Wes Lee continues to learn from Shawn Michaels.
Ahead of last year’s WWE NXT Deadline, Wes Lee revealed that he’d be pulling out of the event due a lingering back injury that caused a loss of feeling in his legs. As such, Lee underwent surgery with an expected recovery time of eight to twelve months. Lee ultimately returned ahead of schedule as he resurfaced on the April 30 episode of NXT.
During a recent interview with The Ringer Wrestling Show, Lee opened up about the advice he received from WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, Shawn Michaels, in the wake of his injury. Michaels faced a similar back injury in 1998, although his forced him into a brief retirement.
“[Michaels taught me to] prove yourself wrong, because the biggest doubter that we ever can really have is ourselves,” Lee said. “We know what we are capable of, we know understand our bodies. Especially hearing it from the man himself, Shawn. The demons that he had to battle in order to overcome this injury and come back the way that he did and have an entire second career, that is something that is unheard of.”
“I didn’t necessarily have the opportunity to build a long enough career before my injury. But I do feel like this is a revitalization of my career. I feel tremendous. My mind is in a whole different place. I’m thinking and a whole different echelon, and where I feel that I can take myself not only physically, spiritually, but mentally as well. Y’all ain’t seen nothing yet. The Kardiac Kid’s heart is beating heavy. The blood that is flowing through these veins right now is fueling a mutant. A mutant right now that has healed much faster than what I should have been. I am ready to take over.”
Following his return to in-ring competition, Lee now finds himself at odds with his former tag team partner, Zachary Wentz. The two are slated to face off against each other in a cross-promotional match at NXT No Mercy.
READ MORE: Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz Set For WWE NXT No Mercy