Keith Lee Says First Year In AEW Was An ‘Experiment’, Wants To ‘Bash The Crap’ Out Of Swerve Strickland

Keith Lee discusses his tenure in All Elite Wrestling.

February 9th, 2023 was the one year anniversary of Keith Lee’s debut in AEW. After being released from WWE in November 2021, Lee popped up on the February 9, 2022 episode of AEW Dynamite and made quick work of Isiah Kassidy in a Face Of The Revolution Qualifying match.

Lee spent most of his first year in the promotion alongside former tag team partner Swerve Strickland. Although the duo won tag team gold together, they officially split on the December 21 episode of Dynamite after Strickland turned on Lee and formed a new faction known as the Mogul Affiliates.

In a new interview with Fightful’s Grapsody podcast, Keith Lee described his first year in AEW as an ‘experiment’ before going on to note that Strickland is evil and that he has every intention of bashing the crap out of him.

“I would classify it as a bit of an experiment. It’s been very interesting and intriguing and somewhat educational for me to experience something that is very different from where I came from, obviously. Allow me to backtrack just a moment—your cousin is evil, brother. God. Listen, I like you. But I’m going to beat him up. Swerve and I are very similar in terms of willing to do the work to earn. Most places he’s been, and every place that I’ve ever been, I’ve never been that chosen guy and I think Swerve reciprocates that in a way where he’s had to work to earn acknowledgments and accomplishments for himself. I think he’s very protective of that, just as I am of my own accomplishments. But us winning tag team gold within five and six months—him, five months of being there; me, six months of being there—is a telltale sign of what we have to offer, what we’re capable of and hopefully what the future looks like for both of us whenever we move on from bashing the crap out of each other. ‘Cause I’m gonna bash the crap out of him.”

Lee went on to reveal that he still has love for Strickland, noting that he is the first person that’s ever scarred him.

“But I still love the guy and that’s the odd thing, right? People do things to wrong you and I have a literal diagonal scar on my chest from the cinder block that he stomped through my chest. He is the first person to ever scar me by his own actions. No human has ever done that. My scars have always come from my own accidents or football. Still, my own activities typically. Not another person. This left a mark, not just visually for me to see every day, but seeing what he’s actually capable of is something that made me get a little more real. Which is part of why I decided, ‘I’m going to be more of myself this time.’”

Elsewhere in the interview, Lee discussed his new look in AEW and talked about the inspirations for it. To learn more, click here.

Fans can check out Grapsody’s full interview with Keith Lee in the video linked above. After that, visit Fightful’s YouTube channel to check out recent interviews with Davey Boy Smith Jr, Masha Slamovich, Piper Niven, and the Street Profits.

The up-to-date card for AEW Revolution can be seen by clicking here. Fightful will have full coverage of the event beginning at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, March 5.