Mark your calendars for March 19th and don't miss out on the thrilling Lucha Libre World Cup tournaments, featuring both the World Cup Women's Tournament and 2023 Lucha Libre World Cup Men's Tournament, live from Guadalajara, MX on FITE.
The recent announcement of Rey Mysterio being enshrined into the WWE Hall of Fame only proves once again that the majestic professional wrestling might of lucha libre can once again cascaded into every nook and cranny of pop culture life. The influence of lucha libre can be felt worldwide, whether it be superstars like Mysterio and Santos Escobar in WWE, Bandido and The Lucha Brothers in AEW, Jack Black films like Nacho Libre, Modelo beer and countless other moments celebrated in modern day society have been inspired and influenced by the free fighting of Mexico's greatest lucha competitors.
But, there can only be one originator of excellence in the field of lucha and that's AAA Lucha Libre, the original home of many of the aforementioned luchadors when AAA opens the floodgates and lets international stars descend upon Guadalajara, Mexico live on FITE this Sunday for The 2023 Lucha Libre World Cup, featuring competitors from All Elite Wrestling, Impact Wrestling, The National Wrestling Alliance, Japan and more.
2023 Lucha Libre World Cup Women's Tournament First Round Matches
Team Mexico will unite the controversial and dangerous Sexy Star II with the tecnico greatness of Flammer and the rule breaking might of La Hiedra as one Trios team seeking to not just capture the Cup but also defend the might of Lucha Libre AAA and Mexico alike, as they face the Japanese dream team of AEW's cunning veteran Emi Sakura, Japan's legendary Queen of the Street Fight, Mayumi Ozaki and OZ Academy's equally legendary Akino. All three of these women have conquered the rings worldwide, but lucha libre is a different soul compared to all other realms in professional wrestling, so the home field advantage may tell the tale of which way the current runs in this unique opening encounter.
Team United States will see a cross-promotional combination of NWA World Women's Champion Kamille and Impact Wrestling's Jordynne Grace bringing the full frontal assault of their strength and power while the infinite technical prowess of The Virtuosa Deonna Purrazzo will provide perfect versatility and in-ring expertise. If the two former Knockouts Champions can get along with each other and Kamille alike, all three of these alpha-females may be the favorite to win the Women's Lucha Libre Cup, but only if they can surpass their first round opponents, Team Rest of the World, led into battle with the ever-dangerous Taya Valkyrie, who may be from Canada but carries the soul of lucha libre within her like so few others.
If anyone knows how to play the lucha chess game better than any other living international competitor today, it is Valkyrie, who has collected championships like trinkets since exiting WWE NXT. Her Trios partners are the NWA's headline making Natalina Markova in one of the biggest international opportunities of her life and Christy Jaynes, the first Brazilian competitor to tour with STARDOM in Japan and someone who has had fierce battles in both AEW and the NWA. Like Markovia, a strong showing here for Jaynes will only help her - and her team - ascend in international acclaim and clout.
2023 Lucha Libre World Cup Men's Tournament First Round Matches
There's no word whether Scott D'Amore will arrive as flag bearer, but a proud Team Canada is marching tall into the Lucha Libre World Cup, lead by Impact Wrestling World Champion Josh Alexander who is living on a career high of great championship matches from both a performance and a win/loss standpoint. He will be joined by the monstrous duo of the French-Canadian Frankenstein himself PCO and the legendary Vampiro, one of the biggest international successes in lucha libre history. This formidable duo will battle Team Europe in the opening round, led into battle by Impact Wrestling's Digital Media Champion, the popular Scottish star Joe Hendry who is enjoying an incredible career flair at the moment. The NWA's Thom Latimer will bring power that could very well cancel out the might of PCO while Heddi Karaoui, an ever-dangerous competitor trained by no less than Billy Robinson AND Antonio Inoki may be the key victory for Team Europe to surpass this Canadian contingent.
Team Mexico, composed of AEW's Pentagon Jr, Decay's Black Taurus and the internationally renowned Laredo Kid will deservedly hold the title for the highest-flying trio in the tournament. Individually, they have been one of the most impressive and groundbreaking luchadors of this generation. Combined, they may be near-flawless when it comes to taking down the opposition. They have drawn Team Rest of the World for the opening round with Impact Wrestling's up and comer Bhuphiner Gujjar, who has shown a tremendous upside as a fighter leading the team into the fray alongside Classy Ali and Rage. If Gujjar can lead his team to an upset, it will send shockwaves throughout not just lucha libre but all of professional wrestling.
Team United States will feature long-standing anti-lucha crusader Sam Adonis will combine like Voltron with Johnny Caballero and AEW's Christopher Daniels to represent the Stars and Stripes, pretty much guaranteeing they will be among the most hated competitors this Sunday on FITE live in Guadalajara. These three cagey veterans will oppose Team Japan, led by DRAGONGATE's La Estrella, who has made remarkable international strides over the last year, rookie sensation Takuma Nishikawa in what will arguably be his biggest opportunity to date, and Kuukai, the Michinoku Pro sensation that has spent much of the last six months trying to prove himself in Mexico. It will be a unique cross-section of American veterans who have made their names and look to add another notch on their belts against Japanese stars seeking to prove their fighting spirit as the next generation of puroresu greats.
The first round will be rounded out by the Dream Team of former WWE, AAA and Impact Wrestling World Champion Alberto el Patron in his first major AAA appearance in some time as he leads the Dream Team of the most talked about and innovative luchador of 2023 Hijo del Vikingo and one of Lucha Libre AAA's most loyal and passionate brawlers, Psycho Clown. They will battle Team Latin America, captained by former WWE Intercontinental Champion Carlito Colon, true Puerto Rican wrestling loyalty, along with Argentine star Hip Hop Man, who has battled in Mexico's IWRG among countless other promotions and Zumbi, the Brazilian star seeking to make history. If Colon can keep his team on the same page, they may have a chance to score a shockingly quick win but Team Dream Team was named such for a reason…
From the day the late, great Antonio Pena founded Lucha Libre AAA alongside Konnan and an army of revolutionaries who sought to not just evolve lucha libre but to ascend it from a Mexican art form to an internationally revered professional wrestling destination, the luchadors of AAA have pushed the envelope of what high-flying professional wrestling and emotional moments could be in the lucha multiverse, inspiring countless fans and wrestlers alike.
This Sunday, FITE fans get to see the fruits of that labor that started way back in the far-flung past of the 1990s as international stars from every corner of the globe descend to Mexico to bring that inspiration to life with their unique combat sports hybrid fighting styles, hoping to ascend to the heavenly victories that come with placing your opponents into the hellscape known as defeat.
Fans across the world, watching exclusively on FITE will get to live through and experience all the true glory and grandeur of Lucha Libre AAA as it emanates from Guadalajara and explodes out of your chosen streaming devices. Experience the first-hand perspective of all things AAA without having to worry about a luchador crashing through your seats…or will they? Anything can happen on any given night when it comes to lucha libre, but one thing is guaranteed. We will all witness the crownings of the 2023 Lucha Libre World Cup Champions!
Mike Johnson is the lead reporter for PWInsider.com and has been writing about professional wrestling since 1996. He can be found on Twitter @MikePWInsider and MikeJohnsonWrites.com.
