NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
For fans of professional wrestling, it’s easy to criticize when things go wrong or the crescendo of a storyline doesn’t live up to lofty expectations. Naysayers tune in regularly and the criticism is often louder and more exaggerated when these things happen.
It’s safe to say that the end of the story between El Grande Americano and Original El Grande Americano on Saturday night at AAA Lucha Libre Worldwide’s Noche de Los Grandes exceeded expectations and established 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. Professional wrestling fans across the country sang for him and welcomed him to Lucha Libre culture. The original El Grande Americano was the hated villain that fans loudly booed, flipped the middle finger, and repelled any momentum he gained.
ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!
El Grande Americano faces El Grande Americano during the WWE Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 31, 2026. (Joe Maher/WWE)
It all culminated in an extraordinary Mask vs. Mask match in Monterey in front of a packed arena. In the end, El Grande Americano defeated Original El Grande Americano in a bloody fight. The original El Grande Americano was forced to remove his mask, revealing himself to be WWE star Chad Gable.
It was a long drawn out affair in which Gable attacked El Grande Americano with a guitar slam to start the match, Rayo and Bravo eliminated the Creed Brothers and El Grande Americano put Gable through a table.
Both men punched each other, trying to remove each other’s masks before the match ended. They were left bloodied, battered and battered in the end.
El Grande Americano enters the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Neb., accompanied by Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano on Monday Night RAW on May 4, 2026. (Georgina Dallas/WWE)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Pro wrestling fans universally agreed that this was one of, if not the best matches of the year.
“I put on this mask to go on a quest to learn the art of Lucha Libre so I could defeat all the Luchadores in the world that I hated, hated, hated,” Gable said after the match. “During my trip, I learned everything there was to know about Lucha Libre, about Mexico, about AAA, the Mexican people and Mexican culture.
The 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’m man enough to admit it, I stand here before you, not as a mask, but as a man. And it pains me to say this, it hurts me a lot, but with all the honor in the world, I will say that tonight I could not defeat the Mexican spirit.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Gable later wrote on Instagram that he was leaving for Italy. It’s unclear what he’ll do next, but WWE will host a Clash in Italy in Turin on Sunday.
