Keith Lee Debuts 'Bearcat' Gimmick On WWE Raw
Lee looked dominant on his WWE return
Sep 28, 2021
Keith Lee officially debuted his new 'bearcat' nickname and gimmick on the September 27 WWE Raw, quickly dispatching of Akira Tozawa.
Tozawa was in the ring following a 24/7 Championship segment and issued an Open Challenge to other wrestlers in the 24/7 Title pursuit, only for Lee to storm his way to the squared circle.
The former NXT Champion was introduced as Keith 'Bearcat' Lee and was sporting new purple-and-black ring attire, with the 'bearcat' name printed across the gear as well. Lee dominated Tozawa in a very quick match, pinning him for the win in less than a minute.
Lee first introduced the 'Bearcat' character during a dark match ahead of last week's WWE Raw, with the name seemingly a tribute to WWE Hall-of-Famer Edward 'Bearcat" Wright, who wrestled between 1952 and 1975.
Lee was interviewed in a backstage segment for Raw Talk following the show, with his responses suggesting that the gimmick tweak is the first step in WWE's plans to repackage Lee as a heel.