The one year anniversary of AAA being purchased by WWE is rapidly approaching, and the Mexican company has undergone a number of changes since being taken over. The company’s biggest show of the year, TripleMania, saw a number of records broken in attendance and viewing figures. A brand new television deal with FOX was secured in Mexico and South America, and a number of roster members have managed to cross over and feature on WWE programming. To say the acquisition has been a success, and someone who has followed what’s been happening south of the border since the purchase was made has been Dave Meltzer, who covered what he thinks have been the biggest changes for AAA in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The biggest thing Meltzer noted was the Americanization, or “WWEification” of AAA. Stars like El Hijo del Vikingo, known for being one of wrestling’s premier high-flyers, no longer flies in the way he used to because he’s a heel, something WWE has used for years to get fans to stop cheering wrestlers with exciting arsenals. There’s also more run-ins than before, and a lot more promos, with all the fans in attendance mainly there to see the WWE Superstars who’ve traveled to Mexico rather than the AAA roster itself.

Meltzer also pointed out a case of WWE trying to either rewrite or simplify AAA’s history, with commentary consistently saying that La Parka was going for his sixth win in the Rey De Reyes tournament. While the character of La Parka has won the tournament five previous times, the man who previously portrayed La Parka died in 2020, which commentary never mentioned in order to make things less complicated.

With all that said, Meltzer did have some positives regarding the current incarnation of AAA. He claimed that the production is a lot better, to the point where it’s better than AAA’s main rival CMLL. The crowds are always hot, and unlike the North American crowds, they actually care about the matches and aren’t focused on only the finish or if any of the participants have any aura. While Meltzer did say that some of the matches, particularly the women’s bouts, aren’t that great, the vast majority of matches end up being entertaining, and with AAA selling out nearly every show over since WWE took over, Meltzer concluded by saying that AAA’s weekly show is more entertaining TV product WWE currently produces.

Former AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander has been with All Elite Wrestling since the company’s first year, but long-time fans of the “Cosmic Killer” will know that the same year she debuted for AEW, she also debuted for WWE. Simply going by the name Kristen, she teamed up with Karissa as The Brooklyn Belles to take on The IIconics for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the April 9, 2019 episode of “WWE SmackDown.” Statlander was asked about her one and only WWE match during a recent episode of the “Insight” podcast, revealing that herself and Karissa were meant to have a very different gimmick than just being from Brooklyn.

“Originally, the team name was supposed to be the Brooklyn Pizza Connection, and we were supposed to be named Saucy and Cheesy,” Statlander said, noting that she never got to find out whether she was going to be Saucy or Cheesy. “Those were the options, then it was The Brooklyn Belles and then just used our first names. But I was like ‘It kind of would have been iconic to have been either saucy or cheesy,’ and my only match there was a tag title match, so what a way to go in and go out right away. But now I have tag titles in AEW to go for, and maybe I’ll be Saucy or Cheesy, or Garlic, or Oregano something like that.” 

Statlander went on to reveal that she had done some other extra work for WWE that never made it to air, but she was in attendance at WrestleMania 35 in 2019 as her former trainer, Brian Myers, won his first-ever match at a WrestleMania as Curt Hawkins, winning the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships with Zack Ryder. However, nothing ever came about in terms of an offer to join WWE despite her former trainer working for the company, and later on in 2019, Statlander got an email about working for AEW, which ultimately led to a full-time contract and she has been “All Elite” ever since.

Please credit “Insight” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Former IWGP Women’s Champion Sareee debuted in WWE back in early 2020 as ‘Sarray,’ primarily wrestling on “NXT,” with a stint in “NXT UK” and several “WWE 205” matches as well. Unfortunately, she parted ways with WWE in 2023, before finding her footing in the promotion.

In a recent interview with “Tokyo Sports,” Sareee looked back at her time with WWE. 

“That was the most difficult period of my pro-wrestling career,” she admitted, citing how both a stacked roster and the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in her struggling to get picked for matches. “I couldn’t compete as much as I wanted to.”

During her run, Sareee’s gimmick was changed to a high school girl-themed character, which she expressed her dislike for. “I went with the intention of bringing strong women’s professional wrestling from Japan, but it was painful because what was required in reality was different,” she recalled, claiming that the entire experience stressed her out and that she began to binge-eat desserts, developing acne as a result. “Still, I did my best in my heart. Looking back now, it’s all become experience that has nourished me, so not a single moment was wasted.”

On her return to Japan, Sareee admitted that she felt challenged to return to her home country after achieving nothing in the U.S., but realized she needed to do what she loves instead. “I’ve been striving to become the strongest in the Japanese women’s pro-wrestling scene, which is where it all began for me,” she proclaimed. (Translation via “Fightful”).