Four months ago, I was already a part of a conference call involving Trevor Lee. At this time, he was holding the X-Division belt, even if Sonjay Dutt was the Champion, and former 5-time X-Division Champion Low Ki was a member of LAX. Trevor Lee was sure he would become a 3-time X-Division Champion a few weeks later and Sonjay Dutt and Low-Ki’s time would be done very soon. As we’re reaching the end of 2017, I have to confess he was right. At Destination X last August, he defeated Sonjay Dutt to become a 3-time X-Division Champion, Low Ki left IMPACT Wrestling and Sonjay Dutt is now more busy backstage than in the ring.
But most importantly, at Destination X, with the appearances of Caleb Konley and Andrew Everett by his side to help him become the Champion, Trevor Lee became the guru of a new movement, the Cult of Lee. And ever since, the mastermind of the Cult and his sidekicks have dominated the X-Division. Last week, Trevor Lee and Caleb Konley gave the perfect definition of the “master and servant” attitude as they were talking to the media. And 4 months after our first conference call, Trevor Lee was still absolutely self-confident on his future on IMPACT.
What is The Cult of Lee?
How to describe the Cult of Lee? In fact it’s pretty simple. Like Trevor Lee stated, “you have to have something to bring to the table, you have to have something that helps me so then I can help you, that’s what this all is, we’re helping each other. In order to do that, I have to be helped first. This isn’t a democracy. That is ultimately going to pull that ego back and looks at the brighter picture. It’s very easy.” Help Trevor so he would help you could be the best definition of it, as long as it allows Lee to stay Champion. What Caleb Konley is perfect okay with: “as long as we’re together, no one’s going to take away the title.”
And if you don’t fit the rules of the Cult, they’re no room for you in the Cult. That’s what happened to Andrew Everett, Lee’s former partner in the Helms Dynasty. “Here’s what happens if you don’t produce for me, if you don’t make my life better, then unfortunately I can’t do the same for you. I’m here to make people’s lives better all I’ve tried to do for Caleb is give him more, give him more opportunities, give him more reasons to shine and ultimately that helps me out, we’re helping each other out. Andrew Everett, I tried to bring him in and yet his head just kept knocking. I guess he still had problems with me. All I was trying to do is look out for him. Now unfortunately I have to let him think on his actions”, confirmed Lee.
Even if Caleb Konley is 200% devoted to the Cult, the duo is not against the idea of expanding. Andrew Everett may be out of the Cult for the moment, Lee and Konley have already a few names in mind. “There’s a few candidates and I can name off a couple. I’d love to have Moose I’d love to have EC3, I’d love to have Bobby Lashley, I’d love to have Eddie Edwards. I think every person I just said or all top-of-the-line candidates, they would all love to be a part of the Cult of Lee.”, stated Lee. Konley agreed but added one personal choice. “I think Bobby Lashley’s really a good one, Goldberg too.” Would a Knockout be welcomed? For Konley the answer is no: “we’re here for business, we’re here for Championships, having girls around guys just too much tension.”
Even if we saw them wrestling as a team many times before, when I asked them if they would love to become Tag Team Champions, Trevor Lee was interested. “We of course could be a tag team, we’re great, I know what he’s going to do and he may understand eventually what I’m going to do. We can be Tag Team Champions. I won the Tag Team Championship with a man who hasn’t won a match in two years (Curt Hawkins) so I think Caleb and I could take those titles but that’s not our focus right now.”
Caleb Konley under the Learning Tree
Caleb Konley seems to be perfectly happy of his current fate. The 12-year wrestling veteran, who worked for promotions like EVOLVE, CZW, Dragon Gate or Ring of Honor, made his debut on IMPACT a year after Trevor Lee, in 2016. The two have been friends for years but, when IMPACT reached India last May, something clicked and they’ve become best friends ever since. “That’s where we started to seed, the little seeds that we needed to grow into such a beautiful plant,” explained Lee. Konley’s only goal for the moment is to make Trevor Lee happy. “The goal is to make sure that Trevor does exactly what he wants to do 24/7 all the time. I’m here for Trevor no matter what and whatever he says goes, so that’s my goal.”
For a long time, Konley has thought IMPACT had nothing for him. Earlier this year he was Suicide, the masked character so many wrestlers incarnated before (Konley refused to confirm this fact to the media). Until he found the Cult of Lee. “I was requesting to wrestle all the time. I had no idea why I’d sat at home for almost 7 or 8 months. I would assume it had to do with the changing of the guard, as far as the creative side goes, but what’s in the past is in the past. I’m not on TV every week and I’m with Trevor Lee and that’s all that matters. He gave me that little extra bit that I needed and everything looks great. I have the gift to be able to sit just under the Learning Tree”.
I couldn’t help but ask Konley his thoughts on his first trip to UK as he wrestled for Southside Wrestling last Spring. “I really liked it. I met a whole bunch of new guys I’ve never seen wrestle before, I’ve seen a couple of them since then come over and wrestle in the States. I had a fun time there, all the fans were excellent. I can’t wait to go back, but the next time, I need to be there with Trevor because I really missed him and together we would tear England apart.”
Dominating the X-Division, dominating IMPACT
Right now, the members of The Cult of Lee have been pretty busy with the new bunch of X-Division contenders. “There are a few people, there are a few competitors but you know I am still the Champion and that’s all that matters. There can be contenders, elders contender, rosters scattered throughout this planet, not even just on the Impact zone, that would just die to have the X-Division Championship.” Dezmond Xavier, Taiji Ishimori or Petey Williams recently showed they could make the Carolina Caveman shake, but Trevor Lee is absolutely not afraid of them. “Petey Williams, Sonjay Dutt, Low Ki, all those guys were excellent in the X-Division. But now it’s a new day. Right now Trevor Lee is running the X-Division and there is no one in the X-Division that can do the things that I do and I can do everything that they do.”
If IMPACT has no real great contenders for Trevor Lee, which ones would he love to compete with? “There’s guys that maybe I would like to work with, all the big stars of the names that I’d like to have in but only to continue to prove that I’m better. Ricochet, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. I’d love to have all those guys in just so you can see that they’re second-tier, they’re not a Trevor Lee.” Trevor Lee quoted heavyweight or tag team competitors, so is the man ready to reach a new platform on IMPACT? Being Tag Team Champions with Caleb Konley, yes, but only when he decides it will be the moment. As far as the Global Championship is concerned, it’s another yes, but only if Konley is the X-Division Champion.
This progression is absolutely possible. Scott D’Amore, Vice-President of IMPACT, recently noted that he wanted to push Lee and, because of his style, he would be capable of competing with the Heavyweights. Trevor Lee agreed of course: ” I’m the greatest X-Division guy but I’m also the greatest guy. Hard work can get you a lot of things, but hard work will never beat someone with talent that has that same hard work. Trevor Lee is going to rise to the top as Scott D’Amore already said it.”
The fact is at only 24, Trevor Lee has already accomplished a lot on IMPACT and is not ready to stop that soon. “At 24 years old, I haven’t reached the peak of my life. My body is still growing in ways that I don’t even comprehend. But yet I’m in a room full of dudes that has already been passed that place, they’ve already reached the pinnacle and now they’re just riding the slide back down. Me, I’m still climbing that ladder, I’m still doing those pull-ups and making each rung harder and harder. I’m still going to reach to that top and I’m not even close to there yet. I’m already a 3-time X Division champion and a World Tag Team Champion. I’m almost a Grand Slam Champion and I’m not even 25. So I’m here for a long, long, long time.”
As long as The Cult of Lee is working and his Believers are there to help him, of course Trevor Lee’s rise to the Top would be a little bit more easy. If only it was that easy… time will tell us as the rise to the Top is an obstacle race for everyone, including Trevor Lee and Caleb Konley.
All pics courtesy of IMPACT Wrestling