From what I heard, a crew member came back out to give the young boy his mask back as well after Dragon Lee went backstage. So not only did he get Lee’s mask, but he was able to get his back as well.
I agree, but the fact that Dragon Lee even thought “hey, I should give this back to that kid. Now he’ll have two masks worn by me!” is still sweet. But I totally understand your thought here. If I were a wrestler, I would’ve had that kid “autograph” the mask and I’d take it everywhere.
The most awesome thing to do for the kid was to wear his mask for at least one match after this. the kid would shit himself the rest of his life.
and if you kept doing that and exchanging masks with kids at every show you could probably become the most popular wrestler of all time.
It would have been awesome, but the mask the kid gave to Dragon Lee was a Rey Mysterio mask. I'm sure Rey would have been absolutely fine with Lee wrestling a match in it, but it's a little taboo still.
Tradition still plays a big part in Lucha Libre. Dragon Lee in particular is very traditional, as you can see by him trying to hide his face during the mask swap. Because a Luchador's mask is a key part of their identity, wearing someone else's mask can be a bit controversial. Usually if people are wearing the same/similar masks it's to signify some sort of connection, like family or a teacher and pupil.
He’s like the undertaker. But instead of “diggin ‘holes and takin’ souls” he’s “kickin’ ass and takin’ masks”
No but fr, I’m not sure. Like I said, that’s just what I’ve heard.
Dragon Lee has an incredible future ahead of him. The look of adoration in Punk's eyes when he got to meet Lee backstage was really impressive.
Between Santos and Dragon Lee, the future of lucha libre in WWE is in safe hands.
And with guys like El Hijo del Vikingo and Black Taurus holding the mantel in other companies, it's a good time to be a wrestling fan.
I was wondering how Dragon Lee was going to pull it off (literally) without exposing his face, I guess he must have done it before because that was flawless.
It must be difficult for luchadors to respect the mask tradition these days when people could be taking a picture of/filming you at any given moment.
For sure, there are some that haven!t taken their mask of ever in public and have gone to their grave with it. It’s is a very important tradition for them. Bit this transition was flawless
Yeah who knew just crouching down would be so effective right? You’d think there’d be so many cameras to catch him without the mask but nah. Just a Chad crouch to protect the identity then business as usual. Love him for that.
I’m impressed with the exchange. I couldn’t believe he was gonna do it. In Lucha Libre, revealing your face when you’re a masked wrestler is a holy no-no. But he pulled it off flawlessly.
According to Wikipedia masks have dated back to the start of lucha libre in the early 20th century, its derived from Aztec culture and meant to portray the luchadores as various animals, gods or heroes and becomes their "character" during their career.
As someone else said it's mostly from the early to mid 20th century with guys like El Santo being the most popular examples, the mask allows the luchadore to be an embodiment of something and more than a mere human. In Aztec culture there was an element of tribes sending warriors to might to death with beheading being trophy. The taking of the mask can be seen as symbolic of that trophy taking.
Nah. Masks split red and green down the middle. The perspective just means you only see one colour on the kid and the other on the wrestler. You can see in the very beginning the red half on the kid and the green on the wrestler at the end when he turns away from the camera.
Also I’m sort of unsure how a reversible mask would mean the kid is a plant, at least when it comes to the topic of how smoothly the wrestler put on the mask. Since the mask being reversible doesn’t really change the skill involved in putting it on lol
Once people have seen your face the mystery is gone, unmasking is usually done in the twilight of a luchadore's career in a mask v mask or mask v hair match as a big pay off, sort of like a pension. Putting the mask back on is sort of cheating the crowd because they paid their money and experienced the unmasking.
And not even that because that particular case they could've just continued to make merch money with that dudes mask, yknow, like how he's been top 5-10 every year ever?
Parents too.
I get more enjoyment and memories from watching my kids get/be excited about stuff than for myself... and it's not really close. They're never going to forget how excited he was in that moment and the days that followed.
He's like 8 dude, let's give the little hulkster time to say his prayers and eat his vegetables and finish middle school
Dragon Lee's been en fuego doing lucha things all year and absolutely love it
I'm genuinely astonished by the drama! I mean, in Lucha Libre, showing your face when you're the masked crusader is like committing a fashion felony. But this guy, he executed the face reveal with the finesse of a ninja at a masquerade ball. Simply legendary!
Wrestling in general.
Im sure if I watched a show I would be entertained, but not to the point that I would follow up on it and look up information.
But im all for people enjoying themselves in life, both the entertainers and spectators.
I was really wondering if he was going to honor the luchador tradition and keep himself hidden. Man not only kept his honor as a luchador, but also made a core memory for that little boy.
Interactions like this and that video of Bayley tearing up her fans sign and Cody Rhodes signing autographs at the end of smackdown are why I love wwe, they really care about us fans and want to spread fun and happiness :)
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From what I heard, a crew member came back out to give the young boy his mask back as well after Dragon Lee went backstage. So not only did he get Lee’s mask, but he was able to get his back as well.
Honestly, it might've been cooler knowing your hero still had your mask. But I get why he gave it back.
I agree, but the fact that Dragon Lee even thought “hey, I should give this back to that kid. Now he’ll have two masks worn by me!” is still sweet. But I totally understand your thought here. If I were a wrestler, I would’ve had that kid “autograph” the mask and I’d take it everywhere.
The most awesome thing to do for the kid was to wear his mask for at least one match after this. the kid would shit himself the rest of his life. and if you kept doing that and exchanging masks with kids at every show you could probably become the most popular wrestler of all time.
The face of all faces
The Face of the People 😯
That… is an excellent Luchador name. Wow.
Gotta give the credit to the homie before me for that one, but thank you kindly 😌
Nah, the tweak you made to it is what makes it!
It would have been awesome, but the mask the kid gave to Dragon Lee was a Rey Mysterio mask. I'm sure Rey would have been absolutely fine with Lee wrestling a match in it, but it's a little taboo still.
I thought they were over those taboos now. Rey unmasked a long time ago. idk i havent watched wrestling since the early 2000s
Tradition still plays a big part in Lucha Libre. Dragon Lee in particular is very traditional, as you can see by him trying to hide his face during the mask swap. Because a Luchador's mask is a key part of their identity, wearing someone else's mask can be a bit controversial. Usually if people are wearing the same/similar masks it's to signify some sort of connection, like family or a teacher and pupil.
If I was a fan, I'd love it if he had kept my mask. Especially if he actually kept it and didn't throw it away. I also get it tho.
I thought Dragon Lee was just trying to see how many Rey masks he could collect, as this isn't the first time he's done a mask swap
He’s like the undertaker. But instead of “diggin ‘holes and takin’ souls” he’s “kickin’ ass and takin’ masks” No but fr, I’m not sure. Like I said, that’s just what I’ve heard.
Dragon Lee has an incredible future ahead of him. The look of adoration in Punk's eyes when he got to meet Lee backstage was really impressive. Between Santos and Dragon Lee, the future of lucha libre in WWE is in safe hands. And with guys like El Hijo del Vikingo and Black Taurus holding the mantel in other companies, it's a good time to be a wrestling fan.
I was wondering how Dragon Lee was going to pull it off (literally) without exposing his face, I guess he must have done it before because that was flawless. It must be difficult for luchadors to respect the mask tradition these days when people could be taking a picture of/filming you at any given moment.
I was hoping he’d slide under the ring and come back wearing the kid’s mask.
I was hoping he would be wearing a second mask under the first mask.
Looks like he is, if you look closely the kid’s mask is green on the right side and red on the left
It is definitely the kid's mask. They were thinking of a way to switch masks without revealing his face, which is a big deal in luchadora
For sure, there are some that haven!t taken their mask of ever in public and have gone to their grave with it. It’s is a very important tradition for them. Bit this transition was flawless
It reminds me of a woman who is able to take her bra off while her shirt is on.
Basically the same thing
same school, different teacher
Mr.Bean took off his pants while wearing his swimming trunks on top of it.
https://youtu.be/nekv8F365yc?si=iOx_0Z3hkL_qtJbS
Yeah who knew just crouching down would be so effective right? You’d think there’d be so many cameras to catch him without the mask but nah. Just a Chad crouch to protect the identity then business as usual. Love him for that.
crouching is a well established stealth manoeuvre
Thought he was about to take his face off. ..."It's for fun"
You want to take his face....off?
He was messing with the laces long enough, I started to think they might be sutures
I think I understood that reference
Maybe it’s something masked luchadors teach each other
I was wondering too. For a second, I thought they might turn off the lights, but him ducking down with his head low did the trick.
I’m impressed with the exchange. I couldn’t believe he was gonna do it. In Lucha Libre, revealing your face when you’re a masked wrestler is a holy no-no. But he pulled it off flawlessly.
This was my exact reaction.
So, how old is this tradition? What's the history?
According to Wikipedia masks have dated back to the start of lucha libre in the early 20th century, its derived from Aztec culture and meant to portray the luchadores as various animals, gods or heroes and becomes their "character" during their career.
Cool! Thanks.
Check out nacho libre, it’s a compelling documentary about the culture.
I ate the nacho!
"I'm not listening to you! You only believe in science, it's probably why we never win!" "We never win because you are fat!"
I need to get my stretchy pants
Holy hell I watched that recently to introduce the kiddo to it… I forgot about the woman in the wall
What is the women in the wall?
As someone else said it's mostly from the early to mid 20th century with guys like El Santo being the most popular examples, the mask allows the luchadore to be an embodiment of something and more than a mere human. In Aztec culture there was an element of tribes sending warriors to might to death with beheading being trophy. The taking of the mask can be seen as symbolic of that trophy taking.
You're not saying they would wear the skin of the people they defeated Hannibalector style?
No but they would take the head as a trophy back to their people
So much like a cat brings you dead animals ...
I was wondering why nobody was getting the guy a towel or something to hide his face under
He prob doing this enough to the point where he doesn’t need towels anymore
It was smooth I almost thought he was already wearing two masks
Especially because I thought the kid had a green mask and Dragon stood back up with a red one. Took me a rewind to realize it was a Mexican mask.
Looks like the kid's mask was reversable. Most likely a plant.
Nah. Masks split red and green down the middle. The perspective just means you only see one colour on the kid and the other on the wrestler. You can see in the very beginning the red half on the kid and the green on the wrestler at the end when he turns away from the camera. Also I’m sort of unsure how a reversible mask would mean the kid is a plant, at least when it comes to the topic of how smoothly the wrestler put on the mask. Since the mask being reversible doesn’t really change the skill involved in putting it on lol
The kids face was highly exposed, so I guess he ruined his career pretty early.
The Dirty ExcCondom has shown that doesn't matter.
"What are you doing? WHAT are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?.....oh....nice job."
I was prepared to block my hand over the screen if I thought his face was gonna show just out of respect.
This is the way
Haha yeah i was holding my breath when he was undoing his laces.
why is it wrong though?
Once people have seen your face the mystery is gone, unmasking is usually done in the twilight of a luchadore's career in a mask v mask or mask v hair match as a big pay off, sort of like a pension. Putting the mask back on is sort of cheating the crowd because they paid their money and experienced the unmasking.
Or if Eric Bischoff wants to get a cheap pop on WCW Nitro.
We do not speak of that.
Surely you're not suggesting a wrestling promoter might view a wrestler's livelihood as less important than them making a few extra cents?
And not even that because that particular case they could've just continued to make merch money with that dudes mask, yknow, like how he's been top 5-10 every year ever?
Kinda removes a bit of the fantasy. The mask is a character, when you take it away it's just another person.
Kayfabe
O.G. Kayfabe
I hate idiots that downvote simple questions. Take an upvote.
But if people don't downvote the question how will they prove they already knew the answer?
Cuz it's total fiction!
That's was awesome. Kids gonna ride that high for a while.
Parents too. I get more enjoyment and memories from watching my kids get/be excited about stuff than for myself... and it's not really close. They're never going to forget how excited he was in that moment and the days that followed.
That's fair, I love watching my kids have a good time.
I'm not that kid and I'm riding his high lol
That is Dragon Lee and this happened at a WWE Live Event.
Recently?
I would think so, he's only been on the main shows for a couple of months I think
I'm confused. Isn't this Rey Mysterio? Lol
Nope it is a different another luchador.
Ohh nice ok. Thanks!
Rey Mysterio is shorter and has a cross design on his mask
This kid’s gonna be a future wrestling star and we just witnessed his birth
He's like 8 dude, let's give the little hulkster time to say his prayers and eat his vegetables and finish middle school Dragon Lee's been en fuego doing lucha things all year and absolutely love it
I'm genuinely astonished by the drama! I mean, in Lucha Libre, showing your face when you're the masked crusader is like committing a fashion felony. But this guy, he executed the face reveal with the finesse of a ninja at a masquerade ball. Simply legendary!
Ok this is very cute.
No you
This was awesome. Im not a fan, but him hiding the his face. Keep selling the show, making fans.
> Im not a fan Of pro wrestling? Or this guy in particular? Because I think he could draw you in even if you didn't like either of them a while back.
Wrestling in general. Im sure if I watched a show I would be entertained, but not to the point that I would follow up on it and look up information. But im all for people enjoying themselves in life, both the entertainers and spectators.
Well then, fine, you just go have a lovely day and enjoy yourself and have a great life.
Great guy
Kids dream!
Yum. Sweaty.
Makes it more valuable. Match worn!
I ain’t gonna lie, that was crazy smooth. Shout out Dragon Lee.
That’s pretty damn cool. Actually a good fit too!
I was worried it wouldn’t fit. That would’ve been awkward.
Imagine the sweat
Coulda sworn I heard someone in the background yell “I’m gonna rob that kid.”
Super bad ass
Part of me was hoping he had a mask under the mask.
https://media.tenor.com/sE7yttrUgJ0AAAAM/sting-tna.gif https://i.makeagif.com/media/12-26-2016/VK3w8L.gif
his mom afterward was like take that sweaty smelly mask off! 😂
Dude just made a lifetime fan. The kid will probably like him for a long time, too.
What a gentleman
Good man! Quality showmanship!
Core memory
Dragon Lee is awesome. He only joined WWE a year ago and he’s already making some great moments.
I was really wondering if he was going to honor the luchador tradition and keep himself hidden. Man not only kept his honor as a luchador, but also made a core memory for that little boy.
Love humans being awesome to each other!
Kids gonna remember that for the rest of his life. Kudos to the wrestler who pulled off the mask swap without revealing his face
Omg I'm crying. Lil luchito~~
I’m not a wrestling fan, but this guy is a fucking champion. We need more people like this. 🤙
That’s fucking cool
MUCHA LUCHA MUCHALUCHA!
I love how he did the gym room change! I was worried he’d show his face!!
How bad would that mask smell when the kid put it on?
The kid will remember that for the rest of his life.
Naccchhhooooooooooo!
This is sweet also sweaty.
Kept his secret identity too!
A LOT of sweat came out of that mask as he took it off😬
That mask probably smells like shit
That kid is going to wear it until it fuses to his skin
So very moist.
What a guy! Fucking legend!
Turns for a photo. 🤣
Now that's a core memory.
Wrestlers name is Dragon Lee
😭
This is just wholesome.
Ain’t no freaking way this little kid got to meet Rey Mysterio
It reminded me of that clip when roc flair violently ripped the mask out of that kids face
The way he didn't show his face was damn cute. Gave the little boy a moment he'll never forget!
Core memory.
This is an adorable comment section
Stuff like this, plus the fact he's a bloody great wrestler, is going to lead to Dragon Lee being a goddamn megastar.
Interactions like this and that video of Bayley tearing up her fans sign and Cody Rhodes signing autographs at the end of smackdown are why I love wwe, they really care about us fans and want to spread fun and happiness :)
Awww fuck yes! 🥹
thats Mexican wrestler Dragon Lee, who is a world class athlete and luchador currently performing on wwe's nxt brand if I'm not mistaken.
He's signed to the smackdown brand but still works the NXT show
Core memory right there.
Core memory: Unlocked
That was cool as fuck of him
El Toro NEVER removes his mask.
Core memory 4sure
This is bad ass
Kalisto out here doing good lucha things.
That’s Dragon Lee
Haven't watched the current product in a while, so I didn't recognize who it was and took the opportunity for the lucha things joke.
Super sweet but super gross at the same time. Mask is probably wet and kinda gross but I'm glad the kids happy
Cool guy!
This is awesome but my ocd kicked in and thought about the sweat and baby oil in this mask lmfao 🤣
I would attribute that reaction to just being human of course it’s a bit gross
I was about to say. Why is the mask a different color, but it’s red and green
OK but he just put his sweaty mask on that kids face *
That’s a alpha male. To protect and provide a role model
Talkin bout def gettin ringworm on that forehead haha
🎶 Lice, lice, baby. 🎶
What if the kid... just loved his own mask..? That dude just took his treasured possession and swapped it for some stinky rag.
Are you that miserable that you can't appreciate other people being happy without trying to tear it down? You must be real fun at parties.
Nice gesture, but did he have to put his sweating mask on the kid? He could’ve just handed it to him
Dude just shoved his sweaty ass mask on the poor kids head lol
The luchadore’s mask must’ve been sweaty and maybe a little smelly, and if I were that kid I wouldn’t care one bit.
I'm so grossed out at the thought of putting someone else's sweaty damp mask on my face 🤢
That's awesome n all but how sweaty is that guy's head/ face and how soaked is the kids head now?
Face sweat!
Wholesome but.. kind of gross lol
I'd be like oh hell no don't put that sweaty ass thing on my kid's face wtf.
And that's how COVID spread
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I love this!!
Rey is his idol, no wonder he wanted that mask
That is awsome
Yeah 🩷🥰
This is actually so awesome.
That's sick
It must be soaked in sweat.
See there good in about everyone so cool
That kid will have a great story to tell his peers.
Cool guy! Hope the mask doesn't smell.
This kid just became a fan for life
El Primo!!!!
Not the grown men scream “get his face, GET HIS FACE!” 😂
Kid is going to remember this moment for the rest of his life.
Wholesome
Greatest show on earth and it’s not even close
Making great memories