Wes Lee entered NXT alongside Nash Carter as MSK in 2020. The two were known as The Rascalz (Dez & Wentz) in IMPACT Wrestling and throughout the independent scene before joining WWE.
MSK won the NXT Tag Team Titles for the second time at NXT Stand & Deliver, but the belts were vacated days later when Carter was released by the company following abuse allegations and Nazi symbolism photos surfacing.
With Carter released, Lee became a singles talent and had his top moment as a singles star at NXT Halloween Havoc when he won the NXT North American Championship.
Speaking to Adam Silverstein on Getting Over, Lee discussed the transition from a tag team specialist to a singles star.
"When I pulled the title from on top of the ladder," he said when asked when it clicked for him that he's a star as a singles competitor. "It's a weird process where nothing really feels real until it happens. Things happen throughout life that prevent you from getting to the end goal that is said to be the end goal. I'm very blessed that everything worked out and I became the North American Champion and the hard work and perseverance that I had to endure, it paid off. That feel good story of hard work paying off. This is 100% proof of it. It wasn't just in-ring hard work, it was personal hard work. There were a lot of times where I was thinking about whether or not I still have this. I had a singles time period before I became a tag team specialist, but even within that, I was still floundering. I was trying to find myself, I was uncomfortable with who I was. I was a very young individual and I hadn't necessarily had the life experience necessary for me to grow within myself. I don't want to say I was a sheltered kid, but I shied away from certain things because of preconceived notions of it. As I experienced life and I see what I'm capable of, life is difficult, but it definitely equips you with tools necessary to become successful."
Lee defeated Carmelo Hayes, Oro Mensah, Von Wagner, and Nathan Frazer in the ladder match to become the new NXT North American Champion.
Fans can find full coverage of NXT Halloween Havoc by clicking here.
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