The wrestling world is filled with real-life couples. Many work together in the same company, like WWE’s Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch, or AEW’s Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette. Others, though, are split between promotions, such as WWE‘s Rhea Ripley, who is married to AEW’s Buddy Matthews. Another example of this is Michin (formerly known as Mia Yim) and Keith Lee. Although they once worked together in WWE, Michin is there again, feuding over the new United States Women’s Championship, while Keith Lee is signed with AEW, despite being on hiatus due to injury. Their love story is a compelling one, as Michin was coming out of an abusive relationship when she met Keith Lee, and he has now had her by his side as he works to recover from numerous ailments.
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Michin Was In An Abusive Relationship
Michin And Keith Lee Met In WWE
- Michin was a victim of domestic violence by a boyfriend.
- Shelton Benjamin helped Michin get away from the situation.
- Michin met Keith Lee when they were in NXT.
Michin might be in a happy relationship now, but several years ago she was the unfortunate victim of abuse from her then-boyfriend. She spoke about being a survivor of domestic violence in an interview on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast, saying:
“He pushed me on the bed and I just- there was a towel and so I fell on the towel and then he wrapped the towel around my neck and started like choking me.”
It’s a horrific story with a positive outcome, thanks to Shelton Benjamin. Michin might tease Benjamin relentlessly on social media, but he’s actually one of her closest friends. In the same interview, Michin spoke about how much she loves Shelton, calling him her big brother because he was there for her in her darkest moment. Benjamin, who was also a guest on the podcast, said he told Michin:
“You can come stay with me, I don’t care. She’s like ‘yeah but it’s not a big deal’, I’m like ‘no. That’s a problem. That’s a problem the first time not 50 times later. Girl you need to get outta that.’” (h/t WrestleTalk)
Shelton Benjamin helped Michin escape an abusive relationship. After that, she found the true love of her life. Michin was already a wrestling veteran before joining WWE, having worked in companies like CZW, Shimmer, and TNA, but in 2018 she debuted in NXT. That same year, another wrestling veteran named Keith Lee signed with NXT too.
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WWE Released Keith Lee And Michin On The Same Day
Michin Chose Not To Join Keith Lee In AEW
- Michin and Keith Lee both struggled on the WWE main roster.
- Keith Lee became a tag team champion with Swerve Strickland in AEW.
- Michin went back to TNA before rejoining WWE in the Triple H era.
Keith Lee and Michin had mixed success in WWE. Both were well presented in NXT, with Lee even becoming NXT Champion, but they suffered on the main roster. Lee was given the awful Bearcat gimmick while Michin had no chance once she was put in the Retribution faction. This led to the couple both being released on the same day, November 4, 2021.
In February 2022, Keith Lee debuted in AEW. For Michin, she could have joined her boyfriend, but she chose not to, telling Metro.co.uk:
“Ever since we started dating, it was like, “I never wanted to take his moves”, we never wanted to be a tag team, we wanted to be our own separate brands…
“I always get asked, “Why didn’t you go with Keith?” It’s like, because I’m my own person and I wanna do what I wanna do, you know? [laughs] So, as long as we support each other with whatever it is, we don’t always have to be together!”
“Nothing bad to say about AEW but I’m just like, “Babe, that is your realm, go and kill it over there. That is your home”. He was super supportive of me going back to IMPACT.”
Keith Lee thrived in AEW for a while, dominating as a singles star before becoming AEW World Tag Team Champions with Swerve Strickland. As for Michin, she did indeed go back to TNA, but by November, with Triple H now in control of WWE, he brought her back. Her name was changed from Mia Yim, and since then she has done everything from work with the OC to competing for midcard titles.
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Keith Lee And Michin Got Married In 2022
Michin’s Sister Is Engaged To Big E
- Keith Lee married Michin in the same month he made his AEW debut.
- Shelton Benjamin was at their wedding.
- Michin lashed out at fans who gave her grief for taking a selfie with Austin Theory.
Keith Lee debuted for AEW in February 2022, but it wasn’t even the biggest thing he did that month. That’s because he and Michin also got married. They had been engaged for a year before tying the knot in front of their friends, including Shelton Benjamin. Even on Michin’s special day, she still found the time to flip off Benjamin on camera.
Mia Yim is a woman not afraid of speaking her mind. When an idiotic fan gave her grief for posing for a photo with Austin Theory, she responded on Twitter/ X:
Michin is not the only one in her family with a wrestling partner. Her sister, Kris, is engaged to Big E. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for those double dates.
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