WWE: Keith Lee’s NXT Championship Reign Wasn’t Nearly Long Enough

Keith Lee should not have lost the title at WWE NXT TakeOver 30.

NXT TakeOver hit its historic milestone of 30 Pay Per Views on August 22, 2020. What started back in 2014 blossomed into iconic showing after iconic showing. However, what should’ve been a highly welcomed and well-celebrated event and moment in WWE ended up shrouded in controversy.

NXT TakeOver 30 went down last night and something just felt… off.

It didn’t feel like one of the biggest achievements in NXT/WWE history was exciting. It almost felt kind of ruined in a way. I hate to say that, but it was really hard for me personally to get past the fact that the Velveteen Dream was going to be involved in this event.

I’m not even going to go there.

But, apparently, I wasn’t the only one that felt some type of way. Some folks ending up boycotting watching the whole thing altogether. I ended up joining them. So, imagine what happened when we all came back on Twitter and found out what happened with Keith Lee’s title defense against Karrion Kross last night.

Keith Lee had already vacated the WWE NXT North American Title

So, we all got on Beyonce’s internet and discovered that WWE had Keith Lee lose his NXT Championship after only 44 days as champion. 44 days! That’s a little over a month. That’s it. That’s all he got.

So, let me see if I can get this straight!

WWE randomly allows Keith Lee to end Adam Cole’s historic 403-day reign while he was also the NXT North American Champion. Keith Lee then “Voluntarily” vacates the NXT North American Championship to keep from preventing others from getting opportunities. OK.

Then, he loses the NXT championship, the main championship, the highest title on the whole damn brand, just a few weeks later?! Is that about right?

This is the same title held by Big E (Langston) back in back in 2012! A whole eight-year gap between Big E and Keith Lee holding that championship and they took it back that fast?!

They really need to be glad I wasn’t watching that live cause I would’ve probably exploded! It’s taking everything in me to get enough energy to write this without losing it.

Like, is that it? Is that the last Black NXT champion we’ll get for another eight years?!

Keith Lee should have held the title for several more months

He should’ve reigned until at least December and dropped the title to whoever was the best choice.

Could you imagine a feud between Finn Balor and Keith Lee over the NXT title?

Can you imagine him entering the Royal Rumble, winning the whole thing, and faced whichever champion at WrestleMania 37?!

It’s so much they could’ve done that title that’s probably not going to happen now that Keith Lee has been called up to Raw.

But, I think we can all agree that what WWE booked was the worst decision possible considering all the circumstances.

• Velveteen’s return and everything about it
• All the reasons why Naomi’s name and #NaomiDeservesBetter trended multiple times just this year
• The Matt Riddle situation
• Everything about the Retribution storyline (which some see at a mockery and false narrative about the 2020 wave of the Black Lives Matter movement.

And now this?

The way Keith Lee’s NXT Championship reign ended was slap in the face in a way possible, Call up or not. He could’ve at least another feud or two before he lost it.

We can only hope that he gets a decent meaningful feud at the very least to start off his main roster run.