On Saturday June 7, WWE presented Worlds Collide — a full-blown lucha libre show featuring talent from the newly acquired AAA promotion. In this column we’re going to discuss the good of the show, the bad of the show and of course, Mr. Iguana.
The Bad: Let’s get the bad out of the way first, because there were a few gripes to be had with the show.
The Credit Boys: Shout out to Fightful’s Grapsody Podcast for this term to describe Triple H and HBK. These two never miss an opportunity to put themselves in front of a camera and soak in even the most minuscule ounce of adulation for doing literally anything. It’s getting comical at this point.
Production Woes: Graphics with the wrong information on them. The Mexican National Anthem botch (which drew the ire of Blue Demon Jr.), missing big spots during the match, awkward moments on commentary. All of these actually made it feel like more of an authentic AAA show!
A Murky Future: While WWE did promote Triplemania Regia in June (but not how to watch it) and Triplemania from Mexico City we have no real idea what the future of AAA holds. While that is exciting and gives sites like this and our friends at BCP+ and No Gimmicks Podcast something to talk about, it’d be nice to know how AAA is going to exist going forward.
Commentary: Konnan was definitely on the show to serve as a bridge between American and Latin audiences. However, he was a bit too slow and quiet, sometimes dragging the matches down. Corey Graves worked his tail off in this match and you could tell he genuinely enjoys lucha (sadly his brother, AAA regular Sam Adonis was not on the show). Sometimes he was a little too hyper on the call, but his energy never detracted.
The Rey Mysterio Promo: This was the biggest and most flagrantly bad thing on the show. Rey Mysterio cut an impassioned promo that was mostly good until (in Spanish) he said “WWE put the seal of authenticity on lucha libre.”
History is truly written by the victors, is it not?
While we shouldn’t be surprised at WWE supporting and promoting revisionist wrestling history, this was just a very tone deaf thing to say, and undermines the accomplishments of so many luchadors, luchadoras, minis, exoticos (conveniently forgotten in all of this by WWE) and backstage workers. Lucha libre’s influence can be seen all over the world. Every dive to the outside on RAW, Dynamite, in the Tokyo Dome or in a pub in the UK owes its existence to lucha libre. So much wrestling draws influence from this beautiful form of wrestling, and it should be celebrated as its own genre of wrestling with its own rich history, not something WWE has “legitimized.” Not the best way to start a lucha libre show!
The Good:Â
After all that being said you’d think I would have hated Worlds Collide with an unbridled passion. Well, you’re all going to be surprised by this statement…
WWE x AAA Worlds Collide was undoubtedly the best bell-to-bell in-ring, wrestling show that I have seen from WWE since the pre-COVID Black & Gold NXT and NXT UK shows that aired on the WWE Network. Before you run to find some pearls to clutch, let me clarify my statement. WWE has produced fantastic matches since the aforementioned era, but in my opinion have never really hit on a show from top-to-bottom like this in a long time.
Worlds Collide was everything this writer loves about pro wrestling and especially lucha libre. It was non-stop action, larger than life characters, and a crowd that was on fire throughout the show.
While the revisionist history could not be denied from the Rey promo, the video packages that WWE produced (thank you Jeremy Borash) about AAA and Triplemania were excellent. They served as quick yet effective history lessons.
It was nice to see lucha royalty like Blue Demon Jr., Mascarita Sagrada and Negro Cassas, not only in the crowd, but put over (to an extent) on commentary. WWE would be smart to retain the services of all these men. Blue Demon Jr. could easily serve as an authority figure type, while you’d be a fool night to have Negro Cassas training luchadors (or NXT talent, let’s be honest). Mascarita Sagarada, come now, who doesn’t love him? Latin Lover was also included and put over. He was a big star for the company and is currently an on-air character that should be kept around as well.
WWE and AAA need to be commended on the choice of luchadors and luchadoras selected to be on the show. While putting the new La Parka would have made a ton of sense (and probably should’ve been in the opener as opposed to Aerostar), everyone on this show not only represented key facets of AAA programming, but also represented the potential of AAA going forward. Company stalwarts like Aerostar, Psycho Clown and Pagano were mixed in with potential future stars like Octagon Jr. and El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. Also, featuring WWE talent with history in AAA like Santos Escobar and Dragon Lee — both of whom are highly under-used on the main roster — were treats for AAA fans and reminders to WWE fans that these guys are indeed, the goods.
Show Review:
Mr. Iguana, Aerostar y Octagon Jr. vs. LWO (Dragon Lee, Lince Dorado y Cruz del Toro): A star was undeniably born in Mr. Iguana. You’d have thought, coming out of this match that Dragon Lee or Octagon Jr. would have emerged the stars, but nope it was Mr. Iguana. This long-time luchador and his iguana puppet La Yezca were not only the most over acts at Worlds Collide, but through this entire week of WWE programming. His whimsical, comedic style is the stuff that makes you love pro wrestling. Expect big things from him in WWE. LWO had a nice showcase — in particular Cruz del Toro (fka Raul Mendoza). Del Toro has always been an underrated and he got his time to shine. This was a very fun match and my predictions on Team AAA winning came true.
The Dominik Mysterio Promo: This was the best promo Dom has ever cut. It was straight to the point, no frills and it had a little foreshadowing to it. The promo and the scrap between Dom and Octagon Jr. was unlike most Dom segments. He wasn’t cowardly. He wasn’t hiding behind Liv or Judgement Day. He went after Octagon Jr. and even challenged him to a fight at Money in the Bank. That’s a bit of a character change, and man that Dom babyface run is going to be big box office.
Dalys y Chika Tormenta vs. Stephanie Vaquer y Lola Vice: This was a very standard tag team match. Dalys y Chika Tormenta were very safe opponents for Vice y Vaquer. They didn’t do much to really stand out to become top names in AAA’s luchadora division, but they proved to be solid hands. The match bolstered Vaquer’s status as an undeniable star in WWE, and the company needs to keep that energy up. More than anything though, this match reminded people of just how good Lola Vice could be. There’s no reason, especially since Vaquer, Giulia and Jordynne Grace are main roster bound, that Vice should not be the one gunning for the NXT Women’s Title. She has the look, the charisma, the legit fighting background and is solid in the ring. She’s print money if WWE gets behind her.
Psycho Clown, Pagano y El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr vs. Legado del Fantasma: Not a surprise that Legado took the W in this. If WWE is really going to be running AAA on a full-time basis, Santos Escobar should be one of the forward faces of the promotion (which he once was). This was the best showing for Angel y Berto in WWE literally ever. Pagano had a rough night at the office, but his style is more brawling and blood, so he should be fine going forward. Psycho Clown is going to be such a star for WWE, while Wagner is a blue chipper if there ever was one.
NXT North American Title Match: “All Ego” Ethan Page (C) vs. Je’Von Evans vs. Rey Fenix vs. Laredo Kid: Run, don’t walk to check this match out. This was a Jacob Fatu special — all gas, no brakes. There were constant high spots and big moments and everyone had the opportunity to show out. Once again, you’ve got to question why NXT is allergic to giving Je’Von Evans wins let alone a title, but if he remains a regular in AAA, that will be to his benefit. Ethan Page, to be honest, should not be holding a midcard title in NXT, he should be on the main roster at this point. Regardless, this was one of his best showings under the WWE banner since signing.
El Hijo del Vikingo (C) vs. Chad Gable for the AAA Mega Championship: The biggest shock in this match was the lack of shenanigans. AAA main events are often rife with them, and not only was this shenanigan-free, but we got a clean finish. This is a WWE Match of the Year candidate for sure. Go watch. Enjoy it. This is wrestling at its best. No words can this match justice.
Final Thoughts: You 100% should go out of your way to watch this show. It’s a fantastic two+ hour show that moves at a fast clip. If you love this show, please go out of your way to find more lucha libre. You can see it on display in AEW, TNA, MLW, your local indies and on YouTube. There’s so much current and classic lucha libre out there for you to watch. Enjoy this wonderful form of wrestling!
