Add as a preferred source on Google Keith Lee has been out of the ring for more than two and a half years, and despite persistent hopes for a return to AEW, the belief within the industry is that he may have already retired for good.
Lee’s last match came on the December 23, 2023 edition of AEW Collision, where he defeated Brian Cage. He was booked to face Swerve Strickland at Worlds End a week later, but he was pulled from the card after failing to receive medical clearance, leaving their rivalry unresolved.
In June 2025, the former AEW World Tag Team Champion said he’d been doing fine for quite some time and made clear that his return wasn’t up to him. By September, Lee was still insisting he’d definitely be back in the ring, even though he didn’t know how or when that would happen.
Fightful Select recently reported that AEW had discussed a possible Lee return a few months ago. Those plans never went anywhere, though, and there wasn’t even confirmation that Lee had been told about them.
Now, on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez said the people he’s spoken to believe Lee’s career is over:
“Everyone has been asking what’s going on with Keith Lee. Is he ever coming back to AEW, and are we ever going to get that match with Swerve [Strickland]? Well, all I can tell you is that, you know, this has been discussed within the business, obviously with this news coming out as well. There’s been a lot of talk about Keith Lee over the last couple of days. I’m not saying this 100 percent, okay? I’m not saying this 100 percent because I don’t know.
But, from talking to people, the belief within the business is that Keith Lee is done. And we’re not talking like, you know, when he’s done with AEW, if that ever happens, he’ll go elsewhere — it is believed that he is likely just retired.”
The update runs counter to a recent comment from Tony Khan. Speaking on June 25 about several wrestlers who’ve been out of action, the AEW president said some could return “very soon” — though he didn’t specifically mention Lee as one of them.
As of now, Lee remains under contract with AEW and hasn’t publicly announced his retirement.