| Acronym | AAA |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1992 |
| Style | Professional wrestling Lucha libre Sports entertainment |
| Headquarters | Mexico City |
| Founder(s) | Antonio Peña |
| Owner(s) | Joaquín Roldán Dorian Roldán Marisela Peña Roldán |
| Website | LuchaLibreAAA.com |
Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) (Spanish for "Assistance, Consulting, and Administration") is a lucha libre professional wrestling promotion based in Mexico. Founded in 1992 when Antonio Peña broke away from Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) to set up a promotion, which allowed him more creative freedom, the AAA has held a number of pay-per-views (PPV) over the years and has promoted shows not just in Mexico but in the United States of America and in Japan as well. The promotion utilizes both a hexagonal and the more conventional four-sided wrestling ring and has a reputation for its outlandish gimmicks and characters as well as having developed a more extreme match style over the last couple of years. Over the years AAA has worked together with several North American promotions such as the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and currently has a working relationship with Japan-based Pro Wrestling Noah and the US-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).
Contents |
AAA dates from May 15, 1992, when Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) booker Antonio Peña broke with the company in favor of establishing his own group along with Konnan and much of the young and exciting talent from CMLL.[1] This left CMLL with a middle-aged roster and a seemingly bleak future. AAA also looked for talent from other markets, as they found and signed Tijuana natives Rey Mysterio, Jr. and Psicosis. The promotion flourished with top talent like El Hijo del Santo, Octagón, Blue Panther, the Casas brothers (Negro Casas and Heavy Metal) and possessed top draws in Los Gringos Locos, Cien Caras, Konnan, and Perro Aguayo. The rising popularity of AAA soon caused rival Universal Wrestling Association to go out of business, and Peña quickly signed up top draws including El Canek, Dos Caras and Los Villanos.
AAA's "golden years" (from 1993-1995) peaked with the When Worlds Collide Pay-Per-View, promoted in conjunction with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and broadcast in the United States of America in 1994. Weeks after the show, Art Barr (a key member of Los Gringos Locos) died while visiting his family. As a result, AAA vacated the AAA Tag Team Championships, and this led to the departure of fellow stable-mates (in Los Gringos Locos) Eddie Guerrero and Madonna's Boyfriend. El Hijo del Santo also departed as a result of creative problems, and stars such as Fuerza Guerrera and Blue Panther soon left too when the Mexican economy began to slow down (which resulted in the company's inability to offer as much work). Many wrestlers, including Rey Misterio, Jr., Psicosis, La Parka, and Juventud Guerrera, would also depart to WCW in 1996 as well as Konnan's short-lived Promo Azteca promotion. In early 1997, AAA established a working agreement with WWE, but the only significant outcome was that several luchadores were featured in the 1997 Royal Rumble. AAA broadcasts shows regularly on Televisa in Mexico and on Galavisión in the United States.
On October 6, 2006, founder Antonio Peña died of a heart-attack. Now[update] Peña's sister Marisela manages AAA financially, while Peña's brother-in-law Joaquín Roldán and his son, Dorian Roldán, serve as operational managers. In 2008, Lucha Libre USA presented AAA's second U.S. pay-per-view, Legendary Battles of Triplemania.[2] In 2009 AAA announced the official release of a video game originally entitled AAA El Videojuego.[3] The game was later retitled Lucha Libre AAA: Héroes del Ring by the publisher of the game, with a release date of October 12, 2010.
AAA developed a working relationship with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in 2004. Through the relationship, AAA sent the luchadores Juventud Guerrera, Héctor Garza, Abismo Negro, Heavy Metal, and Mr. Águila to TNA to compete in the America's X-Cup Tournament as a contingent known as Team Mexico. Team Mexico dominated the America's X-Cup Tournament, defeating Team USA in the first round before retaining the Cup against both Team Canada and Team Britain. They eventually lost at the World X-Cup, which saw Team USA defeat Team Canada and Team Mexico in the Ultimate X finals to win the Cup. For multiple reasons TNA and AAA broke off their working relationship late in 2004. TNA continued utilizing luchadores, but opted to contract them individually as opposed to working through AAA. It is rumored that this break in the relationship was due to problems the company had with AAA owner Antonio Peña, who was said to have been a difficult man to work with at times. In 2006, AAA and TNA worked again for an event in Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, utilizing some of TNA's talent and stage (which includes the tunnel and lasers). After Konnan left TNA in June 2007 any chance of a working relationship disappeared especially given that Konnan has filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against TNA, later dismissed. Afterwards TNA started a working relationship with AAA's rival CMLL. However, in February 2010 the companies once again began a working relationship and started exchanging talent.[4]
Each year AAA promotes a number of signature events and tournaments: some shown as pay-per-view events and others presented as Televisa television specials. The annual shows and tournaments, shown in order of occurrence during each year, include:
| Event | Next Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rey de Reyes | TBA for 2012 | A tournament and show held traditionally in the early part of the year. |
| Triplemanía | TBA for 2012 | Traditionally AAA's biggest show of the year, their "Super Bowl" (PPV). |
| Verano de Escándalo | July 31, 2011 | Show usually held in September each year, often a Pay-Per-View. |
| Héroes Inmortales | TBA for 2012 | Hosts the Copa Antonio Peña tournament in memory of AAA's founder; held around the anniversary of Peña's death. Renamed from Homenaje a Antonio Peña to Heroes Inmortales in 2009. |
| Guerra de Titanes | December 16, 2011 | AAA's end-of-year show, usually in December (PPV). |
Since its inception AAA has placed very few restrictions on the number of championships it promotes, often allowing wrestlers to defend titles that do not technically belong within AAA, such as titles from the now defunct Universal Wrestling Association. While they allowed these to be defended and used to promote their wrestlers they're not officially listed as AAA titles and thus do not appear on this list. In December 2008 AAA announced it they will no longer recognize or promote any title that does not belong to AAA - ending the long standing practice.[5]
| Championship | Current champion(s) | Date won | Previous Champion |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA World Heavyweight Championship | Jeff Jarrett | June 18, 2011[6] | El Zorro |
| AAA Latin American Championship | L.A. Park | December 16, 2011[7] | Dr. Wagner, Jr. |
| AAA World Tag Team Championship | La Legión Extranjera (Abyss and Chessman) |
October 9, 2011[8] | Extreme Tiger and Jack Evans |
| AAA World Cruiserweight Championship | Jack Evans | June 6, 2010[9] | Extreme Tiger |
| AAA Reina de Reinas Championship | Sexy Star | December 16, 2011[7] | Pimpinela Escarlata |
| AAA World Trios Championship | Los Perros del Mal (Damián 666, Halloween and X-Fly) |
June 18, 2011[6] | First champions |
| AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championship | La Sociedad (Alan Stone and Jennifer Blake) |
March 13, 2011[10] | Faby Apache and Pimpinela Escarlata |
| AAA World Mini-Estrellas Championship | Mini Psicosis | April 27, 2011[11] | Octagóncito |
| AAA Northern Tag Team Championship | Poder del Norte (Tigre Cota and Tito Santana) |
March 7, 2010[12] | Angel Dorado, Jr. and Sky |
| Accomplishment | Latest Winner | Date won |
|---|---|---|
| Rey de Reyes | Extreme Tiger | March 18, 2011[13] |
| Alas de Oro | Aero Star | August 8, 2008 |
| Copa Antonio Peña | Electroshock | October 9, 2011[8] |
| Lucha Libre Premier | El Mesías | November 28, 2010[14] |
AAA once promoted the following titles, but no longer officially recognizes them. None of the champions have been officially stripped (except the Atómicos) but they will not be used at any show broadcast on television. AAA abandoned the titles in December/January, 2008/2009, in order to focus only on championships carrying the AAA name.[5]
| Championship | Last Recognized Champion(s) | Date created | End of Recognition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexican National Atómicos Championship | Vacant[15] | August 9, 1996[16] | January 25, 2009[5] |
| Mexican National Heavyweight Championship | Charly Manson | 1926[17] | December 2008[5] |
| Mexican National Middleweight Championship | Octagón | 1933[18] | December 2008[5] |
| Mexican National Tag Team Championship | Octagón and La Parka | June 14, 1957[19] | December 2008[5] |
| Championship | Final Champion(s) | Date created | Date retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAA Americas Heavyweight Championship | Sangre Chicana | February 2, 1996[20] | 2005-2006 |
| AAA Campeón de Campeones Championship | Cibernético | June 15, 1996[21] | 2005 |
| AAA Americas Trios Championship | Villano III, IV and V | March 8, 1996[22] | 1996 |
| AAA Mascot Tag Team Championship | El Alebrije and Cuije | December 13, 2002 | April 7, 2009[23] |
| AAA Parejas Increibles Tag Team Championship | Cibernético and Konnan | June 12, 2010[24] | 2010 |
See: Asistencia Asesoría y Administración roster
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||