JBL came away extremely impressed after witnessing the El Grande Americano vs. Original Grande Americano showdown at AAA Noche de Los Grandes in Monterrey, Mexico.
The highly praised bout saw El Grande Americano defeat Original Grande Americano, who later removed his mask and revealed himself to be Chad Gable. The match has generated significant buzz throughout the wrestling world, and JBL believes both competitors delivered something special.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio (see video below), Layfield offered high praise for Gable, going as far as calling him the best wrestler in the business today.
“I think Chad Gable’s the best wrestler in the world,” Layfield said. “And I don’t think it’s close. That was absolutely amazing, what he and [Ludwig] Kaiser did.”
Layfield also pointed to Gable’s ability to adapt his character work for a completely different audience, noting the challenge of getting the desired reaction in Mexico compared to WWE crowds.
“It’s easy to be kind of a campy heel like he was in WWE with the videos with the Varsity Club or whatever the heck it was,” Layfield said, referencing Alpha Academy. “But then all of a sudden to try to get heat down in Mexico, that’s different level. It’s not even the same business. He had a match down there with La Parka that was just phenomenal.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also gave considerable credit to Ludwig Kaiser, who portrayed El Grande Americano throughout the rivalry and invested heavily in connecting with the Mexican fanbase.
“Kaiser created all this,” he said. “Kaiser created all this with learning the language. Not just learning the language—as we used to say in Texas, he wasn’t learning Spanish, he was learning Mexican. The local dialect was what he was learning, which was absolutely amazing, what he’s done.”
Layfield additionally highlighted the role the Monterrey crowd played in elevating the atmosphere and helping make the match such a memorable experience.
“Mexican fans are just passionate fans,” Layfield said. “They love their lucha libre, and they love their stars, and they get into things, and they enjoy it. And that’s what you saw, them at their very best. And I thought you saw wrestling at its very best. I was absolutely blown away by what they did in the match.”
“I think Chad Gable is the best wrestler in the world and I don’t think it’s close.”
Do you agree with JBL who saw the match firsthand?#bustedopen247 pic.twitter.com/H1WQPTrjWX
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) June 1, 2026
