Keith Lee has revealed what led to him signing with AEW following his release from WWE.
Lee was a guest on this week’s edition of AEW Unrestricted and spoke about his first meeting with Tony Khan.
“That release (from WWE) happened and within three days, Tony found a way to get in touch with me,” Lee said. “I was actually really impressed with that considering we had never spoken before. We had some really laid-back conversations and kind of got to know each other a little bit. I think that’s something that helped because I think that some of my trust is a little disgruntled.”
Lee said he was impressed with Khan and found him to be a stand-up guy.
“I really enjoyed my time with him, getting to know him and what he’s about, talking football and all that good stuff, especially as a former player. Then eventually, that led into business. But in terms of getting to know him, yeah, I had a blast, a lot of laughs, and a lot of jokes. He’s a swell guy, to say the very least,” he said.
Lee also said that Adam Cole played a role in bringing him to AEW.
“There aren’t a lot of people in this industry that you can just trust or get along with at certain levels but I really like Adam Cole as a person. His testimony for his happiness here is something that made it a little easier,” he said.
Lee told a story of having three different tryout sessions with WWE. During one 2013 session, he was doubting if he made the right decision to leave football and pursue a career in wrestling. Then, Jim Ross said something to him that changed his perspective.
“He pulled me aside and basically told me, ‘Hey yo, regardless of what their decision is, I want you to know that I believe you are a million dollar talent.’ That was something that touched me very deep and meant a lot to me coming from someone like him,” he explained.
Lee also spoke about his battle with COVID-19 that kept him out of action for months in WWE.
“For me and how I feel, it is so much more gratitude for life and even more for me being able to do what I do still because I was this close to losing professional wrestling,” Lee said.
During his appearance on the latest episode of Talk is Jericho, Keith Lee discussed the “Bearcat” character he was given toward the end of his WWE run.
Lee was repackaged as “Bearcat” Keith Lee in September 2021, less than two months before he would be released by WWE. Before he was given the new gimmick, Lee had returned to the ring in July 2021 after being out of action for five months due to a scary battle with the after effects of COVID-19.
Chris Jericho asked Lee on Talk is Jericho if he thought WWE losing faith in him during that five-month absence led to him being released.
“I wish that I had an answer for you. The reality is — what happened is, when I was about to come back, they kind of hit me with the vision for the Bearcat thing. During that time, I was like, I don’t understand what that is, I’m not sure if I’m feeling that. And they brought me back just as myself. And then, I don’t know, my second match, I think, yeah. So first match, lost to [Bobby] Lashley. Second match, lost to [Karrion] Kross. In the middle of the show, Vince [McMahon] pulls me to a room and wants to sit down and have a talk,” Lee said.
“Yeah, in the middle of Raw, like, he’s got like the semi and the main event coming up. He’s just like, ‘Let’s go chat.’ Dude, you’re the guy on the headphones. What are you doing? But it was in that conversation he basically was like, ‘Listen, I need you to do this. I need you to be this.’ And I was like, ‘I mean, listen, I work for you. So, if that’s what you want, that’s what we’re gonna do.’”
Jericho asked Lee what McMahon’s vision for the Bearcat character was.
“So, the weird thing, and this is something I’ve also discussed recently is, obviously, you mentioned the way that I speak, my cadence, the way that I seem very thoughtful about how I deliver things, my choice of diction, all of those things, is something that Vince was not a fan of. To the point where he literally told me, he’s like, ‘You sound too smart for your own good.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t understand what that means. Like, what is that?’ He wanted something more grimy. I don’t know, I don’t think I delivered that for him,” Lee said.
“He wanted some intense guy. And I think that I can be intense, but I need a reason to be intense. It’s easy for me to flip a switch, but if it doesn’t make sense, it’s hard for me to do that. So I can’t be just — and I say can’t, I tried, I don’t think I’m very good at it. And I think that that’s something that kind of facilitated that. But I’m just not a big, angry, grunty, yelly guy. I’m not that until someone makes me that. And it’s usually a match that causes that or a story that causes that. But when there’s no competitive match that pushes me or when there’s no story that gives me reason for a character to be that, it’s something — and maybe that’s what he means when he says I’m too smart. To me, it’s illogical. I like to do my best to make sense of what we’re doing.”
When asked if there was any connection between the Bearcat character and legendary wrestler Bearcat Wright, Lee said he initially thought that it might be an homage, but he was told not to reference Wright. Lee said the only direction he was given was to be intense and angry.
“Realistically, that’s the first thing I thought. I’m very big on being myself as opposed to trying to be someone else. So, it didn’t make sense to me, but this is what I was asked to do. That’s what I thought, like, ‘Oh, maybe this is an homage to this guy that was making waves back in his day.’ I feel I’ve made waves, but if he wants me to make more, hell, let’s go for it. And then I asked about it one day because people were asking me, ‘Where did this name come from?’ I’m like, ‘Hell, I don’t know, I was told to be it.’ I couldn’t make a story for this. It just — it didn’t resonate,” Lee said.
“The reality is, the direction was, ‘Be intense. Be angry.’ And that’s it. And so that’s what I tried to facilitate. But then they would want me to cut promos similar to the way that I did before. And I’m like, ‘But you guys have a problem with the way that I speak. How would you like this promo delivered?’ This is where I would like something written for me. I don’t normally care for that, I prefer to go off the cuff and just kind of feel it. But if this character is so far removed from what I’ve been doing, I would like something to tell me who and what this character is, why it exists, like where did it come from. And as much as I tried to make things in terms of story for it, either it wasn’t what was asked for or I was asked to not use it anymore. And Bearcat Wright is one of those things. Like, ‘Don’t reference him.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay, so be it.'”
After his WWE non-compete clause expired, Lee signed with AEW and debuted on the February 9 episode of Dynamite. He’ll be one of the participants in the Face of the Revolution ladder match at this Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view. The winner of the match will become the number one contender to the TNT Championship.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, AEW president and CEO Tony Khan revealed that Keith Lee’s AEW debut is something that he had dreamed about since Lee was released by WWE.
Lee made his AEW debut by defeating Isiah Kassidy in a Face of the Revolution qualifying match on Dynamite this Wednesday. The match was Lee’s first in-ring action since being released by WWE last November.
“Keith’s debut was incredible,” Khan told Sports Illustrated. “Much to my amazement, Keith got released. As soon as I saw that he was released, this was the moment I dreamed about.”
Lee officially became a free agent last week after his 90-day non-compete clause expired. Lee also debuted in AEW just days after he and Mia Yim got married.
“It was crazy timing,” Khan said. “I’m so happy with how the debut has been received. It’s very well deserved, and I am very excited to have Keith in AEW.”
Lee is the first participant to be confirmed for the Face of the Revolution ladder match at next month’s Revolution pay-per-view. The winner of the ladder match receives a future shot at the TNT Championship.
Wednesday’s Dynamite also saw NJPW’s Jay White make his AEW debut, appearing in a segment with The Young Bucks, Adam Cole, and Roppongi Vice. Khan told Sports Illustrated that we’ll be seeing more of White in AEW.
“Expect to see more Jay White in AEW. He came through the ‘Forbidden Door,’ and there were many reasons his arrival transpired the way it did on Dynamite. That wasn’t finalized until Sunday, and I’m so happy that we could bring that excitement to the fans,” Khan said.
“I wanted to have that ‘Forbidden Door’ element to our show. It was intentional to have that moment backstage, reuniting members of the Bullet Club against their old rivals from Chaos in Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta.”
With Shane McMahon no longer with WWE, Sports Illustrated asked Khan if it’s possible that Shane could end up coming to AEW. Khan said he’d take a call from Shane, but he hasn’t heard from him and doesn’t know if he’d be a fit for AEW.
“I’d certainly take the call,” Khan said. “I’m sure he’d be an interesting person to talk to about wrestling. I’m not sure exactly if he would be a fit. I have not heard from him, and I don’t expect to hear from him, but in this business, you never know.”
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including AEW Dynamite, Keith Lee’s debut, Jay White, all the news from the last few days including horrible NXT ratings and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
New AEW signee Keith Lee has issued his first comments since joining the company.
In a tweet posted on Thursday, Lee thanked the fans for the “warm welcome back” he received in his first AEW appearance. Lee made his AEW debut by defeating Isiah Kassidy on last night’s Dynamite.
Lee also wrote that, with “sad family times” hopefully behind him, he’s ready to grind.
“We got a lot of work to do still. But I more than appreciate the warm welcome back,” Lee tweeted. “The person with the sign that had the same silhouette that’s on the front of my hoodie…. thank you. Touched my soul. And with sad family times hopefully behind me….let’s grind. #ForwardMarch”
We got a lot of work to do still. But I more than appreciate the warm welcome back.
The person with the sign that had the same silhouette that's on the front of my hoodie…. thank you. Touched my soul.
And with sad family times hopefully behind me….let's grind. #ForwardMarch
Lee qualified for the Face of the Revolution ladder match at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view by defeating Kassidy. The winner of the ladder match receives a future shot at the TNT Championship.
Revolution is being held at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida on Sunday, March 6.
Last night was the first time Lee has wrestled since being released by WWE in November 2021. He officially became a free agent last week after his 90-day non-compete clause expired.
Today on Mat Men, Andrew Zarian and Rich Stambolian are back once again to discuss all of the latest pro wrestling news and rumors.
AEW created a lot of online chatter this week by teasing a major signing while also claiming they would open the “forbidden door.” They did not disappoint as both New Japan’s Jay White and former WWE wrestler Keith Lee made their debuts.
With White in AEW now, will we see more of a full-blown Bullet Club reunion in the company?
This week’s Dynamite also saw the unlikely team of CM Punk and Jon Moxley face FTR with Punk getting another shot at MJF after they picked up their victory.
Also, we saw a Texas Death Match for the ages between AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page and Lance Archer where bloodshed was on full display in an excellent main event.
Also, we give you your weekly WWE WrestleMania update, WWE’s financials, a preview of NXT Vengeance Day, and viewer listener questions.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the deaths of Super Muneco, Ricky Hunter, Candy Devine and Arturo Rivera, the Revolution card, AEW and NXT 2.0 reviews, ratings, UFC preview and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Join on-air personality Denise Salcedo as she reviews the February 9th edition of AEW Dynamite, it was a very newsworthy show that included the debut of both Keith Lee and Jay White, and a very entertaining main event between Lance Archer and Jay White! Tune into this super fun and lively post show perfect for all AEW fans!
Topics rundown:
Overall Thoughts
MJF’s steamy kiss, CM Punk wants a rematch
Wardlow vs The Blade
Santana & Ortiz call out Chris Jericho
JAY WHITE appears on Dynamite
Keith Lee debuts on AEW Dynamite
CM Punk and Jon Moxley team up!
Jade Cargill continues her winning streak
Matches announced for Rampage and Dynamite
Texas Death Match
Denise will return later this week to recap AEW Rampage and WWE Smackdown.
The former WWE NXT Champion and North American Champion was the surprise opponent for Isiah Kassidy in the Face of the Revolution qualifying match on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, picking up a win over one half of Private Party.
The 37-year-old now moves on to the Sunday, March 6th Revolution pay-per-view ladder match where the winner earns a future TNT title shot.
Last Friday, Tony Khan said “a top wrestler” would debut in the match, “walking in the door, signing a contract, and then slamming the door shut Wednesday.”
After nearly three years in WWE, Lee was released on November 4th. He spent the better part of three years in NXT, becoming the first man to hold both the NXT and North American titles when he defeated current AEW roster member Adam Cole at July’s Great American Bash.
He was called up to the main roster in August 2020 and missed five months in 2021 after getting COVID-19 and suffering heart inflammation. After his return, he was eventually given the name “Bearcat.”
Wednesday marked his first in-ring appearance since a late-October win over Cedric Alexander on Raw.
Lee was one of three debuts Wednesday as Jay White made a surprise appearance in a backstage segment while A.Q.A. (the former Zayda Ramier in WWE NXT) challenged TBS Champion Jade Cargill for the title.
According to Nixon Newell’s Instagram, Yim and Lee were married today, sharing a picture of the couple dancing. The two have been engaged since February 11 of last year.
Both are former WWE stars, with Mia Yim formerly being part of the Retribution stable under the name Reckoning while Keith Lee had a run on the Raw brand. Both were released back on November 4 of last year, with the company citing budget cuts as the reason.
Prior to their release, Keith Lee had undergone a character change and returned to the Raw brand under the name Keith “Bearcat” Lee, picking up a couple of wins before being released. Yim had been drafted to Raw as part of last year’s WWE Draft, having dropped the Reckoning name, but never appeared on television.
Both Yim and Lee’s 90-day no-compete clause expired this past week.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that there’s interest in bringing Keith Lee into AEW.
Lee was released by WWE during a round of roster cuts on November 4, 2021. The wrestlers who were released on that day became free agents earlier this week when their 90-day non-compete clauses expired.
Meltzer wrote that Lee has been talked about as potentially signing with AEW and may have already agreed to a deal with the promotion:
A number of WWE talents who were fired in early November are now free to start working elsewhere. Keith Lee is on that list and we’re told that he’s been talked about for here [AEW], if not has already agreed to a deal here. Lee was one of the most impressive wrestlers on the independent scene doing a hard hitting and high flying style, neither of which is favored in WWE. He had trouble early on in NXT but eventually became one of its most popular wrestlers. He struggled with stop-and-start booking on the main roster until COVID, and heart issues stemming from COVID, put him on the shelf most of last year. He was 33 when he signed with WWE but is 37 now. For a guy of his size, speed, and injuries become more of a factor getting older. The Lee of 2018 I’d call a hire with great potential for AEW, because he’s got all the charisma and the size and athletic talent. In 2022, it’s possible he could still be a great hire but there are question marks.
Lee tweeted when he officially became a free agent this Wednesday: “Through Victory… My Chains are Broken. Time…. has freed me. And now… the Force shall guide me.”
WWE has issued a statement denying that they did not pay Keith Lee’s medical bills.
The company said that Lee’s claim on social media that WWE failed to pay his medical bills were “erroneous”.
“Keith Lee’s recent comments implying WWE failed to pay his medical bills are erroneous,” WWE said in the statement. “WWE has an extensive healthcare program for the medical care of its in-ring performers and Mr. Lee was part of this program while with the company. Should Mr. Lee have any concerns over the payment of medical bills, he is welcome to address them with WWE.”
On November 8, Lee released a statement on social media thanking fans for sending him birthday wishes, and also said that only he paid his medical bills while he was out of action due to complications from COVID-19.
“I paid all my medical bills from the many offices and machines I frequented,” he wrote. “There is positivity in that. And, I do find it amusing that people believe anyone but me paid for my medical expenses.”
Lee, along with seventeen other wrestlers from both the main roster and NXT, were released on November 4, with WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis citing budget cuts as the reason for the cuts.
Lee noted that this isn’t a happy birthday, but it’s one that he’s grateful for after the health issues he dealt with earlier this year. Lee was out of action for five months from February to July after contracting COVID-19 and then dealing with heart inflammation.
Lee wrote that there’s positivity in making it to this birthday, because it wasn’t a guarantee that he was going to when he was battling his health issues. Lee also wrote that there’s positivity in the fact that he paid all of his medical bills, noting that no one else paid for his medical expenses.
Lee then turned toward the future in his statement, writing that he’s capable of so much more and he can’t wait to see what it looks like properly. Lee called his future “Limitless.”
Prior to being released, Lee was repackaged as Keith “Bearcat” Lee in September. In Lee’s final match for WWE, he defeated Cedric Alexander on the October 25 episode of Raw.
Lee’s fiancee Mia Yim was also released by WWE in last Thursday’s cuts.
Along with his statement, Lee tweeted: “Thank you for all the positivity that has been dropped on me the past few days as well as the birthday wishes. I love you. Worry not. We are not done. We work. #BaskInMyGlory #iAmLimitless.” His full statement is available below:
Greetings and salutations. This day is my birthday! It is not a happy birthday, but it is one I am most grateful for. Several months ago, it was not a guarantee I would make it to this day, so there is positivity in that. I paid all my medical bills from the many offices and machines I frequented. There is positivity in that. And, I do find it amusing that people believe anyone but me paid for my medical expenses.
I was going to wait a couple weeks, but I think it’s time to look toward the future, forward march as I like to say. I am capable of so much more and I can’t wait to see what it looks like properly. I have a wide array of interests and abilities…. I also consider myself to be rather open minded. Here’s to a future that, for all intents and purposes….seems Limitless.
