What happens next for Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser?
And a look at what made their match on Saturday so spectacular
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Eric Bischoff tells it best.
Whenever he’d pitch a storyline idea to Hulk Hogan about a finish at a pay-per-view, Hogan would contemplate, stroke his fu manchu, and ask, “What comes next?”
That is the very same question Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser should be asking.
Gable and Kaiser, under masks as, respectively, “The Original” El Grande Americano and El Grande Americano, wrestled a classic this past Saturday at AAA’s Noche de Los Grandes. What started as comedy evolved into the most significant match in the careers of both men, with Kaiser winning and celebrating the victory by taking Gable’s mask.
For some background, the story started in January of 2025 when Gable was repeatedly defeated by luchadors in WWE. He then made it his mission to travel to Mexico and learn the secrets of lucha libre. Pretty soon, Gable had “returned” from his odyssey, but under a mask and performing as El Grande Americano. Hailing from the Gulf of America, the tongue-in-cheek character came to the ring with mariachi music and spoke in broken Spanish.
As soon as Gable was gaining momentum, he sustained a shoulder injury. That is where this story takes a turn.
In order to keep the character active, Kaiser put on a mask and became El Grande Americano. It highlighted the absurdity of the character, as Kaiser neither looked nor wrestled anything like Gable.
The timing was fortuitous. WWE had purchased AAA, a popular lucha libre promotion in Mexico, that same year, so Kaiser slowly gained popularity as El Grande Americano in Mexico with the AAA fans. Fluent in Spanish, he completely revamped the character, making El Grande Americano into a wrestler who loved and embraced Mexican culture.
And the fans fell in love with it.
Gable returned this past January, wearing the mask and challenging the legitimacy of Kaiser’s El Grande Americano. While it was well-received in the United States by WWE fans, its popularity skyrocketed in Mexico. Their mask vs. mask bout headlined this past Saturday’s Noche de Los Grandes event, with AAA’s booking team of The Undertaker and Jeremy Borash making the most of their outrageously popular storyline.
As WWE searches for an exclusive programming partner for AAA, the card on Saturday aired on YouTube. Due to the buzz surrounding it, WWE even aired the match on Netflix at the conclusion of yesterday’s Raw. That was certainly done to share the entertaining moment with its fanbase, as well as help AAA to find a home to air in the states.
Full of theatrics, we witnessed an over-the-top blood feud. It stands as a stark contrast to much of what is on display in parent company WWE, and that runs even deeper than the lack of ads on the tables. If you’re a long-time wrestling fan, you’ll find the lack of mid-match commercials extremely refreshing.
No celebrities were necessary. The entire focus was what was taking place inside the ring. The crowd relished every moment, delivering visceral babyface and heel reactions that simply are no longer on display in the U.S. The in-ring action connected to the story being told, with the wrestlers in the ring fully committed to their craft. All of that was a beauty to watch unfold, especially the unbridled emotion in post-match interviews in the ring.
Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Corey Graves was sensational on the broadcast, but JBL’s brand of humor simply did not fit here. Rey Mysterio also joined the commentary team, but his lack of energy detracted from what was happening in the ring. The best-case scenario moving forward is that WWE sends Graves ringside for the next big AAA card, and either give him a new partner or allow him to work the show alone.
As for what comes next, that is the most pressing question.
