#3: Keith Lee
On May 1, 2018, it was announced that Keith Lee had signed with the WWE. Lee made a special appearance at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II; this would be his first appearance on NXT television. On August 8, 2018, Lee made his in-ring debut where he would defeat Marcel Barthel in quick fashion. In March 2019, Keith Lee would be sidelined with an undisclosed injury which quickly put an end to his budding feud with fellow NXT wrestler Dominik Dijakovic. Lee returned to in-ring competition at a house show later that April.
That November, Keith Lee would be a member of the NXT Survivor Series team in the first 5 vs. 5 vs. 5 Men’s Survivor Series match, where he would be the final member of team NXT standing. Lee was last eliminated by Roman Reigns.
On January 22, 2020, Keith Lee would defeat Roderick Strong for his first taste of championship gold in WWE, winning the NXT North American Championship. Keith Lee would defend the championship against the likes of Cameron Grimes, Dominik Dijakovic, Johnny Gargano, and Damian Priest. Lee would then enter a feud with NXT Champion Adam Cole who he would defeat at NXT: The Great American Bash, Day 2, to become the first double champion in NXT. 14 days later, on NXT television, Keith Lee relinquished the NXT North American Championship and entered a feud with Karrion Kross. Keith Lee would lose the championship to Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver: XXX. Lee’s championship reign lasted 52 days.
Keith Lee’s debut would be announced at Summerslam 2020. The Limitless One debuted on Monday Night RAW on August 24, 2020, where he bore new ring gear and lost his highly acclaimed entrance theme that was tied heavily to his character; he would lose to Randy Orton in four minutes and fifty seconds after Drew McIntyre attacked Randy Orton mid-match, leading to a disqualification. Keith Lee would go on to defeat Randy Orton at Payback 2020 but has not seen much success since.
Lee has been showcased on WWE television consistently with a very 50/50 booking style. He was slated to compete in the 2021 Royal Rumble but was taken out of the contest due to his fiance, Mia Yim, contracting COVID-19. Lee was also removed from the Elimination Chamber 2021 PPV where he was supposed to compete in the WWE United States Championship match against Bobby Lashley and Riddle. We have not seen Keith Lee on WWE programming since.
Keith Lee has not won championship gold in WWE (yet) but this 50/50 booking is still better than what his predecessors on this list have been given in WWE. Keith Lee has unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Championship and has been presented as a powerful machine in his time on the main roster. The only drawback is that his booking and win/loss record speaks otherwise. Despite this, I believe that there is still hope for Keith Lee on WWE’s main roster and that he will one day reach the pinnacle of this industry.
