Both Rush and Dragon Lee Are Expected To Stay In ROH, Represented by Masked Republic

Both ROH Champion RUSH and TV Champion Dragon Lee had deals with the company expire at the end of 2020, but The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that they are expected to stick around. That’s why neither champion lost their title at Final Battle last year.

Rush and Lee are represented by Masked Republic and it’s believed the deal will be finalized soon. Sports Illustrated spoke with Masked Republic COO and President Kevin Kleinrock, who said that they represent Rush, Lee, Penta El Cero M, Rey Fenix, Ultimo Dragon, Konnan, Great Sasuke, Vampiro, Christi Jaynes and Salina de la Renta. He said they help Mexican talent under stand and negotiate terms of their contracts to help grow their brands and IP. They are also planning to create ways for retired talent to make money.

He said: “There has been representation before, but Masked Republic is unique in the way it works with the lucha community. We’re here to help talent understand and fairly negotiate their contracts, as well as help the talent go beyond signing a contract. The goal is to exploit their IP and build their brand. Wrestlers don’t always have the best means to monetize themselves once they stop wrestling. Our goal is to create revenue streams for wrestlers while they are active, but ones that don’t involve them getting in the ring and having to take bumps, which should help them earn money while persevering their body. We also want to create revenue streams for talent for when they’ve retired. There are no pensions or retirement funds for wrestlers, so we’re looking long-term to build sources of income through building a brand at retail or [becoming] part of entertainment exploitation. There is a way to make revenue based off all that hard work that made them into stars.“