Former WWE star Tommy Dreamer believes that the storyline on “WWE Raw” between the two factions of El Grande Americano is no longer working.

The El Grande Americano storyline began with Chad Gable portraying the masked character before an injury forced Ludwig Kaiser — the imposter El Grande Americano — to take over the role. While the storyline appears to be a hit in AAA in Mexico, Dreamer believes it is no longer working in the United States and on WWE television.

“To me, this has run its course. It’s super over in Mexico right now. It’s reversed, though. The imposters are the babyfaces and Chad Gable’s crew — if that is him under the mask — are the heels. I do feel it’s run its course. That match last night, at one point they [the crowd] were silent, but because all the guys are such great wrestlers, it got the people back into it through incredible work. But this has run its course,” declared Dreamer on “Busted Open.”

On this week’s “Raw,” the two factions faced off in a six-man tag team match, where the imposter El Grande Americano’s team got one over the original El Grande Americano. The storyline between the two masked men could be coming to an end soon as the duo is set to face each other in a mask vs. mask match at the upcoming AAA Noche de Los Grandes event, which will be held on May 30 in Monterrey, Mexico. 

A few other WWE stars will also feature on the card, with Bayley teaming with Lola Vice and La Catalina in a six-woman tag team match against Las Toxicas, while The War Raiders will come up against Pagano and Psycho Clown for the AAA World Tag Team Championship.

The post-Backlash edition of “WWE SmackDown,” which aired on May 15, 2026, fell in both overall viewership and by an even bigger margin for the key demographic ratings. 

The show, which featured a few key matches and segments ahead of the upcoming Clash In Italy PLE, drew just 1.184 million viewers, according to “Programming Insider,” marking a 7% decline from the previous week’s viewership of 1.279 million. The figure, according to “Wrestlenomics,” is also 10% lower than the Blue brand’s four-week average viewership. Last week’s viewership was the lowest since the February 20 show, which drew 1.113 million viewers and aired on Syfy during Olympic coverage.

While the average viewership fell for the May 15 show, the 18-49 key demographic rating declined even further, dropping from 0.29 for the May 8 edition to 0.23 for the May 15 show. The 0.23 figure is also significantly lower than the four-week average of 0.32.

The May 15 “SmackDown” saw a segment between Trick Williams and the duo of The Miz and Kit Wilson, leading to a match between Williams and The Miz, which was won by the United States Champion, followed by a win for Paige and Brie Bella against Giulia and Kiana James. The show also included a segment where Royce Keys teased a match with Cody Rhodes after interrupting Gunther, eventually leading to a match between Keys and Gunther, with the winner set to face Rhodes at Clash in Italy. The match was ultimately won by the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Also on the show, Jade Cargill continued her rivalry with Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss.

Looking back on her run as Natalya, Nattie made it clear that she largely enjoyed working and collaborating with former WWE CEO Vince McMahon. However, she eventually reached a point where she felt she needed to branch out creatively.

“I had so many amazing moments. I learned so much working with him and and for him, but I also needed to grow,” she said. “I was scared of change because I didn’t want to disappoint Vince. I didn’t want to be something that he didn’t want. So over the last couple years, I’ve had the courage to actually step outside the box and go, ‘Hey, Triple H, is it okay if I go and wrestle in GCW, do Bloodsport, do NWA, do Reality of Wrestling, do work in Mexico? I want to build this new character.’ Triple H, Nick Khan, they were super supportive of me building something brand new. My book was the reason. It was the catalyst for me doing that.”

As Nattie alluded to, her work as the “Lowkey Legend” has extended outside of WWE, with Game Changer Wrestling’s Bloodsport events, which focuses on shoot-style wrestling, as a prime environment for her to shine. Elsewhere, Nattie challenged then-NWA World Women’s Champion Kenzie Paige at the 2025 NWA Crockett Cup, then later, vied for the AAA Reina De Reinas Title in Mexico.

“The Last Hart Beating” hit bookshelves in October 2025, providing fans with a close look into Nattie’s personal and professional life, including her aforementioned training at The Dungeon alongside her famous family.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Battleground Podcast“ with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.