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The Limitless Keith Lee is one of the latest Superstars to jump ship from NXT to the main roster. The former NXT and North American Champion debuted on Monday Night RAW the night after SummerSlam. Immediately upon his debut, he began a mini-feud with Randy Orton, culminating in a match at Payback, where Lee pinned the Viper to gain the biggest victory of his career.
In the wake of his monumental victory, he entered the WWE Championship picture. The Limitless One faced off against WWE Champion Drew McIntyre on two separate occasions, however, both matches had indecisive finishes. The first one ended due to outside interference from RETRIBUTION, before the second bout was cut short by the returning Orton, who exacted vengeance on McIntyre.
Vince McMahon booked Lee strongly in the latter's first month on the main roster, but he hasn't been able to shine. Aside from the encounters with McIntyre and Orton, Lee has been a non-factor. Reportedly, WWE management doesn't have any immediate plans in store for the behemoth, which is hugely underwhelming.
A star of Keith Lee's caliber deserves much better. At the moment, the best option for him is to switch to the blue brand, SmackDown.
#5 Keith Lee is overshadowed on RAW
The Limitless One is a tremendous athlete with undeniable charisma. He has the makings of a real WWE Superstar. However, compared to SmackDown, RAW has a loaded roster with immense talent. The likes of Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, The Hurt Business, and Rey Mysterio dominate the upper-card. Moreover, there is also an increased focus on RETRIBUTION and RAW Underground.
Apart from Aleister Black, there is no one Keith Lee could fight. Rollins is engaged in a rivalry with the Mysterio Family, while The Hurt Business are pre-occupied with RETRIBUTION, Ricochet, and Apollo Crews. Furthermore, Lee has played second-fiddle to the likes of Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre.
Keith Lee is less likely to feature prominently on RAW, hence his chances of breaking out on the red brand are slim.
#4 SmackDown focuses on creating new stars like Keith Lee
On RAW, the veterans are dominating the scene, rather than Keith Lee. Randy Orton is one of the most pushed stars on the roster, Rey Mysterio and his family is at war with Seth Rollins, while even Legends like Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair have also received quite a lot of television time.
On the contrary, SmacDown is committed to building stars like Big E, Matt Riddle, The Fiend, Roman Reigns, Otis, and even Jey Uso. If Keith Lee moves to SmackDown, he should experience a similar boost.
The Limitless Keith Lee is a valuable addition to the main roster, but he is relatively inexperienced and has to undergo some character development. WWE has to be willing to invest in him; he needs more on-screen TV time to connect with the audience. WWE may choose to take it slow, as they did with Otis, or do it rather quickly, as shown by the rise of Big E. Either way, Keith Lee will be a prized commodity on the blue brand.
#3 SmackDown is crying out for a top-level babyface like Keith Lee
The landscape of SmackDown has become extremely peculiar. There is a significant mismatch between heels and babyfaces, and Keith Lee would hugely benefit that.
SmackDown has excellent heels in Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Sheamus, and The Miz and John Morrison. However, the same doesn't apply to the blue brand's babyfaces, as the roster lacks credible fan-favorites. A lovable babyface like Keith Lee would add depth to a paper-thin roster.
Big E, Matt Riddle, Jeff Hardy, The Usos, and Heavy Machinery are the only babyfaces on the SmackDown roster. Moreover, stars like Daniel Bryan have also opted out.
The Fiend's character is difficult to judge and comprehend right now, as he is experiencing an overhaul. Moreover, he has behaved more like a tweener. Apart from Jeff Hardy and The Usos, none of the babyfaces mentioned above are established stars.
Due to the unbalanced heel to babyface ratio, many talented stars are left without creative direction. For example, Shorty G has been criminally underused on the blue brand.
Keith Lee would be a welcome addition to SmackDown. He would help narrow the heel to babyface ratio and add considerable depth to the mid-card.
#2 Keith Lee can fill the void left by Braun Strowman's move to RAW
Braun Strowman jumped ship to Monday Night RAW soon after Payback. He has recently become a regular feature on RAW Underground, tearing through the developmental talent and putting the locker room on notice. He recently had a titanic encounter with Keith Lee too. However, that match ended in a double count-out and they will collide in a rematch on RAW next week.
Even though he was often overshadowed by the likes of Roman Reigns and The Fiend, Strowman was a dominating presence on the blue brand, and his departure has created a mammoth-sized void. A goliath like the Limitless Keith Lee would serve as the perfect replacement for Strowman. Lee is agile, strong, athletic, passionate and fearsome. He was NXT's version of The Monster Among Men.
In the absence of Strowman, SmackDown is without a dominant, powerful heavyweight that paralyzes his opponents with fear. Big guys are a staple in WWE; they have dominated the landscape for decades. Hence, WWE would need a replacement for Strowman and Keith Lee ticks all the boxes.
#1 Keith Lee vs. Roman Reigns in a dream match for the Universal Championship
The current WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman are the best things on WWE TV at the moment. Reigns' new-found aggressive attitude, under the counsel of Heyman, has made for intriguing story-lines. Could one with Keith Lee be in the works?
Reigns' rivalry with Jey Uso has explicitly highlighted the character shift he has undergone. However, it is unlikely that his reign of terror over the SmackDown roster will end anytime soon. That's where Keith Lee comes into play. The future looks bright for Lee, and he may be in line for a World title shot down the line.
On RAW, he has had a few opportunities to challenge for Drew McIntyre's WWE Championship, but the champion's rivalry with Randy Orton has prevented a full-fledged feud between Lee and McIntyre. On SmackDown, however, Lee would have a clear-cut path to the Universal Championship, as the title picture is less crowded and more fluid.
Keith Lee and has a bone to pick with Roman Reigns, and the two have also expressed a desire to battle each other in the ring. After the two went back and forth in the classic cross-branded elimination match at Survivor Series, they shook hands, but Lee wouldn't have forgotten the loss. A dream match between Lee and Reigns would be a magnificent sight to behold.
