On the March 24, edition of WWE Raw, El Grande Americano made his in-ring ‘debut’ with a victory over Dragon Lee. While this new character has already proven to be a hit with some and already has merchandise, the introduction of the character has also spawned a backlash among many for a number of reasons.
Mocking Lucha Libre Traditions
Some have argued that the character is a mockery of the historic traditions of Lucha Libre. Speaking on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter claimed that the character had already earned the ire of fans in Mexico.
“The Lucha community in Mexico is PO’d [p*ssed off.] I spoke to two people. If you really think that making what they called a mockery of true Luchadors… that’s like a religion in Mexico. It’s not a funny thing, it’s like a religion. It’s like mocking their religion... traditional old school luchadors and the fans that follow that tradition like a religion in Mexico were very upset.”
Americano won his match against Lee by unmasking the WWE Speed Champion, another massive sign of disrespect in Lucha Libre. While this spot was a planned part of Raw, some believe having it happen was a step too far from this parody of a Mexican wrestler.
Use of AI-generated Content
Ahead of his match, a video package was aired with ‘photographs’ of El Grande Americano’s historic career in Mexico. Fans quickly noticed that these images were generated with AI as several fans have more than five fingers. Fans have argued that WWE shouldn’t rely on AI on TV and that having a real person create this package would have been better.
The Gulf of America
In early 2025, President Donald Trump decided he would rename the Gulf of Mexico into the Gulf of America without any consultation with those also involved with the Gulf. This act sparked a backlash with many believing the change was unnecessary and only done to further division between the U.S. and its neighbors.
The video package made reference to the Gulf of America and the luchador is billed from the area. This has spawned a backlash among fans with many believing that WWE are unnecessarily wading into divisive politics. Some have defended the decision, saying that WWE wants a heel to be booed and this is a tool in illiciting that reaction.
