Keith Lee Reveals the Bearcat Rebrand Was Not His Idea

Keith Lee’s wild journey from NXT superstar (and co-North American and World Heavyweight Champion) to Monday Night Raw competitor got a new wrinkle when WWE released him, along with a long list of other superstars such as Karrion Kross, Ember Moon, Nia Jax, and more. Before his release, Lee was repackaged with the “Bearcat” nickname. The rebrand came out of nowhere, with Lee incorporating savage facial expressions and a loud growl during his matches. Now free from the smothering creative control of WWE, Lee has since admitted that the Bearcat name was not his idea.

After Lee was cut from WWE, fans rushed to his social media accounts begging him to sign with the WWE competitor AEW. In one Instagram post (via Cageside Seats), a fan urged Lee to “Go to AEW.” The image of Lee had him in his Bearcat ring gear in a match against Cedric Alexander. One of the comments under the AEW message suggested “this whole bearcat thing was his idea,” to which Lee replied, “No. It was not. Lol.”

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to wrestling fans. WWE is notorious for sticking its superstars with head-scratching gimmicks, and Bearcat fits in perfectly with that trend. Keith Lee may have been granted more creative freedom with his Bearcat moniker as time went on, but in the beginning WWE likes to have as much control as possible. For example, it took the New Day (Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods) months to add their own unique flair to the gimmick, transforming the New Day from a pro-Black gospel-speaking faction to the fun-loving trio they’re known as today.

Keith Lee issued a statement on Twitter thanking fans for their support following his release. “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,” he said. 

“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 billsf rom 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,” he continued. “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 the future, for all intents and purposes… seems Limitless.”

ComicBook.com wishes Keith Lee and all of the other released wrestlers well as they continue to pursue their careers in the squared circle.