Keith Lee on what made him confident about wrestling NXT matches despite the coronavirus outbreak, what he’s learned from from wrestling without fans in attendance

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

CBS Sports Local interview with Keith Lee
Host: Chuck Carroll
Full interview available at CBSlocal.com

Lee on whether he considered stepping aside from wrestling due to the coronavirus outbreak: “It probably has been a consideration for any and everyone, but with the protocols that we’ve had, it’s kind of made it possible for us to get it done. I think that for me, it never was really a thought because I knew of what the protocol would be and the things necessary in order to even be okay and cleared to enter the building and things of that sort. So I was fairly confident in the circumstances that were set forth before us.”

On what he has learned from wrestling without fans in attendance: “Yes, there is definitely a certain level of adrenaline that the crowd offers, and I feel like it makes things hurt a little bit less when they’re there. I feel like there’s a very natural, like as soon as you come out of the back and you hear them, right away you’re in the zone. But I feel like just based on [the May 25] episode and there being nobody there, the first punch to my ear really rocked me, and that’s not a normal thing for me. So that’s something that I’ve taken note of, and I’ve tried to prepare myself going forward. Things are going to hurt more and that’s okay. All I can do is absorb those and use those instead to hopefully reset adrenaline level where I can push forward.”

On what he is doing to stay in shape while the WWE Performance Center is closed: “A lot of my training has been a little more athletic style in terms of the way that I train. But aside from the basic things like pushup variations, burpees, squat jumps and lunges, mountain climbers, things of that sort, I also frequent a few YouTube channels like Jeff Cavalier, Mike Rashid and Simeon Panda. They have offered so much information and different exercises you can perform from home, whether you have gym equipment or not. And that’s something that’s been helpful in the creativity of my training currently. So it’s been good times actually and it’s nice and different and because it’s different, my body’s confused and it’s fairly effective. So I’m enjoying it.”