AAA Noche de los Grandes Night One Review – 05.30.26

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AAA presents Noche de los Grandes Night One tonight on Youtube from Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. The English language announcing team consists of Corey Graves, John Bradshaw Layfield, and AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio on match calls and analysis. There are four HUGE matches on tonight’s live card, so let’s not waste any time. Let’s watch some lucha!

Vikingo and Dom really very much dislike each other.

The show opens with a video package around the legacy of what identity and masks mean in lucha culture. Obviously the centerpiece of tonight’s show is the Luchas de Apuestas Mask vs Mask showdown between Nuevo and Original – the clash of the El Grande Americanos.

Here’s Rey Fenix getting a pep talk from his son, while AAA Cruiserweight Champion Laredo Kid has a determined expression during his entrance to the building. El Ojo have a strategy session as Dorian Roldan leads El Hijo del Vikingo and Omos through whatever plan he’s come up with for this evening. Vikingo’s opponent for tonight, AAA Latin American Champion El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. enters with his brother, Galeno del Mal. Finally, here’s El Grande Americano Original making his way through a hostile crowd, while El Grande Americano Nuevo waves a Mexican flag and is serenaded by a joyous version of “Cielito Lindo” by a raucous group of fans. Arena Monterrey is SOLD OUT!

AAA Cruiserweight Championship: Laredo Kid (C) vs Rey Fenix

Laredo has been champion for 539 days now. Fenix hits a drop kick and a jumping reverse thrust kick just after the bell. Fenix yanks Laredo into the Muschle Buster position but Laredo slips down and goes to the ropes. Fenix springs up and plants a kick into Laredo’s chest but Laredo catches Fenix on a charge and knees him in the head. Laredo covers and gets two. Laredo yanks Fenix to a corner and ascends for a short moonsault. Laredo misses a second attempt but manages to yank Fenix up for a Michinoku Driver that gets two.

Laredo stomps on Fenix and pulls on his ankle before slapping on a Texas Cloverleaf. Fenix makes the ropes and Laredo goes back to ground and pound. Laredo takes off a top turnbuckle pad and referee Tirantes seems unconcerned. Fenix recovers to start throwing some rights. Fenix misses a charge and Laredo slaps the Cloverleaf on again while Fenix is mounted over the second rope. Fenix collapses down and Laredo stomps away again on Fenix’s back. Laredo pulls Fenix up and drives a foot on his back sending Fenix face-first to the mat. Laredo covers and gets two.

Laredo puts the boots to Fenix’s head while barking at him. Laredo takes a moment and charges, but a recovered Fenix rises up with a couple of lariats and Laredo is forced to bail to the floor. Fenix ascends for a springboard splash and then sends Laredo back in. Fenix ascends and crushes Laredo with a cross-body that gets two. Fenix yanks Laredo into an armbar and Laredo sneaks his boots over the ropes to break it. Fenix kicks Laredo and a slap battle breaks out. Laredo pulls Fenix into a tilt-a-whirl DDT but Fenix no-sells it and nips up to a pop. Fenix hits a superkick and a roundhouse but when he comes off the ropes Laredo pulls Fenix into a Mexican Destroyer DDT that gets two.

Fenix blocks a Laredo low-blow attempt and we reset with both guys in opposite corners. Fenix charges and hits a forearm followed by a leaping cutter and covers Laredo for two. Fenix nips up again and crushes Laredo with Sweet Chin Music. Fenix covers for two. Fenix wants the Muscle Buster but Laredo slips down into an inside cradle that gets two. Laredo hits a Codebreaker and then ascends. Fenix springs up and yanks Laredo into the Muscle Buster and everyone is shocked when Laredo kicks out at two.

Fenix points at the exposed turnbuckle and when Tirantes finally notices it, Laredo uses the distraction to blast Fenix in the nuts with a kick. Laredo ascends and crushes Fenix with a frog splash that gets two. Laredo pulls down an elbow pad and charges, but Fenix slips away and Laredo goes chest-first into the exposed turnbuckle. Fenix hits a springboard reverse thrust kick and mounts Laredo on the top turnbuckle. Fenix hits a second Muscle Buster and that finishes things.

The crowd is INCENDIARY tonight and just went bonkers after the Laredo low blow. This was the third match between these two in the last six weeks or so and for me, easily the best of the three. Fenix wins an important title and a long reign comes to an end for Laredo. There was a good callback to Laredo using the low blow to win the last time they met and Fenix knowing it was coming this entire match. I thought this was an excellent well-agented match and did exactly what it needed to do. What an opener. 4*

Winner AND NEW AAA Cruiserweight Champion – Rey Fenix (Mexican Muscle Buster)

Post-match sees Fenix go into the crowd to share a moment with his family with his brand new belt.

Celebrities love wrestling and here’s Ernesto Chavana and Pancho de Negris. de Negris gets a chorus of boos, and he’s apparently a very unpopular reality star. Other folks in the crowd include AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion Mr. Iguana and La Parka. They get quite a pop from the crowd.

Here’s a video package surrounding the Vikingo-DW3 feud including Vikingo’s shocking loss to Mini Vikingo thanks to help from DW3.

AAA Latin American Championship: El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. (C) vs El Hijo del Vikingo

DW3 gets a massive ovation when he enters, while Dorian Roldan and Vikingo are utterly hated. DW3 charges and plants Vikingo with a dropkick just after the bell. DW3 hits a lofted powerslam and covers Vikingo for two. DW3 mashes Vikingo with a senton and covers for two. Vikingo bails to the apron and hits a reverse thrust kick when DW3 gives chase. DW3 kicks Vikingo down to the floor after absorbing a couple of rights. Vikingo manages to trip up DW3 when he charges sending DW3 face-first into the ring steps. Vikingo mounts DW3 in the corner on top of the ring steps and ascends. Vikingo hits a Coup de Grace to DW3’s chest and rolls him in for a two count.

Vikingo hits a sliding dropkick sending DW3 back to the floor and then crushes him with a running Shooting Star press. Vikingo ascends again but leaps right into a DW3 superkick. DW3 hits a running knee lift and follows with a cannonball. DW3 ascends and hits a splash that gets two. DW3 walks into a Vikingo roundhouse but DW3 recovers to plant Vikingo with a crucifix driver and we reset with both competitors down. Here’s Omos making his way to ringside as Vikingo misses a charge. DW3 hits a lariat and covers Vikingo for two.

DW3 ascends and Dorian Roldan leaps on to the apron to grab the ref’s attention. Omos yanks DW3’s foot off the top turnbuckle and he crumples to the mat. Vikingo flies in with a Meteora and ascends for a 450 splash that gets two. Here’s Galeno del Mal in to splash Omos from behind to no effect. Omos clubs Galeno down and then sends him into the crowd. Omos gets hit with a bunch of chairs shots but Vikingo slips in a quick dropkick to enrage Galeno even further. As Galeno is arguing with the referee Mini Vikingo flies in from outta nowhere and hits a top rope dropkick on Vikingo. DW3 yanks Vikingo into a tilt-a-whirl shoulder breaker that gets a LONG two. Omos smashes Galeno into a ring post and then crushes DW3 with a huge right hand as Vikingo had the ref tied up with some banter. Vikingo ascends and a 630 splash ends things.

I thought this was a little overbooked, but given how much El Ojo cheat just about every time they’re out there, it wasn’t surprising. Vikingo gets a disputed win, which will more than likely continue this feud, and we’ll probably get a fun tag match out of it somewhere down the line. This was good but the heat was a little subdued after all the interference. Vikingo remains the most hated luchador in Mexico at this point. 3.75*

Winner AND NEW AAA Latin American Champion – El Hijo del Vikingo (630 splash)

Post-match sees El Ojo celebrate in the aisleway while Galeno tends to his fallen brother in the ring.

Triplemania is coming in September and Night One will be happening at the Luxor in Las Vegas! The BoD AAA fam should take a road trip!

WWE will have Smackdown and Raw in Mexico coming soon. Very exciting news.

More celebrities! Juan Guarnizo (a streamer) and DJ Luian (a DJ) are ringside. Here’s La Catalina, AAA Mixed Tag Team Champion Lola Vice, and Bayley whooping it up prior to their big showdown with Las Toxicas next week.

AAA World Tag Team Championship: Los Psycho Circus (Pagano and Psycho Clown) (C) vs The War Raiders (Erik and Ivar)

The Raiders charge at the bell and the Clowns send them to the floor. Pagano and Psycho hit stereo topes and then run Erik back in. They plant Erik with a double-team lariat/lungblower. Ivar charges in and gets hit with a Psycho superkick. Psycho fights off an Erik charge and pops Ivar on the apron with a right. Erik sends Psycho to the floor and tags in Ivar. Ivar splashes Psycho on the floor and then rolls him back in for a two count.

Erik tags back in and he rams Ivar into Psycho before Erik goes to ground and pound. Erik smashes Psycho with a forearm and starts torquing on his neck. Erik yanks Psycho down and tags in Ivar. They continue double teaming Psycho and Ivar grabs a cover for two. Ivar drops a right and then runs a forearm over Psycho’s face. Ivar tosses a bunch of back elbows and then runs into a Psycho clothesline. Erik and Pagano get tags and Pagano goes to work on Erik. Pagano hits a back elbow and a leaping Codebreaker before smashing Ivar with a dropkick. Pagano hits a tornado DDT on Ivar and then goes back in to yank Erik up for an Emerald Frosion that gets two.

Erik hits a knee and Pagano staggers into his corner where Psycho tags in. Ivar tags in as well and Psycho runs wild on both Raiders. Psycho goes to the apron where he mashes a charging Ivar with a kick. Psycho runs the length of the apron and crushes Erik with a diving splash. Psycho pulls Ivar into a Code Red and gets two. Pagano gets tagged in and Psycho hoists Ivar up for a Psycho Driver before Pagano comes off the top rope with a legdrop. Psycho gets a tag and hits a frog splash with Erik breaking up the subsequent cover at two.

Erik and Pagano start slugging it out and Pagano crushes Erik on the floor with a tope. Ivar hits a standing senton on a charging Psycho and gets mashed by a bunch of Pagano rights. Pagano sends Ivar’s backfist into Psycho, and then Ivar ducks as Pagano charges and inadvertently (?) takes out Psycho with a lariat. Erik gets a tag as Ivar dumps Pagano to the floor. The Raiders hit the DTM on Psycho and that finishes things. MORE NEW CHAMPIONS!

It feels like AAA is really resetting the table tonight with all these title changes. The crowd audibly groaned when Pagano hit Psycho with the lariat as they could tell that was the beginning of the end for the Clowns. I thought this was a solid back and forth affair but I was surprised there wasn’t a bit more violence considering the history of these two teams. Regardless, this was very good and continues the ongoing saga of Pagano’s deteriorating relationship with the rest of the Circus. 3.75*

Winners AND NEW AAA Tag Team Champions – The War Raiders (DTM on Psycho)

Post-match sees a livid Psycho screaming at Pagano mid-ring. There’s some pushing and Psycho tears his outer mask off to reveal a horrifying skin-seared version of it. Pagano turns his back and walks away, and when he does, the Raiders rush back in for more violence against Psycho. Pagano watches this unfold after turning, and then turns to leave. Psycho gets hit with a lofted double-team powerbomb as Pagano continues to exit.

Here are a LOT of watch parties tuned in for this IMMENSE main event.

Here’s AAA GM Rey Mysterio‘s music and he emerges to a gigantic pop. JBL grudgingly admits that Rey is doing a great job so far as GM as we see both Americanos preparing for tonight. We get a comic book-inspired look at the Americanos feud and how it’s turned into the biggest and best war in professional wrestling right now. Watching the rise of Nuevo into a legitimate legend during this whole thing has been remarkable. We get a look back at all of Original’s villainy including attacking a blind comedian, the taking out of poor Pimpinela Escarlata, and the especially heinous behavior towards Nuevo’s partner and AAA announcer Andrea Bazarte.

A mariachi ensemble plays as Original emerges from his locker room flanked by a gigantic number of Security goons. Original makes his entrance to an avalanche of hate from the crowd and a culero chant. Original gets into it with a fan at ringside before sauntering into the ring. Original prances around the ring and makes sure to give some stink-mouth to Rey Mysterio who remains quiet in a corner. A new mariachi band emerges to play out Nuevo who enters the arena in a gold mask and a black cowboy hat. “Cielito Lindo” brings out Nuevo to an eruption of singing and adoring applause from the crowd. Americano gives some love to the band and then heads towards the ring to thunderous noise. Nuevo tosses his cowboy hat to the crowd and joins his opponent and GM Mysterio in the ring. The heat is just off the charts for this and we haven’t even rung the bell yet.

Mask vs Mask: El Grande Americano Original vs El Grande Americano Nuevo

Original steals a guitar from one of the mariachis in the ring and waffles Nuevo with it before the bell sounds. Rey Mysterio predictably goes berserk over this and he and Original go nose to nose. The ref wants to know what to do, and Mysterio decides to just let this happen and signals for the bell. Original pounces on Nuevo and starts driving right hands into his head. Original starts pounding away and then stomps on Nuevo as the culero chant starts up again. (Culero – “asshole” in Spanish.) Original stands on Nuevo’s head and then yanks him up for a release overhead suplex. Nuevo fires up with some right hands but Original reverses when they go to a corner. Original mounts Nuevo on a top turnbuckle and they start slugging it out. Nuevo slips down and pulls Original into a fallaway brainbuster. Nuevo gets dumped to the apron and then Original smashes him with a lariat. Original charges and Nuevo sort of half-monkey flips him into the ring post and to the floor. Nuevo hits a tope suicida and a shotgun dropkick before slapping Original’s chest a bunch. Original fires up and sends Nuevo into a ring post. Nuevo recovers quickly and yanks Original up for a Death Valley Driver on the floor.

Nuevo pulls out a table but after he sets it up a recovered Original fires up and rams Nuevo into the ring steps. Original positions the ring steps and smashes Nuevo’s head into it a few times. Original yanks Nuevo up to the top step and pulls him up for a modified Angle Slam. Original runs Nuevo back in and covers him for two. Original starts throwing right hands and starts tearing at Nuevo’s mask. Original pounds away but Nuevo rises up and pulls Original into a side slam through the table. (It looked like Nuevo took the brunt of this but the crowd went bonkers regardless.) Nuevo finds a fan in the crowd with an Original tee-shirt on and looks away in horror. Original recovers and yanks a charging Nuevo into an Ankle Lock. Original snaps off a German suplex and grabs a piece of broken table shard. Original smashes Nuevo in the head with the shard and then pulls a chair out from the timekeeper’s area. Original heaves the chair at Nuevo and then does it again. Original whips a steel chair at Nuevo to immense heat from the crowd.

Nuevo emerges and Original hits an overhead suplex before smashing him onto the ringside announce table. Nuevo collapses onto the floor and Original continues destroying the ringside area so he can yank Nuevo up and toss him back into the ring. Original throws more right hands and Nuevo is now busted open. Original continues pounding away at the cut and Nuevo fires up with some rights of his own. Original keeps on pounding away and yanks Nuevo into an overhead suplex that gets two.

Original slaps Nuevo dead in the face and puts him on a top turnbuckle. Original pounds at the bloodied Nuevo and then hits a top rope belly to back suplex. Original takes a bunch of time before rising to continue pounding away. Nuevo orders Original to bring it and then Nuevo starts firing off chest slaps. Nuevo walks the ropes and hits a blockbuster that gets two. Nuevo tries to draw power from the crowd before slapping Original around and mounting him on a top turnbuckle. Nuevo ascends and starts tearing at Original’s mask. Original snaps off an elbow and then misses a leap to the floor. Nuevo yanks up Original for a face-first slam onto the ring steps. Nuevo charges and waffles Original with a shotgun dropkick before rolling him back into the ring for some ground and pound. Original is now busted open and Nuevo covers him for two.

Nuevo goes to the floor for some chairs which he tosses into the ring. Nuevo plants one chair between the second and third ropes in a corner and all the time spent doing that allows Original time to recover. Original yanks Nuevo into a German suplex and they both grab chairs. Original swings and misses and Nuevo follows with a shot that sends Original’s chair into his head. Nuevo covers and the count is broken up at two by Los Americanos Hermanos who yank Nuevo out of the ring. Julio clears off the announce table and he and Bruto slam Nuevo on top of the table. The table doesn’t break, so Julio yanks Nuevo up for a chokeslam and this time the table successfully collapses. The Hermanos run Nuevo back in and Original hits a diving headbutt that gets two.

Here’s Rayo and Bravo Americano out to even up the numbers. They begin fighting with the Hermanos and they fight all the way to the back. Rayo finds a kendo stick and goes to work with some vicious shots. Bravo flies from a super high distance and crushes all three guys as the crowd lose their minds. Original finds Alexis Arroyo, the blind comedian he had previously attacked during this feud, at ringside. Arroyo doesn’t take any abuse and starts smashing Original with his cane. Original turns right into a Sliced Bread from Nuevo who then tosses Original back in. Original hits a rolling Liger kick and Nuevo ends up back on the floor. A mariachi in a mask waffles Original with a guitar shot only to remove the mask and reveal himself as a returning Pimpinela Escarlata (PIMPI IS BACK!). Nuevo hits a flying headbutt and covers Original for two.

Nuevo goes out to the floor and pulls out a short bullrope. Nuevo goes back in and Original goes very low as Nuevo walked in. Original starts whipping Nuevo with the bullrope and then goes to the Greco-Roman choke. Original plants Nuevo face-first onto a steel chair and covers him for two. Original puts the rope in Nuevo’s mouth and torques back along the ropes. Here’s Andrea Bazarte making her way through the crowd to ringside and reaching out towards Nuevo as he’s trapped along the ropes. Original goes out to the floor and walks slowly towards Bazarte to start barking at her about being fired. Bazarte pulls out a ticket to prove she’s allowed and all this allows Nuevo time to fire up and smash Original with the bullrope. Original gets yanked into an implant DDT on a chair that gets two.

They start slugging it out mid-ring and the crowd goes berserk as it reaches its crescendo. Nuevo charges and gets tossed into an Exploder into a corner. Original hits a moonsault and covers for a LONG two. Original pulls Nuevo to a corner and starts smashing his leg and knee with a chair. Original goes back in and puts on the Ankle Lock. Nuevo rolls through and pulls Original into La Cavernaria. Original rolls through and goes right back to the Ankle Lock. Nuevo finds the strength to rise up and yank Original into an overhead face-first suplex. Nuevo’s ankle gives way when he charges and Original pulls the straps down. Original hits a bridging German and Nuevo kicks out at two.They both collapse in corners and Original misses a charge after rising. Nuevo rises and pulls an exhausted Original up for a running headbutt. Nuevo covers and the ref counts THREE.

An absolute masterpiece of story-telling from start to finish, and a WAR to end it. Incredible spectacle, a white-hot crowd, and a bloody battle of attrition that saw the wildly popular hero get the win. Esto es lucha indeed. 5*

Winner – El Grande Americano Nuevo (running headbutt)

Post-match sees an exhausted Nuevo hug a jubilant Pimpi at ringside. A weeping Andrea Bazarte along with Rayo and Bravo join an absolutely wrecked Nuevo mid-ring. Original brings a small child to ringside, and he wants a few moments to say some things. Original says he put on the mask to learn the art of lucha libre because he wanted to defeat all the luchadors he hated. During the process he learned a lot about Mexico, the people, the culture, and lucha. Original admits that as a man and it pains him to say this but he could not overcome the Mexican spirit tonight. Original says he’ll always be the Original and now his family is with him. Original says from now on Nuevo is the only El Grande Americano and removes his mask to reveal Chad Gable. Gable is covered with blood and gets a big “Gable” chant from the crowd. “Mi nombre es Chad Gable” says Gable and he was born in March of 1986 in the United States of America. Gable has wrestled in the Olympics and has been a pro for 13 years and introduces his wife and children to some very nice applause from the crowd. Gable points at EGA and says he will be back in AAA. Gable hands the mask to EGA and makes his exit with his family. EGA is announced once again to an enormous pop as Gable and his family make their way backstage.

Pro wrestling is just the wildest and strangest art form and I couldn’t love it any more on nights like this. That main event should be shown to every young wrestler, male or female, everywhere. The Americanos feud has been so good for so long now that it deserved this type of spectacle to end it, and they could not have delivered in more epic fashion than that. The rest of the show was excellent as well with three title changes and a raft of very good matches. What a night for lucha.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Enjoy your Sundays.