Tonight is the night folks. One of the most fervently anticipated nights of the year, every year! It’s almost time for the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble! It’s but hours away as I type this, and the anticipation builds with every minute… I’m Jordan Huie of the Overtimer, with just a few names left to look at. And they’re very special ones indeed. I’ve been previewing ten favorites apiece for both the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches. The goal is to not only look into what their chances are, but what we’d have to look forward to if they won. Take this article’s subject Keith Lee for example…
Keith Lee – Relevant Stats
- WWE Debut: 2019 (Debuted in NXT in 2018)
- First Rumble appearance: N/A
- He has never won a Rumble match.
- This would be his first Rumble appearance.
- He has amassed zero total eliminations.
- He has never been world champion.
- Current betting odds: +1600
How 2019 Went For Keith Lee:
Lee was having a pretty damn good 2019, although considering what a clear and obvious star he’s always been, he did come into it underachieving a ton. Still, he quickly found a rival in Dominik Dijakovic. Sadly the two of them had to wait to really get going after Lee went down with an injury that cost him most of the Spring. But he came back in May to pick up some easy wins en route to more clashes with Dijakovic.
The two of them developed a weird sort of bond in their rivalry, as they shared very similar beliefs and goals as it pertained to pushing the perceived limits of men of their size. In other words, they were two giant dudes who did a ton of cruiserweight stuff. And it was absolutely mind blowing every single time. Going into the Fall, they put their differences aside when they both ran afoul of the Undisputed Era. The two ended up on the same WarGames team against Cole’s faction and ended up getting the win.
However, this was also during the period where NXT was running wild on Raw and SmackDown.
Keith Lee ended up being a key part of this situation. When it came time for the 5-on-5-on-5 matches at Survivor Series, Lee was there repping the black and gold. And to close it all out, ended up eliminating Seth Rollins (thereby finishing off Team Raw) to be among the final two against Roman Reigns. Reigns did ultimately pin him but came away with a ton of respect. People have been talking about Lee ever since.
And honestly, it’s kind of funny to me. He’s just a guy that, if you see him for any length of time, it’s obvious how… well, limitless his potential is. But a lot of people clearly saw him for the very first time at Survivor Series and came out of the woodwork to pretend they’re breaking news about how big a deal he could be. To me, it was a little bit like someone breaking down my door to inform me that they just learned how important water was. Thanks for the hot take, y’all.
Regardless, he was hot as hell coming out of that show and has been a marquee name in NXT these past couple of months.
So where does that leave his chances?
Funnily, I uh… actually thought his odds were a lot better this time last week, before his big win this week. See, he just now defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship. That’s kind of a weird thing to do immediately before your would-be main roster call-up that involves going after the world title.
I mean it could be exactly why he won it, to throw off that scent. Maybe being screwed out of this title is going to be an integral part of his build toward the biggest prize. But it’s turned what would’ve already been an atypical scenario (someone getting their callup by way of a Rumble win, which has never happened) into an even more unconventional one. I do feel strongly that he will be involved though. My dream scenario is for Lee to come in as #2 in the Rumble and throw out Brock Lesnar before #3 even showed up. I want that match at Mania. It’s the only thing I really want to see Lesnar do.
What would his story be?
Failing that, Lee could always just win the Rumble outright and challenge Lesnar at WrestleMania that way. Either/or.
SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get TheOvertimer’s Hottest Stories, Breaking News and Special Features in your email, CLICK HERE!
