World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has announced the acquisition of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide, one of Mexico’s premier wrestling promotions — with the first joint event set for June 7 at the Forum in Los Angeles.
The historic deal, revealed during WWE’s WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas, marks a major expansion into the Latin American market for the WWE, which is part of TKO Group Holdings.
It also marks a watershed moment in Mexico’s storied history of lucha libre, or freestyle wrestling.
The acquisition was unveiled Saturday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during the “WWE Countdown” show for WrestleMania 41, which drew 124,693 fans over two nights for what WWE said was its highest ever two-night attendance total.
The WWE-AAA announcement included WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque; Alberto Fasja, chairman of Fillip, the Mexican sports and entertainment holding company that owns AAA wrestling; AAA executives Marisela Peña and Dorian Roldán Peña; and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, who was born Óscar Gutiérrez Rubio to Mexican parents who lived in Tijuana.
Mysterio, 50, spent part of his childhood crossing the border from Tijuana to San Diego each day to attend school, and his Mexican heritage was always a central part of his WWE character — from wearing lucha libre masks to having the word “Mexican” tattooed in large letters across his stomach.
Founded in 1992 by Antonio Peña, AAA has been a family-operated business for over three decades. It puts on lucha libre shows across Mexico and has helped cultivate WWE stars such as Andrade, Penta (aka Penta Zero or Pentagón Jr.), Santos Escobar (previously known as El Hijo del Fantasma) and Rey Mysterio — whose career began in Mexico in the early 1990s.
The Peña family will retain involvement in AAA alongside WWE and Fillip.
“AAA has a rich cultural heritage with some of the most passionate fans in the world,” said Levesque, better known as “Triple H” during his days as a pro wrestler from 1995 to 2022. “By bringing together WWE’s global capabilities and AAA’s amazing tradition, we look forward to an exciting future filled with new opportunities.”
Lucha Libre AAA organizes wrestling shows in large and mid-sized cities throughout Mexico, hosts pay-per-view flagship events, and has promoted international shows in the U.S. and Japan.
It’s not to be confused with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), which hosts regular matches in Mexico City at Arena México (known as the “Cathedral of Lucha Libre”) three times a week and at Arena Coliseo on Saturday nights. CMLL also runs shows Monday nights in the city of Puebla and on some Tuesdays in Guadalajara.
The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to finalize in the third quarter of 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The June 7 show in Los Angeles, called Worlds Collide, will be a cross-promotional showcase highlighting WWE’s global reach and AAA’s lucha libre legacy.
Though the night’s lineup of wrestlers remains under wraps, WrestleTalk magazine has predicted some of the matchups, including Nueva Generación Dinamita of Mexico against WWE stars Nathan Frazer and Axiom for the AAA Tag Team Championship belt. Nueva Generación Dinamita — a stable including the wrestlers El Cuatrero, Sansón and Forastero — just won the title last month.
“The intent is to grow lucha libre,” Levesque said, noting its cultural significance across the Americas. “We’re not looking to revamp it but to enhance it and give talent opportunities to become worldwide celebrities.”
“This is the beginning of a new chapter in wrestling history,” added AAA General Manager Dorian Roldán Peña.
Tickets for Worlds Collide go on sale Monday, with presale registration available via the WWE website.
With reports from ESPN México, Medio Tiempo and Variety
