Wes Lee could be excused for being a little bitter. Lee was looking forward to continuing his incredible string of NXT North American Championship title defenses this weekend at the Great American Bash, but got snookered by “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio.
While losing his championship to Dom is a development he admittedly didn’t see coming, the 28-year-old Ohio native has grown immensely during his time in NXT. Though he first made a splash as a member of the tag team MSK alongside Nash Carter, he had to fly on his own after WWE released Nash last spring following abuse allegations by Carter’s wife.
Lee could have sunk, but he swam instead — to the tune of 269 days with the North American title and 20 successful defenses. More importantly, as he told Under the Ring host Phil Strum, he gained a sense of identity and confidence along the way.
“First and foremost, Wes Lee is happy,” he said. “That was one of the things that I was really searching for, was my happiness. I was lost without my partner. We really, really cut our teeth together, and we grew a bond that is honestly really inseparable to this day.
“But not having him right by my side definitely made it very, very difficult for me to go through my day to day things. And as I grew on my own within this, I began to discover more about myself that I possibly was pushing to the side or trying to neglect in some kind of way.”
Lee called it “a blessing and a curse” to be thrown into a period of self-discovery so abruptly, but that he emerged better off for the experience.
“I actually have a lot more confidence in myself, and be able to know that I can stand toe to toe with some of the best in the world because I’m kind of also in that echelon as well.”
Check out Lee’s full chat with Strum above to hear more on:
- What it meant to be such a workhorse champion
- His fantastic match with Dijak at Vengeance Day and what made the two of them click
- How his family, especially his grandmother, helped nurture his passion for pro wrestling at an early age
- Who influenced his style and career the most when he was just getting started
- How wrestlers with existing pro success fit into the scene at the WWE Performance Center
Under the Ring drops new episodes every week, with Strum utilizing contacts gleaned from years of pro wrestling fandom and coverage to have an in-depth conversation with a wrestler or other notable personality. Recent guests have included recently returned Impact Wrestling star Eric Young, ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe, and NWA World Women’s Tag Team Champion Madi Wrenkowski
To make sure you don’t miss an episode, subscribe to Under the Ring on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider of choice, or check out the Under the Ring YouTube channel to see all of the interviews in video form.