TheMarch 24 episode of WWE RAW featured the debut of El Grande Americano, which was just Chad Gables alter ego. The company provided some backstory for Americano by giving him an AI-generated vignette, and he was billed as reigning from the Gulf of America. With that said, it appears that WWE has now received heat from the lucha community in Mexico due to the character.
While speaking during Sportskeeda WrestleBinges Live Q&A, WrestleVotes talked about how people reacted to the El Grande Americano character. While WWE officials liked the match, many fans in Mexico were unhappy with it.
It was noted that some lucha fans felt WWE was making fun of their tradition. In Mexico, lucha libre is very important, almost like a religion. People were also upset that the commentators didnt react strongly when Dragon Lee lost his mask. In the past, unmasking moments were treated as a big deal. Even though WWE built up the story well, old-school lucha fans were still very upset.
El Grande Americano squared off against Dragon Lee on Raw and pulled off Lees mask, before tapping him out with an ankle lock. It is also to be noted that quite a few fans werent necessarily happy about the El Grande Americano character, especially due to him hailing from Gulf of America.
As WWE is all in on the El Grande Americano character, its unclear how they will respond to the concerns from the lucha libre community. Regardless, we will have to wait and see how WWE continues to book El Grande Americano as we move toward WrestleMania 41.
What are your thoughts on WWEs portrayal of El Grande Americano and their handling of Dragon Lees unmasking? Do you think the backlash is justified, or is it being blown out of proportion? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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