7 months ago
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Eric Young had a solid run in NXT during his first run in the company, but that was irrelevant after he was called up to the main roster. After a break of a few years, he came back to WWE in 2022 but didn’t even appear on television. Young then returned to TNA and it appears WWE made him sign an NDA before granting his release.
It was previously reported that WWE signed Eric Young to a new contract in November 2022, but he never debuted again. He was working backstage but never managed to do much.
After Vince McMahon returned to WWE last year, Young wanted nothing to do with WWE and work under him. Therefore, he parted ways with the company after requesting his release and waiting until his 90-day non-compete clause expired.
In an interview with the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, Young discussed his experience signing a four-year contract in 2022 but ultimately not being utilized. He shared that he never left his home during this period, and due to the non-disclosure agreement he signed, he could not reveal specific details or names. He expressed uncertainty about the ironclad nature of the NDA, stating it may depend on whether the matter becomes federal.
Young explained that he spoke with Triple H, who rehired him and wanted him back. However, another individual also returned, prompting Young to refuse to work with or be around them. This decision was based on professional, personal, and moral reasons. Young expressed gratitude for the opportunity to make this choice, recognizing that many others may not have the same luxury.
“I actually never left my house. I mean, the whole story’s wild. Again, I had to sign an NDA, and I’m not allowed to say names… (Host asked if Young’s NDA is as ironclad as Janel Grant’s NDA) I don’t know. It depends if it goes federal or not. I mean, I might be able to say everything here within a few months but, the truth is, I don’t need to talk badly on it. It is what it is and I talked to Hunter [Triple H] and he hired me back and wanted me back there and I was and another person came back and I won’t work for that person, I won’t be around that person and I said that when I left there the first time when I got fired and I meant it and you know, for me, there was tons of professional reasons. But mostly, it’s a personal and moral decision.
I don’t have to be there. I have a very good life outside of there and there’s no doubt, it’s the pinnacle of sports entertainment. We just saw this weekend. I mean, I don’t know if it could be more perfect, to be honest. It’s the big fish in the pond and no one will say that, I will never change my mind on it. That was my goal. I went there and I had a bunch of cool things. I was hired back there to do something very cool and it just didn’t work out and in the end, I was gonna be forced to compromise who I am as a person and as a man and I’m not willing to do that and it’s not lost on me that I was able to make that choice because a lot of people aren’t gonna get that choice. You’re gonna make decisions and you’re gonna be forced to do what you gotta do. If this was 10 or 15 years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to make that choice.”
Reflecting on the situation, Young acknowledged that the person he refused to work with is no longer present, but he remains uninterested in returning. He believes in his current pursuits and values them more than anything else at this point in his life. Despite his choice, he maintained respect for Triple H and the majority of the people working there, especially those in the ring. Young emphasized that his decision was not about leadership or making a point but about staying true to himself and keeping the promise he made to himself.
”In the end, I guess you can say joke’s on me, because that person is not around anymore… I can give you 1,000 percent guarantee, (if) I wanted to work there, I could. It’s just at this point in my life, I’m just not interested. I believe in what I’m doing and that’s worth more than almost anything to me right now and it has nothing to do with disparaging anything that goes on there. I still talk to Hunter (to) this day. We’re still buddies. I still have utmost respect for him and 95 percent of the people that work there, and especially the people that make that show go and that’s the people in the ring and if that’s what you wanna do and that’s your decision then that’s your decision. It was never about being a leadership or proving a point or anything like that. I think some people took it that way and some people went, ‘Man, it’s really cool.’ In the end, it was a selfish reason, because I couldn’t live with myself. It’s just as simple as that. I made a promise to myself and I kept it. So, that was that.”
Vince McMahon is no longer part of WWE as he was ousted following his sexual trafficking allegations earlier this year. Nevertheless, Eric Young is more than happy working in TNA Wrestling right now and that is all that matters.
Do you feel Eric Young should have remained with WWE in the end? Let us know in the comments section below!
