Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide Triplemania XXXI Mexico City HOT TAKE
Experience the electrifying action of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide: Triplemania XXXI in Mexico City, live on FITE on August 12th!
After some of the most controversial and mind-blowing twists of fate and over the top electrifying action, Lucha Libre AAA arrives back in Mexico City for the third and final installment of TripleMania XXXI,,the culmination of an entire year of lucha libre pageantry, spectacle, violence and emotion all climaxing at the same time live for FITE fans around the world from Arena CDMX on Saturday August 12th.
For lucha fans watching live in Mexico and across the globe on FITE, TripleMania has come to represent the most important date on the lucha libre calendar, but for its competitors, it is the moment where success means admission forever into lucha libre royalty as part of the time capsule of greatness but failure means potential infinite humiliation, careening into an abyss from which one may never recover.
The Mask vs. Hair Showdown
Indeed, the four competitors who will walk the aisle on August 12th on FITE may still be reeling from the very fact that they are fighting to protect themselves from the ultimate humiliation of either losing their lucha mask or their hair. At TripleMania XXXI in Tijuana, theGuerra de Rivaldiades Tournament took a shocking twist of fate when referee Tirantes ruled that a double pin meant that none of the competitors had rescued themselves from the danger of the ultimate loss, and that all four men would advance to Mexico City.
The Clash of Titans for the AAA Mega Championship
On August 12th, the world will see Sam Adonis, LA Park, Psycho Clown and Rush enter into the ring in combat against the other, with the loser being forced to endure the embarrassment of shaving his head or having his very lucha soul torn from him as his mask is removed before the entire world, revealing his identity to the world.
Adonis has made international headlines with his Pro-American, anti-Mexican stance in the past. Clown is one of Mexico's fiercest brawlers. RUSH is perhaps the ultimate bully. LA Park is a champion whose star has shined above and beyond all others in lucha today, a true living legend who can trace his success back to the earliest wars housed under the AAA banner. None of these men will embrace anything less than ultimate victory, because defeat would mean the end of the world as they know it.
The Soul of Lucha Libre: The Significance of the Mask
While FITE fans worldwide may identify and love luchadors who have emerged in the world of professional wrestling for different reasons, in Mexico, the mask of a luchador has seamlessly integrated into the culture. A luchador's mask is not just branding or a way for a talent to become recognizable. The mask is everything to a lucha fighter. It is their purest expression of who they are as a competitor, the banner they wave when they enter their battles.
Indeed, the mask and the soul become permanently intertwined, the literal physical definition of their soul, their fighting spirit. It is as much a family crest as anything else, the very essence of their lifeblood held out for the masses to see. It is literally a luchador's heart held out for all to take in and absorb, something to be cherished, celebrated and defended at all cost. For these ferocious fighters, losing their hair or their mask is tantamount to losing their very dignity, humiliating their family and fans forever, endlessly desperate to somehow regain that stolen valor.
The end of the line for one of these luchadors will come to fruition live on August 12th with FITE providing the exclusive window, in both Spanish and English, to see history made before your very eyes.
As TripleMania XXXI's celebration comes to a close on Saturday August 12th, perhaps the most celebrated fighter will indeed be AAA Mega Champion Hijo Del Vikingo, who not only exploded upon the world at large over the last year, but shockingly and convincingly pinned AEW's Kenny Omega in the center of the ring, proving conclusively that Vikingo is the superior athlete and fighter.
Never one to rest on his laurels, the stratosphere-defying Vikingo will face not one, but three valiant competitors all seeking to make history of their own by tearing the Mega Championship away in victory.
Impact Wrestling's Speedball Mike Bailey may be the Canadian equivalent of Vikingo, having shocked the world over and over with his karate-infused aerial assault style, globetrotting across multiple countries to pick up win after win. The former X-Division Champion is coming to TripleMania in Mexico City to prove once and for all that he's the greatest grappler on Earth.
For Bailey to be successful, he will not only have to account for Vikingo's Flash-esque speed and Superman-level ability to fly but strategize to defeat the other internationally acclaimed challengers. California' Jack Cartwheel has found the perfect synchronization of gymnastic skills and offensive strikes to dazzle and stun any opponent and at TripleMania in Mexico City, hopes to score the biggest upset win in lucha history by walking out with the gold.
Undaunted and determined to earn the Mega Championship for himself is lucha star Daga. The former World Cruiserweight Champion has journeyed from AAA to Lucha Underground to Impact Wrestling to Japan's Pro Wrestling NOAH and back again, hitting the ring at TripleMania intent on proving himself worthy of carrying the AAA Mega Championship. Having recently teamed with legends including Negro Casas and challenged for the NWA World title in the United States, Daga has sharpened his skills and is waiting to create his ultimate cinematic moment live on FITE.
With four competitors who have every single thing to gain and everything to lose, the AAA Mega Championship has never shined as brightly as a prize as it will in Mexico City. FITE fans will see the next chapter of lucha libre history engraved before their eyes on August 12th.
AAA Latin American Championship: New Contender Takes the Stage
History will be made yet again on August 12th when Lucha Libre AAA crowns the new AAA Latin American Champion after Rey Fenix announced that due to his international schedule with AEW and beyond that he would not be able to return to defend the championship. In what should be a highly emotional four way confrontation, Fenix's brother Pentagon Jr. will enter the fray not only seeking to represent his family and maintain possession of the title, but also seeking vengeance.
It was at TripleMania XXXI in Tijuana that AAA interloper QT Marshall, revealed as Pentagon's mysterious stalker, bloodied and beat the lucha legend in a vicious Ambulance Match. Still strutting with a massive chip on his shoulder from the momentum of that victory, Marshall may walk into Mexico City as the most hated man in the country, seeking to prove his superiority again by crossing the border back home as Champion, rubbing it in the faces of every single lucha fanatic in the process.
While the hatred intertwined between Marshall and Pentagon Jr. may be the headline that dominates this championship confrontation, one can't count out the other competitors seeking to achieve championship gold as well. Brian Cage has found incredible success over the last year in AEW under Prince Nana, but "The Machine" returns to Lucha Libre AAA seeking to terminate everyone that stands in his way of championship superiority, Dralistico, a proud member of La Faccion Ingobernable, is an incredible flyer who battles at hyperspeed and will be looking to take advantage of the first sign of weakness any of these competitors show.
With emotions exploding and championship glory in sight for all four of these competitors, TripleMania XXXI is guaranteed to make international headlines with FITE as the epicenter of all the aftershocks.
The reigning and defending AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Taya Valkyrie will defend her crown against the tecnico greatness of Flammer. Valkyrie has one of the most impressive records of any luchadora ever, having the added experience of traveling the world in recent years to enable herself to become even sharper inside the ring. The oddsmakers will have to lean towards the Champion, but unlike their last battle inside an MLW ring, Flammer will have the home court advantage of battling before her fellow countrymen and women in Mexico City. If there was ever a moment where the live crowd could change the course of history, it may indeed be their devotion to the 23 year old from Monterrey. FITE fans will see whether Taya once again reigns supreme or whether a new dynasty rises before their eyes.
Legends Collide: Negro Casas vs. Nicho El Millonario
For 31 years dating back to the earliest incarnation of Lucha Libre AAA, names like Perro Aguayo, Cien Caras, Konnan, Love Machine Art Barr, Eddy Guerrero, Lizmark, Jerry Estrada and more poured their heart and soul into their fights inside the ring, seeking to claim glory, gold and victory. If there are two men who have risen to legendary status over the course of their internationally renowned careers, it will be two competitors who will take the fight to each other on Saturday night August 12th, Negro Casas and Nicho El Millonario.
Having battled on opposite teams in Tijuana and having encountered each other an infinite amount of times over the course of their respective careers, these legends are no strangers to each other, much less the diehard audience that follows the world of lucha libre. Nicho, formerly the original Psicosis, became an instant legend with his worldwide rivalry against WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio. But, even before there was a AAA, Negro Casas was the fighter by which all others were compared against, having first debuted all the way back in 1979. Having one of the most celebrated careers in lucha libre, Casas' charisma remains as unbroken as his longevity is celebrated. The 63 year old may carry the very spirit of lucha competition on his back as he enters the ring and seeks to prove, once again, why he is one of the greatest of all time while avenging his team's loss to Nicho's team in Tijuana.
Thrilling Undercard Matches and Exciting Challenges
Beyond those celebrated main events, TripleMania XXXI will feature a Women's Trios bout with Dalys & Lady Shani & Sexy Star battling the combined forces of La Hiedra & Maravilla & Chik Tormenta as well as the final Copa Bardahl Triplemania event this year wit Pagano, Myzteziz, Arez, Willie Mack, Dave the Clown, Pagano, Aramis, Murder Clown, Octagon Jr., Nino Hamburguesa and more all competing for the cherished cup.
Aa we inch ever closer to the opening ceremonies of Lucha Libre AAA TripleMania XXXI in Mexico City, only two things are certain. Every competitor is standing on the precipice of greatness and disaster - and every second of this internationally renowned action will explode through your FITE devices live as it happens. The battle for the heart and soul of lucha libre itself will soar through the air, battle through the crowd and will see feats of daring and courage transpire right before all of our eyes, live only on FITE!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.