Entertainment
WWE signs Dragon Lee as masked star aims to become ‘next Rey Mysterio’-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro
The masked luchador is coming to NXT.
Dragon Lee announced his NXT move after his AAA win (Picture: AAA via WWE)
WWE has signed masked luchador Dragon Lee and he announced the deal moments after winning the AAA World Tag Team Titles.
The 27-year-old wrestler – who has now won gold in Ring of Honor, AAA, CMLL and New Japan Pro Wrestling as well as appearing for rival promotion AEW over the summer – will join the NXT brand in January 2023.
He revealed the news after he and his brother Dralistico defeated FTR for the tag titles on Wednesday night.
In a video shared by WWE on Twitter, he told the crowd: ‘I’m going to continue representing my country as I have done until now. My Mexico, this is for you and for all the people that had trusted me.
‘So WWE, there I go! 2023 is gonna be a new year for me, This is for Mexico! Let’s go! I am very happy. Thanks to all the people who accompany me. That’s all, thank you.’
The news has been welcomed by WWE boss Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, who shared the video and heaped praise on Dragon Lee’s talents in the ring.
He tweeted: ‘An unbelievable athlete who has collected accolades and held championships across the globe… and he’s just getting started. The next chapter of @dragonlee95’s career begins with @WWENXT!’
His brother Rush, who appears in AEW, added: ‘Congratulations brother, @dragonlee95 I am very proud of you, you are going to get where you want to go because you have everything and you deserve it’.
Meanwhile, Dragon Lee – who grew up idolising the likes of Rey Mysterio, Batista (Dave Bautista) and Shawn Michaels – has revealed he has high hopes for his career in WWE.
He wants to follow in the footsteps of Rey Mysterio (Picture: WWE)
‘I think I can become the new Rey Mysterio in WWE,’ he told ESPN. ‘I just need the opportunity.’
And he explained how a conversation with Raw superstar Finn Balor helped get the ball rolling to bring him into the fold.
He added: ‘[Balor] told me, “Would you like to be in WWE?” I said, “Yeah, sure. Why not?” It was something special for me.’
The deal is a statement of intent for WWE as they look to expand the NXT brand across the world ahead of the NXT Europe launch in 2023, and amid plans for an NXT Mexico wing.
James Kimball, WWE’s head of talent strategy and operations, told the outlet: ‘Dragon Lee is a tremendous talent that will immediately add value to the NXT roster. This signing is reflective of WWE’s renewed emphasis on globalising our talent pipeline with Latin America positioned as a focal market.’
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