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WWE Blasted Over Gulf Of America Controversy

By Craig Ballantyne • Published 25th March 2025
Triple H WWE

Fans are unhappy with WWE for making references to the ‘Gulf of America’ on Raw.

In his first two months as US President, WWE Hall of Famer Donald Trump has issued a flurry of controversial executive orders. One of his stranger orders was to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the ‘Gulf of America.’ He then went a step further, declaring February 9th ‘Gulf of America Day’.

The move caused controversy as the gulf has been known under its former name since as far back as the 1550s. Many see the change as pointless when there are more pressing concerns in the country, and it is also unnecessarily antagonistic for diplomatic relations with Mexico.

WWE waded into the controversy on Raw in Glasgow, Scotland, when they introduced Chad Gable under his Lucha gimmick, ‘El Grande Americano’ for a match against Dragon Lee. Gable was announced as being from “The Gulf of America” during his entrance and in a video package earlier in the show.

Ernesto Ocampo of Super Luchas vented his frustration over the video package on social media (translated from Spanish), calling it an “insult.”

“This is an insult on many levels, both to Mexican wrestling and to Mexico. They could have left out the ‘Gulf of America’ part and tried to write the character’s name in proper Spanish.”

On the F4WOnline Daily Update, William Beltran claimed “numerous” fans from Mexico and Latin America had voiced their discontent over both the ‘Gulf of America’ name and the use of AI in the video package.

“While many fans found it entertaining—especially those in the United States—numerous fans from Mexico and Latin America have voiced their discontent on social media. Fans on both sides have also expressed frustration over the use of AI-generated images.”

El Grande Americano ended the match with more disrespect as he unmasked Dragon Lee before forcing him to tap out.

WWE Figures Don’t Care About WrestleMania Criticism

WWE faces more controversy over one of the shows announced for WrestleMania week. The Roast of WrestleMania will be hosted by comedian Tony Hichcliffe and is set to feature Sami Zayn, The Miz, and Paul Heyman among other stars.

Hinchcliffe has become a controversial figure in recent months after calling Puerto Rico an “island of garbage” at a rally for Donald Trump in October. His speech was littered with other racist tropes and sparked significant backlash as a result.

While there are fans who are unhappy with the announcement, WWE figures reportedly “don’t care” about the criticism.