Keith Lee walked through the Forbidden Door on the February 9th episode of Dynamite to the surprise and delight of many. I usually don’t care about WWE releases, but Keith Lee’s baffled me. He has all the tools you need for success; great in the ring, a unique look, and has charisma out the wazoo.
KEITH LEE IS #ALLELITE
(via @AEW) pic.twitter.com/ffs2T8DfI2
— B/R Wrestling (@BRWrestling) February 10, 2022
Convincingly, Lee squashed a member of the Private Party -a group within the Andrae Hardy Family Office (everyone is in a group).
.@RealKeithLee dealing with the #PrivateParty accordingly!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on @TBSNetwork right now! pic.twitter.com/P0l3BaNVJz
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 10, 2022
This was an excellent first step, but AEW needs to tread carefully. But this is AEW we’re talking about. He’ll be doing 45-minute time limit draws this time next month. But here’s hoping Lee doesn’t go the way of Andrade, Jay Lethal, and others who came in with big hype only to disappear into the background.
Here’s what they should and shouldn’t do to make sure Keith Lee stays on top.
Should Give Him An Undefeated Streak
Keith Lee needs to go on a tear. He should destroy everyone in his path to set up a title shot, which, frankly, he should win. This can be the TNT title or whatever other random minor title AEW decides to make up, but he needs to be on the top of the bill. No little guy should get a bit of offense on him.
AEW after the Keith Lee debut pic.twitter.com/VqC1rztMkd
— Robin (@CrimsonRobin_) February 10, 2022
This is a supplement: don’t put him on any show less than Dynamite or Rampage. He is too good and too special to be on Dark or Elevation, going 24 minutes with some no-name, and it would be a waste to have his squashes go on YouTube.
Shouldn’t Put Him In 30 Minute Matches Right Away
Like any big man, Keith Lee is impressive by his power and strength. That Lee can move like a cruiserweight is a bonus. But he doesn’t need to do this. He needs to run through a few people to build up his bonafides and establish himself as a powerhouse.
Then he can start having the longer matches that he is capable of.
Shouldn’t Put Keith Lee into A Faction
AEW’s go-to is to put everyone in a group. While this makes sense for multi-person tags (an AEW specialty) and works to give younger inexperienced talent someone to talk for them (Matt Hardy and Jericho, etc.) Keith Lee needs neither one of these.
Lee isn’t a tag team wrestler, and he doesn’t need someone to talk for him. Diluting him as one member of a group would make him less memorable.
And this is doubly true if they think of putting him with Matt Hardy. Matt is a great wrestler and talker but can’t help making everything about himself.
What do you think? Will AEW do the right thing for Keith Lee?
Next, Read This: Legends Who Should Come Back For Title Shots
