Dragon Lee was conspicuous by his absence during this week’s WWE Raw when the LWO confronted Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. After Rey Mysterio’s victory over Kingston, LWO members Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde thwarted an attack.
“Hey everyone! Hope y’all are doing well. I don’t usually share my personal stuff, but I want to grab my phone and do it today because I am happy and anxious because in a few days I will hold in my hands my new princess that is on the way. She could (arrive) today, tomorrow, the day after, this weekend or even next week but she is coming, so I am very excited to receive my second princess, well actually third counting my first child and my wife. That’s been the reason why I have not been at work recently, I have been helping my wife but you will see a stronger Dragon Lee and giving my best as I always do inside that ring soon. Sending hugs to everyone!”
In May 2024, Lee shared that he and his wife are expecting their second child. In August, the couple confirmed that they are expecting a baby girl. Lee is currently in his first reign as WWE Speed Champion, a title he captured from Andrade during the episode that released on November 20.
WWE and the LWO celebrated Thanksgiving in a unique way this year by ensuring that people in Arizona received a hot meal on the special day. Rey Mysterio, Zelina Vega, Joaquin Wilde, and WWE Speed Champion Dragon Lee attended the Food Donation Drive in Arizona and delivered 50,000 meals according to Mysterio. The line for food had been miles long since 6:30 in the morning at St Mary’s Food Bank, the Hall of Famer added.
It wasn’t just meals that the trio of WWE Superstars were handing out as the group presented the St. Mary’s crew with a replica Undisputed WWE Championship belt.
The event demonstrated WWE’s commitment to making a difference and was part of WWE’s community outreach program. The program sees WWE commit to various philanthropic endeavors, with WWE Warrior Award recipient Titus O’Neil playing a role in the program.
On WWE programming, the LWO has been feuding with Chad Gable’s American Made faction, with Mysterio and Lee facing Brutus and Julius Creed during the latest episode of WWE Monday Night Raw. Despite this setback, the pair, alongside Zelina Vega, were all smiles as they used this year’s Thanksgiving to make a massive difference to the people of Arizona.
WWE star Cruz Del Toro will be out of action after undergoing surgery for an unspecified arm injury in Birmingham, Alabama on Thursday, April 18.
Cruz’s last televised match took place during the go-home SmackDown before WrestleMania 40, where he participated in the WrestleMania Tag Team title qualifying tournament on SmackDown.
On Thursday he dropped an Instagram post from the Birmingham Surgery Center in Homewood, Alabama, where he underwent a procedure to repair an unspecified injury. In the image, Del Toro is shown with a cast on his left arm.
Cruz Del Toro shared the news of his injury on Instagram, where he thanked everyone for their motivation and kind words. Several WWE talents, including Natalya, Michin, Adam Pearce, and Byron Saxton, commented on Del Toro’s post with messages of support, but he must start a new journey back to the ring now.
A special thank you to Dr. McKeon and the team at Birmingham Surgery Center for their care, the surgery was a success. Thank you for your messages of support and good wishes. I will be back soon and better than ever. Like someone said… #todayisdayone
The LWO member last competed in the ring during the April 5 SmackDown show in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. His partner, Joaquin Wilde participated in a singles match on NXT this week in a losing effort against Ridge Holland.
Prior to his injury, Del Toro and partner Joaquin Wilde have been active on both the SmackDown and NXT brands. They participated in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on NXT and the WrestleMania Tag Team title qualifying tournament on SmackDown.
The LWO in WWE
The current members of the LWO are Rey Mysterio, Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro, Zelina Vega, Carlito, and Dragon Lee. The stable was revived in 2023 as Mysterio was being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
During Rey Mysterio’s US Title match against Logan Paul at WWE Crown Jewel, Escobar appeared at ringside to take brass knuckles from a member of Paul’s entourage, but he left them on the ring apron as he chased off Paul’s’ friends. This allowed Paul to use the brass knuckles on Rey to win the match.
Santos Escobar sealed the deal for his direction by turning on Mysterio during the November 10 episode of SmackDown.
After taking some time off due to injury, Rey Mysterio returned on the March 1 episode of SmackDown to help Carlito defeat Escobar in a street fight. Rey later challenged Escobar to a match on SmackDown, which he lost the following week due to interference from his son, Dominik.
In a surprise that reunited Andrade and Zelina Vega, he stepped in for Dragon Lee to help Mr. 6-1-9 defeat Escobar and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 40.
WrestleMania kicks off tomorrow, but it’s not too late to change the show of shows. This week’s SmackDown saw a big change for the LWO’s tag team match.
Dragon Lee was supposed to team with Rey Mysterio to take on Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 40. Then, this week’s show saw Dragon Lee get taken out with a backstage attack.
Andrade, who initially appeared to align with Dominik and Santos, turned on the heels to join the babyfaces. This was a big moment as it put Zelina Vega and Andrade on the same side once again.
It was later revealed that Dragon Lee will not be able to compete at WrestleMania 40. Since Lee was not medically cleared, Andrade agreed to take his place. Carlito entered the scene after that with the news that Dragon Lee couldn’t compete, but he was already too late to get in the match. Instead, Carlito told Andrade to take out Santos Escobar at WrestleMania 50.
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s World Championship
Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) – Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Andrade) vs. Santos Escobar and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio
The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins
Night 2 Matches:
Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre for the World Heavyweight Championship
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley for the WWE Women’s Championship
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens – Triple threat match for the WWE United States Championship
The Pride (Bobby Lashley, Angelo Dawkins, and Montez Ford) (with B-Fab) vs. The Final Testament (Karrion Kross, Akam, and Rezar) (with Scarlett and Paul Ellering) – Six-man Tag Team Philadelphia Street Fight
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship (Stipulation to be determined by the result of Night 1’s main event)
Rey Mysterio proposed a tag team challenge to Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio for WWE WrestleMania 40. This could set up another son vs father confrontation on the grandest stage of them all.
Rey Mysterio’s WrestleMania 40 Challenge
During Friday’s SmackDown, Rey Mysterio, accompanied by the LWO, announced his intention to face Escobar and Dominik with a mystery partner. Then, that mystery partner was revealed.
Rey later said that Dragon Lee is his chosen partner for the WrestleMania match, and a brawl ensued between the LWO and Escobar’s Legado Del Fantasma.
The ongoing storyline between the LWO and Legado Del Fantasma gained momentum on the 3/29 SmackDown when Dominik Mysterio appeared to align with Santos Escobar’s faction.
Dominik, originally part of The Judgment Day on Raw, did not have a clear WrestleMania 40 direction. Now, it appears he may have a match. Despite this development, WWE has not yet confirmed the tag team match for WrestleMania.
In the aftermath of Friday’s segment, a match between Zelina Vega and Elektra Lopez is scheduled for next week’s SmackDown, serving as the go-home show for WrestleMania 40.
Rey Mysterio’s Recent Injury
The 48-year-old had been working through a torn meniscus for nearly three months. Then he needed to go out of action to get that corrected. He is now back in WWE, where he is more than ready to step up at the show of shows.
We will have to see how WWE books things for WrestleMania 40. You may find the updated lineup for the 4/5 episode of SmackDown in the space below.
WWE SmackDown Card (4/5):
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Jey Uso vs. Solo Sikoa
The KO Show with Kevin Owens & Randy Orton
New Catch Republic’s Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Grayson Waller & Austin Theory
The WWE Royal Rumble is approaching on January 27th, and that will always spark speculation about potential returns. Rey Mysterio may be out of action with an injury, but he is eyeing a return at Tropicana Field.
Rey Mysterio Gives Positive Injury Update
Rey Mysterio is currently in recovery after undergoing knee surgery a few weeks ago. His absence from television was prompted by an attack from Santos Escobar. In reality, this was a planned procedure, because Mysterio needed to get this work done on his knee.
Unfazed by this physical setback, Rey Mysterio is determined to make a swift return to the ring. While speaking to Baker Banter, Mr. 6-1-9 mentioned actively engaging in physical therapy and expressed optimism about being back in action for the Royal Rumble.
“I’m really working hard on my physical therapy,” Mysterio stated. “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.”
Rey Mysterio Speaks on Seth Rollins
If Rey Mysterio can win the 2024 Royal Rumble match, he may elect to take on Seth Rollins for his WWE World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 40. Myserio has seen Seth Rollins operate, and he had a unique take on The Visionary’s career metamorphosis in WWE.
“Seth Rollins, to me, he’s like a chameleon. He disguises himself as many characters. He had beef with a lot of Superstars because he does carry the World Title. But now that CM Punk is on board, it’s like he pushed all the rivals that he had on [in] his site and is now focused strictly on one person. Personally, I respect Seth Rollins. I enjoy watching his work, and I appreciate that he was Dominik’s godfather. He was the first superstar to step in the ring with Dominick [SummerSlam 2020] and trusted Dominik. So at that time, Dominik and I were very close and that makes me feel full of respect towards Seth Rollins. But in the ring right now, he’s a crazy man.”
Rey Mysterio also inked a new deal with WWE, along with his son, Dominik Mysterio. While it is believed that Dominik’s contract is a full five-year deal, many believe that Rey Mysterio only inked a three-year agreement. Either way, that will ensure that WWE fans have years to come for that father/son storyline to finally circle back to each other.
WWE Superstars are prone to get tattoos, and then they get extra love by sharing their new ink on social media. Now, two WWE Superstars have new art in their skin, and they got those pieces for a good reason.
Zelina Vega has been making waves in WWE since her return in 2022. Apart from WWE, she extends her influence beyond wrestling as she embraces the role of a budding YouTube personality along with Twitch streamer.
Zelina Vega & Dakota Kai’s New Tattoos
Recently, Zelina Vega, in collaboration with Dakota Kai, set a bold target for their YouTube channel. They put their eyes on a goal to reach 15,000 subscribers. Upon successfully attaining this significant milestone, the duo opted for a unique celebration by getting matching tattoos.
In a video shared on Zelina Vega’s Instagram, the two chronicle their tattoo experience. Their new tattoos matched their passions and personalities to a tee, as they got some Pokémon ink.
Choosing Pokemon-themed tattoos to mark the 15k subscriber achievement, Dakota Kai selects a Vulpix tattoo, while Zelina Vega opts for a Seel tattoo.
Happy 15k!! Thank you all for getting @zelvxandcharliegirl to our new milestone! What should our 20k be?? thank you @ownyoursummer for the dope #Pokemon tattoos!
Beyond her YouTube accomplishments, Zelina Vega solidified her commitment to WWE by recently signing a long-term deal. That ensured her continued presence with the company for years to come.
Fans can anticipate with excitement the future ventures from the LWO member. She has also been receiving rave reviews for her character work on WWE television.
Dakota Kai is still going strong as a member of Damage CTRL. Although she may still be waiting out her knee injury, she was still featured on WWE television practically every week, which kept her face out there and her brand relevant. Obviously, both Vega and Kai are connecting with fans in a big way, as evidence by their latest subscriber accomplishment.
Dragon Lee was unable to make it to this week’s WWE NXT, but the reigning North American Champion lived up to his promise of a huge surprise.
This week’s show was NXT’s ‘New Year’s Evil’ episode and marked the first edition of the gold brand of 2024. The show was scheduled to see NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defend against Trick Williams, who earned a title shot by winning the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline. Due to the kayfabe injury ’caused’ by Ridge Holland, Dragunov was pulled from the show. Williams would retain his spot as Number One Contender with a win over Grayson Waller.
Carlito on WWE NXT
Another match that was changed was the six-man tag pitting the LWO against the No Quarter Catch Crew. Dragon Lee was supposed to be in the match but was not in the U.S. at the time. On Twitter before the show, Lee explained how Visa issues were keeping him in Mexico, but promised a surprise for the match.
Feliz año nuevo! Sad news to kick off the year, but due to visa issues I am unable to leave Mexico right now. Por eso, I will miss @WWENXT New Years Evil… But the LWO has a big surprise for the NQCC and the NXT Universe tomorrow night.
That surprise turned out to be Carlito, who led his LWO allies to victory over Drew Gulak, Myles Borne, and Damon Kemp. For good measure, Carlito delivered his trademark apple-spit to Gulak after the match.
Carlito wasn’t the only notable name to appear on this week’s episode of WWE NXT. During the aforementioned match between Trick Williams and Grayson Waller, Kevin Owens appeared to attack his SmackDown rival. The two have been at odds for some time, with Owens taking issue with both the Australian and his ally Austin Theory.