WWE: Keith Lee name pays homage to Bearcat Wright

On the September 27, 2021, edition of Monday Night Raw, Keith Lee came out with a new look, attitude, and a nickname that modern-day wrestling fans had never heard of before. Keith “Bearcat” Lee made an impressive return when he destroyed Akira Tozawa in thirty-seven seconds. In this article, I will discuss why Keith Lee’s new Nickname is essential and the history of the life of Bearcat Wright.

Edward M. Wright was born on January 13, 1932, and was known as Bearcat Wright. Bearcat Wright was the son of Ed “Bearcat” Wright, who was a professional boxer and even followed in his father’s footsteps before heading to professional wrestling.

Wright would become popular in the late 1950s and 1960s when the United States was going through much racial tension. Bearcat Wright would become a popular babyface teaming up with Bobo Brazil, another African American wrestler who would become a groundbreaking star in the world of professional wrestling.

Bearcat Wright would have thousands of fans packed in arenas to see him wrestle worldwide, including Australia and Canada. Bearcat Wright would wrestle professional wrestling legends like The Sheik, Johnny Valentine, and Kinji Shibuya.

The thing that wrestling fans loved about Bearcat Wright was that he had the talent and skills to get the fan’s attention when it came to performing in the ring. Bearcat was known for his height and because he used flying dropkicks, spin kicks, and giant leaps off the top rope to get his opponents to stay down.

Bearcat Wright had the talent to be a huge star in professional wrestling. He declared in front of a crowd that he wasn’t interested in being in segregated wrestling matches anymore, which would make it hard for him to find work. The Indiana State Athletic Commission would suspend him for taking a stand in a time where it was dangerous to do something like that as an African American in the United States.

Bearcat Wright would make history when he defeated Killer Kowalski in April 1961 for the Big Time Pro Wrestling World heavyweight title. Bearcat Wright would make history again when he would win WWA World Heavyweight Championship from Freddie Blassie in California five days before Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his legendary “I have a dream” speech.

Wright’s career is filled with historical moments. Not only could he perform in the ring, but his presence in interviews helped as he would rip phone books in half to show his strength. Bearcat Wright was very outspoken when it came to how he viewed himself in the world of professional wrestling, which would at times get him in trouble. For example, Worldwide Wrestling Associates blackballed him for refusing to drop the WWA World champion to Edouard Carpentier. Bearcat Wright was one of the few African Americans who wasn’t scared to speak his mind and did not want to drop his title because he knew how important it was to be a world champion during those times.

Bearcat Wright was a talented wrestler who created much controversy with wrestling promoters, but even the promoters had no choice but to book him because of how popular he was and how much money he could draw for a company. Wright would die at the young age of 50 due because of sickle cell anemia complications. On March 31, 2017, the WWE would Posthumously induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the legacy wing

Fast forward to 2021, and Keith Lee has adopted the nickname which comes with a lot of weight. Fans have wanted to see more of Keith Lee and his train continues to get slowed down for various reasons. Bearcat Wright is credited by many for helping desegregate the professional wrestling business. Seeing the name attributed to Keith Lee now is an opportunity to give Lee a fresh start and carry on that legacy on a major platform.