Keith Lee promises ‘we are not done’ after WWE release

After being released by WWE last week, Keith Lee begins to look forward to his future in wrestling

Last week, despite telling the media in a public sales call that they had made record profits in this last quarter just minutes before, WWE management made “budget cuts” in the form of the jobs of several wrestlers. Ember Moon, Mia Yim, Scarlett Bourdeaux, Fab-B, Nia Jax, and Franky Monet were all released despite the WWE’s women’s roster already being fairly thin. Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik, Trey Baxter, Oney Lorcan were all also given their release, despite their undeniable talent and value as wrestlers.

However, the most notable of this round of cuts was the release of former NXT champions, Karrion Kross and Keith Lee.

Lee recently returned to WWE TV after an extended leave of absence for mental and physical health. However, it was abundantly clear that Lee, Vince McMahon, and the lead writers for WWE were unable to see eye-to-eye and a few months later, Lee was released from his contract.

On Twitter, Keith Lee issued his first statement since his WWE release, in which he reflects on his recent obstacles and also looks to the future.

“I was going to wait a couple weeks, but I think it’s time to look towards 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, for all intents and purposes… seems Limitless.”

Will Keith Lee sign with AEW?

When Keith Lee signed with the WWE, his stock could not have been larger. He had gotten over in the independent circuit, honed his skill in Ring of Honor and Evolve, and then used his work at Pro Wrestling Guerilla to showcase just how much potential he had. Despite not holding a world title anywhere, pundits and fans began basking in his glory and deeming him the next big thing.

When Lee debuted in NXT, it was clear that Triple H and the NXT management saw him the same way the fans did. His feuds with Johnny Gargano, Roderick Strong, and Adam Cole are all highlights of the dwindling years of NXT. He is the first man to ever hold both the North American Championship and the NXT Championship at the same time. His climb to the top of the black and gold brand may have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and audience-less NXT shows, but that did not stop the limitless one.

Lee still has plenty to show the world, and he clearly wants to do just that. The question is where exactly will he do that?

With Ring of Honor likely closing its doors for the final time this December, a homecoming run is out of the cards for Lee. Evolve’s relationship with WWE will likely also make it difficult for a return. Sure, he could make another run in the independent circuit, GCW is going strong and PWG may still recover from the pandemic with Lee’s help. Otherwise, the North American options are a bit limited for Lee.

However, Lee does not need to stay in America to be successful. With the strength, the size, and the deceptive speed of Lee, NJPW fans would love everything that he brings to the table. He would do especially well in NJPW’s American branch, NJPW strong.

Down in Mexico, Lucha Libre is seeing a resurgence and a big man like Lee who can move around the ring effectively but also play folly to the high-flyers would be a brilliant villain in AAA or CMLL. Even across the pond, the British wrestling scene may have been decimated by WWE’s aggressive expansion tactics, but Rev Pro continues to be home to some of the best wrestlers in the world.

Of course, the potential landing spot that wrestling fans will inevitably bring up is AEW. WWE’s first major source of competition since the folding of WCW, AEW is now home to the best wrestling in the world. Top stars from around the world have made their way to Tony Khan’s locker room and are putting dream matches on television every Wednesday.

Many extremely talented wrestlers have made their way from WWE to AEW: Aleister/Malakai Black, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Daniel Garcia, Andrade El Idolo, Rusev/Miro, Chris Jericho, FTR/The Revival, Jon Moxley/Dean Ambrose, Mr. Brodie Lee/Luke Harper, PAC/Neville, Ruby Soho/Riott, Tay/Taynara Conti. Most notably Daniel Bryan returned to his “American Dragon” persona as Bryan Danielson made his debut with AEW.

Lee is so talented that he will fit right in with the roster that AEW has built. It helps that he will have built personal relationships with many of the locker room leaders during his time in PWG and NXT. Further, due to the severity of Lee’s recent health struggles, he may require a lighter schedule for a while, something that only AEW will be able to provide him.

Is Lee signing with AEW an inevitability? No. However, if he signs, his potential will truly become limitless.