Keith Lee Signs With AEW, Debuts On Dynamite
Emma Horne BASK IN HIS GLORY! The rumors were true. Keith Lee is officially ALL ELITE!
The former WWE Superstar made his AEW Dynamite debut on the February 9 edition of Dynamite on TBS. It all went down at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Keith Lee was revealed as Isiah Kassidy's mystery opponent in a Face Of The Revolution qualifying match just moments before the match began.
The crowd went absolutely wild when Lee's music hit, and kept that energy going throughout the entire bout, popping for every move and taunt. The match probably went on slightly longer than necessary, but it was obvious that Lee - who got married to fellow wrestler Mia Yim over the weekend -- was having the time of his life. It was Lee's first match since October of last year (when he defeated Cedric Alexander on Raw under the name "Bearcat" Lee) but he looked as good as ever as he tossed Kassidy all over the place.
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The former NXT Champion was able to overcome interference from Kassidy's Private Party partner Marq Quen to secure the win and book his spot in the Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match at Revolution next month.
After the match, AEW president Tony Khan took to social media to reveal that Keith Lee had officially signed an AEW contract.
Lee became one of the hottest free agents in the world when he was released by WWE on November 4, though he wasn't able to sign elsewhere until the 90-day non-compete clause in his contract had expired.
As you might recall, Lee took a seven-month hiatus from WWE due to his Covid-related health issues. The hiatus ended on July 19 when he returned to Raw to answer the open challenge of then-WWE champion Bobby Lashley. Shortly after his return, Lee adopted the "Bearcat" monicker and was given new gear.