Corey Graves believes Dragon Lee’s run in AAA was the key factor behind the fresh opportunities he’s now getting in WWE, particularly on RAW.
During an appearance on the Mark Hoke Show, Graves said Lee wasn’t getting the spotlight he deserved on the main roster before he started appearing more frequently for AAA.
According to Graves, his performances for the Mexican promotion led WWE officials to reconsider where Lee stood on the shows.
“And again, Dragon Lee’s another guy who went to Triple A, they weren’t really doing much with him. He wasn’t getting the opportunities he wanted on Raw and SmackDown. Went to Triple A, pun heavily intended, set the world on fire, and the WWE officials went, ‘Hey, maybe we can put that guy in the Intercontinental Championship picture,’ or, ‘Let’s give Dragon Lee a bit more of a showcase.’ And it’s worked.”
Graves cited Dragon Lee as an example of how the WWE-AAA relationship has given talent who need a different environment a chance to find more room. The commentator also named Dominik Mysterio, Lola Vice and Damian Priest during the interview.
In Dragon Lee’s case, the shift Graves described can be seen in WWE’s own programming. Lee is currently set to challenge Chad Gable for the Intercontinental Championship on the September 14 episode of RAW at Arena CDMX in Mexico City.
Lee earned the title shot by beating Ethan Page on the August 31 episode of RAW.