In news that made lucha fans gasp and Chad Gable truthers whisper “I knew it,” Rey Mysterio has officially challenged the masked menace known as El Grande Americano to a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 41. That’s right—one lucha legend versus one suspiciously star-spangled newcomer with a suspiciously Olympic build. Totally unrelated. Definitely not Chad Gable. Nope.
The build-up to this match has been hotter than a Nevada parking lot in July. Since his debut on the March 24 episode of Raw, Americano has been an aggressive, flag-waving migraine for the LWO, capped off with a tag team win where he headbutted Dragon Lee using what appeared to be a foreign object inside his mask. When your gimmick is “Patriot with Possible Weaponized Face,” you know things are about to escalate.
Enter Rey Mysterio—WWE Hall of Famer, lucha godfather, and current “fed-up uncle” energy personified—who marched into Adam Pearce’s office and requested a match in Las Vegas. Pearce, in classic “I don’t get paid enough for this” fashion, immediately said yes.
No stipulations yet, but let’s be honest: this already feels personal. Mysterio isn’t just fighting for a win—he’s fighting for lucha dignity, the sanctity of non-metallic masks, and maybe just to dropkick some manners into a guy who salutes after cheating.
This will mark Mysterio’s 13th WrestleMania appearance, while it’s rumored to be Americano’s (aka Not Gable’s) first singles match on the Grandest Stage of Them All. And if he is Chad Gable, then this will be the most dramatic gimmick-to-glory arc since Elias turned into Ezekiel and then evaporated into thin storyline.
Set your clocks, mark your calendars, and polish your steel-reinforced headgear—because WrestleMania 41 just got one lucha legend vs. one tactical patriot. And only one man’s mask will survive unscuffed.