Veteran reveals possible reason why Keith Lee has been missing from AEW (Exclusive)

AEW has a lot of talented wrestlers on its roster, with several of them being former WWE guys. One such wrestler is former NXT Champion Keith Lee, who has not been seen on television in over a year now. He was last seen in December 2023 before underdoing surgeries.

The 40-year-old has since recovered from his injuries but hasn't returned to television yet. Veteran journalist Bill Apter recently speculated the real reason behind the prolonged absence of The Limitless One.

Addressing the issue during the latest episode of Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine, Apter claimed that the issue AEW is facing with Keith Lee is the same as any other promotion. He said that they don't have a storyline for the former champion and, hence, he's not seen on screen.

"The bottom line is the same as in any other company. They don't have anything for him at this particular time to bring him in, most likely. That's what really is going on behind it," Apter said. [From 1:02 onwards]

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Before being sidelined due to injury and a potential lack of storyline, Keith Lee made a huge impact in the promotion. He was pushed heavily following his debut and almost immediately aligned with Swerve Strickland. The two went on to become AEW World Tag Team Champions in the company before The Realest betrayed his partner.

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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 Pratik Singh