Shawn Michaels addressed Drew Gulak and Gable Steveson no longer being part of WWE.
On May 3rd, it was reported that Drew Gulak was among a number of NXT stars being released from their contracts. Triple H later clarified that Gulak was not being released, and that his contract was instead not being renewed when it expired. Gulak’s departure comes after Ronda Rousey accused the star of inappropriate conduct backstage.
The next day, news broke that Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was also leaving WWE as he had been released from his contract. Despite much fanfare when he signed an NIL deal with WWE in 2021, Gable Steveson only had one televised match in the company, taking on Baron Corbin at the 2023 edition of NXT Great American Bash. He’s competed on a number of NXT live events and in a handful of dark matches since that time, but wasn’t seen in the company after his dark match against Cedric Alexander on February 9th.
“Nothing On Anyone’s Part Other Than Contracts Being Up” – Shawn Michaels
Speaking in a media call ahead of NXT Heatwave, Shawn Michaels was asked about the departures of Steveson and Gulak, and he said their leaving WWE has nothing to do with allegations of misconduct and rather the company not having a place for them on the main roster.
“From my understanding, nothing on anyone’s part other than contracts being up. Certainly, in the place of Drew Gulak. From a company standpoint, there not being anything from a main roster standpoint that they were going to be using him in. In NXT, over the last year and a half to two years, we’ve been trying to get into the process of keeping it fluid. It’s all about getting to the main roster when everything is said and done. In two or three years, if that doesn’t happen, we bring other people in or see if we’re ready to move on.
As far as Gable is concerned, he’s an incredibly talented guy. It’s amazing some of the things he can do. He’s a dude who lands on his feet. I wish him luck (in the NFL), and excited to see how that works out. At NXT, we use people to the best of their ability, but from a main roster standpoint, if they feel there is not a place for them, and their contracts are up, from a business standpoint, they choose to move on.”
In recent news, Shawn Michaels spoke about how WWE blurs the lines between reality and fiction.
h/t Fightful