Credit: WWE.com
Ever since he appeared ringside at NXT Takeover: Chicago II, Keith Lee has been the talk of the wrestling world. Now that he is officially in WWE, who are the top five dream opponents for NXT’s newest indie signing?
Keith Lee is an anomaly of how human bodies should be able to work. Billed at 6-foot-3 and 332 pounds, Lee’s athleticism is off the charts for his size. Along with his charisma, Lee’s potential is through the roof. All in all, these help to make Lee one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the world, and he has now taken his talents to NXT.
Throughout his wildly successful stint on the independent wrestling scene, Lee had incredible matches with the likes of Ricochet, Matt Riddle, and Darby Allin. With his independent days behind him now, it’s time for Keith Lee to make some new memories with more well-known competitors.
Under the WWE umbrella, there are so many opportunities for Lee to have instant classics. During his NXT tenure alone, Lee’s dream opponents are, as he might say, limitless. Lee’s athleticism allows him to go move for move with anyone in the WWE. With no one match off-limits, Keith Lee’s potential is endless. It was hard to narrow it down, but Keith Lee has five potential dream opponents for WWE.
Photo Source: WWE.com
Dolph Ziggler
This seems…way out of left field, I’m sure. However, given the pattern of Ziggler feuding with NXT callups, it could be one of the most likely matches Lee sees on the main roster. The primary reason for this feud making the list, however, is that Dolph Ziggler would make Keith Lee look incredible. Dolph Ziggler’s biggest strength coming into WWE was his incredible selling ability. To this day, he remains one of the company’s best when it comes to making his opponents seem like the most powerful humans on the planet.
Keith Lee’s “pounce” move especially comes to mind when thinking about this match. Having worked his American football background into his moveset, Lee’s pounce is really just a glorified shoulder tackle. However, the key to this move is in the opponent’s sell. Wrestler like Matt Riddle, Lio Rush, and Jeff Cobb have made Lee’s pounce look like the most devastating move in the history of professional wrestling. His opponent goes flying, and if done right, it looks like they’ve gotten hit by a bus.
Keith Lee is a monster, and the pounce is his premier move to hit on opponents who will sell hard for him. Dolph Ziggler can be one of the first victims to Lee’s pounce on the main roster. And let’s face it, we all want to see him pounce Ziggler over the top rope in the Royal Rumble one year.
Credit: WWE.com
AJ Styles
It is nearly impossible to have a bad match with AJ Styles. At 41 years old, The Phenomenal One is still easily one of, if not the best wrestler in the world. His style can work with anyone, and his agility would work well to combat Lee’s massive size advantage. Fortunately for WWE fans, Keith Lee is also one of the best wrestlers in the world today.
The stories Styles and Lee could tell in the ring are incredible, as Styles attempts to get the upper hand on the much larger Lee early. The versatility of Styles allows for even more creativity, and Lee’s incredible skillset could put that creativity into action.
This feud does not need a title, and if WWE’s creative team gets fully behind it, it could be one of the feuds of the year. On in-ring competition alone, Styles and Lee can be magic together. They did not have a match on the independent scene, adding yet another layer of freshness to what could already be WWE’s best program of the year. Nevertheless, this could be a couple years away. Should WWE retain AJ Styles through one last contract, he could be a prime main roster opponent for Keith Lee.
{Credit:WWE}
Aleister Black
Current NXT Champion Aleister Black is a lot like AJ Styles, in that his moveset will work with anyone on any day of the week. The difference between the two is that Black hits a lot harder, has an even wider moveset, and will be a more immediate opponent for Lee.
Black’s reign as NXT Champion is just picking up, and many have a hunch that he could hold the belt for about as long as Finn Balor. For that prediction to come true, Black will need to hang onto the title until around next January. By that time, Lee will have at least one feud under his belt. Who better to send Black to the main roster than the man who looks to be the next king of NXT?
Keith Lee just seems right with the NXT Championship around his waist, and him defeating Black seems to be the logical conclusion. Black could very well stay undefeated until he runs into Keith Lee, the buzzsaw ravaging through NXT. Not to mention the incredible match these two could have without such an intense storyline. Both Lee and Black are so talented, so athletic, and know exactly what a crowd wants. This match should really be main eventing an NXT Takeover show.
Credit: WWE.com
Ricochet
Full disclosure: the only reason that Ricochet vs. Keith Lee isn’t topping the list is because it’s already happened before. The two had a match in the second round of WCPW’s (now Defiant Wrestling) Pro Wrestling World Cup USA in 2017. In just over 20 minutes, they tore the house down. With just the right amount of drama, comedy, athleticism, and just great wrestling in all facets, Lee and Ricochet put on one of WCPW’s best ever bouts.
Unlike the past three entries, we know exactly what Ricochet and Lee can do when put in a ring with each other. The sheer athleticism of these two will quickly get their match over with the NXT crowd. No storyline, no title is needed. Ricochet and Keith Lee can just showcase their abilities and put on one of the best matches of the year.
Maybe the most incredible aspect of this match is that despite being moderately to greatly larger than Ricochet, Lee can go at the same speed. Although in a different way, Lee is just as stupidly athletic as Ricochet is. Possibly main eventing an NXT Takeover show, Ricochet/Lee could easily be a match of the year candidate in WWE.
Source: WWE.com
Samoa Joe
This might sound unprofessional but, who doesn’t want to see this match? Who doesn’t want to see two big hosses just destroy each other sometimes? That concept is what professional wrestling was built on way back in the day, and sometimes it’s fun to revisit. Samoa Joe vs. Keith Lee is the money match that, quite easily, could main event a “Big Four” WWE pay per view. No disqualifications, no limits, just cut these two loose for a half an hour and let them (quite literally) tear the house down.
The best part about this match is just how versatile it can be. Keith Lee and Samoa Joe are two of the most versatile big men that the WWE, and even wrestling as a whole, have ever seen. Not only are they both insanely athletic for their size, but they can make every move, down to every rest hold, look legitimately lethal.
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Samoa Joe is one of the best promos, and characters overall, in WWE. As a babyface, Keith Lee can be one of Joe’s best foils since coming to WWE, and they could feud for six months without ever feeling tired or forced. Both Joe and Lee can do it all, and I truthfully cannot see their feud ever getting stale. This would be a hoss fight for the ages, and the WWE could always use one of those.