AJ Styles made a surprise appearance at TripleMania to aid El Hijo Del Vikingo in retaining his AAA Mega Championship over WWE’s Dominik Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and El Grande Americano.
Mysterio was looking to do what his father, AAA Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, had yet to accomplish in winning the Mega Championship, looking to add it to the WWE Intercontinental Championship he has held since WrestleMania. He attacked Vikingo during July’s AAA Alianzas show, setting up their title feud that would eventually see Lee’s return to lucha libre to challenge for a title he also never had the chance to hold, as well as the return of the El Grande Americano character currently presented by Ludwig Kaiser.
The dynamics in Mexico were flipped on their head as opposed to WWE programming, with Mysterio and Americano generating a largely positive response especially when compared to the babyface homegrown star of Vikingo; the champion received a heated reception of boos and cheers, with “Alberto” chants heard – Vikingo dethroned Alberto El Patron for the title in the lead-up to WWE x AAA Worlds Collide, further retaining the title at TripleMania Regia, with both results booed by fans.
El Patron’s dropping of the title, and eventual expulsion from AAA via a Loser Leaves loss against El Mesias, have been speculated as decisions made in the wake of WWE’s acquisition of the promotion, with the former WWE Champion having left on ill terms and remaining a controversial figure.
As such, the crowd cheered as Mysterio looked to have the match won, only for a masked man to emerge and land a forearm from the apron. The man unmasked to reveal himself as Styles, following up with a Styles Clash and leaving the ring. Vikingo then delivered the 630 splash for the winning pinfall, retaining his title in the process.
