As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, WWE announced last week that it has acquired Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide and will collaborate with the promotion for an NXT Worlds Collide event in June.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has shared more details about the acquisition, including details about another company involved in the deal.
The company is known as Fillip, a sports and entertainment holding firm located in Mexico. It is believed that WWE holds the majority stake in this deal, while Fillip serves as the minority partner.
Fillip describes itself as a private capital firm and has investments in the Kings League soccer, which operates in Mexico, Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, and Germany. Fillip also has a stake in Tycoon Enterprises, a brand licensing company.
AAA and WWE have had sporadic discussions about collaborating since the passing of Antonio Pena in 2006, with early talks taking place in 2007.
These discussions centered on WWE offering financial support and acquiring ownership to expand AAA into the United States.
However, these negotiations fell through as WWE aimed to have full control, while the Roldan family, who owned AAA, were reluctant to sell a controlling interest of 51% to WWE.
The most recent negotiations, involving Fillip, have been ongoing for more than a year. WWE executives were present at the last AAA event held at the Juan de la Barrera Gym.
Although many were aware of the discussions, the announcement during WrestleMania 41 weekend came as a surprise.
With this new deal, WWE ultimately achieves its goal of having control and making major decisions.
Still, WWE will not take over until the third quarter of 2025, meaning AAA will continue its operations as usual until then.
AAA currently has thirteen wrestlers under contract. There has been no confirmation of the financial details involved, although a figure of $50 million has been mentioned in Mexico.
