Keith Lee’s AEW return reportedly discussed earlier this year
With AEW continuing to add to their ranks of free agents on a regular basis, it’s easy to forget about some of the talent that hasn’t been seen for a while or in the case of Keith Lee, nearly three years.
Fightful Select posted an interesting news item Monday where they stated the former AEW World Tag Team champion “was discussed for a return to AEW programming a number of months ago” but they were unclear if Lee was ever made aware of those thoughts. They added that he hasn’t been around backstage to be cleared which is usually the beginning of a return process.
Lee hasn’t wrestled since late-December 2023 on an episode of Collision and then was pulled from that month’s Worlds End due to an undisclosed injury he had been dealing with for more than a year.
In June 2025, he said that his health was fine, but that his return wasn’t up to him. He followed up a few months later by saying he would definitely be making an in-ring return but he didn’t want to guess how or when.
After making his debut in February 2022, the 41-year-old has wrestled just 48 times for AEW and three times for ROH.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.