Chad Gable comments on the progression of the El Grande persona.
The former Olympian originally introduced the masked character in March 2025. The gimmick became an instant hit, leading to Gable’s first singles WrestleMania match, where he defeated Rey Fenix. Unfortunately for Chad, he ended up suffering a rotator cuff injury a few months after this in June. Instead of shelving the character, WWE made the decision to keep the gimmick on TV with a different talent under the mask.
The current Intercontinental Champion talked about this turn of events during his recent interview with Chris Van Vliet. They first discussed how Chad Gable was the one who had originally come up with the idea. When asked how he felt about someone else taking over the role in his absence, Gable gave his praise to the new El Grande Americano:
I watched it play out, and on a weekly basis, grew more and more competitively driven to come back and take my character back. At the same time, really kind of grateful for the new Grande carrying it on the way he did, because who knows what would have happened to that character had it just been forgotten until I came back. It may have gotten lost in the shuffle. We may have never got back to any point of importance. So, all credit in the world to him for not just keeping it alive, because he didn’t just keep it alive; he made it thrive.
The 40-year-old also commented on the idea that Ludwig Kaiser is behind the mask of the other El Grande. He said that he doesn’t see the resemblance, calling the internet a wild place for coming up with the theory.
Chad Gable returned from his injury during the 2026 Royal Rumble event and started a feud with the new El Grande. This led to a huge mask vs. mask match between the two in May which Gable lost.
