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After their contract with WWE expired, James Drake and Zack Gibson, also known as the Grizzled Young Vets, moved on to showcase their in-ring skills in independent wrestling and also made appearances in TNA Wrestling. The duo have been traveling around the world, competing in promotions like House Of Glory, Pro Wrestling REVOLVER, and PROGRESS Wrestling. Recently, they provided an update on their current contract in the business.
In a recent interview with Fightful, Drake and Gibson shared their plans moving forward. During the conversation, the team was asked about their current contract status with TNA. Despite making multiple appearances in TNA, Gibson to clarified that they haven’t signed an exclusive contract with any business yet.
“Changes backstage is something that we’ve got very used to [laughs] in the last 24 months. Maybe it’s us. Maybe we show up and that’s what happens. We are still current independent. We have not signed exclusively with anyone just yet, but that’s not to say that that’s how things will remain. We just wanted to stay independent just for a little while, just because of what we’d just been doing. We’re enjoying exploring, we’re enjoying casting the net out and exploring our options. If we get a good enough offer from somewhere, we’re gonna hear it, and we’re gonna seriously consider it. So that’s more or less where we’re at right now.“
Gibson explained their decision to stay independent for the time being, stating their enjoyment in exploring various options and casting their net wide. While they have not committed to any promotion yet, they are willing to consider any lucrative offers they might receive.
Drake shared the same sentiments as Gibson’s, highlighting their departure from WWE on their own terms and the importance of making informed decisions about their future. He described their experience competing the independent circuit in America as being similar to starting fresh again.
James Drake: “Yeah, definitely. Just to kind of echo what Zack’s saying, we decided to leave WWE on our own terms, and that wasn’t something overnight. That was something we were thinking about for a long time, and it is a big decision, so we don’t want to just hop from one thing to another without really thinking about what we want to do. It sounds so surreal and I don’t know, I guess cliche, but it feels as though out here in America, with the independent circuit, we’re kind of starting again on the independent circuit. We go back and forth to the UK, we do RevPro, PROGRESS Wrestling, and we’ve done a few others that we did while we were growing up in wrestling, and that’s still home to us, but now we’re green-card-holders. We live in America, we have our wives, we have families out here, and it’s just so much bigger. You hear this, and you kind of go, ‘Okay, whatever.’ But once you get your feet on the ground and you start going for it, you’re looking at the east to west coast, and you’re looking at all the things in between, and it’s just such a big, big scene, and I’m thoroughly enjoying it right now. I’m enjoying seeing different climates of wrestling fans as well, what works in a certain place, what wouldn’t work in another place. Also, hidden gems as well, certain talent that you’ve never heard of because they’re not really talent on social media, but wow, there’s some real hidden gems out there.“
Meanwhile, The Grizzled Young Veterans will face ABC (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) for the TNA World Tag Team Championships at the upcoming No Surrender event, adding another chapter to their wrestling career. Fans are eagerly awaiting for this action packed match-up.
Where do you think The Grizzled Young Veterans will move next? Let us know in the comments!
February 23, 2024 1:45 pm
