Keith Lee Didn't Know How To Make His WWE Bearcat Gimmick A Thing

Keith Lee has shown every pro wrestling company that he's been in that his talent is indeed "Limitless." Lee has consistently shown that he's not a generic big-man wrestler and is capable of feats expected from people half his size. Now in AEW, Lee revisited one of the toughest tests in his career with Fightful's "Grapsody" podcast: becoming "Bearcat."

After Lee returned from his bout with COVID-19, he was presented with the idea that became the "Bearcat" gimmick by Vince McMahon himself. "When it was presented to me, I was like, 'what and why?' I initially said, 'No, thank you,' and they left it alone, and I said, 'Cool, I'm in the clear.'" 

It wasn't until McMahon asked him directly to take on the persona that he finally agreed. "Vince pulled me into the office and was like, 'Hey, listen. I need you.' And I feel like, you know, that chick that's got her crush, and she's finally chosen? I'm like, 'What? You need me? I would love to be there for you. I will fix you, Vince. I will do it.'"

Fans and critics alike didn't like the change, and Lee was released weeks into the gimmick. The former NXT Champion wasn't a fan of it either as he felt he couldn't connect with the character. "Maybe I couldn't deliver that character the way that they wanted to because, at the end of the day, I'm not [a] generic big guy. I'm not 'ooga booga.'" 

He also explained trying to connect his new character to that of the legendary African-American wrestler Bearcat Wright, but it was turned down.