Roman Reigns’ conversation with Rey Mysterio on RAW wasn’t just a random backstage moment after all. WWE has now revealed exactly what Rey wanted to “run by” the Tribal Chief, and the answer is much bigger than fans expected.
On August 5, WWE announced that Roman Reigns will defend the World Heavyweight Championship on the September 14 edition of RAW from Mexico City against the winner of a historic cross-promotional tournament featuring talent from RAW, SmackDown and AAA.
Rey Mysterio broke the news in a video released by WWE on Twitter, officially confirming that the tournament will begin on the August 10 episode of RAW before culminating with a championship match against Reigns in Mexico.
“General Manager @reymysterio just announced a HISTORIC tournament featuring the best luchadores from #WWERaw, #SmackDown and AAA, and the winner will challenge @WWERomanReigns for the World Heavyweight Title on Raw in Mexico City on Sept. 14!”
The announcement finally puts the pieces together after Monday’s episode of RAW left fans wondering why Mysterio had approached Reigns backstage. At the time, Rey simply told the Tribal Chief that he wanted to “run something by” him before the two shook hands and walked away, with WWE offering no explanation.
Now the mystery has been solved. Rather than setting up a traditional WWE rivalry, the segment was planting the seeds for one of the company’s biggest AAA crossover matches to date. Instead of making his first major appearance for the promotion at TripleManía, Reigns will now be waiting in Mexico City as luchadores from three different rosters battle for the right to challenge him.
The announcement also comes just days after reports suggested WWE was planning a significant role for Reigns in its AAA partnership, although it was believed his first appearance wouldn’t come at TripleManía in Las Vegas. That report now appears to have been pointing toward an even bigger prize—a World Heavyweight Championship match built around the best of WWE and AAA colliding on one stage.
With the tournament kicking off on August 10, the road to Roman Reigns’ first major AAA crossover title defense is officially underway.
Who do you think should win the tournament and challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship in Mexico City? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
