WWE Reportedly Tried To Buy CMLL

Reports have emerged that WWE attempted to purchase Mexican wrestling promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre a couple of years ago.

CMLL, founded in 1933, has a long and established history in Mexico as one of the country's most prominent lucha libre wrestling promotions, and Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that WWE made an attempt to buy the company a few years back. 

As per the report, WWE wanted to run a promotion in Mexico with the overarching goal of having the choice of the very best Mexican talent, who they could then develop and mould for the US and international market that WWE caters to.

There was a belief within WWE that, if they owned CMLL and could sway all the top talent to work with them, it would also mean AAA would also struggle to hold onto their own top wrestlers as well, giving WWE and WWE-owned CMLL the best of both. 

However, Meltzer says the deal fell through because CMLL were insistent on including sell the arenas they owned to WWE as part of the deal. Vince McMahon and his promotion weren't interested in purchasing old buildings, and the talks were halted. 

WWE and CMLL did reportedly hold further talks in 2019, with the Mexican promotion holding discussions with Triple H over a potential partnership, amid concerns they held over a partnership between All Elite Wrestling and AAA.