Dragon Lee's contract status speculation rises online

Andrade’s WWE exit was a surprise to many across professional wrestling. Fightful Select reported that sources in AEW were unaware of his impending release, while Jon Alba of Sports Illustrated reported that multiple WWE talent were told on Saturday about his release. Online there’s growing speculation that some are expecting Dragon Lee to make a similar exit in a few months based on the status of his WWE contract.

Online wrestling media member Ibou posted a simple tweet about Dragon Lee.

“Dragon Lee’s WWE contract expires in 3 months.”

That wouldn’t be the only mention of Lee in the hours since Andrade’s release as Pep’s Wrestling who is a contributor to Wrestle Purists and other outlets, posted an interesting observation.

“Ricochet won the WWE Speed Championship, left WWE shortly after he dropped the belt. Andrade won the WWE Speed Championship, left WWE shortly after he dropped the belt. Dragon Lee won the WWE Speed Championship, his WWE deal is up in 3 months.”

Speculation is what the online community does best, but it is intriguing to see how it overlaps with reporting as well. In November of 2023, Dave Meltzer reported that Lee had signed a main roster deal.

“Dragon Lee signed his new main roster deal last week,” Meltzer reported. “Basically, it made it worth it to him of having signed the NXT deal rather than the offered AEW deal. As noted, he went to people who knew the US scene, who told him he’d be lost in the shuffle in AEW. Previously, people would have said not to go to WWE given their track record with all the wrestlers who came from Mexico besides Alberto Del Rio.”

Now, this is going to be a story worth watching. Lee is one of the better workers on the WWE roster, but his utilization is a debatable topic. He’s below a midcard performer on Monday Night Raw, losing more than he wins. There’s speculation that he’ll be a major part of AAA. But that would mean WWE is taking an honest investment in building AAA as a viable brand. Dominick Mysterio recently defeated Vikingo to become the AAA Megas Champion. There were growing rumors that El Grande Americano was set to be a major player in AAA as well. The idea that Dragon Lee would be a featured star doesn’t seem to fit the direction the company is taking the famed Mexican promotion.

With the right booking, Dragon Lee could be the heir apparent to Rey Mysterio’s position as children’s favorite luchador. After the last few years in WWE, that seems further and further from reality. With reports that Dragon Lee’s contract could be coming up in 3 months, fans may not get to see much more of him in WWE, and no one would blame him.