"It don't make no sense"- Teddy long slams AEW amid extended absence of former WWE champion (Exclusive)

WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has slammed AEW for their treatment of a former champion on their roster. Former NXT Champion Keith Lee has been a part of the promotion since making his debut in February 2022 on an episode of Dynamite. Following his debut, the 40-year-old teamed up with another former WWE superstar, Swerve Strickland.

However, ever since his split with Swerve, Lee didn't have a lot to do and hardly had a singles run in the company. He tried to challenge for both the ROH Television Championship and the AEW International Championship but proved to be unsuccessful and has been off television for over a year and a half despite being fit of late.

While talking on The Wrestling Time Machine on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, host Mac Davis pointed out a problem with AEW. He stated that the company signs talented stars, but they don't highlight them.

He even said that the rest of the promotion's roster is so small [in terms of build] when compared to Keith Lee that he doesn't have anyone to feud with. Teddy Long responded to the comment, stating that the promotion should think of that before signing a wrestler.

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"Well, they should think about that before they even bring the guys in. Yeah, it don't make no sense if you're just going to, I don't see them wasting money. I don't know. But I don't see them paying a guy for five years," Long said. [From 2:11 onwards]

Keith Lee was scheduled to face Swerve Strickland at World's End 2023, but the match was canceled due to an injury to the Limitless One, and he hasn't been seen on TV since then. With All In: Texas approaching this weekend, fans are hopeful that the former AEW World Tag Team Champion might return at the event.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Arsh Das