Predicting the next move of 6 recently released WWE stars

#1. Keith Lee should have been huge in WWE but will be in AEW

WWE initially treated Keith Lee like a big deal. He was the last person eliminated by Roman Reigns at Survivor Series in 2019. Lee also had a huge moment in the 2020 Royal Rumble match with Brock Lesnar.

The Limitless One is the only person to simultaneously hold both the NXT and NXT North American Championships. In his first main-roster PPV match, he beat Randy Orton.

Things took a turn for the worse in 2021 as Lee had a difficult battle with COVID. He returned in August but went through a brief repackaging. WWE wanted to use the nickname "Bearcat" for Lee, but it seemed forced.

After one match as Keith "Bearcat" Lee, the former NXT Champion was released among a wave of Superstars. WWE has struggled to consistently book and maintain main-event stars.

The likes of Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and Seth Rollins are always in the main event scene. A roster needs more than four people in the main event to make things new and fresh.

Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman were main-eventers, but both runs were unceremoniously ended. Drew McIntyre joined the main-event level in WWE last year while Big E is doing it in 2021. More than one person a year should ascend to main-event status.

For things to be maintained, someone like Lee or Kross would have made sense as one of the next names to join the main event scene in WWE.

Both men are big, physical, and unique. With the release of both men, WWE finds itself in the usual spot of looking for viable challengers for its major titles. Lee is too good for IMPACT and will join AEW.

AEW may not book its monster heels the best as Brian Cage, Lance Archer, Wardlow, and Powerhouse Hobbs have all lost their biggest matches. Lee is a different animal and bigger than most of those men. He'll make WWE regret releasing him by breaking out in AEW.