Keith Lee recently captured the NXT North American Championship from Undisputed Era member Roderick Strong to a huge ovation. ‘The Limitless One’ became the perfect contender to start dismantling Era’s vice-like grip on all the gold, after successfully representing NXT during Survivor Series’ brand-warfare storyline. Having stood toe-to-toe with the likes of Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, Lee’s legacy has only just begun to unfold as he climbs up the ladder in NXT and WWE as a whole.
Now that the gargantuan Keith Lee has etched his name into the hall of North American title holders, could this mean a jump in stock for NXT’s secondary championship? Fans are already more than ready to pop for whenever Keith Lee walks through the curtain with the belt, let alone for where its going to go next as part of upcoming TakeOver cards and beyond. Keith Lee could easily elevate the prestige and hype surrounding what’s typically seen as the mid-card title, and turn into something as equally important and impressive as a run with the NXT Championship.
Keith Lee’s first act as North American Champion was to enter the 2020 Men’s Royal Rumble, which was huge for Lee as a performer as well as for fans of NXT. Keith Lee stood across the ring from the current WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, who was more than impressed by the stature and size of ‘Limitless’ Lee. Keith’s fans were very vocal in support, which made the stand-off all the more exciting. Lesnar got the better of the North American Champion in this instance, but the short stint they had together did wonders for the new champion.
Lee returned to NXT a hero, not only for being the first to overcome a member of the tyrannical Undisputed Era, but also for taking a jab at the insurmountable ‘Beast’ Brock Lesnar. The North American Champion looked like an absolute star in front of Full Sail University, who were all basking in his infinite glory.
Of course it wasn’t long before the first of Lee’s future contenders made their intentions clear. Fellow big-man Damien Priest was the first through the curtain to stake a claim, shortly followed by Lee’s former rival Dominik Dijakovic. Already the North American title scene has become one of the most exciting to keep an eye on, after Dijakovic and Priest laid it all on the line in a sensational hoss-off on NXT TV this week.
Dijakovic walked away with the win over Damien Priest, but Priest has made it clear that he won’t be stepping away from the North American title picture anytime soon. Veteran wrestling fans might be able to see the signposting here for a future triple threat match between the three big men, which for me, is a total win-win-win-win for all three performers and me as a purveyor.
The North American Championship should definitely find a place on the upcoming TakeOver card in Portland. Keith Lee is quickly becoming a staple of NXT and a sure-fire star for the brand on USA. They need to capitalise on this sheer hype and put the spotlight on him as part of this inevitably impressive triple threat scenario. Usually, wrestling fans might groan at the idea of two or more lumbering heavy-hitters being trusted with a 15-20 minute championship bout, but this has all the making of something that could easily steal the show.
The NXT mid-card scene has forever been something of a beast of its own. Since NXT’s humble beginnings, there have been plenty of soon-to-be NXT Champions fighting hard in the mid-card, putting on mat-classics and 5-star performances that would often outshine the main event. Superstars such as Johnny Gargano, Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin and Ricochet have all been names that have held things down in the mid-card scene, some of which never being rewarded for their efforts with an individual title run. Despite this, they still managed to walk away from their weekly performances looking like a capable star, one that could easily make the jump into the main event if and when the time arose.
Things were exciting wherever you looked in NXT, making it into the titan that it is today. Now with Keith Lee at the helm with a mid-card championship that he can defend against the best and brightest newcomers and the unsung heroes of the black and gold brand, there couldn’t be a better time to join (or rejoin) the NXT roster and take advantage of the hype.
After the dust settles following the upcoming North American title triple threat contest, there’s plenty for whoever the champion may be to move onto. Upcoming superstars like Austin Theory, Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott or even a few members of the NXT UK roster could easily become a worthy contender to the title. Regardless of who steps up, it should be a fantastic opportunity for Keith Lee, Damien Priest or Dijakovic to show off the full range of their talents.
I, for one, can’t wait to see what’s in store for the North American Championship in 2020. With the likes of Adam Cole, Ricochet and Velveteen Dream already forging an impressive lineage for Keith Lee to follow, the sky’s the limit for who could end up holding onto the title, and who could take it to the next level. I like to think this is soon to become the stepping-stone that the likes of the Intercontinental and United States titles should be for guys on the main roster, the natural next-step from curtain-jerking to being a credible challenger to the champion of their brand. Could this be the same for NXT? Sure. Keith Lee for NXT Champion 2020.
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