Keith Lee (wrestler) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Keith Lee |
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Lee in 2018
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| Birth name | Keith Gerald Lee II |
| Born | November 8, 1984 Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Keith "Bearcat" Lee Keith Lee Kevin Paine |
| Billed height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
| Billed weight | 340 lb (154 kg) |
| Billed from | Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S. |
| Trained by | Tim Brooks WWE Performance Center |
| Debut | February 2005 |
Keith Gerald Lee II (born November 8, 1984) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). There, he was once an AEW World Tag Team Champion. He is currently taking a break due to an injury.
Keith Lee is also known for his time in WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). He also wrestled in other groups like Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). In PWG, he held the PWG World Championship.
Lee joined WWE in May 2018. He started in their training brand, NXT. He won both the NXT Championship and NXT North American Championship. He was the first person to hold both titles at the same time. Lee moved to the main Raw brand in August 2020. He wrestled against big stars like AJ Styles and Drew McIntyre. Lee left WWE in November 2021. He joined AEW in February 2022 and won the AEW World Tag Team Championship later that year.
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Early Life
Keith Lee was born on November 8, 1984, in Wichita Falls, Texas. His grandmother loved professional wrestling. She helped him get interested in it from a young age. He says she inspired him to become a wrestler. Lee played college football at Texas A&M University. But he stopped playing to become a professional wrestler.
Professional Wrestling Career
Starting Out (2005–2015)
Keith Lee was trained by Tim Brooks. He started wrestling in 2005. His first wrestling name was "Kevin Paine." In 2008, he began using his real name. For his first 10 years, Lee wrestled mostly in Texas. He appeared in groups like Professional Championship Wrestling and Xtreme Championship Wrestling. During this time, he won some championships. He won the North American Wrestling Allegiance Tag Team Championship. He also won the Xtreme Championship Wrestling Heavyweight and TNT Championships. In 2015, Lee started wrestling more often outside of Texas.
Ring of Honor (2015–2017)
In 2015, Lee started appearing in Ring of Honor (ROH). He teamed up with Shane Taylor. They called their team "Pretty Boy Killers" (PBK).
In August 2016, PBK tried to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. They were in a special tag team match, but they did not win. In January 2017, PBK started a fight with The Briscoe Brothers. Lee and Taylor attacked them. The next day, Lee announced he was leaving ROH. His last match in ROH was on February 3, 2017.
Evolve (2017–2018)
Lee signed with Evolve in January 2017. He lost his first match there. But he soon started winning against other wrestlers. Lee got his first chance at a championship in June. He tried to win the WWN Championship but did not succeed. On October 14, Lee defeated Matt Riddle to win the WWN Championship. He held the title until April 2018. He lost it to Austin Theory.
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2017–2018)
Lee first wrestled in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) in March 2017. He was in a three-way match but did not win. He won his first PWG match in May. In September, Lee reached the finals of a big tournament called the 2017 Battle of Los Angeles. He was defeated by Ricochet.
On March 23, 2018, Lee defeated Chuck Taylor. He became the PWG World Champion. On April 21, Lee lost his title. He was in a three-way match and Walter won the championship.
WWE (2018–2021)
NXT (2018–2020)
Keith Lee had tried out for WWE in 2008 but was not hired then. He appeared as a security guard on a TV show in 2009. In April 2018, Lee wrestled for NXT and won. On May 1, WWE announced that Lee had signed a contract.
Lee made his TV wrestling debut for WWE on August 8, 2018. He won his match. Throughout 2018, Lee wrestled sometimes on NXT. In March 2019, Lee got an injury. He returned to wrestling in April. In November, Lee was part of the NXT wrestlers who appeared on SmackDown. He also joined a team at NXT TakeOver: WarGames. His team won a big match. The next night, he was part of Team NXT at a big event called Survivor Series.
On January 8, 2020, Lee won a match to become the top challenger for the NXT North American Championship. He defeated Roderick Strong on January 22 to win the championship. Lee also took part in the Royal Rumble match in January. He defended his title successfully two times. On July 8, Lee defeated Adam Cole to win the NXT Championship. This made him a "double champion." He was the first person to hold both the NXT and North American Championships at the same time. On July 22, Lee gave up the North American Championship. He then started a rivalry for the NXT Championship. On August 22, Lee lost the NXT Championship. This was his last match in NXT.
Raw (2020–2021)
At SummerSlam, WWE announced that Lee would move to the Raw brand. He made his debut on August 24. He faced Randy Orton but lost because of interference. Lee won a rematch against Orton later. At Survivor Series in November, Lee was part of Team Raw. His team won all their matches.
Lee then tried to win the WWE Championship. He was in a three-way match but lost. On January 4, 2021, Lee wrestled Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship but did not win. The next month, Lee was supposed to wrestle for the United States Championship. But he was pulled from the event because of an injury.
Lee was away for five months. He had been sick and then had heart inflammation. He returned on July 19. He accepted a challenge from the WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley, but lost. In the following months, Lee started using the name Keith "Bearcat" Lee. But on November 4, Lee was released from his WWE contract.
All Elite Wrestling / Return to ROH (2022–Present)
Swerve In Our Glory (2022–2023)
Lee made a surprise debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on February 9, 2022. He won his first match. In late February 2022, Lee teamed up with Swerve Strickland. They called their team "Swerve in Our Glory."
In July 2023, Swerve In Our Glory won the AEW World Tag Team Championship. They successfully defended their titles against other teams. They then had a series of matches against The Acclaimed. They won the first match but lost the championship in a rematch. They lost to The Acclaimed again in November 2022. During that match, Strickland hit Lee, and Lee walked out.
In December 2022, Lee returned to Ring of Honor (ROH). Swerve In Our Glory faced another team. Lee accidentally hit Strickland, and Strickland walked out again. But Lee still won the match. In December 2022, Strickland formed a new group. This group attacked Lee, which ended the "Swerve In Our Glory" team.
Championship Pursuits; Hiatus (2023–Present)
On February 17, 2023, Lee saved Dustin Rhodes from an attack. He then formed a team with Rhodes. They called themselves "Naturally Limitless." They won their first match as a team. They continued to team up throughout the year. In May 2023, Lee was in a big battle royal match. He tried to win the AEW International Championship.
In June 2023, Lee teamed with Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy. They won matches against other groups. On July 5, Lee and Strickland were in a tag team tournament. They lost to Allin and Cassidy.
On November 8, 2023, Lee tried to win the ROH World Television Championship. He wrestled Samoa Joe but lost. In December 2023, Lee defeated his former tag team partner Shane Taylor. Lee was supposed to wrestle Strickland later that month. But he had to pull out of the match due to an injury. Lee had "double surgeries" in January 2024. He has been taking a break from wrestling since then.
Other Media
Lee has appeared in video games. He was in WWE 2K20 and WWE 2K22. He also appears in AEW Fight Forever.
Personal Life
Lee married fellow professional wrestler Mia Yim in February 2022.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | The Main Event | Smooth Operator |
Championships and Accomplishments
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- All Elite Wrestling
- AEW World Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Swerve Strickland
- Inspire Pro Wrestling
- Inspire Pro Pure Prestige Championship (1 time)
- North American Wrestling Allegiance
- NAWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Li Fang
- Pro Wrestling Guerrilla
- PWG World Championship (1 time)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Ranked No. 11 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2020
- Sports Illustrated
- Ranked No. 10 of the top 10 wrestlers 2017
- VIP Wrestling
- VIP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- VIP Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Shane Taylor
- WWE
- NXT Championship (1 time)
- NXT North American Championship (1 time)
- NXT Year-End Award for Breakout Star of the Year (2019)
- WWNLive
- WWN Championship (1 time)
- Xtreme Championship Wrestling
- XCW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- XCW TNT Championship (1 time)
Images for kids
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Lee in 2018
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Lee in August 2017
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Lee powerbombing Kassius Ohno in 2018
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Lee in June 2022
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Lee (right) and Swerve Strickland as AEW World Tag Team Champions in 2022
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Lee as WWN Champion in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Keith Lee (luchador) para niños
