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WWE has seen a few Superstars depart from the company over the past year. A few of those names like Becky Lynch were bit shocking to see her contract run out. NXT also lost a few stars, including Bobby Steveson’s whose departure was a shock for more than just himself.
A recently departed WWE star has shared details about the timeline leading up to the realization that his contract would not be renewed. In an interview with Monte & The Pharaoh, former WWE NXT star Bobby Steveson, who was known in NXT as Damon Kemp, explained how the news of his contract not being renewed was communicated to him.
Steveson mentioned that about two weeks before his contract was set to expire, his fellow No Quarter Catch Crew members were informed they would be filming matches for TNA Wrestling, but he did not receive any such notice. He went on to discuss a conversation he had shortly afterward with a “highly influential” person about the direction of the group’s storyline and his future with the company. During this conversation, he was given ideas that extended several months ahead, leading him to seek clarity about his future, given the nearing end of his contract. He felt reassured after receiving positive feedback during this discussion.
However, when he tried to follow up with someone he was directed to, he never got the chance to speak to anyone face-to-face about the situation.
Bobby Steveson recounted the moment he received the call where he was informed that he wouldn’t have his WWE NXT deal renewed. This was a huge shock for him, especially considering how much praise he had received internally for his efforts in the ring.
“That Monday night, this was a week after I had that great talk with the highly influential person, and so I’m just sitting on my couch and then I get a call from Talent Relations and then I was like, oh, okay, cool. This might be the call that I’m getting my renewal. We’re moving forward and stuff like that.”
“They’re like, ‘Hey Damon. We appreciate everything but we decided that we are not gonna renew you,’ and I was taken aback for a second and I was kind of processing and I was like, didn’t we just — I just talked to — I didn’t say it but this was like, brain just spinning, and I was like, I just had a great talk with so-and-so last week about all these great things and stuff and what was gonna happen and stuff like that and I was baffled in my brain.
“I was almost stunned a little bit… And I was like, ‘Uh, okay,’ and then, they were, ‘Oh yeah, no need to show up to the TV or P.C. anymore. You got 30 days’ and it’s crazy because I was actually — I was booked for TV that Tuesday. The next day. I was booked and I was completely caught off guard so I was like, I have a notification to go into work tomorrow and then you guys just tell me the day before that you’re not re-signing me.
He continued to say, “It’s like, completely caught off guard and I mentioned the great conversation a week before and I was like, woah. I was just stunned. I was like, alright. So I was really taken back and really caught off guard. But, there’s no regrets. No regrets being there. I loved it. I’d go back.”
Bobby Steveson is also the real-life brother of Olympic medalist Gable Steveson, who was also under contract with WWE. Gable Steveson also departed from the company around the same time that Damon Kemp left, so the company let both brothers go, which was a shocking move for a lot of people.
We will have to see what Bobby Stevenson does next. He is still young enough to have a long career ahead of him. Sadly, things just didn’t pan out for him this in WWE, but you can never say never about someone coming back.
What’s your take on WWE not re-signing Bobby Stevenson? Did it surprise you to see them decide to let him go? Let us know what you think in the comments section!
