As we’ve noted, several WWE NXT releases were made today, including referee Drake Younger (Drake Wuertz). He had been signed to WWE since 2014 after an in-ring career on the indies, and once worked as head referee of NXT. There had been some concern for Drake in recent months as he found himself wrapped up in controversy due to his political beliefs, and how he brought that to work.
In an update, Fightful Select reports that now that Drake is gone, the NXT roster is revealing some stories about his behavior.
Drake recently made headlines for a controversial County Commissioners meeting video, and the news that he wasn’t allowed in the WWE Performance Center for several weeks amid a suspension. Now several names at the Performance Center are claiming that Drake has had “nuclear heat brought on himself” for the better part of a year. This comes after instances where WWE had to warn him about attending events without a mask, and not being vaccinated, and making several “attempts for political plays.”
Regarding the alleged political plays, it was noted that the NXT roster was well aware that Drake had been trying to position himself for certain roles within the company, and was willing to try to put heat on other people to get there, and had attempted to do this numerous times.
It was also alleged that there were a few instances where minorities within NXT took exception to the way Drake worded certain things. One situation involved Ezra Judge, who was also released today, almost feeling the need to get physical with Drake. There were numerous times when talent, specifically people of color, went to NXT higher-ups about situations like this.
Drake reportedly gained significant heat after the “Takeover: In Your House” event in 2020 as a story on his behavior made the rounds. Triple H gave a speech in the middle of the BLM movement, which saw him say, “(paraphrasing) all people, races, genders, and religions were welcomed” in NXT. Word is that when “religions” were mentioned, Drake’s attitude immediately changed, and he reportedly aggressively gathered his belongings, then left.
It was also noted that in recent months no less than 10 NXT talents have told Fightful Select that they didn’t feel comfortable or safe around Drake. He was also allegedly known to have loudly criticized wrestlers for getting vaccinations, or even simple flu shots.
Stay tuned for more.
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