Ludwig Kaiser has become one of the most beloved figures in Mexican wrestling as El Grande Americano, and the fan response to his Rey de Reyes victory suggests the character has reached a level of cultural connection that goes far beyond a typical WWE crossover act.
Kaiser won the 2026 AAA Rey de Reyes tournament on March 14 at Auditorio GNP Seguros in Puebla, Mexico, defeating the Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable), La Parka, and Santos Escobar in a four-way match. The victory earned him a future shot at the AAA Mega Championship, currently held by Dominik Mysterio. One week later, during the ceremonial sword presentation on Week 2 of Rey de Reyes, Kaiser delivered an emotional speech in Spanish thanking the Pena family and the audience for their acceptance. He teared up as he told the crowd that the pride of Mexico is not about the color of your skin but about the culture and the people from all over the world. He stopped to kiss a baby in the front row on his way to the ring.
WWE posted video of the celebration on X, and the response was massive. The post drew over 13,000 likes and revealed a fanbase that views Kaiser’s transformation into El Grande Americano not as a novelty act but as something genuinely meaningful to Mexican wrestling culture.
“We’re Never Going to See Ludwig Kaiser Again”
The most-liked reply came from a fan who wrote, “Yeah we’re never gonna see Ludwig Kaiser ever again. This man has truly found himself.” The comment received over 1,300 likes.
Another highly-liked reply, with over 700 likes, addressed the disconnect between how American and Mexican audiences perceive the character: “For American WWE fans this seems like a ridiculous joke, but over here he’s a very beloved character and it would be completely stupid if WWE took him away in the future.”
One fan framed the trajectory in historical terms: “It’s hard to understand, but in Mexico he’s a HUGE star. Like I know it sounds crazy and ridiculous, but he’s on the trajectory of becoming Cena or even Hulk Hogan level star over there if this keeps up.”
Learning the Culture
Multiple fans pointed to Kaiser’s commitment to learning Spanish and incorporating local jokes, references, and cultural touchstones into his promos as the reason the character resonates so deeply. Kaiser, who is from Germany, delivers his AAA promos entirely in Spanish, a detail that is frequently highlighted on commentary.
“Ludwig embraced the character so perfectly, learning from our culture, local jokes, local references,” one fan wrote. “Weirdly enough, El Grande Americano is the wrestler Mexico never knew it needed.”
Another fan focused on the emotional weight of the moment rather than the match itself: “You can feel how much this means to him. Moments like this are bigger than the match itself.” That reply received nearly 400 likes.
The Road to the Mega Championship
Kaiser originally took over the El Grande Americano character from Chad Gable in June 2025 when Gable was injured. What was intended as a temporary replacement has turned into one of the most organic success stories in the WWE-AAA partnership. Gable returned as the “Original” El Grande Americano at the 2026 Royal Rumble and has been feuding with Kaiser over ownership of the gimmick, with the storyline positioning Gable as a fraud who cannot actually speak Spanish and has been using AI-generated promos.
Following the Rey de Reyes win, AAA Mega Champion Dominik Mysterio confronted Kaiser during the sword ceremony and appeared to offer a handshake before setting him up for an ambush by the Original El Grande Americano. The Original stole the ceremonial sword to close the show, setting up the next chapter of both feuds.
Fans in the replies called for WWE and AAA to strike while the iron is hot and put the Mega Championship on Kaiser. “The Megacampeonato NEEDS to be around El Grande Americano’s waist,” one fan wrote. “Strike while the iron is hot.”
The 2026 Rey de Reyes is the first to be held under WWE’s ownership of AAA. The event is airing as a three-week special on episodes of Lucha Libre AAA, with the final week airing March 28.
Winning Rey de Reyes means the WORLD to El Grande Americano! ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/xsgqadksKi
— WWE (@WWE) March 22, 2026
Ese bebé ya hizo historia. pic.twitter.com/x7uTfDmv5Y
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) March 22, 2026
