Rey Mysterio praises Ludwig Kaiser for embracing Mexican culture
Like most of the wrestling world, Rey Mysterio was a big fan of the mask vs. mask match between El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable).
Mysterio appeared at River City Wrestling Con last weekend and was asked to give his thoughts on the highly praised AAA bout. It was the most intense mask match that Mysterio has ever seen. And while the match itself was “incredible,” Mysterio was especially impressed by the work Kaiser and Gable did throughout their storyline.
It blew Mysterio’s mind to see how much the AAA fans embraced Kaiser, but he feels it was wholly earned. Kaiser took the time to immerse himself in lucha culture and was rewarded for it.
“I think that’s what really blew my mind, but I understood why,” Mysterio responded when asked about the reception Kaiser and Gable received. “I believe, I think, that the main reason why they embraced El Grande Americano was because he took the time to soak himself in with the Mexican culture, learn the language, be one of them, and the fans just embraced him like one of [their] own — so, beautiful.”
Kaiser defeated Gable at Noche de Los Grandes and will be keeping the Americano gimmick moving forward. Now unmasked, Gable is back on the main roster and involved in a storyline where he’s trying to make up for his past disrespect of lucha libre.
Rey Mysterio on AAA general manager role —
At River City Wrestling Con, Mysterio said he used to think WWE and AAA would never work together, but AAA is now under the WWE umbrella after being purchased by the company last year. Mysterio has become the on-screen general manager of AAA, which is a full-circle moment given that AAA gave Mysterio his first break in wrestling back in the early 90s.
The 51-year-old Mysterio, already a WWE Hall of Famer, stressed that his AAA role does not mean that he’ll be winding down his time in the ring.
“I don’t think my role in WWE changes at all. I’m still a talent,” Mysterio said. “Any challenges that come my way in WWE on Raw, I’m going to take. My business is completely separate from what happens in AAA as general manager.”
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.