WWE has added yet another huge talent to its roster this week, as Trevor Lee announced that he has officially signed with the promotion.
In mid-November, PWInsider.com’s Mike Johnson reported that Impact Wrestling and X-Division star Trevor Lee parted ways, with the expectation being that Lee would sign with WWE. In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso, Lee stated that he would like to sign with either WWE or NJPW, and he said that signing with WWE was always a dream of his because of his father, OMEGA wrestling founder Tracy Caddell.
At last night’s CWF Mid-Atlantic show in Greensboro, North Carolina, Lee made the announcement official, per PW Insider’s Mike Johnson. The January 2019 free agent told the crowd that he will be joining WWE, but Lee did tease one more title match on Feb. 2.
Here is a video of the announcement, with a friendly hat tip to Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin.
Lee will likely head to NXT first, much like former NJPW star KUSHIDA is expected to whenever he starts up with WWE. That gives NXT some more big names to work with, and MLW’s Shane Strickland could be another star headed there, based on rumors that circulated at the end of 2018.
Drake Maverick has been teasing scooping up former Impact Wrestling stars from the X-Division, as DJZ is also a free agent. Both Lee and DJZ could be great fits for 205 Live with their in-ring ability, and they seem like wrestlers who could blossom on WWE’s Network-exclusive shows after maybe not reaching their full potential on the Impact talent roster.
It will be interesting to see how Lee’s character develops under the Performance Center’s coaching. As a three-time X-Division Champion, Lee would certainly be a huge signing for 205 Live if that’s the ultimate goal for him, but with WWE rotating more wrestlers on each of their Network-exclusive shows (NXT, NXT UK, and 205), Lee wouldn’t necessarily have to be restricted to one role or brand.
This is an exciting signing for NXT and a dream come true for Lee, who was a successful tag and X-Division champion in Impact. With All Elite Wrestling building its own talent roster and ROH looking to stay competitive, WWE could continue to be aggressive with signing up wrestlers testing free agency on expiring contracts.