Rey Mysterio endorses promising WWE star
Rey Mysterio is one of WWE's most legendary superstars with a 34-year career that is still going on. Now, the Lucha star is endorsing another superstar who is rising to the top of the company.
Dragon Lee made his pro wrestling debut on January 1, 2014, and quickly found success with stints in CMLL, AAA, NJPW, and ROH, among others. The second-generation star worked one AEW match in August 2022, but WWE signed him before the end of that year. He started with the Stamford-based promotion last January and soon began feuding with Dominik Mysterio. The 28-year-old captured the NXT North American Championship from Dirty Dom on December 9 at Deadline.
Dragon and Rey first interacted during a backstage SmackDown segment in July. The Hall of Famer then cornered the former ROH TV Champion for his first title shot from Dominik, which saw the Judgment Day member retain in August. The Master of the 619 celebrated with Lee after his title win at Deadline as his son watched.
The legendary Mysterio recently appeared on Bakers Bantering and heaped major praise on Lee.
"I see a lot of a young me in Dragon Lee. He is very unique with his style. Of course, he carries a tradition of lucha libre, which is the mask. The mask represents something way beyond just putting on a mask. It transforms you. It gives you a certain power of representation to our culture, representation to our sport. Overall, he has the heart and determination to go in the ring and put it all on the line. I’ve seen that every time he steps in the ring."
The injured Rey continued:
"I endorse, myself, Dragon Lee, to be the next superstar within WWE that’s a luchador. It’s been quite a while. We’ve had several luchadors in WWE that have been given opportunities, but Dragon Lee is captivating and taking full advantage of this opportunity. He already beat Dominik for the North American Title. You can already see he’s going very big," Mysterio said. [H/T Fightful]
Mysterio's comments are exciting, as it was previously reported that WWE had major push plans for Lee, including Rey's endorsement.
The star lost his North American Title to Oba Femi this past Tuesday. While he continues to work NXT, officials fast-tracked Lee to the main roster as he was added to SmackDown in October. The masked superstar has been described as "the next Rey Mysterio" by some in WWE.
Possible WWE return plans for Rey Mysterio
The WWE Crown Jewel event on November 4 saw Logan Paul defeat Rey Mysterio to capture the United States Championship. He announced 10 days later that he had undergone knee surgery. He was expected to be on the shelf for 6-8 weeks with a torn meniscus.
The 49-year-old lucha star provided a positive update over the Christmas holiday. Now Mysterio hopes to make his in-ring return at the Royal Rumble later this month.
Speaking to Bakers Bantering podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer commented on training for his comeback. He included a storyline jab at Santos Escobar, promising to get payback when he's cleared to return.
"I’m really working hard on my physical therapy. I just had knee surgery, thanks to Santos Escobar, and his time will come eventually. I do hope that I can return for the Rumble, if not shortly after that. I am working very hard to make my return as soon as possible," he said.
Mysterio vs. Escobar has been rumored for WrestleMania 40 if they can keep the program going for that long. Rey defeated his son at WrestleMania 39, while they teamed up for a loss to The Miz and Logan Paul at WrestleMania 38.
Would you rather see Dragon Lee and Rey Mysterio team up or go against each other? Sound off in the comments below!