El Grande Americano

El Grande Americano
WWE and AAA character
Ludwig Kaiser as El Grande Americano in August 2025
First appearance
WWE Raw
March 10, 2025
Portrayed byChad Gable (2025–2026)
Ludwig Kaiser (2025–present)
In-universe information
OriginGulf of Mexico[1]
Gulf of America[2]
Tangamandapio, Mexico[3]
Height
6 ft 3 in[2]
Weight
220 lb[2]

El Grande Americano (Spanish For 'the Great American') is a professional wrestling character in the American professional wrestling promotion WWE and its Mexican subsidiary Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The gimmick debuted in WWE in March 2025 and was originally portrayed by Chad Gable until June, when the character was taken over by Ludwig Kaiser after Gable was sidelined with an injury. Kaiser's Americano then began to also appear in AAA that July.

The character is a former one-time and longest-reigning WWE Speed Champion at 190 days, which was originally won by Gable's Americano, who held it for 56 days before it transferred to Kaiser when he took over the character upon Gable's injury and held it for 134 days.[a] After Gable returned from injury in January 2026 as "The Original" El Grande Americano, he and Kaiser feuded until Kaiser defeated Gable in a Mask vs. Mask match in AAA in May 2026, with Gable forfeiting the character to Kaiser.

History

In January 2025, American WWE wrestler Chad Gable lost to various luchadores and embarked on a "quest" to learn the ways of lucha libre.[4][5] On the March 10 episode of Raw, Gable, under an American-themed luchador mask, attacked Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio.[6] The character was officially named El Grande Americano two weeks later on Raw.[7] As Americano, Gable won the WWE Speed Championship on May 5, 2025, which aired on tape delay as the May 7 episode of Speed.[8][9]

When Gable was sidelined with a legitimate rotator cuff injury in June,[10][11] German wrestler Ludwig Kaiser took over portrayal of the character.[12][13] Kaiser's portrayal of Americano began appearing in WWE's Mexican partner promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA) in July,[14] and eventually formed the Los Americanos stable alongside Rayo Americano and Bravo Americano.[15][16][17] Kaiser also defended the Speed Championship as Americano upon taking over the character, until losing it to Jasper Troy on the November 11 episode of NXT, ending Americano's total reign between Gable (56 days) and Kaiser (134 days) at a record-setting 190 days (188 days as recognized by WWE as the company recognizes that Gable held it for 54 days due to tape delay).[18]

At the Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026, Americano entered the Men's Royal Rumble match at number 12, only to be eliminated by Gable, who returned from injury as "The Original" El Grande Americano and entered the match at number 13.[19] They started an on-screen feud that culminated in a Máscara contra Máscara (mask versus mask) at AAA's Noche de Los Grandes on May 30, in which Americano defeated Gable. After the match, Gable unmasked and relinquished the character to Kaiser, proclaiming that while Gable was "the original", going forward, Kaiser would be "the only" Americano.[20]

Reception

When Gable began to use the character, it drew significant criticism from Mexican audiences, who viewed the gimmick as a mockery of national wrestling traditions.[21] While Gable's version was seen as a mockery to lucha libre, Kaiser's version was praised for the respect to Mexico and lucha libre tradition, introducing Mexican cultural references like singing "Cielito Lindo" during his entrance[22] and being billed from Tangamandapio (in reference to Jaimito from El Chavo del Ocho), as well as being a fan of cultural icons including singer Pedro Infante and luchador El Santo.[3] Kaiser also spoke fluent Spanish as El Grande Americano, whereas Gable legitimately did not know Spanish.[23][24]

After Kaiser took the character, he began to win over the Mexican audience.[25] Before the Máscara contra Máscara match, a mural of El Grande Americano was drawn at Monterrey.[26] Noah Club composed a corrido to honor El Grande Americano.[3]

The Máscara contra Máscara was highly praised.[27][28] Pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer said it was "one of the great match presentations of all-time".[29] Academic Erick Suaste stated that the Máscara contra Máscara was "cultural appropriation", since they were two non-Mexican wrestlers and WWE is a global promotion that took Mexican traditions to sell tickets. Content creator Eduardo Bates praised the match, pointing that it gives a global relevance to the mask and the storyline was about respect and legacy.[30] The match drew over 2 million viewers on YouTube,[31] and was also made available on Netflix after the June 1 episode of Raw concluded.[32] The mask that Kaiser wore was auctioned after the match, being sold for US$50,035.[33]

Championships and accomplishments

Notes

  1. ↑ WWE officially recognizes the total reign as 188 days with Gable's portion lasting 54 days due to the episode of Speed where he won the title airing on tape delay.

References

  1. ↑ Thomas, Jeremy (April 18, 2025). "Michael Cole Confirms El Grande Americano Has Been 'Relocated' To Gulf of Mexico". 411 mania. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "El Grande Americano". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Rodríguez, Andrés. "La rivalidad del Grande Americano: cómo una historia que se mofaba de la lucha libre conquistó al público mexicano". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  4. ↑ McGuire, Colin (January 13, 2025). "WWE Raw results (1/13): McGuire's live review of Dakota Kai vs. Lyra Valkyiria to become the first Women's IC Champion, Damian Priest vs. Finn Balor in a Street Fight, Chad Gable vs. a mystery luchador". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 14, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  5. ↑ Powell, Jason (January 20, 2025). "WWE Raw results (1/20): Powell's live review of Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre, Bayley vs. Nia Jax, Penta's second week, New Day's return to the ring, JBL's appearance". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  6. ↑ Powell, Jason (March 10, 2025). "WWE Raw results (3/10): Powell's live review of CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins in a cage match, New Day vs. Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee in a tornado match, Jey Uso vs. Grayson Waller". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 21, 2026. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  7. ↑ Powell, Jason (March 24, 2025). "WWE Raw results (3/24): Powell's live review of Cody Rhodes, John Cena, and CM Punk appearances, Bron Breakker vs. Penta for the Intercontinental Title, Lyra Valkyria vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women's Intercontinental Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 19, 2026. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  8. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (May 6, 2025). "Spoiler: New WWE Speed Champion Crowned". Fightful. Archived from the original on July 28, 2025. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  9. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (May 7, 2025). "El Grande Americano Wins WWE Speed Championship". Fightful. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (June 24, 2025). "Report: Chad Gable Dealing With Undisclosed Injury". Fightful. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  11. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (July 27, 2025). "Chad Gable Confirms He's Sidelined With A Rotator Cuff Injury". Fightful. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  12. ↑ Powell, Jason (June 30, 2025). "WWE Raw results (6/30): Powell's live review of New Day vs. Finn Balor and JD McDonagh for the World Tag Team Titles, Rusev vs. Sheamus". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on September 10, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  13. ↑ Powell, Jason (July 7, 2025). "WWE Raw results (7/7): Powell's live review of Seth Rollins vs. Penta, Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed, Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker, Roxanne Perez vs. Kairi Sane, the brand's final push for WWE Evolution". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on November 7, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  14. ↑ Thomas, Jeremy (July 26, 2025). "AAA Alianzas Results 7.25.25: Alberto El Patron Loses Match To Stay In AAA, More". 411Mania. Archived from the original on July 26, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  15. ↑ Powell, Jason (July 28, 2025). "WWE Raw results (7/28): Powell's live review of appearances by Roman Reigns, Gunther, and CM Punk, Finn Balor and JD McDonagh vs. Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro for the World Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  16. ↑ Powell, Jason (August 4, 2025). "WWE Raw results (8/4): Powell's live review of SummerSlam fallout with new World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Women's Tag Champs Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair, Sheamus vs. Rusev". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on November 13, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  17. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy. "Bravo And Rayo Revealed As Names For Los Americanos Tag Team". Fightful. Archived from the original on April 18, 2026. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  18. ↑ Thompson, Andrew (11 November 2025). "Jasper Troy Def. El Grande Americano For WWE Men's Speed Championship On 11/11 NXT". Fightful. Archived from the original on 12 November 2025.
  19. ↑ Powell, Jason (January 31, 2026). "WWE Royal Rumble results: Powell's live review of the Royal Rumble matches, Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship, AJ Styles putting his career on the line against Gunther". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 1, 2026. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  20. ↑ Vetter, Chris (May 31, 2026). "Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide results (5/30): Vetter's review of Original El Grande Americano vs. El Grande Americano in a mask vs. mask match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  21. ↑ Delgado, Toni (March 26, 2026). "El personaje de El Grande Americano genera rechazo entre fans de la lucha libre mexicana". SoloWrestling (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 8, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  22. ↑ Nason, Josh (August 16, 2025). "AAA Triplemania XXXIII live results: Four-way Mega title match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on August 17, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2026.
  23. ↑ Zorrilla, Mikel (2026-05-29). "Todo el mundo quiere a El Grande Americano. Cómo el rudo que se burlaba de México se ha convertido en un ídolo de la lucha libre". Espinof (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  24. ↑ Thompson, Andrew. "El Grande Americano Addresses Original El Grande Using AI: "What A F*cking Lack Of Respect This Is For Me & My People"". Fightful. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  25. ↑ Dansby, Kel (May 28, 2026). "El Grande Americano, explained: Wrestling's hottest angle is more improbable than you can possibly imagine". Uncrowned. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
  26. ↑ "El Grande Americano se vuelve viral tras emotiva reacción a su mural". RÉCORD (in Spanish). 2026-05-28. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  27. ↑ Martínez, Sebastián. "JBL elogia a Chad Gable y a Ludwig Kaiser tras la lucha de máscaras en AAA". Solowrestling (in Spanish). Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  28. ↑ Currier, Joseph. "Bayley praises Chad Gable following AAA Noche de Los Grandes". f4wonline.com. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
  29. ↑ Carey, Ian (2026-05-31). "Chad Gable, The Undertaker, more comment on AAA Noche de Los Grandes". F4W/WON. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  30. ↑ Jornada, La; Quintanilla, Joshua Reyes Sámano y Omar Mendoza (2026-05-29). "Los dos rostros del Grande Americano: sátira en EU y héroe en México". La Jornada (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  31. ↑ Otterson, Joe (2026-06-02). "'Noche de los Grandes' & El Grande Americano Mask vs. Mask Match Draws Over 2 Million Viewers". Variety. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  32. ↑ "WWE sorprende en Netflix con la repetición de la lucha de máscara contra máscara del Grande Americano". RÉCORD (in Spanish). 2026-06-01. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  33. ↑ Rubio, Antonio. "La máscara de El Grande Americano es vendida por más de 50.000 dólares". Solowrestling. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
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