At WrestleMania 41, WWE announced it had acquired the legendary Mexican promotion.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the two companies are set to host a crossover event, then just hours before the Las Vegas supershow began, the WWE announced its official acquisition of Lubra Libre AAA.
During the WrestleMania 41 pre-show, Michael Cole was joined by Triple H, AAA General Manager Dorian Roldán Peña, and several performers from both promotions, including Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer and Vikingo to make the historic announcement. It was later confirmed that NXT x AAA Worlds Collide will take place in Los Angeles at The Kia Forum on June 7th.
How long has WWE been working on acquiring AAA?
The exciting news shocked the wrestling world and left fans and pundits alike wondering how long the two promotions had been planning the partnership. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shared his thoughts on the acquisition and how long it has been in the works.
“They’ve had runs with WWE, but never gotten a deal done. There have been talks that would’ve involved WWE in control of AAA for a while.
“I wouldn’t say it was strong at the time when they did the Dragon Lee thing… At that point, I don’t think there was so much of the idea that they were going to buy the company.
“It’s been something that’s been brewing for well over a year.”
h/t WrestleTalk
Following WrestleMania Night 1, at the post show press conference, Triple H gave further details on the company’s intentions for the Lucha Libre promotion.
The Mexican promotion previously had working relationships with American professional wrestling promotions, TNA, MLW and AEW.