Last week on Collision, after Hologram secured a victory over Jay Lethal, the arena went dark. A video package took over the screens, showing a corrupted version of Hologram and flashing the words “Clon activated.” Now, the identity of this “evil clone” has been revealed as luchador Arez, and the story of how he got to AEW involves a direct choice over joining WWE.
According to a report from Luchablog, WWE had scouted Arez and expressed interest in bringing him into AAA, which the company acquired back in April. This marked the first known talent battle over a Lucha star since the acquisition.
Arez informed AEW officials that he had another offer on the table, which prompted AEW to make a final decision and present their own contract. Ultimately, Arez chose to sign with AEW.
Luchablog detailed the situation:
“The new El Clon character who debuted on AEW Collision is Arez… WWE checked him out, liked what they saw, and let him know they wanted to bring him back to AAA as part of staffing up that promotion. (If you’re new, Arez was in AAA from 2018 to 2024, and left after a year of false starts.) Arez let AEW know that he now had another offer, and they needed to make a final decision. AEW decided to make its own offer, and Arez picked AEW over WWE.”
The plan for this storyline has apparently been in the works for some time, as AEW filed a trademark for the name “El Clon” on September 5, 2024.
Many fans quickly speculated that Arez was the man behind the new gimmick, even before it was confirmed. This was largely due to his extensive history with Hologram, who wrestles elsewhere as Aramis. The two have spent the last decade as both rivals and partners across promotions like GCW and MLW, making their connection well-known to American indie wrestling fans.
Shortly after the vignette aired on August 30, Arez suffered a foot injury during a match for RIOT Lucha Libre. While he was taken from the venue by ambulance, the injury was not as severe as it looked. He is expected to be out for only a few days and the situation is not expected to delay his in-person debut in AEW.