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WWE NXT North American Tag Team Champion Keith Lee sat down with CBS Sports' Chuck Carroll ahead of tonight’s NXT broadcast, discussing adjusting to life as a performer during the coronavirus pandemic as well as whether he gave any thought to not wrestling because of the outbreak. Regarding the latter, he said that he is confident in the protocols WWE has put in place to limit the risk of exposure.
During the interview, Lee noted that without fans in attendance there naturally is less adrenaline. As such, things tend to hurt a little bit more during the match. He cited a punch he took to the ear on last week’s episode that “really rocked” him.
Additional highlights:
We’ve seen a number of people reportedly step aside and not compete right now [because of the coronavirus]. Was that ever a consideration for you?
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.
There’s a saying that you don’t know what you got until it’s gone. And so in terms of having fans in the crowd, what have you learned about having them there? Did they provide anything that you really miss but didn’t think about until now you’re performing in front of zero people?
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 last week’s 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 levels where I can push forward.
With the Performance Center now being taken over for filming, what are you doing to work out and stay in shape?
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.
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