Brodie Lee On Talk Is Jericho: WWE Departure, AEW, & More

Earlier this week, Brodie Lee sat down with Chris Jericho on the latest episode of “Talk is Jericho.” Only a couple of weeks ago, Lee made his All Elite Wrestling debut, an event that had been rumored long beforehand. Despite the debut occurring in a largely empty venue, Lee made a big impact. Not only did he reveal himself as Dark Order’s “Exalted One,” but he laid out Christopher Daniels in the center of the ring.

On “Talk is Jericho,” Brodie Lee sat down with the inaugural AEW World Champion to discuss numerous topics. Among the topics in question was the collection of events that led to his departure from World Wrestling Entertainment. According to Lee, Vince McMahon requested that he put on a southern accent. Though he was hesitant, Lee proceeded to do so in front of the company chairman, who agreed that the idea was bad. Thus, it was dropped.

Lee On Pitching Creative Ideas:

Lee would also routinely pitch ideas to WWE that were shot down. Case and point, when he came up with an idea for SummerSlam a few years ago, he presented it to McMahon, who was eating a meal at the time. Once Lee pitched the idea, McMahon responded by saying, “bad cow,” referring to the steak he had been eating. The man formerly known as Luke Harper learned that he couldn’t easily pitch concepts to the chairman when the latter was eating.

In regard to ideas that never came to fruition, Lee specifically mentioned being Sami Zayn’s “heater.” Though this would have been put him in a regular spot on TV, as Zayn was featured, Lee was against it. He believed that he had been a bodyguard figure so much in his WWE career that he desired to branch out. Lee wanted to become a singles star, which tied into the discussion of his on-again, off-again WWE tag team partner, Erick Rowan.

Lee On Working With Rowan:

Brodie Lee revealed that, at first, he didn’t like Erick Rowan. They traveled together constantly and Lee specifically referenced Rowan’s snoring. Over time, Lee warmed up to his tag team partner, focusing on his sweet demeanor. A story that Lee pointed out, on the podcast, was when he and Rowan were the Bludgeon Brothers. While preparing for a trip to Saudi Arabia, they realized they wouldn’t be able to check their wooden mallets on the regular plane. Instead, McMahon brought the mallets with him on his private jet.

When Lee asked for his WWE release, he was contacted by not only McMahon but Triple H as well. While McMahon said that his reluctance to let Lee go was a business decision, Triple H attempted to exchange ideas. He even asked Lee if he wanted to go to New Japan Pro Wrestling, which he was open to. Triple H said that he would see what could have been done, though how he would be able to get in touch with NJPW wasn’t explained. He also stressed to Lee that releasing him would make people believe wrestlers “are jumping off the sinking ship.”

Lee on Making the Move to AEW:

Following sporadic appearances on WWE television, including a short-lived reunion with Rowan, Brodie Lee was eventually granted his release. From there, he began negotiations with AEW. Prior to his scheduled debut, he was contacted by Tony Khan, who said that Lee didn’t have to debut so soon due to the recent coronavirus pandemic. Nonetheless, Lee insisted that he make his debut at the show, with no audience, as discussed earlier.

Lee spoke highly of Dark Order. He believed that the story leading up to the reveal of the “Exalted One” was handled well, specifically in regard to the fan reception. The angle played with fan expectations, as there were rumblings as to who would be revealed. Matt Hardy, who would go on to debut for AEW as well, was one of the rumored names. Lee believed he came into AEW at a good spot, given the positioning of Dark Order on AEW programming.

In terms of individuals that Lee spoke highly of, who made the transition from WWE to AEW, Arn Anderson came up in the conversation.

Lee said that Anderson was one of his big supporters in production meetings, not unlike what Paul Heyman was to CM Punk years prior. However, as time went on, Anderson told Harper that his vouching might be negatively impactful. Nonetheless, Lee had nothing but good things to say about the former Horseman.

Lee expanded further on his current deal with AEW. In addition to dates with the company, the deal in question allows Lee to work independent promotions and NJPW, the latter of which he expressed interest in during his time in WWE. This wouldn’t be unlike Jericho’s deal, either. When he was AEW World Champion, he appeared for NJPW, specifically against Hiroshi Tanahashi at this past January’s Wrestle Kingdom 14.