WWE’s purchase of AAA in April 2025 changed the future of Mexican wrestling overnight. More than a year later, AAA executive Dorian Roldán has revealed the full story behind the landmark deal, explaining that it wasn’t simply about selling the company—it was about fulfilling the vision his uncle Antonio Peña had from the day AAA was founded.
Speaking on Bajo la Piel, the director of operations and manager of Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide explained that Peña always wanted Mexican wrestling to become a worldwide attraction. According to Roldán, that dream guided every major decision the family made long before WWE ever became involved.
“The one who created the company was my uncle, and what he wanted was for Mexican wrestling to reach the whole world and for his legacy to be seen globally. There are recordings where he says, ‘I want to take Mexican wrestling to the whole world.'”
Roldán explained that AAA had spent years trying to accomplish exactly that. The company partnered with major Hollywood names, hoping they could help take AAA beyond Mexico, but despite working with some huge players, they never quite got where they wanted.
“The family has made very strong efforts. We partnered at the time with MGM, with Robert Rodriguez, with Mark Burnett, with top-tier people to be able to take this to the next level. And there was always something that wouldn’t let us reach where we wanted to reach.”
Eventually WWE entered the conversation, and Roldán realized the opportunity was unlike anything AAA had seen before. He compared the deal to Hollywood embracing Mexican wrestling rather than replacing it.
“An opportunity arose a few years ago to sit down with the people from WWE. When I go to the movies… I have many friends who aren’t that into Mexican cinema. They prefer to watch a Hollywood blockbuster. What happened now is that Hollywood came to Mexican wrestling.”
He believes WWE gives AAA access to resources that simply didn’t exist before, not only in terms of talent, but production, merchandising and worldwide distribution.
“You have the biggest company in the world taking charge of a Mexican company. They’re lending us the best players worldwide—not just talent, but camera crews, design, merchandising—meaning you have access to the best platforms. There’s nothing better for that than the Americans. Absolutely nothing. Besides, the size and volume of business they can generate is insane.”
According to Roldán, the goal wasn’t to erase AAA’s identity. It was to put the promotion onto the biggest stage possible. Roldán also revealed that WWE’s purchase didn’t happen overnight. In fact, AAA had approached WWE multiple times over the years before everything finally came together.
“What’s really important is that you want your property to reach the whole world. If I ask you today who created Coca-Cola, I think it would be hard for you to tell me who created Coca-Cola. My uncle is part of the history of wrestling, but we wanted to take AAA to the next level and I think we’re achieving it. There were three moments when we approached them.”
He said the first discussions took place back in 2010, before WWE’s expansion into Mexico, but nothing materialized. Talks resumed around 2017-2018, shortly after his father passed away, and those meetings proved invaluable—even though a deal wasn’t completed.
“The first was in 2010… We didn’t reach any agreement. Later, in 2017 to 2018… that was very important because that’s where I understood a lot.”
During WWE’s due diligence process, the company made it clear AAA wasn’t yet ready to become part of a publicly traded corporation. Instead of walking away discouraged, Roldán used that feedback as motivation.
“One of the points they told me… was that the company wasn’t ready yet… institutionally, to be sold to a company that was publicly traded in the United States. It fell to me to lead the company. That’s why I return again to the academic side of how to start institutionalizing and how to start professionalizing the company to prepare it for this process. If you have a property and a cartoon, well, you want Disney to have it. It’s the best platform to be able to exploit it.”
When asked why he was ultimately willing to sell a company that had been in his family for decades, Roldán pointed to several reasons. The first was honoring Antonio Peña’s vision, but he also admitted there were practical realities involved: “There are several reasons for the sale. First, because of my uncle’s legacy.” Another concern was that WWE could simply buy AAA’s biggest rival instead.
“There was also the possibility that they would buy the competition. If they buy the competition, me fighting against the competition and them is crazy.”
He also believed WWE’s expansion into Mexico was inevitable because of its worldwide ambitions following its Netflix partnership.
“They were going to enter Mexico with or without me. They closed a massive global deal with Netflix where they have to start conquering other territories, and money is the least of their worries. So, do you want to get on that boat or not?”
Roldán admitted business also played a role in the decision. While he loves AAA, he believes owners sometimes become too emotionally attached to their companies.
“The ultimate goal of a business is to generate money. One day… someone told me, ‘Fall in love with money, not the business.'”
He expanded on that idea later in the interview, arguing that refusing to sell simply because of pride can become an ego issue.
“It’s your attachment to your creation, but that is more tied to your ego. If you’re at a great moment, with a great valuation, and you started the business to generate money, why wouldn’t you sell it? What’s the issue? I return again. The ultimate origin of a company… is to generate money.”
More than a year after the sale became official, Roldán believes the decision has already validated itself. In his eyes, WWE didn’t take AAA away from the Peña family—it gave Antonio Peña’s dream the worldwide platform he’d been chasing from the very beginning.
What do you think of Dorian Roldán’s comments? Has WWE helped AAA reach new heights, or do you prefer the promotion before the acquisition? Let us know in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
