Keith Lee: Triple H Tried to Keep Me in WWE NXT For as Long as He Could

By Connor Casey

Keith Lee made history back on July 1, 2020 when he defeated Adam Cole and became the first man to ever hold the NXT and NXT North American Championships at the same time. But within two months "The Limitless One" had dropped both titles and was a member of the Monday Night Raw roster. He's yet to reach the same heights on the Red Brand as he did down in NXT and in a new interview on the Out of Character Podcast this week he talked about the process of WWE quickly bumping him up to the main roster just as he was being positioned as the brand's top star. 

"I definitely could have spent more time there, without a doubt, without questions," Lee said (h/t Fightful). "Let's be honest, I not long won the NXT Championship and what, maybe six weeks of time before it was 'gotta go.' The reality was, as I understand, the main roster had been wanting to bring me up for a while and it was Triple H trying to keep me for as long as he could. Time was running out and some things are out of our hands. 

"For me, personally, I'm always looking for another challenge so, going to the main roster, it's like, okay, now I get to see where I really stand because I was concerned I have everything I need," he continued. "I think a random no-name guy steps up with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins at Survivor Series and has the crowd firmly on his side without having something. In my personal opinion, I have everything. Everything I need, I have it, and it's at my disposal. I don't think that happens, I don't think the situation at the Royal Rumble with me and Brock happens. I don't think you hear 42,000 people going nuts for a guy that has nothing, right? The one thing that matters, as far as I'm concerned is that it doesn't matter what Keith Lee is or who Keith Lee is. What matters is Keith Lee's connection with the people. No matter what happens, anywhere, anytime, those people are going to have something to say and I'll forever be grateful for it."

Lee recently returned to Raw with a new nickname "Bearcat" and a much more aggressive in-ring style. Do you think Lee should have stayed longer in NXT, or is he finally finding some momentum on Raw? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!

Trending Now: