Booker T Opens Up About WWE NXT Star Wes Lee, Reacts To Injury Announcement

Wes Lee recently earned himself a shot at the "WWE NXT" North American Championship, but earlier this week, he revealed some unfortunate news that would render him unable to fulfill his commitment to the upcoming title match. On Tuesday's episode of "NXT," Lee announced that he was pulling out of the "NXT" Deadline event due to an impending back surgery that will keep him sidelined for eight to 12 months. On a new episode of "The Hall of Fame" podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, who also serves as an "NXT" commentator, shared his reaction to Lee's injury announcement.

"He definitely got his acting skills down because that really wasn't an act. You could feel his pain," Booker said. "You could tell he loves this man, and to be away from that ring is something that's going to hurt him really, really bad. It looks like he's going to be away from it for about eight to 12 months. He's going to have to have back surgery. One thing about that back surgery thing, it's one of those touch and go situations, so I hope and pray for Wes Lee to come back fully 100% because he is an amazing talent, one of the best that I've seen, not just in 'NXT', but this business in general."

While Booker initially believed Lee was just another "flippy guy," he gradually warmed up to Lee after seeing him unleash his fighting spirit in the ring as well. "If you can make me feel something, I'm buying in. And that kid, week in and week out, no matter who he was working against, no matter how big or how small the guy was, it was an incredible match," Booker said.

WWE's Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels recently issued a similar statement regarding Lee's injury, noting that Lee's promo segment was immensely emotional not just for Lee himself, but also for the "NXT" locker room as a whole.

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "The Hall of Fame" and provide an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.