Why Keith Lee Hasn’t Returned To AEW Television

Keith Lee has suffered a few serious medical issues over the past several years. After going through COVID-19, he was pulled from action while in WWE and he started “fighting against death.” He hasn’t wrestled in a year for AEW at this point, and there is no word on his current status.

Following his signing with AEW after his WWE release, Keith Lee suffered another physical setback. At this point, Lee’s last match was on December 23, 2023, as he beat Brian Cage at AEW Collision’s Holiday Bash. His return timeline is uncertain due to an unspecified situation, but fans are looking forward to seeing him back in action in AEW.

During a recent Q&A on Fightful Select, Sean Ross Sapp was asked about Keith Lee’s current status. He responded to say that, while he hasn’t heard anything back for a few months, the only thing holding Lee back is his medical clearance.

“The last time I asked was early fall, and he was not clear, unfortunately. It’s not any other situation except for him not being cleared.”

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Keith Lee is a former WWE NXT North American Champion, but Vince McMahon didn’t make much use of him on the WWE main roster. He was given the “Bearcat” nickname, but then released a short time later. Now that he’s on the AEW roster, there is obviously a lot more hope that Tony Khan will do something with him.

While a feud with Swerve Strickland seems to be the next logical step for Keith Lee upon his return, that hasn’t happened yet. The two former partner’s impending rivalry was put on hold with Keith Lee’s hiatus. Since then, Swerve has gone on to hole the AEW World Championship until he dropped the title to Bryan Danielson at AEW All In 2024.

We will have to see how long it takes for Keith Lee to make his return to AEW. At this point, it seems that he is waiting on his body to repair itself from whatever caused his current medical hiatus. Our Keith Lee news hub will be updated the moment we hear anything new on his status.

Do you think fans will see Keith Lee return to AEW in 2025? Let us know in the comments below.

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