WWE’s May 26 WWE RAW broadcast featured an announcement that inadvertently disclosed an upcoming AAA Mega Championship transition. A graphic promoted a match between El Hijo Del Vikingo and Chad Gable for the AAA Mega Championship, scheduled for the WWE Worlds Collide show on June 7.
At the time of this WWE RAW announcement, Alberto El Patron held the AAA Mega Championship. Vikingo is scheduled to challenge El Patron for this title on May 31. By advertising Vikingo as defending the championship against Gable at Worlds Collide, WWE indicated that Vikingo will defeat El Patron.
Dave Meltzer, speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, provided insight into WWE’s rationale behind the premature reveal. According to Meltzer, WWE operated on the premise that fans in Mexico would be aware that El Patron was the champion, while audiences in the United States were not expected to possess this knowledge.
Meltzer elaborated, stating, “On the Mexican version of Netflix, they put up a different graphic and didn’t mention that it was for the title because in Mexico – in theory – people would know that Alberto was the champion, but in the United States they wouldn’t know. That was the mentality for doing this and they thought that that was okay.”
He further noted that WWE’s approach was for Mexican viewers not to have the Vikingo versus Gable bout advertised to them as a championship contest. However, this strategy was undermined as the graphic specifying the title match circulated extensively on social media platforms, reaching a global audience irrespective of region.
The decision for Vikingo to win the AAA Mega Championship and subsequently defend it on WWE programming is understood to be a booking choice under the purview of Triple H, WWE’s head of creative. This development aligns with a broader strategy to feature AAA talent and championships within WWE events. Reports suggest WWE may prefer to feature Vikingo as the AAA Mega Champion in such crossover appearances, potentially influenced by a complex past relationship with Alberto El Patron.
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