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WWE executive Triple H took social media to congratulate Hijo Del Vikingo for becoming the new AAA Mega Champion, but for the masses, there has actually been any celebration. A picture of Vikingo holding up the championship belt was captioned about honoring legacy and creating the future. The post generated a whole gamut of reactions ranging from outright hateful to grudgingly accepting.
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The picture alone perfectly represented Vikingo standing tall and holding the AAA Mega Championship, a title with magnificent Mexican Lucha Libre heritage. The intricate design of the belt glistened under the spotlight, with the glow of its unparalleled prestige in the wrestling world. However, while the image speaks well, the story told by the story is disappointing.
“Nobody likes this guy, the corporate champion…#WewantAlberto,” said one fan, referring to Alberto Del Rio, a former WWE star and one very much favored in Mexico. Another took to social media to lament in Spanish, “You really didn’t understand what was asked for yesterday. This man cannot be the face of AAA.” The backlash did not stop with Vikingo’s push, though; there were some who also turned their ire toward Triple H with another adding, “Your ass needs to be fired.”
Below this post, some of these countered the opinion; a few were in favor of Vikingo, with one making a comeback comparison between Vikingo and a young Rey Mysterio and another optimistically stating, “Everyone won.” But disfavor among the vast majority focused on Vikingo’s legitimacy and placing him alongside former champions like Kenny Omega and Alberto Del Rio: “He has no credibility and is not at the level of former champions,” came the response.
However, soon the irony was pointed out by another contingent of fans: Vikingo was wildly popular in AEW. “He was cheered like crazy when he faced Omega at AEW,” one user said. “Now they hate because it’s WWE.” So that just might mean that the disdain has very little to do with the man and everything to do with WWE butting into AAA’s booking.
Some others suggest that this negative publicity can be turned to Vikingo’s advantage if he plays on it as a real-life character. “This is why I believe Hijo Del Vikingo should turn heel,” one user said. Whether he will or won’t remains to be seen, but lately, reaction to his title win has been one of the hottest topics within the lucha libre community.
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The ongoing debate clearly shows just how big of a controversy Triple H’s push for Vikingo is creating. Whether that controversy will save or bury Vikingo in the long run is still in the balance, but one thing is for sure: the wrestling world is watching—and not everyone is impressed.