WWE's Backstage Reaction to El Grande Americano Controversy

Introduced on the March 24 episode of RAW, El Grande Americanorevealed to be Chad Gable in disguisewas given a full-on backstory via an AI-generated video, claiming he hailed from the mysterious Gulf of America. The gimmick instantly sparked backlash, particularly after he defeated Dragon Lee and unmasked himselfsomething many fans saw as disrespectful to lucha libre traditions.

But behind the scenes? No one seems bothered. While appearing on The Hump, Sean Ross Sapp addressed the criticism, revealing WWEs real stance. Nobody cares, Sapp said bluntly. I mean, I hate to rain on a lot of peoples parade, and you guys, by and large, probably know how I feel about it. I think the idea of renaming something like that is so stupid. Like, who could possibly care? Yes, it was a thing that they were just poking fun at.

Sapp also suggested that WWE knew exactly what it was doing, especially by creating a backstory that includes a fictional location. The company has a history of leaning into satire and over-the-top gimmicks, and this one feels no differentdespite the cultural heat.

The real outrage came after Dragon Lee, a respected luchador, was involved in a match where the mask reveal was played for laughs. In lucha libre culture, losing your mask is considered sacred and career-defining. Fans in Mexico and around the world werent laughingand many felt the moment shouldve been treated with far more respect.

To make things even messier, WWE doubled down by creating a Twitter account for El Grande Americano, signaling they might lean into the absurdity instead of dialing it back.

So whats next for El Grande Americano? Will WWE address the backlashor just keep pushing the comedy button?

Please creditRingside Newsif you use the above transcript in your publication.