ROH Star Praises Keith Lee, Says Swerve Strickland Is 'A Dick'

The ROH Final Battle tag team match pitting Shane Taylor and JD Griffey against Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland was something of a reunion for the men involved. Discussing the bout on the "What Do You Call It?" podcast, Griffey had nothing but praise for his longtime friend Lee and less charitable things to say about Strickland. "He's being a tool right now," Griffey said of Strickland, who has been at odds with Lee for months.

Taylor, Lee, and Griffey came up together on the Texas independent scene, with Taylor and Lee tagging as the Pretty Boy Killers. Their match at Final Battle tapped into that history, with Taylor seeking revenge on Lee for "abandoning" him for greener pastures in WWE. Afterward, Griffey said the three men were able to embrace backstage and relish in the fact that each had overcome personal adversity to achieve success. 

"That was the main thing that Keith said when he pulled us in after the match," Griffey said. "He was like 'I'm proud of you guys. I love you guys. We're here.' We said we'd be here, and here we are. We manifested it, all of us."

Griffey praised Lee as someone who sees the best in people and wants others to succeed. In contrast, he painted a less flattering picture of Strickland. Leaning into the on-screen tensions between the Swerve In Our Glory partners, Griffey said that Strickland is "brilliant" in the ring and on the microphone, but that his "awful" personality is a big reason why he's overlooked for end-of-year awards and acknowledgments.

"He's a d*ck!" Griffey said. "He's like the uncle that gives you the correct information, but you don't like him. So you're like 'I know you're right, but you're such a jerk, I'm gonna do the opposite.'"

As for Griffey, he said he expects to be part of the new ROH television show once it kicks off as part of the revamped Honor Club sometime next year.