When one of your favorite wrestlers retires, you hope they stay happy and live a long, fulfilled life. You hope they get their bag at conventions, maybe have a couple of songs named after them, and/or help pass the torch to the next generation. You certainly hope they don’t take a hard-right turn and get involved with a cult that deals with extrasensory drivel and pseudo-metaphysical propaganda.
Apparently, Keith Lee didn’t get that memo.
Seven years ago, Keith Lee was putting on a star-making performance at Survivor Series, taking a pre-OTC Roman Reigns to the limit, and nearly securing the win for NXT. He was an established main eventer in NXT during a time when they still had Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Finn Balor, and Adam Cole. He provided the Full Sail crowd with highlight reel moments (see: Keith Lee pouncing Adam Cole into the audience) and went nearly undefeated during his time there.
He was the first and, so far, only man to ever hold the NXT and North American championships at the same time.
When he debuted on the main roster, he was supposed to become WWE’s next big star, presented with the same gravitas that Bron Breakker and Oba Femi have now. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon was still in charge, and he repackaged the Limitless One with the vague outline of a “Bearcat” gimmick, cursed him with stop-and-start pushes, and ensured his rookie year was also his last one with the company.
Fast forward to February 2022, when Keith Lee made his AEW debut by making quick work of Isiah Kassidy and securing his spot in the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match at that month’s Revolution PPV. We all thought Lee would finally get the recognition he deserves and show a mainstream audience what being limitless was all about. It started off well enough. He formed an exciting tag team with Swerve Strickland dubbed Swerve in Our Glory, and they won the tag team championships at Fyter Fest 2022. Five months later, they dropped the championships in a great match to The Acclaimed at Revolution 2022, and he and Swerve went through a rough breakup. All they needed to do was have their blow-off match, and the two could go their separate ways and become big singles stars. But lingering health issues, injuries, and feuds with other competitors got in the way of their big singles match.
Finally, in December 2023, Swerve and Lee were set to face off at Worlds End.
A week before the event, Lee would face off against Brian Cage on Collision and, though we didn’t know it at the time, this would be Lee’s final televised match. For undisclosed reasons, he was not medically cleared for the PPV and wouldn’t appear on AEW ever again.
It was reported back in July that Keith Lee is, for all intents and purposes, retired from pro wrestling. It’s a tragic end for a wrestler with so much promise and I truly wish he can stay happy, healthy, and fulfilled. Now, I guess my fourth wish is that he stays away from cults!
After almost a year of radio silence, Keith Lee returned to Instagram with a very puzzling post. He is smiling and seated next to a man named Darius Wright, and in the caption, he links to Darius Wright’s website.
But who, exactly, is Darius Wright?
According to his website, Wright is a “consciousness explorer”, specializing in out of body experiences and “awakening” the human body. He travels the world, teaching people how to awaken their “dormant abilities” such as sensing past lives and telepathy. On his website (which, in hindsight, I should have accessed in Incognito Mode), he invites people to follow him in his “Great Work” of bringing other suckers— I mean people— to the “other side” for a modest contribution of $300-$500. I refuse to link his website and give this grifter any more publicity.
I hope it goes without saying, but cults are bad. Especially cults that ask for your hard-earned money in exchange for platitudes from a spiritual hack, and results better achieved through meditation and therapy. Their existence is inexcusable and dangerous, and they take advantage of the most susceptible members of our society. Members who are grieving, who have lost something important to them like a job, a partner (we heard about Michin), or a sense of purpose.
Mr. Lee, I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed. As someone with their fair share of religious trauma, it’s possible that I’m just projecting, but that also means I can empathize with someone who feels like this is the only path forward. If you’re truly all in on Darius Wright’s teachings, it is going to lead you down a path that is neither happy nor healthy, and it won’t be fulfilling for long.
Jhuvin P. is a writer for CBC/DSR. He has previous experience as a ghostwriter, has published several short stories, and is perpetually working on a novel. In addition to writing, he is also a comedian based out of Colorado Springs. He posts clips of his stand-up along with his other goofy antics on TikTok and Instagram.