Keith Lee (wrestler) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keith Lee
Lee in 2018
Birth name	Keith Gerald Lee II
Born	(1984-11-08) November 8, 1984 (age 40) Wichita Falls, Texas, U.S.
Spouse(s)	Mia Yim ​ (m. 2022)​
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 well-known for his time in WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). He also wrestled for independent groups like Evolve and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG). He even held the PWG World Championship there.

Lee joined WWE in May 2018. He started in their development 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. In August 2020, Lee moved to the Raw brand. He competed in matches for the WWE Championship. Lee left WWE in November 2021. He then joined AEW in February 2022. He won the AEW World Tag Team Championship later that year.

Early Life and Wrestling Start

Keith Gerald Lee II was born on November 8, 1984. His hometown is Wichita Falls, Texas. His grandmother loved professional wrestling. She introduced him to it when he was young. She inspired him to become a wrestler. Lee played college football at Texas A&M University. But he left college to follow his dream of wrestling.

Keith Lee's Wrestling Journey

Starting Out (2005–2015)

Lee powerbombing Kassius Ohno in 2018

Keith Lee was trained by Tim Brooks. He started wrestling in 2005. His first ring 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 many local wrestling shows. He won the North American Wrestling Allegiance Tag Team Championship. He also won the Xtreme Championship Wrestling Heavyweight and TNT Championships. After 2015, Lee started wrestling more outside of Texas.

Ring of Honor (2015–2017)

Lee in August 2017

In 2015, Lee began appearing in Ring of Honor (ROH). He teamed up with Shane Taylor. They called themselves "Pretty Boy Killers" (PBK). In 2016, they tried to win the ROH World Tag Team Championship. But they did not succeed. They also competed in a match to become top challengers for the tag team title. They lost that match too.

In January 2017, PBK started a rivalry with the Briscoe Brothers. Lee and Taylor attacked them. But then, Lee announced he was leaving ROH. He had one last match with the Briscoe Brothers. It ended without a clear winner. This was his last ROH appearance until 2022.

Evolve Wrestling (2017–2018)

Lee signed with Evolve in January 2017. He lost his first match there. But he quickly started winning. He defeated Zack Sabre Jr. and Tracy Williams. Lee got his first chance at a championship in June. He challenged Matt Riddle for the WWN Championship. He did not win that time.

However, on October 14, Lee defeated Matt Riddle. He won the WWN Championship. He held the title until April 2018. Then, he lost it to Austin Theory.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (2017–2018)

Lee made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) debut in March 2017. He competed in a three-way match but lost. He lost his next match too. But in May, he won his first PWG match. He defeated Trevor Lee. He then won two more matches.

In September, Lee reached the finals of 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. He lost the title in April to Walter in a three-way match.

WWE Career (2018–2021)

NXT Brand (2018–2020)

Lee had tried out for WWE in 2008 but was not hired. He even appeared as a security guard on Raw in 2009. In April 2018, Lee wrestled for NXT. He defeated Kassius Ohno. On May 1, WWE announced that Lee had signed a contract.

Lee made his TV debut on NXT in August 2018. He defeated Marcel Barthel. He wrestled on NXT throughout 2018. He won some matches and lost others. In March 2019, Lee had an injury. He returned to action in April.

In November 2019, Lee was part of Team NXT. They competed against teams from SmackDown and Raw. At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, his team won a big match. The next night, he was the last NXT wrestler eliminated at Survivor Series.

In January 2020, Lee won a match to become the top challenger for the NXT North American Championship. He defeated Roderick Strong to win the championship. He also competed in the Royal Rumble match but was eliminated. Lee successfully defended his title two times.

On July 8, Lee defeated Adam Cole. He won the NXT Championship. This made him a double champion. He was the first person to hold both NXT titles at once. On July 22, Lee gave up the North American Championship. He then started a rivalry for the NXT Championship. In August, Lee lost the NXT Championship. This was his last match in NXT.

Raw Brand (2020–2022)

Lee moved to the Raw brand in August 2020. He made his debut on Raw on August 24. He faced Randy Orton but lost. A rematch was set for Payback. Lee won that match. In November 2020, Lee was part of Team Raw. His team won against Team Smackdown at Survivor Series.

Lee then tried to win the WWE Championship. He lost a match to become the top challenger. In January 2021, he challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. He did not win. The next month, Lee was supposed to compete for the United States Championship. But he was pulled from the event due to an injury.

Lee was away for five months due to health issues. He returned to Raw in July. He accepted a challenge from WWE Champion Bobby Lashley but lost. For a few months, Lee used the name Keith "Bearcat" Lee. This was a tribute to an old wrestler. On November 4, 2021, Lee was released from his WWE contract.

All Elite Wrestling and ROH Return (2022–Present)

Swerve In Our Glory Tag Team (2022–2023)

Lee in June 2022

Lee made a surprise debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on February 9, 2022. He won his first match. This qualified him for a special ladder match.

In late February 2022, Lee teamed up with Swerve Strickland. They called their team "Swerve in Our Glory." In July 2022, Swerve In Our Glory won the AEW World Tag Team Championship. They defeated the defending champions. They successfully defended their titles against other teams.

They then had a series of matches with The Acclaimed. Swerve In Our Glory won the first match. But they lost the championship to The Acclaimed in a rematch. They lost to them again in November 2022. During that match, Strickland hit Lee. Lee then walked out of the match.

In December 2022, Lee returned to Ring of Honor (ROH). ROH was now owned by Tony Khan. Swerve In Our Glory faced another team at Final Battle. Lee won the match after Strickland walked out on him. On December 21, Strickland formed a new group. They attacked Lee. This ended the "Swerve In Our Glory" team.

Championship Goals and Break (2023–Present)

In February 2023, Lee saved Dustin Rhodes from an attack. They formed a team called "Naturally Limitless." They won their first match together. They continued to team up throughout the year. In May 2023, Lee competed in a big battle royal. He was trying to win the AEW International Championship.

In June 2023, Lee teamed with Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy. They won matches against other groups. Lee and Strickland were chosen for a tag team tournament. They lost their match in July.

On November 8, 2023, Lee challenged Samoa Joe for the ROH World Television Championship. He did not win. In December 2023, Lee defeated his former partner Shane Taylor. Lee was supposed to wrestle Strickland later that month. But he was pulled from the match due to an injury. Lee has been taking a break since January 2024.

Other Appearances

Keith Lee has appeared in video games. He is a playable character in WWE 2K20 and WWE 2K22. He also appears in AEW Fight Forever as extra content.

Personal Life

Keith Lee married fellow professional wrestler Mia Yim in February 2022.

Filmography

Championships and Achievements

Lee (right) and Swerve Strickland as AEW World Tag Team Champions in 2022

Lee as WWN Champion in 2018

• 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)

See also

In Spanish: Keith Lee (luchador) para niños