AEW's booking of Keith Lee has been the subject of much speculation. He recently resurfaced on television and in the business as the company moved towards a match with his former partner Swerve Strickland – a match that had been anticipated since Strickland had attacked Lee a year earlier.
With the match date set the end of the world Tonight (December 30), Lee posted a message to fans on X that sheds some light on what's been going on with him behind the scenes:
Today… I'm keeping it very real with you guys.
I've been dealing with the injury since Arthur Ashe Stadium 2022. It's been taken care of mostly well.
Things have been worse since the final battle. I'm trying to get through today for you guys, but I can't promise anything.
“Arthur Ashe Stadium 2022” was a grand slam last year, with Lee and Strickland losing the AEW titles to The Acclaimed on September 21. Keith did not wrestle in January or February of this year, but otherwise competed in at least one match. Monthly since last fall.
The 39-year-old defeated Ring of Honor's Shane Taylor The last battle PPV on December 15th. He has wrestled once since then, defeating Brian Cage on last Saturday's episode of the show Collision.
Hopefully, the night ends no worse than it went into it, even if that means a modified match – or no match at all.
to update: It turns out that Lee won't be wrestling. Tony Khan tweeted that doctors couldn't clear him, so he will be replaced by Dustin Rhodes.
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