Very few wrestling venues ever reach legendary status, but of those that have, Arena Mexico is seen by many to be a true “bucket list” venue for a number of wrestlers across the world. One of those wrestlers is current AEW star and ROH World Champion Bandido, who has wrestled in the iconic venue multiple times throughout his career, including at the most recent Grand Slam Mexico edition of “AEW Dynamite.”
Before Grand Slam Mexico aired, Renee Paquette caught up with Bandido for an episode of “AEW Close-Up” where she asked him what Arena Mexico means to him and other luchadors from Mexico. “This means a lot to me you know? My dream was to be a wrestler from CMLL, from Arena Mexico, and now coming to Arena Mexico as an AEW wrestler is like a dream come true. I couldn’t come when I was like a kid, but when I turned like 16, it was my first trip to Mexico City to come to Arena Mexico and say ‘Oh, I want this venue to be my house for my whole life.”
Bandido explained that he came with a small wrestling group from his hometown when he attended Arena Mexico for the first time, and due to the emotions he felt walking into the venue, he knew that he needed to wrestle there at some point in his life. For many luchadors, being able to work at Arena Mexico is a rite of passage, and according to Bandido, some only feel like they’ve fully become a luchador once they’ve wrestled in the iconic venue. “The Arena Mexico venue is, for the wrestlers, like an achievement to be here,” Bandido said. “If you have a match here, you can say you are a real luchador.”
Bandido compared Arena Mexico to Korakuen Hall, the Tokyo Dome, and even Madison Square Garden as places that are venues which are considered achievements to wrestlers across the world. The ROH World Champion was actually banned from working in Arena Mexico for four years due to his previous affiliation with AAA, but that ban was lifted in 2025 thanks to AEW’s partnership with CMLL.
Please credit “AEW Close-Up” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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