Triplemania XXVI Preview: Who will lose their mask?

Triplemania is the biggest lucha libre event in Mexico. Triplemania XXVI will be coming your way Saturday, August 25. Get ready for fast-paced action flipping through your screen with rowdy intent. The show can be seen live on Twitch for free.

The Twitch stream in English will be commentated by the Lucha Underground tandem of Matt Striker and Vampiro. The Spanish stream will be manned by Hugo Savinovich and Jose Manuel Guillen. You can’t go wrong with either duo.

The pre-show begins at 5:00pm CT and the main show begins at 8:00pm CT. If you have Canal Space, that broadcast starts at 8:30pm CT. The Poker de Ases main event will also air on Canal 5 at 11:00pm CT in Mexico.

On to the card.

Lucha Libre AAA

I’ll do my best to fill you in on the story details. Most of these matches were announced Tuesday at a press conference. The YouTube episodes of AAA Worldwide are weeks behind for continuity into Triplemania XXVI.

Poker de Ases: Psycho Clown vs El Hijo del Fantasma vs LA Park vs Pentagon Jr.

Poker de Ases will be a cage match four-way. The last luchador will lose his mask. I’m unclear about specific rules, such as if the final two turns into a regular match won by pinfall or submission. The match concept was officially announced on February 2. The idea was to make a big splash and fill in the participants later.

It would seem that LA Park (WCW’s La Parka) is the odds-on favorite to lose, due to his age and that his career should be winding down. Since an unpredictable match is more fun to watch, allow me to throw some ideas around as to foggy up the notion of the veteran’s presumed defeat.

I can’t say much about Pentagon Jr. He won’t lose unless he has a secret future deal with WWE and they already told him they don’t want his mask. I know that is farfetched, but that is all I can muster.

LA Park’s son will be on the card, so there is a good chance Hijo makes an appearance in the main event. He could help his father escape the cage. There is also a theory that LA Park’s career has been recently rejuvenated from a CMLL feud with Rush. LA Park might want to maximize his earnings while he can before losing his mask.

That leaves us with El Hijo del Fantasma and Psycho Clown. They have been feuding in AAA as the only two at each show every week. I think that duo as the final two would provide the most drama. They are AAA’s two biggest stars at the moment. Neither would be harmed by losing their mask. Psycho could wear face paint. Both could still use their masks for entrances, like Dr. Wagner Jr., so there would be no lost revenue in mask sales.

Prediction: Psycho Clown loses his mask. Psycho Clown is 8-0 in mask bets, so he is bound to lose eventually. I think Saturday night will be that night.

Plus, Psycho Clown wore skinny jeans at the Tuesday press conference. So skinny that they might have been spandex tights painted like jeans. For that reason, I can’t root for Psycho Clown. I wasn’t planning on cheering for him, but that cements it.

Hair vs Mask: Faby Apache vs Lady Shani

Faby Apache is putting her hair up against Lady Shani’s mask. This feud began back in November 2017. It has been increasing in intensity ever since. The event poster mentions without pardon, without a tie. I don’t know why they wrote that, but it must mean serious business. As if it wasn’t already evident by watching them interact lately.

I’m most interested in this fight. It has the highest temperature of boiling blood on the card. Hatred. Intensity. Physicality. It should be a doozy if both are on their game.

A possible subplot to keep an eye on is the involvement of MAD. MAD is a group out to take over AAA. Led by Konnan, an offer was made to Faby to hop aboard. She has yet to accept but also wanted protection and assistance in past episodes of AAA Worldwide.

Prediction: Faby Apache to win. I think MAD will interfere. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Lady Shani is a looker under that mask and will skyrocket in Mexican mainstream popularity.

AAA Mega Championship: Jeff Jarrett vs Fenix vs Brian Cage vs Rich Swann

Jeff Jarrett enters as champ. He won at Verano de Escandalo after Konnan impersonated La Parka as a backup referee. MADness. Also of note, Cage is a member of MAD. He may be there to protect Jarrett in a story sense and a wrestling sense.

Fenix is the hero for AAA. He won a triple-threat to get the shot. Cage and Swann were added, because... I have no clue. The more the merrier? In this case, that will probably be right. Cage and Swann should spice it up with flashy moves.

Prediction: Jeff Jarrett retains. It is too early for MAD to suffer a setback. Besides, MAD doesn’t have any other main event challengers in their group to go after Fenix, if he wins, at the next major event in October.

Street Fight: Joe Lider, Murder Clown, & Pagano vs Los Mercenarios (El Texano Jr., Rey Escorpion, & La Mascara)

This could be a show stealer or a dud. It depends on the amount of brawling vs lucha libre.

Prediction: Los Mercenarios. Too much talent in that trio.

Lumberjack Match: Los OGT’s (Averno, Chessman, & Super Fly) vs. MAD (Juventud Guerrera, Jack Evans, & Teddy Hart)

MAD is similar to the NWO in that this is an invasion angle. Both had Konnan too. Was Jeff Jarrett ever in the NWO? He better not have been. (Editor’s note: He was. Bullet Club, too, technically) Back to the story, MAD is there to take the championships and take masks. Basically, they want to cause chaos and control AAA.

Vampiro has been one of MAD’s targets. As AAA’s Director of Talent, it is his job to confront the enemy faction. After one beating too many, the OGT’s ran to rescue. Need a match for Triplemania? Book it.

The lumberjacks will have straps. La Parka and Killer Kross are probably going to be the main lumberjacks for each side.

I’m expecting this to be my favorite match as long as the lumberjacks don’t wreck it. That is a very likely possibility. Jack Evans and Teddy Hart are super entertaining. Los OGT’s are tough cookies and a cohesive unit. Juventud is Juventud.

Prediction: Los OGT’s. Vampiro will be doing commentary ringside. I suspect he will make his presence felt to screw MAD.

#1 Contender Ladder Match: Team AAA (Aerostar & Drago) vs Team Elite (Laredo Kid & Golden Magic) vs Team Elite (Bandido & Flamita) vs Team Impact (DJZ & Andrew Everett)

The winners will be next in line to contend for the tag team titles held by Texano and Rey Escorpion. Aerostar and Drago are former AAA tag champs (215 day reign). Bandido and Flamita are current tag champs in Crash.

Prediction: Aerostar and Drago. Hopefully a win will help Aerostar so he doesn’t need to sell dairy products in his spare time.

Lucha de Tercias: Team AAA (Mamba, Maximo, & Pimpinela Escarlata) vs El Nuevo Poder del Norte (Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr., & Tito Santana) vs Team Elite (El Hijo de LA Park, Puma King, & Taurus)

A triple threat trios match. El Poder del Norte are the Trios champs, so I’m confused why the belts are not being defended. Team AAA is full of exoticos. Team Elite has LA Park’s son, Prince Puma’s father, and a bull man. I’ll be rooting for Team Elite. How could I not with that zany lineup?

Prediction: El Poder del Norte. They work fantastic together and are a treat to watch.

AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship: Niño Hamburguesa & Big Mami vs Dinastia & Lady Maravilla vs Hijo del Vikingo & Vanilla Vargas vs Angelikal & La Hiedra

Niño Hamburguesa and Big Mami are the current champs. They are two tons of fun each. Despite their size, they still take flight. The other six competitors are young guns out to prove themselves. From what I’ve seen, they are all very capable of putting on a show.

Prediction: Hijo del Vikingo and Vanilla Vargas. I haven’t seen the champs too much on television, so I’m thinking it might be time for a change. Vikingo is on the rise and Vargas received a video package when she recently entered AAA. I think they will be the new crew to take it to the top.

Ten-way match for the AAA World Cruiserweight Championship

I’m unclear if this will be on the pre-show or even on the show at all. It was rumored but isn’t mentioned on the event poster. Australian Suicide is the champ. If the match does occur, then expect high-flying mayhem.

Prediction: Australian Suicide. He can eat a lot of tacos.

Llave a la Gloria finals

On the pre-show will be a six-luchador tag team match. The Llave a la Gloria is a competition for luchadores to be signed to AAA contracts. Last year included Hijo del Vikingo and Angelikal, both of whom made it to the big stage this year. Expect the action to be a little inexperienced but also contain a couple cool maneuvers.

You may recall a rumor that Alberto El Patron was scheduled to wrestle at Triplemania XXVI. A recently released statement claimed AAA did not pay the deposit nor did they fulfill agreed upon terms. I was looking forward to seeing El Patron again in AAA. He’s a huge star and the crowd ovation would have been interesting to see. Shucks.

If you have some time to burn, check out this half-hour Triplemania special in Spanish from Canal Space. The first half talks about the importance of lucha libre and the event itself. The second half hypes up the top two matches, Faby Apache vs Lady Shani and Poker de Ases. The special is nothing must-see, but it is interesting enough to hold one’s attention.

That’s the full card for Triplemania XXVI. Will you be watching? Don’t forget the beer. What are your predictions? Which match are you most looking forward to? Least looking forward to?

A bit of sad news to finish with. Villano III passed away this week. Descansa en paz.