You won’t find a bigger presence in NXT than Keith Lee.
The Texas native is a rare breed – a super-heavyweight with ferocious power and incredible agility who can move like someone much smaller earning him the moniker of “Limitless”.
Lee made a name for himself on the independent circuit before joining NXT in April 2018. While being a regular part of their television, Lee’s momentum was slowed following an injury earlier this year. With that behind him, Lee is back on track and showcasing his incredible natural gifts as everyone, as he says, can “bask in his glory”.
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Lee has a big opportunity to show off his skills when he faces Roderick Strong and Dominik Dijakovic in a Triple Threat match for the NXT North American championship on the weekly NXT show airing live Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Sporting News recently spoke with Lee about his big Triple Threat match, his in-ring evolution within NXT, and surprising others with his physical gifts.
Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
This week....prepare yourselves.#NXTNorthAmericanChampionship #UE #FeastYourEyes #RareBreed #BaskInMyGlory #iAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/FBssLaW1Ux
— Virtual Lee (@RealKeithLee) October 21, 2019
SPORTING NEWS: What it's like having a bigger spotlight on yourself with NXT live every week on the USA Network?
KEITH LEE: It feels natural. It feels like all the chips are falling into place and it feels like I'm going to take advantage of it and will make the most of my opportunities.
SN: When you joined NXT about 18 months ago, NXT was a taped show airing on the WWE Network. Now it's live every week on USA. Did you think that would happen so quickly after you signed with the company?
KL: Absolutely not. I think there were quite a few people that just weren't sure or weren't really expecting it. I'm quite an open-minded individual so the adjustment was not as stressful for me. I didn't see it coming but I think it created more of a competitive excitement for me and opportunistic excitement as well. It's been really awesome just being on the USA Network and I'm looking forward to making more waves while I'm on it.
SN: Outside of the obvious things of it being live and now two hours, what has been the biggest difference with the TV show and your role as a performer on the show?
KL: I really don't feel much of a difference, to be honest. I think that, for me, perhaps just the amount of eyes that now see the product, which I think has been really good for a lot of the talent on the roster and for the brand itself and for the opportunities given, the extent of the amount of time. I think we see more faces, which has been very nice and refreshing and makes things different. At the end of the day, I think it's possible that we may see even more new faces or returning faces or whatever the case may be. Finn Balor is a great example of that coming back. It's such an awesome opportunity and such a great place to be in.
SN: The time you've been with NXT, has it been what you expected so far?
KL: I think, for me, I'm probably more of an impatient individual because I'm very strategic in the way that I do things. However, I think that patience and kind of just the belief in what we have going on and the people that run the show has afforded me a lot of opportunities to make changes in myself to become better. Under the tutelage of Terry Taylor, especially, there's a lot that I've learned and a lot that I've applied in my current style that has been very useful. So, I think that within the time, it's been kind of more stop-starty but it's allowed me to develop even further, or evolve in terms of my fighting style, in the way that I make use of my limitless capabilities.
SN: How different of a performer to do think you are from before you joined NXT to where you are now?
KL: It's almost drastic, to be honest. Before now, there was so much more of an athletic style. Maybe, in those times, I did too much of that in my personal opinion. I feel like now, making use of my size, my power, explosion, in other ways has been quite beneficial and has worked out very well for me. I've enjoyed the change a lot.
SN: WWE is always going to be specific about what they want from its wrestlers. You bring a unique style with your athleticism, with your power, everything you can do and as a bigger guy. How do you best utilize your gifts in a way that they see fit?
KL: To me, it's not about what they see fit. I have a lot of freedom because of that scenario, because of the fact that I'm different, because of the fact that I can do things that other people cannot, because of the fact that I'm Keith Lee. Honestly, a lot of what I do has been within the confines of what they would like. I think that I've taken it with the help of all the different coaches. I've spent the most time with Terry Taylor but I've worked with Robbie Brookside, Norman Smiley and Scotty 2 Hotty, obviously Shawn Michaels and Matt Bloom and taking those things that I've learned from them and making use of it the way I see best and it has worked out a lot.
SN: What's it like being around those coaches every day and getting to pick their brains as well as someone like William Regal who you've known for a long time?
KL: I've been here for almost a year-and-a-half but, in that entire scenario that you just mentioned, the fact that I'm working with them daily and seeing Regal when he's in and able to converse with these guys at leisure, it's still very surreal. I feel like it comes back to kind of taking a step back and just realizing the position I'm in and the opportunities I have, the people that I work with, all these things are opportunities within themselves. It's one I take great pride in.
SN: Are there times when you surprise the trainers with some of the physical gifts you have?
KL: That question makes me laugh because, quite honestly, it's literally every time I have a match. (laughs) I take great pride in that as well. The greatest joy that I have is where there are people that have no idea who Keith Lee is and they experience me for the first time and that reaction is always what happens. Who is this guy? How did he get like this? Is he even human? That's a question I love. I love to make people wonder because there's a lot of scenarios in which, you have a lot of guys who can do a lot of things but, for me, I am literally, and a lot of people say this, they say I'm the whole package. I'm everything. No, no, no, no. Keith Lee is actually, realistically, the entire package. All of it. And I love being that. There's science, there's physics and neither one of those things has an answer for Keith Lee. I don't make sense. I'm an anomaly on this planet and I love being unique. Keith Lee stands on his own. I am the first of my kind and will continue to be so.
SN: Because you're very unique, you're also very versatile. You're not known for one particular style. Was there a moment in your career when you realized that you wanted to emphasize your versatility?
KL: 2013 - my last attempt, my last tryout with WWE. And I knew I would be turned down almost right away and I had a conversation with Dusty Rhodes and I also had a conversation with William Regal. I also had a conversation with Jim Ross. Jim Ross' was more simplistic, simply saying that I'm essentially a million-dollar talent and, to me, that was enough of something to kind of excite me. But conversations with Dusty Rhodes and William Regal led me to understand the fact that I am different and that is something I should take advantage of. With that being said, it was something I wanted to take advantage of and starting in 2014, that was the decision I made and it's paid dividends.
. @RealKeithLee en @DijakovicWWE gooien de beuk erin tijdens #WWENXT! pic.twitter.com/2okyAu0iaO
— WWE Nederland (@NederlandWWE) October 17, 2019
SN: On this week's NXT television, you will be in a Triple Threat match against Roderick Strong and Dominik Dijakovic for the NXT North American championship. You and Dijakovic have had a rivalry going back for years now and some great matches. Why do think you have such great chemistry in the ring together?
KL: Dijakovic refers to himself as the rare breed and I'm actually a believer in this because he's capable of doing things that you just wouldn't see someone who is 6'7", 270 (pounds) do, right? When you talk about having someone like that in the professional wrestling ring along with someone like myself who is also an anomaly in terms of science, in terms of physics, in terms of ability and things we're capable of doing, you're bound to run into a situation where it's like the meeting of two natural disasters. I think that given our size and the fact that we can mix those styles, I think it's just something that captivates human beings. Rightfully so. It would captivate me. Any time that I've ever had to go back and watch a match between the two of us has captivated me. Maybe I'm even trying to figure out how did I pull that off? Or, how did he pull that off? Even I don't have the answer. It's just things that we naturally do and they're different. We are different. As much animosity and all those things that are between us - maybe intensity is the better word - I respect everything that he's capable of inside of those ropes. I think it's the fact that there's a respect, which means I have to go harder because he is who he is, and that creates the spectacle that is Keith Lee versus Dijakovic.
SN: It's hard not to notice that some of the people that you shared with the ring with before you got to NXT are now with the brand as well. What it's like now, at this point in your careers, being around those familiar faces but with NXT?
KL: I think that it's different. It's not the same. It's refreshing. It's a breath of fresh air because, even though some of the people there I know, some guys are learning new things, some people are evolving just like I have. Some guys are learning to be different or be more unique. It's just a process that I love to see because there are professional wrestlers, there are guys who are able to do a lot of moves and it's cool. They're all awesome and it's a lovely thing but there's a difference when it's that and then you have stars who just change the entire atmosphere with their mere presence. Seeing guys going from a guy with explosive moves or what have you to a star, someone effective, is a beautiful process and I love watching it.
SN: What is the next thing you're most excited to show off to the audience as it gets to know you better with NXT?
KL: There's a lot of things that I'm looking forward to having a moment or a chance or a reason to unleash for people to see, people to drop their jaws, to be curious about the mathematics of the things that I do. Now, I'm most excited for people to see this Triple Threat because Keith Lee in a match is one thing. Keith Lee in a very intense match, like we've seen with Dijakovic, is another thing. But Keith Lee in a championship match is an entirely different specimen. I'm very excited to unload that and let people take a gander of the entity; the entity that is Keith Lee.
