Unexpected WWE Superstar Ends Dominik Mysterio’s Shot at AAA Championship originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Arena Ciudad de Mexico was the stage for one of the year’s most unexpected moments in pro wrestling as part of AAA’s TripleMania XXXIII.
AJ Styles appeared unannounced during Saturday’s event, grabbing the ref and preventing Dominik Mysterio from completing a pin.
The WWE star, who already stunned fans with a cameo at TNA Slammiversary in July, emerged in a mask during the main event four-way bout for the AAA Mega Championship featuring El Hijo del Vikingo, Dragon Lee, Mysterio and El Grande Americano.
Mysterio seemed to be just seconds away from securing the title after hitting a frog splash on Lee, when the masked figure suddenly yanked the ref away from the mat and out of the ring.
AJ Styles arrives in AAA and costs Dominik Mysterio the Mega Championship.
pic.twitter.com/ltPwSoB1nA— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) August 17, 2025
To the surprise of the crowd, the intruder revealed himself as AJ Styles, before delivering a crushing Styles Clash to Mysterio.
Vikingo Retains as Chaos Erupts at Aa Triplemania XXXIII
The interference left Mysterio lying out in the ring, opening the door for Vikingo to connect with his 630 splash and retain the Mega Championship after pinning Dominik.
Vikingo pins Dominik and the crowd HATES it pic.twitter.com/2U2EqpWSeP
— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) August 17, 2025
Saturday marked Vikingo’s third successful title defense of his second reign with the belt and his first since June’s TripleMania Regia III, the last event before WWE closed the deal to acquire Lucha Libre promotion AAA on Aug. 1.
The twist capped off a night that also featured other surprise WWE appearances, adding another layer to what is shaping up as a strong partnership between the wrestling promotions.
Title Changes Highlight Stacked TripleMania Card
TripleMania delivered multiple championship outcomes, from successful defenses such as Vikingo’s to the crowning of new champions.
El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated El Mesias to claim the AAA Latin American Championship. In tag action, Psycho Clown and Pagano captured the AAA Tag Team titles in a violent street fight against Angel and Berto.
Not every belt changed hands, however, with Vikingo retaining and Flammer keeping hold of the Reina de Reinas title against Faby Apache.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
