Keith Lee Debuts in AEW Following Controversial WWE Release
Former WWE superstar Keith Lee made his AEW debut at Dynamite on Wednesday.
Lee was revealed as Isiah Kassidy's mystery opponent in a qualifying bout for the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match, which will occur at the March 6 Revolution pay-per-view.
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He'll now be taking part in that match after finishing off Kassidy with the Big Bang Catastrophe.
Post-match, Lee cleaned out Private Party, powerbombing Marq Quen onto Kassidy's back before doing so on the apron:
After being utilized inconsistently on WWE's main roster, Lee was released in November, ending his three-plus-year run with the promotion.
Since most WWE contracts include a 90-day non-compete clause once they are terminated, Lee officially became a free agent on Feb. 2.
The 37-year-old veteran's time in WWE didn't end on a high note, but he enjoyed a great deal of success in the company nonetheless.
Most of Lee's most notable accomplishments occurred in NXT, where he was a top star for much of his run from 2018-20.
Lee defeated Roderick Strong for the North American Championship in January 2020, held the title for several months and then beat Adam Cole in a title vs. title match for the NXT Championship in July 2020.
During his time in NXT, Lee had a fantastic showing at Survivor Series 2019, lasting until the very end and going head-to-head against Roman Reigns before finally getting eliminated.
He was also a surprise entrant in the 2020 Royal Rumble and had a memorable showdown with Brock Lesnar, much to the delight of the fans in attendance.
Lee got called up to WWE's main roster in August 2020 and seemed to be off to the races, as he defeated Randy Orton in his first singles pay-per-view match on the main roster at Payback.
He appeared to be on the fast track to winning the United States Championship, but COVID-19 and then a heart issue caused Lee to miss several months of action, and he never regained his spot afterward.
In a last-ditch effort to push him, WWE changed Lee's name to Keith "Bearcat" Lee; however, he only made a few televised appearances under that persona and was subsequently released.
AEW is a company that can benefit from more size and more diversity on its roster, and Lee checks both boxes, so he was likely a no-brainer signing for the promotion.
Given how over Lee already is with the fans, he is a strong candidate to vie for the TNT Championship or perhaps even the AEW Championship in the near future.
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