WWE has got one of the top names in Mexican lucha libre.
Dragon Lee, an elite handler in the ring, signed a deal with WWE earlier this month and will debut with the promotion in January, he told ESPN.
Lee finished Wednesday with Mexican promotion Lucha Libre AAA, a tag team match with his brother Dralistico against FTR for the AAA titles. He said the plan was for him to start working with WWE in January, starting with their developmental brand NXT.
Lee, a 27-year-old wrestler under a mask, has been a champion in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, AAA and CMLL, Mexico’s oldest promotion. He comes from a wrestling family. Lee’s father is a giant named La Bestia del Ring. Lee was with his brother Dralistico in Mexico recently and another brother, Rush, is performing in AEW. He and his family will be moving to Orlando in the near future to get a chance with WWE.
Lee’s signing is noteworthy as WWE continues to expand globally with a push into developmental territories in several other countries in 2023. Sources said Latin America is a priority for the promotion. Shawn Michaels, the legendary former champion and now WWE’s Senior Vice President of Creative Talent Development who runs NXT, recently stated that the promotion is eyeing the NXT Mexico affiliate.
“Dragon Lee is a formidable talent who will immediately add value to the NXT roster,” said James Kimble, Head of Talent Strategy and Operations for WWE. “This signing reflects WWE’s renewed focus on globalizing our talent line while positioning Latin America as a pivotal market.”
Although he had a match teaming with Rush and his close friend Andrade in AEW back in August, Lee said that being in WWE was always a “dream” and he wants to follow in the footsteps of the legends he watched growing up, like Michaels, Batista, and, of course, Rey Mysterio Jr., the most famous masked mentor of all time.
Lee said, “I think I can be the new Rey Mysterio in WWE.” “I just need the opportunity.”
Lee said he spoke in the past with former WWE Talent Relations Director Canyon Ceman, but the ball started rolling again after a conversation with WWE superstar Finn Balor a few months ago. Lee then worked with James Kimball and Trent Welfinger, WWE talent and development strategists, on their way to being signed to a contract in early December.
“[Balor] He said to me, “Would you like to be in WWE?” he told me, laughing. I said, ‘Yeah, sure. Why not?’ … It was something special for me.”
He said that one of Lee’s goals is to work towards becoming a good performer. In the ring, he is one of the best wrestlers in the world with the ability to work different styles from lucha libre to striking strong style to a technical, mat-based match. Lee said he’s been working hard on his English and his ability to communicate with fans on the microphone.
“It’s my challenge to learn more about promotions,” he told me. “You never finish learning in pro wrestling. But every time you wrestle, you learn. But about boredom, it’s something new for me. I’d like to learn something new, how to become not just a wrestler – an artist.”
