Stevie Richards dedicated the milestone 100th episode of his podcast to praising what he believes is the standout match of 2026 so far, while also delivering sharp criticism of WWE’s current creative approach.

Alongside co-host James Romero, Richards spent a significant portion of the show analyzing the Mask vs. Mask showdown between El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) and The Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) from AAA Noche de Los Grandes on May 30 at Arena Monterrey. The brutal contest ended with Gable being unmasked in front of his family after Kaiser secured the victory, and the match has since received widespread praise. WWE even aired a replay of the bout on Netflix following Raw.

Romero was particularly enthusiastic about the match, calling it “probably the best match of 2026” and suggesting it would top many Match of the Year lists. He questioned how a WWE premium live event held during the same weekend could fail to match the quality of a AAA production operating with a significantly smaller budget.

“How can a WWE PLE not hold up to something from AAA with a much reduced budget,” Romero said, “but it’s just so much better in every single respect.”

He was even more critical of WWE’s event, adding: “Clash in Italy was terrible. The booking was awful.”

Richards used the discussion to highlight what he sees as WWE’s inability to maximize talent on the main roster.

“How can WWE get both these guys so wrong in so many different ways, or at least not have them live up to their potential on the main roster,” Richards asked.

He credited AAA’s storytelling philosophy, reportedly guided by The Undertaker, for the success of the rivalry. Richards compared the booking style to the straightforward storytelling often associated with Dutch Mantell.

“It wasn’t a match looking for a storyline, it was a storyline that led up to a match,” Richards explained. “WWE does it all backwards. This is proof of how WWE has it all incredibly backwards in the wrong way. You should be able to do this every single week on WWE TV.”

The former WWE star was equally complimentary of The Undertaker’s reported influence behind the scenes.

“He might be Booker of the Year if this continues,” Richards said. “Maybe not according to somebody who votes for Booker of the Year, but I would give him Booker of the Year at this point.”

The conversation eventually turned toward WWE’s broader creative structure, with both hosts arguing that storytelling has become secondary to corporate priorities. Romero described the company’s output as lacking passion, a sentiment Richards echoed.

“This is a corporation we’re watching, everything is done in excess and not efficiently,” Richards stated, claiming that sponsorship obligations often take precedence over long-term storytelling.

He continued by describing WWE as “creatively bankrupt and have been for a long time, not because you can’t create, it’s because all these other masters that Triple H is serving.”

When Romero suggested WWE had “created a system that sucks the creativity out the process,” Richards agreed, replying: “It’s an advertising system with some creative control.”

Despite their criticism of WWE’s creative direction, both men were unanimous in their praise of Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser. Romero went as far as to label Gable the top wrestler in the industry today.

“I think Chad Gable is the best wrestler in the world, and I don’t think it’s close.”

Richards then referenced comments from JBL comparing Gable to Kurt Angle and argued that Gable’s accomplishments may be even more impressive because they have come without the same level of company backing.

“Chad’s getting over when they essentially have not pushed Chad,” Richards noted before adding that Gable “might be more versatile than Kurt.”

Richards also credited AAA authority figure Rey Mysterio for helping create an environment where the storyline could thrive.

“Rey Mysterio has better business sense than TKO,” he said. “He can read the world and the audience better than they can.”

Still, both hosts expressed concern that the momentum built by Gable and Kaiser in AAA could quickly disappear once they return to WWE programming on a full-time basis. Richards repeatedly questioned how long it would take before WWE undermined the progress made by both performers.

Romero shared similar concerns.

“My worry was, is that WWE would see how well they were doing and want to bring them back, and then have no idea what to do with them,” he said.

Richards described the AAA storyline as a defining moment for both competitors.

“This was the prove it storyline for Kaiser and Chad Gable.”

He later pointed to LA Knight as an example of WWE cooling off a popular act. Richards highlighted Knight’s limited in-ring presence on Raw since WrestleMania, arguing that the situation could not simply be accidental.

According to Richards, WWE “haven’t handled his character with care.”

Romero was also unimpressed with a recent segment involving Knight and Jimmy Uso, criticizing it as “10 minutes of silence” and calling it “terrible.” He added that a possible rivalry between the two stars would feel like “a huge step down.”