New WWE champion officially crowned ahead of SmackDown
A major title change has taken place in WWE ahead of this week's SmackDown. Dragon Lee has defeated Andrade to become the new Speed Champion. The match aired moments ago exclusively on X/Twitter.
The Speed Championship was introduced earlier this year, with Ricochet becoming the inaugural titleholder. The former WWE Superstar dropped the gold to Andrade before leaving the company. The Mexican star held the championship for over five months, defending it against Baron Corbin, Tommaso Ciampa, Xavier Woods, and Pete Dunne.
The former AEW star's reign came to an end before SmackDown went on air last Friday. Andrade lost to Dragon Lee in less than five minutes. The title is exclusive to WWE Speed, which airs on X/Twitter.
After the success of the Men's Speed Championship, a title was also introduced for the women's division. Candice LeRae was recently crowned the inaugural Women's Speed Champion. Both Andrade and LeRae started receiving more TV time after winning the X/Twitter-exclusive title, and the same could be the case with Dragon Lee. The 29-year-old is looking for his breakthrough moment in the company.
Dragon Lee has become a prominent face on WWE programming
Dragon Lee signed with WWE in 2022 and made his TV debut shortly after. The luchador was promoted to the main roster after a short stint on NXT. However, Lee has not been involved in many notable storylines since leaving the developmental brand. Nonetheless, the 29-year-old has been getting more TV time lately and recently secured a huge victory over Chad Gable in an enthralling match.
Lee is currently a part of Rey Mysterio's LWO. He even teamed up with the Hall of Famer in the tournament to crown the number one contender for the World Tag Team Championship. However, the Mexican duo suffered a loss in the finals.
Dragon Lee has been touted as the 'next Rey Mysterio' by many. The luchador has delivered remarkable performances during his brief time with the company. Fans will be hoping for the rising star to break through after the Speed Championship victory.