El Grande Americano retains WWE Speed title in first defense

El Grande Americano is still WWE Speed Champion after making his first defense of his belt.
Though he needed to cheat to win, Americano (Chad Gable) prevailed over Berto in a title defense on this week’s WWE Speed episode. Berto was going for a cradle when Americano was able to counter and deliver a headbutt with a weapon loaded into his facemask. He then pinned Berto with 1:16 remaining of the five-minute time limit.
Americano, a supposed legendary luchador with a rich history of success in Mexico, became Speed Champion this May by defeating Dragon Lee. There have been four champions since the title was introduced in 2024: Ricochet, Andrade, Lee, and Americano.
The Americano vs. Berto match was taped last night at the WWE Performance Center.
He failed to capture gold here, but Berto did become a champion at Triplemania Regia on Sunday, winning the AAA Tag Team titles with his cousin Angel.
A new tournament starts on Speed next Wednesday to find a challenger for Women’s Speed Champion Sol Ruca. It will feature the following first-round matchups:
- B-Fab vs. Alba Fyre
- Thea Hail vs. Nikkita Lyons