El Grande Americano advances in WWE Speed tournament
El Grande Americano — the supposed lucha legend played by Chad Gable — is advancing to the next round of WWE Speed’s number one contender’s tournament.
The masked Americano defeated Erik in a first-round match on WWE Speed this week, getting the victory with a diving headbutt with 42 seconds remaining on the three-minute clock. The match was taped at WWE Raw in Sacramento on April 14 before premiering today.
It will be Americano vs. Alex Shelley in the next round of the tournament (airing April 30 on X/Twitter) with the winner earning a WWE Speed Championship shot against Dragon Lee, who won the title in November 2024 and has made two successful defenses during his reign. One of those defenses was against Gable.
WWE introduced the Americano character in a storyline where Gable is looking to conquer lucha libre following a loss to Penta. His first match under the Americano mask was a win against Lee this March.
Americano is coming off a victory against Rey Fenix at WrestleMania 41. Rey Mysterio was originally supposed to be his opponent, but Mysterio suffered a torn groin on the SmackDown before WrestleMania and could not compete. To defeat Fenix, Americano used a loaded mask as a weapon.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.