Keith Lee Talks Possibly Going To WWE Main Roster, Mick Foley On Brock Lesnar's Reaction To Lee
Keith Lee has made quite the name for himself in NXT. After becoming the NXT North American Champion back in January, Lee has a shot at becoming a main eventer on either Raw or SmackDown in the near future. At this point, Lee knows that the WWE Universe would be behind him if he were to make his debut on the main roster, but the real question is: does he want to make his debut on either brand soon?
"I love NXT," Lee exclaimed during an interview on Chasing Glory."There are a lot of gents there that I've traveled with, or I've shared locker rooms with.
"However, in the grand scheme of things, I know that a lot of fans are interested in seeing Keith Lee mix it up with some of the guys on Raw or SmackDown. I think at the end of the day, I am a competitor, so, I want to go where the competition is. I doesn't matter which brand it is. If they can come to NXT, I'll stay in NXT. But if they want me on Raw or SmackDown, I will show up, and I will make a statement as I do everywhere else I go."
More and more reports are coming out about backstage couples, including both Mia Yim and Lee. Back in September of 2019, Yim posted a picture of her and Lee at Disney World, indicating their official announcement as a couple. Lee admits that prior to their arrival on NXT, Lee knew of Yim, but she did not know of him.
"So actually, I met her before ever coming to NXT," Lee informed. "To be fair, she had no idea who I was. The first time I met her was in 2014, I believe. It was an independent show in Austin, Texas. I didn't speak a whole lot to her, but I thought she was brilliant – just her presence and how she carried herself."
One thing Lee noted throughout his interview was how rewarding it is to wrestle in front of his heroes. One of his heroes, Mick Foley, put him on the map towards his future opportunity with the WWE. Lee mentions the first time he met Foley and his favorite pal, Mr. Socko.
"So, he was actually the referee of my match," Lee chuckled. "He probably doesn't remember doing it. We've had other connections since then, obviously. I was in a handicap match defending tag team championships by myself. And so, eventually, I win this handicap match and I make the young horrible mistake of disrespecting Mick Foley. While I celebrated, I turned around, and got Mr. Socko."
Lilian Garcia surprised Lee by having Foley join in on the conversation. Foley couldn't help but compliment Lee, especially on his arrival in the Royal Rumble, and for getting Brock Lesnar to react the way he did on his arrival.
"You know what just crossed my mind, did you get a chance to see the Rumble and watch it back?" Foley asked Lee.
Lee informs Foley that he's seen the clips, but not the entire match.
"I'm talking specifically about Brock Lesnar's reaction to you and how much it put you over, just by the way he reacted," Foley added. "I think he actually mouthed the words, 'Who is this blank blank?' If you read his lips. What it said to anybody who was watching who might not have known you was like alright, maybe I don't know this guy, but I need to know this guy because of how Brock was reacting to him. It just made me laugh to think about it. Getting to a certain place where you become a marquee name is an evolutionary process. I'm looking at it like Brock did and obviously, you had to do all the hard work, but a moment like that doesn't hurt in the process."
You can watch Keith Lee's full interview here. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory-Lilian Garcia with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.