Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide’s Triplemania 34 runs Friday and Sunday nights, and broadcaster Corey Graves says the show’s real draw may not be the familiar WWE names on the card but the AAA talents most American fans have never seen.
The event will feature WWE-affiliated performers including Dominik Mysterio, Rey Mysterio, Nattie and Roxanne Perez. But Graves, who calls AAA events alongside his WWE duties, told OutKick Dropkick that the deeper roster offers plenty of reasons for wrestling fans to pay attention.
Graves pointed first to Mr. Iguana, a performer who gained wider recognition after appearing at last year’s WWE-AAA crossover event, Worlds Collide.
“It’s interesting to me because I look at it a little differently because I look at it from within the wrestling bubble and it’s often that I’m pleasantly surprised by what captures people’s imaginations that aren’t hardcore wrestling people,” Graves said. “Mr. Iguana, if you’re not familiar, he is not a physically large competitor. He’s an incredible athlete. He’s a really dangerous jiu-jitsu master, but the guy paints himself green. He has a stuffed iguana that competes in the ring with him. It’s somewhere in the world of the circus meets sports entertainment. He always increases his popularity pretty much every time you see him.”
Mr. Iguana will compete for the AAA Latin American Championship in a match where champion La Parka defends against him and Laredo Kid. La Parka is already known to WWE audiences after appearing in the tournament to determine Roman Reigns’ challenger for the World Heavyweight Championship.
“La Parka is another one. El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr. I think is going to be a major player in years to come. He’s still young, still kind of figuring things out, getting experience under his belt,” Graves said. “There are so many.”
Graves said he’s especially looking forward to Sunday’s AAA Cruiserweight Championship match, a fatal four-way pitting either Rey Fenix or Ricky Saints, whoever holds the title, against Mini Vikingo, Jack Cartwheel and Nathan Frazer.
“In particular, it’s going to take place on Sunday, the Cruiserweight Championship match. You’ve got Rey Fenix, Mini Vikingo, Jack Cartwheel, and (Nathan Frazer),” he said. “(Jack Cartwheel is) a guy that has just absolutely set the world on fire. The athleticism is completely off the charts with all these guys. And there’s a chance in Mexico that the fans — like they say, ‘Esto es lucha,’ ‘This is wrestling,’ which is akin to the American or English speaking crowd saying, ‘this is awesome.’ It’s just the appreciation. And every time the cruiserweights are in the ring, it’s unbelievable … but that one’s going to leave jaws on the floor. I promise you that.”
Graves has said previously that AAA offers something for every kind of wrestling fan, whether they’re watching live in Las Vegas or Mexico City or tuning in from home.
