The Curious Case of Keith Lee
During the Ring of Honor Atlanta tapings, the Pretty Boy Killers, Shane Taylor and Keith Lee were involved in an angle with the Briscoes. The two men have made an imprint in the company big enough for matchmakers and the powers that be to feel strongly enough about them to insert them into a program with two of the longest tenured and most dedicated ROH stars. Shane Taylor had announced before the tapings that he had signed an exclusive deal with ROH and many believed that Lee, his tag partner, would be joining him shortly thereafter.
After Mark Briscoe’s match with Sal Rinauro, both Lee and Taylor made their way to the ring and confronted Mark. Jay came out and then four men engaged in spirited fisticuffs before Lee and Taylor put Jay through a table and stood over them triumphantly. This was a powerful spot for Lee and taylor, who both walked away as serious contenders in the division.
The very next day, Keith Lee tweeted out that he had signed a contract with WWN EVOLVE. In the span of less that twenty- four hours, Lee went from running a major angle for ROH to announcing that he would essentially not be wrestling with them going forward. It was quickly announced that he would be taking on Chris Hero at EVOLVE’s next show, which took place on 1/27 in San Antonio during Wrestlemania weekend.
LIMITLESS ANNOUNCEMENT: I have officially inked a deal with @WWNEVOLVE. Prepare to #BaskInMyGlory on a whole new level. #iAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/yV7cXTrqR6
— The Limitless Keith Lee? (@RealKeithLee) January 15, 2017
Fans took to social media to ask lee about his future with ROH and he was very clear that he would be working alongside Shane Taylor against the Briscoes during EVOLVE’s visit to San Antonio and Lee’s hometown of Dallas. ROH announced a match between the Briscoes and Lee and Taylor for the first date, but as does happen, no announcement was made for the second night.
Still committed to @shane216taylor to beat up the Briscoes. But…my last date would be 2/4 in Dallas, TX. https://t.co/Z1ACNGVIwr
— The Limitless Keith Lee? (@RealKeithLee) January 15, 2017
As far as I know…yes. My final appearance there. https://t.co/zwLnBS60Go
— The Limitless Keith Lee? (@RealKeithLee) February 3, 2017
However, that would never come to pass. Lee took to Twitter after ROH Undisputed Legacy to inform his fans that it was his last night with the company and that he would not be appearing at Honor Reigns Supreme the next night, in his home town. Considering exclusivity issues with ROH and EVOLVE, this seemed to come out of his signing with EVOLVE and the lack of a reason to use him moving forward.
Apologies to the Dallas peeps who bought tix to see me tomorrow. Tonight was my last night at ROH. Thank you for the support and chants!!
— The Limitless Keith Lee? (@RealKeithLee) February 4, 2017
This past week, ROH aired the third episode from the Atlanta tapings, the very same episode that featured Lee and Taylor. The Briscoes/Lee & Taylor match went forward as planned at Undisputed Legacy and The Briscoes got their revenge on Lee for what happened at the tapings, as Mark put Lee through a table with a froggy-bow. However, the impetus for the retaliation never aired on ROH television. Immediately after Mark Briscoe’s match with Sal Rinauro, the program cut to commercial.
Whether or not the angle was originally shot with the intention of pushing Lee and Taylor together is unclear, but what is clear is that after Lee’s signing with WWN, ROH officials felt that the TV episode needed to be re-worked and the final decision was to completely remove the angle altogether.