A five-year deal for Dragon Lee is reportedly in the books with WWE, and if you haven’t been watching his absolute clinic performances on Raw lately, you need to catch up, because this man is about to tear the house down. This commitment means he’s staying with the company for the long haul, especially notable since his previous contract was set to run out this very month.
Dragon Lee’s Ascent: It’s Go Time for the Gold
Lee, who’s 31 and hails from Mexico, has been a force since joining WWE in 2022, following some serious runs in places like CMLL, AAA, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Ring of Honor, and AEW. He’s already stacked up the NXT North American, WWE Speed, and World Tag Team Championships one time each. But let’s be real, his current run in 2026? This is his best work yet. The dude has been in the thick of the Intercontinental Championship mix for most of the year. He challenged Penta for that title back in March in a singles match and even threw down in a six-man ladder match at WrestleMania 42. Since Chad Gable snatched the IC title from Penta at SummerSlam, Lee has been right there, challenging Gable multiple times. We saw him in a singles bout on the September 14 episode of Raw down in Mexico City, and just this week, he was in a Triple Threat match on Raw that also included Rey Mysterio. Yeah, he came up short in those, but honestly, who cares about the wins and losses when you’re putting on performances like that? The guy’s gained a ton of support from the audience with his spectacular matches. With this five-year contract reportedly locked down, it seriously feels like it’s only a matter of time before he breaks through and becomes the IC champ. Get ready.
What’s Happening With Jordynne Grace?
On the flip side, we’ve got new details dropping about Jordynne Grace and her lengthy disappearance from WWE programming. Rumor has it that as of last month, creative plans were in motion for her to form a tag team with Ivy Nile. They even filmed vignettes, and the word was WWE would start teasing the team sometime in September. But guess what? Grace is still nowhere to be seen on TV. Her last match on SmackDown was way back in April, and her last match of any kind was on Main Event in June. Fightful Select is reporting the reason for her absence is pretty blunt: she’s “not in the creative plans.” There’s also some speculation that Grace recently took part in a fitness competition, which might have stretched out her time away more than originally planned, though that’s not confirmed. Grace, who’s 30, officially signed with WWE in January 2025 after absolutely tearing it up in TNA, where she held the Knockouts World Championship three times. She hasn’t grabbed a title in WWE yet, but her in-ring skills, that combo of strength and athleticism, have definitely impressed when she’s gotten the chance. Teaming with Nile could be exactly what she needs to get back into the mix and truly show what she’s got, but for now, that plan is stuck in a holding pattern. Seriously, creative, what are we doing here?
Dragunov’s AEW Move and the Pay Cut Question
Meanwhile, Ilja Dragunov is out there addressing his WWE contract offer before he bounced and signed with AEW. He wasn’t giving up specifics during an interview this week on the Ariel Helwani Show, but when pressed about his negotiations with WWE before his departure, Dragunov noted that the talks “did not lead anywhere.” And when Helwani hit him with the pay cut question? Dragunov started to say, “Did they offer me a pay cut? To be…” and then the source cuts him off. Man, talk about leaving us hanging!
So what’s next? Dragon Lee is clearly on the path to gold, and now with five years on the books, that championship feels inevitable. For Grace, we’re all just holding our breath hoping creative figures it out, because her talent is undeniable. As for Dragunov, the whispers will always be there, but he’s made his choice. This is the kind of stuff that makes you love this business, right? You just never know what’s coming, and honestly, that’s half the fun.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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