A now-former NXT star has broken their silence after they were surprisingly released by WWE for what was reported as a “policy issue.”
Troy ‘Two Dimes’ Donovan became the latest star to depart WWE after news broke of his release from the company on June 11th. As part of the NXT 2.0 roster, Donovan had been aligned with The Don of NXT, Tony D’Angelo and ‘Stacks’ Channing Lorenzo.
However, Donovan’s release reportedly has nothing to do with budget concerns which have led WWE to shed dozens and dozens of its stars and behind-the-scenes staff over the past two years.
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer has sought to shine a light on what caused Donovan’s release, saying:
“Troy ‘Two Dimes’ Donovan of the D’Angelo family was let go yesterday [June 11]. This wasn’t a budget or creative decision, but a policy issue and he was told he may be brought back in a year.”
Now Troy Donovan himself has given his first public comment on the situation regarding his firing, taking to social media to say:
“Thank you to everyone who’s reached out. Mistakes happen and lessons are learned. A bump in the road doesn’t define me though. I’ll be back”
Thank you to everyone who’s reached out. Mistakes happen and lessons are learned. A bump in the road doesn’t define me though. I’ll be back 🐺
— Cole Karter (@realcolekarter) June 13, 2022
Under his pre-WWE name of Cole Karter, Donovan competed on a handful of occasions in 2021 for AEW, sharing the ring with WWE legend Paul Wight as well as AEW stars such as Death Triangle, Lance Archer, and The Factory.