15 Exact Moments Failed WWE Gimmicks Actually Got Over
7. Dragon Lee
Certain wrestlers are better suited to AEW than WWE, and vice versa.
Danhausen is better in WWE; the weird little dude was born to rile up the company’s sillier heels. Tommaso Ciampa is better in AEW because his intense no-frills wrestling style works in front of an audience that attends wrestling shows to watch wrestling matches. Aleister Black talks drivel that nobody cares to understand wherever he ends up, but the broader point still stands.
Dragon Lee was an AEW wrestler in a WWE ring for the longest time, and Triple H’s apathetic approach felt even more infuriating because Lee had made a solitary AEW appearance, and it was awesome. The man destroyed Kenny Omega, working an ill-fated comeback, with one of the best ever versions of his suicide dive onto an elevated opponent.
Upon signing with WWE, Dragon Lee did next to nothing beyond a few strong matches with Nathan Frazier. Lee was a sporadic presence on the main roster after being called up, existing to wrestle the odd ostensibly exciting match that the crowd never actually cared about until maybe the closing stretch.
He got over, at last, when he was paired with AJ Styles in a move that briefly saved the dismal afterthought that is the tag team scene on Raw. It was an inspired move; the team saved AJ a few bumps as he advanced on retirement, where AJ’s star power afforded Dragon Lee a hot atmosphere from the opening bell.
On October 25, the duo won the belts almost instantly in an all-action sprint against Finn Balor and JD McDonagh. Triple H should partner meandering vets with exciting up-and-comers more often.