Add as a preferred source on Google Keith Lee has once again come up backstage in AEW, even though he has not appeared on company programming in nearly three years.
According to Fightful Select, the former AEW World Tag Team Champion’s name was discussed internally for a possible return to TV a few months ago. However, it is unclear whether Lee himself was ever informed about those conversations.
The most important point is that, as of now, there are no signs that the return process has moved forward. Lee has not been backstage recently to undergo testing or be cleared by AEW’s medical team, something that normally happens before any star returns to the ring.
Lee has not wrestled since December 23, 2023, when he defeated Brian Cage on an episode of AEW Collision. A few days later, he was scheduled to face Swerve Strickland at Worlds End in Long Island, New York, but he was pulled from the match at the last minute.
At the time, Tony Khan announced that AEW doctors had not cleared Lee to compete, leading Dustin Rhodes to take his place on the card.
That detail makes the situation even more relevant, because the match against Swerve was not just another bout. The rivalry between the two had been built up since the end of Swerve In Our Glory, the team that won the AEW World Tag Team Championship in 2022 before breaking up in turbulent fashion.
Before Worlds End, Tony Khan had said that it was the right time to finally put Lee and Strickland across from each other after nearly a year of waiting.
Since then, however, their careers have gone in completely different directions. Swerve has established himself as one of AEW’s top names, while Lee has virtually disappeared from programming. In October 2024, Fightful reported that Lee still had not been cleared to return to the ring due to an undisclosed medical issue, despite remaining under contract with the company.
The situation took on another layer in 2025. In June of that year, Lee responded to fans on social media by saying he had been fine for “quite some time” and that a return was not up to him. Shortly afterward, ahead of All In Texas, he made it clear that he would not be at the event, frustrating expectations of a surprise appearance in his home state.
Return remains uncertain
In other words, the internal discussion about a Lee return does not mean he is close to coming back. Until he appears backstage for evaluation, any creative plan involving his name remains just an idea.
Still, the fact that AEW discussed his return shows that Lee has not been completely forgotten by the company. His name also remains listed on AEW’s official men’s roster alongside other active names from weekly programming.
The question is where he would fit. If the idea is to revisit the story with Swerve Strickland, AEW would have to deal with a rivalry that has been frozen since 2023 but no longer carries the same weight it once did. Swerve has moved up a level, while Lee would be returning after a massive hiatus, without ring rhythm or a recent direction to justify it.
On the other hand, that very absence could be used as a storytelling strength. AEW currently has a crowded division, with MJF as AEW World Champion, Kevin Knight as TNT Champion, Konosuke Takeshita as International Champion, and names such as Swerve, Samoa Joe, Brody King, Wardlow, Ricochet, and The Hurt Syndicate circulating around the top titles. A Keith Lee return would need to be treated as something special, not just another comeback.
The most logical scenario would be a gradual reintroduction on Collision, the show where Lee had been used more frequently before his absence. That would allow AEW to test his physical condition, rebuild his presence with the audience, and only then decide whether to move forward with a rivalry against Swerve.
For now, though, there is no date for that to happen. AEW is approaching Forbidden Door, scheduled for June 28 at SAP Center in San Jose.