The Problem With Keith Lee That No One Wants To Talk About

Again, Keith Lee has not been ruined. He isn't buried. We aren't talking about a disastrous main roster run here: as far as introductions go, this is one of the better ones WWE has pulled off in recent years.

But the problems can't be ignored.

Lee is a fantastic five-tool player who suffered similarly slipshod booking early in his NXT run, where he was forgotten about for weeks before being used to put Lars Sullivan (of all people) over. In the end, he dethroned the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time, held the top belt simultaneously with the North American strap, and played a key role in getting the next guy (Karrion Kross) to where he needed to be. Unquestionably, Lee became an NXT stud. This point could have been dismissed as a positive by pointing towards the black and gold brand's superior booking a few years ago, though this is necessarily the case in 2020, where WWE's sacred cow show is often as contrived and rife with bunk writing as Raw and SmackDown.

That he took full flight in Full Sail is a good sign he can prosper on Raw. He'll get new entrance music, we'll get used to the attire, and there's every chance we'll see him holding a World Title within the next couple of years. Moving to SmackDown in the upcoming draft could kickstart this process.

First, however, WWE must shred its own red flags.