Roman Reigns just found out where his next title defense is happening, and it’s nowhere close to home. Two days after AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio pulled the WWE World Heavyweight Champion aside at the end of Monday’s Raw, WWE made the pitch official: a tournament of luchadores pulled from Raw, SmackDown, and AAA will decide who challenges Reigns, with the winner getting their shot on Sept. 14, when Raw airs live from Mexico City for the first time in more than 15 years.
How We Got Here
The setup started small. On the Aug. 3 Raw, cameras caught Mysterio, still an active wrestler but now running the show as AAA‘s GM, approaching Reigns with an idea he wanted to run by him. Two days later, WWE dropped the follow-through: a tournament featuring top luchadores from both WWE brands and AAA, kicking off this Monday’s Raw from Norfolk, Virginia. Whoever wins gets Reigns and the World Heavyweight Championship on the road.
A Mexico City Homecoming, Stacked Three Nights Deep
The timing isn’t random. WWE is building an entire Mexico City weekend around this. SmackDown airs live from Arena CDMX on Sept. 11 first, followed by AAA‘s Triplemania 34 Night Two at the same building on Sept. 13, then Raw and Reigns’ title match on Sept. 14. It’s the first time WWE has brought either flagship show to Mexico in over 15 years, and it lines up as WWE and AAA’s biggest joint showcase yet, following Damian Priest’s AAA debut and Rey Mysterio’s own comments about working to bring Bad Bunny into the promotion.
Who’s the Favorite?
WWE has not announced the tournament field yet, and while the early fan money was on Penta, the Wrestling Observer/F4Wonline is reporting that El Grande Americano is expected to win the tournament and face Reigns in Mexico City. Penta, fresh off a 152-day Intercontinental Championship reign, is still one of the most popular acts on either roster, but per the report, it is the masked Americano being lined up for the title shot. Whoever actually walks out with it, the framing is clear: this is the kind of showcase spot rarely handed out on WWE’s biggest stage.
Reigns won the World Heavyweight Championship off CM Punk at WrestleMania and has defended it against Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins since, most recently retaining over Rollins at SummerSlam. A luchador with a Mexico City crowd behind him would be a very different kind of test, and it’s a match this title hasn’t seen yet.
