Which Americano Should Lose the Mask at AAA Noche de Los Grandes 2026?
The world isn’t big enough for two El Grande Americanos, and one of them must relinquish the identity they’ve been carrying for the past year. What started as a simple storyline on Raw has transformed into one of the most epic feuds in AAA Lucha Libre. The Original Americano will square off against the new Americano at AAA Noche de los Grandes, with the added stipulation that whoever loses the match must remove their mask, a sacred symbol in Lucha Libre. One of these men must give up the mask and return to their original characters, but which Grande Americano benefits more in losing the mask?
The Grande Americano story began after Chad Gable felt disrespected by the recent addition of Mexican luchadores to the main roster. After losing matches to Penta and Dragon Lee, Gable decided he needed to get rid of Lucha Libre once and for all. This is where Americano came to be, a Mexican luchador from the Gulf of America who arrived to defeat the top luchadores and become the very best. Americano began showing promise, but after suffering an injury, he had to step away from the character, which led to another superstar taking the reins and becoming the new Americano: Ludwig Kaiser. The German native quickly gained popularity under the mask and became a fan-favorite in Mexico while competing under Lucha Libre AAA. Kaiser has transformed the character into something much bigger in Mexico than what WWE might have had planned for Gable in WWE. However, it was only a matter of time before Gable returned from injury.
Gable returned at the 2026 Royal Rumble as the Original Americano, standing face-to-face with the current Americano. The following weeks saw Original Americano attempt to win the hearts of the Mexican faithful in AAA, but they had already chosen the new Americano as their favorite. This led to both Americanos receiving different reactions in Mexico and the United States, with one being the heel on Raw while receiving massive cheers in AAA. In Mexico, both men have attacked each other, with the locker room having to clear on multiple occasions to separate the two men. The Original Americano even went as far as almost attacking the new Americano’s girlfriend, WWE Spanish-language host Andrea Barzate. The new Americano was quick to protect her and keep OG Americano away from her. After weeks of attacks, the match was made official, with both men finally going head-to-head, with the loser having to take off his mask in front of the Mexican crowd. The mask is sacred in Mexican Lucha Libre tradition, and it’s a huge deal whenever someone has to take off the mask, which is why this match is of high importance for the two men competing.
On one hand, Kaiser losing this match means that he will either have to return to singles competition or reunite with ‘The Ring General’ Gunther, a partnership that started even before both men joined WWE. Kaiser has demonstrated that he can go in the ring and can talk on the microphone, but all his character work has been noticed because of the Americano character, which is why seeing him lose the mask would not benefit him in many ways. However, Gable losing the mask definitely has its advantages. Although Kaiser created a new faction with two other luchadores, who are actually Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne under the masks, they haven’t really bonded outside of the masks, so there isn’t really any visual chemistry between the three. Gable, on the other hand, was leading American Made even before he donned the Americano gimmick. Even if Gable loses the mask, he can go back to his old ways and create a new character arc with his old self. Plus, Gable was on a hot run as he was chasing the Intercontinental Championship, which is a story that WWE can continue with him as he attempts to win singles gold as Gable.
Both men have worked the Americano gimmick to their very best, and even though there is a benefit to each superstar losing the mask, it makes more sense for Gable to lose the mask. He has a faction he can fall back on and can continue a babyface push within the Raw brand. Gable has demonstrated his talents in the ring and can use that to his advantage to push for championship gold. Kaiser can continue competing with the mask and getting over with the Americano character as he is chasing the AAA Mega Championship.
