Video: WWE NXT Star Wes Lee Steps Back Into Wrestling Ring After Back Injury
Wes Lee has been out of action since December 2023 with a significant back injury. When revealing his setback on "WWE NXT," Lee said he would be sidelined for eight to 12 months. Providing an update on his recovery on social media, Lee shared a video of himself stepping into a wrestling ring at a training facility. The clip shows Lee slowly climbing a set of steel steps, before he takes a deep breath on the apron. He then takes a moment while putting one foot in the ring and placing it on the bottom rope. After that pause, Lee uses the bottom rope to spring into the ring. Along with that video, he wrote, "...from the ashes..."
...from the ashes... pic.twitter.com/dhiv7tzwak
— WES LEE (@WesLee_WWE) March 13, 2024
Days after Lee announced his injury, Shawn Michaels, WWE's SVP of Talent Development Creative, indicated Lee had been performing in pain for several weeks — although Michaels was unaware of how serious it was. Lee was due to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the North American Championship at Deadline on December 9, 2023, before his injury caught up with him, with Michaels mentioning that "clearly, the wear and tear is a bit too much." Lee and WWE's medical team agreed he would be pulled from the title clash and "NXT" shows moving forward so he could seek treatment. Lee was replaced in that North American Championship match by Dragon Lee, who went on to win the gold.
Lee began his WWE career on a high, winning the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and capturing the "NXT" Tag Team Championship alongside Nash Carter. Following Carter's release from WWE, Lee became a singles wrestler. He focused on winning the North American Championship, which he eventually did in a five-way ladder match at the Halloween Havoc special in 2022. Lee held the title for 269 days before losing it to Mysterio. Lee's most recent match on the November 28 "NXT" saw him become the No.1 contender for the North American Championship.