Rookie Year 2020 - Grading the debuts of WWE stars on RAW and SmackDown

#3 Keith Lee on WWE RAW - B+

Keith Lee

Few stars in NXT have had the type of year-and-a-half run in NXT and WWE that Keith Lee has had. He looked like a big deal at the end of Survivor Series when he was one of the final two competitors alongside Roman Reigns. He then had a strong showing in the Royal Rumble and then won the NXT North American title.

Lee's trajectory flew even higher as he defeated Adam Cole to become the first-ever North American and NXT Champion after winning a "Winner Takes All" match. His reign as NXT Champ was a bit shorter than fans would have expected but that was because he debuted immediately following SummerSlam.

In his first appearance, he confronted Randy Orton, a made man in WWE. Lee would go on to defeat Orton in his first major brand PPV, Payback. He's also been embroiled in the ongoing WWE Championship feud between Orton and Drew McIntyre. The Limitless One even faced McIntyre with he chance of being added to the WWE title match at Clash of Champions.

For an NXT star to debut at the top right a way is a huge deal. Outside of Finn Balor, not many have had the type of rise right out of NXT for a male star. Lee is clearly a star as we've already seen and it will be interesting to see if he stays on RAW or is drafted to SmackDown. There's that old showdown between him and Reigns that might be too enticing to pass up.