mega-championship-at-rey-de-reyes\/\" target=\"_self\">El\u00a0Hijo\u00a0del\u00a0Vikingo<\/a>.\u00a0A third retention will happen against someone\u00a0equal\u00a0to him. Mysterio has his tricks, while Americano has Bravo and Rayo. They\u2019ve both used cheating and sneaky maneuvers in the past to win matches.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0clear that the title match, whenever it happens, will be extremely chaotic. If Americano gets past Mysterio, he will\u00a0become even more popular with the fans.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Puebla, Pimpi y TODO M\u00c9XICO \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\uddfd estamos con El Grande Americano<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AAAReyDeReyes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AAAReyDeReyes<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vq8IPm5vmA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/vq8IPm5vmA<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luchalibreaaa\/status\/2033014803065643434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Original Americano is Now Justified to Ruin Everything<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Everyone knows what the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/02\/10\/a-match-between-the-el-grande-americanos-wwe-wrestlemania-or-triplemania\/\" target=\"_self\">endgame<\/a> is for the two masked men. At some point, one of them will be unmasked, and the other will be free to portray the character. But no one knows what they\u2019re going to do to get there. What happened on Saturday is a great way to increase the stakes for the pivotal final match. By getting handcuffed by Bravo and Rayo, the Original Americano had to watch as his \u201cimpostor\u201d won a Mega Championship match. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">He was helpless, clearly seen struggling above as Americano celebrated his important win. Last week, he got swapped out for him in Penta\u2019s first WWE Intercontinental Championship <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/03\/10\/did-penta-retain-the-wwe-intercontinental-championship-against-el-grande-americano-on-3-9-raw\/\" target=\"_self\">defence<\/a>. This was the second time that Americano got the upper hand on him, and he had to be furious. Americano has to watch himself closely, or he might not even make it to the match against Mysterio.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Taaaaantas veces te pedi una \ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d\ud83d\ude2d<\/p>\n<p>El Grande Americano es el NUEVO Rey de Reyes<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AAAReyDeReyes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AAAReyDeReyes<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/42cKUZCDrT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/42cKUZCDrT<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/luchalibreaaa\/status\/2033020506551545911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 15, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Stakes for the Match are Now Tremendously High<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Americano winning the Rey de Reyes tournament is extremely important for two reasons. He has to fight Mysterio, who is equally as popular and sneaky, for the Mega Championship. Two guys with the same characteristics in the ring together will make for a very interesting match. Even with Bravo and Rayo\u2019s help, it might not be enough for him to win the title. The win also raised the already felt tension between him and the Original Americano immensely. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Not only was he replaced in the Intercontinental Championship match, but he was also helpless in the final moments of this match. That\u2019s twice in one week that Americano achieved his exploits. Even though there\u2019s no date set, WWE is definitely inching closer to the mask vs. mask match between the two men. Winning the Rey de Reyes tournament allows for more justification for that eventual match.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:480}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL EPISODE: Rey de Reyes - Lucha Libre AAA: Mar. 14, 2026\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/w1gCU5R01_c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every year, Lucha Libre AAA holds the Rey de Reyes tournament. Competitors compete in a fatal four-way match, with the winner getting the Rey de Reyes sword. But this year, the winner would also become the number one contender for the AAA Mega Championship. After weeks of qualifying, the field was set as El Grande [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5338,"featured_media":154962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,6,2192,4],"tags":[9664,6530,9280,2830,9665],"class_list":["post-154935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aaa","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-wwe","tag-aaa-rey-de-reyes","tag-dominik-mysterio","tag-el-grande-americano","tag-la-parka","tag-lucha-libre-aaa"],"modified_by":"Steph Franchomme","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5338"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=154935"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154935\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154964,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/154935\/revisions\/154964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/154962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=154935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=154935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=154935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}