AEW Star Misses Worlds End Due To Injury

Swerve Strickland was set for a big match with his former tag team partner Keith Lee at AEW Worlds End but injury stopped that match from happening.

Strickland and Lee held the AEW Tag Team Championship for 70 days between July and September 2022 before Strickland turned his back on his partner after they lost that gold. Despite the vicious turn, Lee has never got his hands on Strickland one-on-one over a year later but that was all meant to change at Worlds End with the two stars set to go one-on-one.

However, alarm bells began ringing just hours before the show when Keith Lee took to social media to reveal that he’s been working through an injury and had hoped to make it through Worlds End:

Today… I keep it very real with you guys. I have been working through an injury since Arthur Ashe Stadium 2022. It has been mostly well taken care of. Things have been worse since Final Battle. I am trying to get through today for you guys, but I cannot promise anything.

Today… I keep it very real with you guys.

I have been working through an injury since Arthur Ashe Stadium 2022. It has been mostly well taken care of.

Things have been worse since Final Battle. I am trying to get through today for you guys, but I cannot promise anything.

— Excellent Lee (@RealKeithLee) December 30, 2023

Keith Lee pulled from AEW Worlds End

However, shortly after that message, AEW confirmed that Lee had been pulled from the show and replaced with his Naturally Limitless partner Dustin Rhodes.

Before that match could take place Strickland attacked Rhodes and smashed a cinder block on the veteran’s leg. The Natural would not be stopped though and ended up competing despite the obvious disadvantage and Strickland picked up a big win to regain some momentum after missing out on winning the Continental Classic.

Also at Worlds End, The Devil revealed themselves to everyone after MJF suffered a heartbreaking loss to Samoa Joe.