Keith Lee fans should be concerned about his booking on the main roster

After being inexplicably gone for several months, Keith Lee made finally made his return to Monday Night Raw. While fans were excited to see him back, they were less excited to watch him receive back-to-back losses, first to Bobby Lashley and then to Karrion Kross.

Lee would go on to beat Karrion Kross the week after that on August 2, but it takes more than one win to build momentum. Any fan of Keith Lee should be worried about the way he is currently being booked, especially since it fits into a larger pattern.

Keith Lee joins NXT

The Limitless One was a huge signing for WWE in 2018, both in a literal and figurative sense. He had been in the business for 13 years at that point, building up a loyal fan base through his work with companies like ROH, Evolve, and PWG.

This super heavyweight had proven himself time and time again. Keith Lee is a definitive powerhouse with the agility of a cruiserweight. The man has such a diverse move set that he can put on a brilliant match from almost any angle. On top of that, he is oozing charisma.

Lee’s debut on NXT was met with applause from fans who were there in person as well as anyone watching at home. Anyone who pays attention to wrestling outside of WWE was well aware of the caliber of performer who had just signed with the black and gold brand.

That being said, things didn’t exactly go well right off the bat. Lee couldn’t seem to get his feet under him at first. Then, everything started clicking and he found himself holding both the North American Championship and the NXT Championship, the only man to achieve that.

Keith Lee jumps to the main roster

After SummerSlam 2020, Keith Lee made the inevitable move to the main roster, joining the Raw crew. He had become a must-see part of NXT. As such, fans were looking for Lee’s momentum to continue on the main roster. It didn’t.

Almost immediately, the problems were obvious. A music change and new ring gear accompanied him as he made his Raw debut. No one is sure exactly whose idea that was, though some have attributed it to Lee himself.

Lee’s push was quite inconsistent after that. He would seem to get some momentum going, then it would fade away. Reputedly, Keith Lee was slotted to win the US Championship at Elimination Chamber but a reported injury kept him out of the match.

Ultimately, Lee was gone for five months with no details about his injury. While this has yet to be confirmed, the real reason may have been creative differences between Lee and WWE management. Reputedly, copyright issues with his ring name may also have been a factor.

Where Keith Lee goes from here

Given what’s happened with his character and his inconsistent booking, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that was at the core of his absence. WWE really doesn’t seem to care if their wrestlers are happy or not lately, so shelving Keith Lee over creative would be on-brand.

The problem is what that means going forward. Even if everything is sorted out, this is a company that holds a grudge. Management is not above punishing their talent for any sort of perceived slight against them. As such, be surprised if Keith Lee holds any WWE gold in the near future.

And if none of that is true, WWE has already proven that they don’t really want to be in the Keith Lee business. Triple H and NXT wanted Keith Lee on their roster. But it honestly feels like Vince is keeping Lee on the main roster just to prevent him from signing somewhere else.

Without question, the man is a draw when booked properly. His NXT run unequivocally proved that. At this point, it’s on WWE to give Keith Lee the ball and let him run with it because he is someone who knows how to create success. If he doesn’t, it’s on them.