AAA Night of Champions preview: Can FTR stop their title match losing streak?

AAA is closing the year strong with a Night of Champions event on December 28 in Acapulco. Not every championship is up for grabs, but all matches are for a championship. Hijo del Vikingo versus Bandido for the AAA Mega Championship is the headliner with lucha libre match of the year potential, and FTR defending the AAA tag titles against Dragon Lee & Dralistico is the match that will have the most curiosity from AEW fans.

The advertised lineup for AAA Noche de Campeones (available for streaming through Fite TV) includes:

• AAA Megacampeonato: Hijo del Vikingo (c) vs. Bandido
• AAA World Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Dragon Lee & Dralistico
• AAA World Trios Championship: Sanson, Forastero, & Cuatrero (c) vs. Willie Mack, Myzteziz Jr., & Aramis
• AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship: Sammy Guevara & Tay Melo (c) vs. Lady Shani & Octagon Jr. vs. Sexy Star & Komander
• Campeonato La Leyenda Azul Blue Demon: Arez vs. Taurus vs. Villano III Jr.
• Copa Mundo Imperial: Vampiro, Aerostar, Blue Demon Jr., Niño Hamburguesa, Pagano, Mr. Iguana, Diva Salvaje, Jessy Ventura, Murder Clown, Dave The Clown, Panic Clown, Parka Negra
• Campeonato Marvel Lucha Libre

Remember that the card is subject to change. One alteration we know with near certainty is Sammy Guevara & Tay Melo off the card. Melo was double-booked for Dynamite. Melo had visas issues earlier in the month trying to work a AAA show, and rumors suggest that AEW decided to keep Melo for Dynamite when an illness changed previous plans. The apparent idea is that AAA will strip Sammy & Tay to crown new mixed tag champions, but AAA has yet to comment publicly.

Hijo del Vikingo versus Bandido should hopefully be worth the price of admission by itself. The contest features two of the most exciting luchadores in the world at the top of their games. This bout will cap off a personal trilogy in the past few months spanning outside AAA. Vikingo bested Bandido at CorazonMania I in September in a non-title fight. Bandido evened the score to retain the Big Lucha World Championship at Big Lucha Una Navidad Con Valores on Christmas day. The AAA Night of Champions main event will settle the rubber match.

Check out the clash between Vikingo and Bandido at CorazonMania for a taste of what to expect.

FTR is on a losing streak. They came up short against the Acclaimed when vying for the AEW tag titles. FTR then lost the ROH straps to the Briscoes in a double dog collar match. Last week, the Gunn sons cheated their way to victory over FTR. Will the hard times continue for the Top Guys at AAA Night of Champions?

FTR are no strangers to Los Hermanos Lee. Dragon Lee and Dralistico have been chasing the AAA tag titles since arriving in the promotion. They had a shot at FTR in March, but the result was cluttered with interference. Vickie Guerrero played a key role in assisting FTR as their manager, and Pentagon Jr. unleashed his fury for payback on FTR. The Lucha Bros and Los Hermanos Lee are rivals themselves, so Dragon Lee didn’t want help from Penta. Dax Harwood scored a tights-grabbing roll-up in the hullabaloo to escape with the belts.

For predictions on those two prime time contests, I’m leaning toward a split in title changes. AAA still has plenty of story to tell with Hijo del Vikingo as mega champ, such as a showdown with Kenny Omega. FTR had their run, and I suspect new titleholders will be crowned. Dragon Lee and Dralistico have become belt collectors in their own right on the Mexican indies. Time to add one more to the collection.

As for what to expect on the rest of the card, Willie Mack will be dancing, the Nueva Generacion Dinamita will execute cool trios teamwork, the three-way between Arez, Taurus, and Villano III Jr. has show-stealing potential from the undercard, the Copa Mundo Imperial should have fun legends moments from Vampiro and Blue Demon Jr.

AAA Night of Champions starts at 7:15 pm ET on December 28 streaming through Fite TV.

Share your predictions for AAA Night of Champions. Which matches are you most eager for?