Gunther pulled Dragon Lee’s mask off during their match on the March 2 episode of Raw, exposing the luchador’s face for a split second before choking him out. Months later, Dragon Lee still wants a rematch, and he says the debt has not been settled.
Speaking on Insight With Chris Van Vliet, Dragon Lee explained why the moment carried the weight it did.
“It’s our culture. This is for respect. You have to always cover your face,” Dragon Lee said. “You will not see any wrestler in Mexico showing the face. That was tough.”
Even so, he holds the match itself in high regard.
“That was some of my best matches I ever had. Gunther is a great wrestler, but I need to wrestle with him again, because after that, I didn’t have a chance to wrestle again,” Dragon Lee said. “I hope I can get my second opportunity.”
He was clear about how he views what Gunther did.
“When he takes off my mask, it’s very unrespectful,” Dragon Lee said. He also pushed back on the idea that fans got a real look at him. “Many pictures were on social media, but it’s not my real face, because I was covered. You cannot see my face.”
For Dragon Lee, the unfinished business is the point.
“That’s what I’m saying. I didn’t have that revenge,” Dragon Lee said. “Okay, he took off my mask. For one hand, obviously it’s bad, but for the other hand, it’s good, because I’ll have my revenge.”
What he took from the night is that he can hang with anyone.
“He realized he knew what I’m capable of,” Dragon Lee said. “I wrestle with a wrestler taller, bigger and heavier than me. It’s nothing that’s gonna scare me.”
He also had a light take on the chokehold Gunther had him in over the ropes.
“I couldn’t breathe, kind of. But it’s okay. Now I’m here. I’m still alive,” Dragon Lee said.
The feud grew out of Gunther beating AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble in a match that ended Styles’ career, then continuing to mock him afterward. Dragon Lee, Styles’ former tag team partner, stepped up to defend him. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported at the time that the unmasking was a planned angle that WWE pitched to Dragon Lee, and that he agreed to it.
