WWE Superstars Talk Hispanic Heritage Month, What It Means to Them

Hispanic Heritage Month is here, and many of your favorite WWE Superstars are celebrating! In 2023, WWE has more Hispanic representation than arguably any other time in its history; from NXT Superstars to Señor Money in the Bank himself, Hispanic heritage runs deep throughout the company. 

Thanks to events like May's Backlash Premium Live Event, celebrating Hispanic heritage has been commonplace in recent years. WWE Superstars like Bad Bunny, Zelina Vega, Damian Priest, and others were out in full force during the memorable event. Backlash took place in Puerto Rico, and judging by moments like this, the WWE Universe is fully on board with celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month:

An ovation like the one that the Puerto Rico crowd gave Zelina Vega was a career-affirming moment for the talented Superstar – one we're sure she'll never forget anytime soon. Today, we're taking a look at a handful of Hispanic men and women who wear their heritage on their sleeves.

Damian Priest, Dragon Lee Celebrate Their Hispanic Heritage

Damian Priest celebrated his Hispanic heritage in WWE. Photo: WWE

As the current holder of the men's Money in the Bank briefcase, Damian Priest realizes he has a responsibility to be the best version of himself. Unsurprisingly, he doesn't intend to mishandle the incredible opportunity he's presented with. Every detail of Priest's presentation involves representing his heritage, even in his ring gear.

"For me, the opportunity that I have to represent our culture and Latinos around the world is my favorite part [of being a WWE Superstar]," Priest confessed in a video for USA Network celebrating the month. "Using my flag in the way that I dress, I'm representing in any form that I can. That's the most important for me."

Dragon Lee, sees himself as a steward of Hispanic culture. Following in the footstems of Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio, the man responsible for bridging Mexican lucha libre wrestling with modern American professional wrestling, Lee doesn't take his representation for granted.

"I love to inspire kids more than anything," he explained. "It's something that I have a connection with – to see how kids see me as a superhero. It's something that truthfully fills me with pride. I feel very proud of that." 

WWE Superstar Raquel Rodriguez Talks Family in Hispanic Culture

Raquel Rodriguez discussed what family means to her as a WWE Superstar. Photo: WWE

As a former NXT Women's Champion and three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion, Raquel Rodriguez knows a thing or two about making her family proud. 

"For Latinos, for Hispanics, family is everything," revealed Raquel. "And getting the opportunity to experience my dad wrestling as a young girl and now here as a WWE Superstar, I carry my family and my gente and my raza [my people and my race] real close with me."

Like many Superstars, Raquel has professional wrestling in her blood. Her father, Rick Gonzalez, spent years on the southern Texas independent circuit, building a successful career in the process. 

While Dominik Mysterio is one of the most hateable Superstars in all of WWE these days, you have to admire the respect he has for his family. As another Superstar born into the wrestling business, the current NXT North American Champion knows he must make his family proud – especially since he is the rare lucha libre wrestler wrestling without a mask!

"There's a lot of lucha libre in our culture," Dominik explained. "I have seven godfathers – all lucha libre legends. So I think being able to not wear a mask, which is very traditional in lucha libre culture, and kinda just show my face, is something I'm most proud of."

Are WWE SuperstarElektra Lopez Talks Hispanic Representation In WWE

Roxanne Perez joined fellow WWE Superstars in celebrating her Hispanic Heritage. Photo: WWE

Although there is plenty of Hispanic representation in WWE today, many athletes still feel like there's room to grow when other areas of entertainment and the media are concerned.

"I feel like we could have a stronger Hispanic representation in the media," suggested Elektra Lopez. "I mean, over the past few years, we definitely have – with all these different movies and directors that are Hispanics on the market, but I feel like there's never enough. And there's so much more to our culture that can be discovered."

Roxanne Perez, the former NXT Women's Champion, agrees with Elektra, and shows that she's wise behind her years (Roxanne is only 21 years old) with her assessment of Hispanic representation.

"I think it's super awesome that there's been an explosion of Hispanic representation in the media, on TV, everywhere," she revealed. "And I think that we've only scratched the surface – and that's the really exciting part."

You can tune in to Peacock to watch WWE's Fastlane on October 7. In the meantime, catch up on all things WWE Universe on Peacock.