Keith Lee reveals why he was rejected by Dusty Rhodes in his first WWE tryout

Keith Lee has had a tough journey to make it to WWE as he worked for a long time in the indies to climb his way to the pinnacle of pro wrestling, i.e. WWE. The RAW star won his first two titles in WWE earlier this year, before being called up to the main roster, two years after signing with the company.

Lee was the subject of the latest WWE 24 documentary on the WWE Network, where he spoke about numerous things.

Keith Lee on what Dusty Rhodes told him

Keith Lee talked about the struggles he faced at the start of his career as an independent wrestler and why he was rejected in his first WWE tryout in 2008.

"The aftermath was very much a 'you're not ready', and Dusty (Rhodes) letting me know quite frankly that I suck on the microphone. Sometimes opening my mouth and speaking is difficult for me. I just thought 2008 to be a good learning experience and something to grow from - and that's exactly what it was."

He then spoke about his involvement on RAW in 2009, in a segment featuring the McMahons and Legacy. He revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley gave him advice when the hardcore legend was a referee in one of his matches in independent wrestling.

Keith Lee then had another tryout in WWE in 2011, but was rejected once again by the company. He returned for another tryout in 2013 which was the first tryout at the Performance Center. He said that the tryout sessions were brutal and stated that he wasn't prepared for what WWE put him through. Lee said that he was a "completely different individual" on the mic, from the time he was rejected by WWE five years earlier.

Dusty Rhodes was impressed this time and told Lee, 'son, you've got a presence I can literally bask in.' Keith Lee said that this is where his catchphrase came from, and that he was proud of what Dusty Rhodes told him. But he was once again rejected by WWE and was ultimately signed five years later in2 018.

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