WWE may have already determined who is expected to win the upcoming tournament and face Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship on the September 14 episode of Monday Night RAW at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, El Grande Americano is reportedly the frontrunner for the opportunity. Alvarez, however, emphasized that the information is not yet confirmed and that plans are not finalized.
WWE announced on Wednesday that the challenger will be determined through a tournament featuring luchadores from RAW, SmackDown, and AAA, beginning on the August 10 episode. The list of participants and the format have not yet been revealed.
Rey Mysterio explained that Reigns accepted the defense because Reigns recognized the importance of lucha libre and the significance of the night in Mexico. Mysterio, the AAA General Manager, added that the challenger will need to earn the opportunity in the ring.
“Roman recognized how important lucha libre is to me and how important this night is. And that’s why he has agreed to defend the World Heavyweight Championship that night on Raw. Now, I promised to deliver Roman a worthy opponent. And we’ve agreed that a challenger needs to earn this opportunity.”
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8:51 PM · Aug 5, 2026Americano, Ludwig Kaiser’s version of the character, has emerged as one of AAA’s biggest stars after defeating Chad Gable in a Mask vs. Mask Match at Noche de Los Grandes on May 30. The victory forced Gable, who was presented as Original El Grande Americano, to remove his mask.
Before a possible match against Reigns, Americano is confirmed to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the AAA Mega Championship on the second night of TripleMania 34 on September 13, also at Arena CDMX. If the Reigns match happens, he will compete for two of WWE and AAA’s top championships on consecutive nights.
This would also be the first match between Reigns and Kaiser in any character.
Reigns has held the World Heavyweight Championship since April 19, when he defeated CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On August 2, the OTC defeated Seth Rollins in the main event of the second night of SummerSlam and retained the title.
RAW will take place the day after TripleMania and will close out a series of shows in Mexico, which also includes events in Guadalajara and Monterrey, as well as Friday Night SmackDown in Mexico City on September 11.