When fans bask in the glory of Keith Lee, they pay tribute to Dusty Rhodes.
In a new interview with WWE.com, Lee revealed that he tried out for the company in 2008, 2011, and 2013. After failing to secure a contract in 2013, he contemplated giving up. Until he spoke with William Regal and Dusty Rhodes.
"In 2013, if it weren't for Dusty Rhodes and William Regal?s encouragement, I might have stopped wrestling. Since then, I?ve also befriended one of the big kahunas in fitness motivation, CT Fletcher, or as I like to call him, Pops. We have traded merchandise; I've signed his Wall of Fame, and he let me train in his gym. I cheer for him, and he kept me uplifted. He knew I'd be here before I did. Big shout-out to Pops; this grind is also for you!"
Lee further elaborated on his relationship with Dusty saying, "When I first met and worked with him, he let me know how much and where I lacked. I applied his words and honed myself. During the 2013 tryout, if you were going to show who you were on a microphone, you had to do it in front of The American Dream. When I finished, he pulled me aside and said to me, 'That's it, baby. You've got a presence I can literally bask in. Take it and do what you want.' And thus, 'Bask in my glory' was born. It is now something I hold very dear."
After three failures at tryouts, Lee finally signed with WWE in May. He made his NXT debut on August 8, defeating Marcel Barthel. This past Wednesday he defeated Luke Menzies.