In January 2020, it looked like Keith Lee was positioned for superstardom. In a Royal Rumble in his home state, the same match that saw the return of the long-retired Edge, Keith Lee stood toe to toe with a then-unconquerable Brock Lesnar, being one of the few people to match his size and physicality.
Lee had graduated from NXT having been both NXT and North American Champion (the first and only person to hold them simultaneously) and looked to be WWE’s next prolific powerhouse. Things happened.
Whether it’s the very real COVID-19 related health issues, a loss of interest from management, or a combination of both, his run on the main roster amounted to very little. Fans of his unique grace paired with his massive frame were excited to see him pop up in AEW in 2022, finding early success with fellow WWE alum Swerve Strickland as the combo formed the tag team “Swerve in our Glory.” After winning and losing the tag team titles, he’d have a run in the revived ROH, where he’d be a mainstay for about a year before needing surgery.
After a long hiatus from both the ring and the internets (plural, word to Combat Jack and Dallas Penn) Lee would tweet a picture of himself in a large, soft chair throwing up a peace sign with a man next him, sitting on its arm, with one foot on the seat making a gesture of his own: his left hand gripping his right forearm, and his right hand seemingly reaching out to the photo’s viewer. Lee would caption the tweet with the man’s handle, and a link to his website, “dariusjwright.com.” Immediately, people who clicked on the link expressed confusion, anger and concern.
Here’s what’s been said, what’s been shared, and what’s been discovered about Darius J. Wright, and why social media seems to be up in arms.
Darius J. Wright
Wright’s oldest YouTube video on his channel with just over 134k subscribers is titled “The Construct.” It’s an early-AI mishmash of lakes, mountains, and some kind of globe-meets-vessel with two morphing figures standing outside of it. The caption reads, “You have been away far too long and have forgotten your home. This is why you fear.” It’s followed by a disclaimer saying comments were disabled due to people trying to impersonate him and/or mislead his followers. It’s amassed 91k views since its uploading.
The majority of the following videos are testimonials of people sharing their “out of body experiences” or OBEs. On his website, Wright states that “Since childhood, I have been able to step beyond the physical body and witness the realms that exist outside this construct. Through these experiences, I came to understand the spaces, movements, and living truth that the soul is not confined to form.” These testimonials are from people who have followed his methods, dubbed “The AYDA Method for leaving the body at will,” who claim to have come out of successful execution of the process to do miraculous things. A simple example is a 4 minute video in which a woman named Lisa Harrison, talks about an experiment where she was with Wright for four days, and she’d write a number on a board, erase it, and he’d come out of the process and let her know the number she had written each time. He’d even know the numbers she changed, how she’d written certain numbers, and would even describe people they were about to see on the following day.
Almost all of the videos feature some kind of vaguely religious, vaguely alien AI thumbnail, likely the result of asking an app to “draw something deep.” Disabled comments seem to exist on certain testimonial videos, but not all, which may be a result of the platform’s growth. While the view counts vary, one of his most recent videos, a live conversion titled “You Have the Power and Authority to Be Free”, boasts a whopping 213k views over an eight month period. In the comments of that video, along with the others that allow comments, there seems to be a strong mix of gender, ethnicity, and backgrounds, but the common connector is age, where people ranging from in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s talk about how his methods have lessened their inherent fear of death. There were also comments stating how taken aback views were at how good looking he is.
Wright is handsome in the way you’d have considered Jesus handsome. He’s got olive skin, a thick head of hair and a thick beard, and his look of work boots and Henley's give him the look of a modern day carpenter. In a YouTube video from 10 years ago he himself took down via copyright request, Wright was considered to be an expert yogi, praised for his incredible balancing. Littered between the lengthy podcasts and quick testimonials are videos suggesting you only eat once a day and exercise for ten minutes, when the world can expect alien visitors, and coming out of “The Simulation.” The channel touches on all the things that seem to give people fear, and how his methods of OBE and other teachings can help combat that.
The website itself is fairly detailed, laying out the steps of “The Mission.” In his own words, “The purpose and reason behind everything we do, our “Mission,” is to fulfill “The Great Work.” Understanding this is not only necessary when getting involved, but required to ensure everything is done to awaken as many people as possible to the other side, to accomplish this with integrity, truth, and love. This path is for those who feel called to remember all of who they are, where they come from and the truth of this reality. This is done through direct experience by awakening our dormant abilities, stepping beyond the confines of the physical body, and remembering your soul is not confined to form. To embrace “The Great Work” as your own personal mission is to pursue truth, the truth of who you really are, and your purpose in being here.“
While it does not list the names “God” or “Jesus” in its tenets, Heaven being a real space, your soul being eternal, and Earth being temporary are all core values. The testimonials from YouTube are there, as well as detailed breakdowns of who you are, and who you can be through these teachings. It comes across as … hopeful.
Cult, religion, or hobby?
Where things tend to veer off is when you get into the trainings, live sessions, and gatherings. The recently passed “Great Work Training Small Group Intensive” held in Australia, was a 33 person, invitation-only event for current or past members, built over the span of three days. Featuring a Black and white photo of someone achieving the out of body experience, the non-refundable three day session includes telepathy and telekinesis training, but does not include housing or dinner for the first two days. The training itself is a whopping $2,500, which may be a small price for becoming one of Xavier’s Children, but it seems… aggressive for people already in the know. The seven day ”Great Work Summit” coming up in Australia is a bit of a steal, costing $1,600, with five of the seven lunches provided, and a closing day social gathering with a buffet and open bar for an additional $150. Once more, you’ll need to provide your own lodging and flight to Australia, but this time you’ll be able to find something on-site, as opposed to a nearby cabin or bringing your RV. This event has the added perk of “Electromagnetic Development.” All attendees are asked to disconnect from things like technology, distractions and … food … for maximum effect. The online training of the general tenets of AYDA training, done over eight days in October, costs $500, and does not state if refunds are possible. All events state that attendance is limited, with “The Great Work” training having sold out. As of this writing, seven spots remain open in the Summit.
Across social media, primarily Reddit and Facebook, there’s a split on faith vs. finances when it comes to Wright’s teachings. On a Reddit post from three years ago titled “Thoughts on Guru’s financially exploiting people for Astral Projection”, the author seems to believe in the skill of projection, but not charging a fee for it. What follows, like most online interactions, is plenty of finger pointing, name-calling, and well … projecting, but there seems to be a lot of people who look at OBE/ projecting as a very real thing, and that no one can truly teach it for free.
One poster fairly asks “IS THERE A GUARANTEE I CAN AP?” to which, well, there can’t be, making cult claims seem more valid based on the exorbitant price you’ll pay for training. A facebook post in the Darius J. Wright forum from 2025 talks about finding a discrepancy in one of his videos, to which the first reply was “Petrified wood forms through mineral replacement, while sandstone forms through sedimentation and compaction. They’re entirely different geological processes.
That doesn’t mean Darius J. Wright is a liar. It just might mean that his interpretation of something he saw or understood led him to a conclusion that might not fit with the physical reality.
Keith Lee and the future
In my experience, once we go beyond 3D physical reality, things can get weird and many things can be true at the same time. It seems that even when there’s doubt, it’s difficult for people to get straight answers on exactly what it is they may be working towards.
Cult, club religion, or expensive hobby, there’s an unconventionality to Darius J. Wright’s teachings, which have produced a strong social media following. While that doesn’t lend to its credibility, it certainly says that people are listening. Keith Lee, an unconventional athlete and personality in his own right, seems confident enough to lend his time and celebrity to Wright, and it’s fair to question something so seemingly out of left field. As someone we’ve seen go through career and health issues right when success was at arm’s reach, here’s hoping he’s not leaning too far in the wrong direction.
Subscribe to the Brass Ring Media Newsletter HERE.
Follow Zack Heydorn on Bluesky @zackheydorn.bsky.social.