A new report details whether WWE was interested in bringing back Velveteen Dream prior to his multiple arrests in August.
Velveteen Dream, real name Patrick Clark, has been in the news again in recent weeks after he was arrested twice in late August on charges of battery, trespassing, and drug paraphernalia. He was also reportedly arrested back in 2021 for cocaine possession. He recently admitted to cocaine use in a response to EC3’s allegations that he’d secretly tried to film NXT wrestlers using the bathroom.
Unsurprisingly, in the wake of these troubling arrests, it was reported that Velveteen Dream would “never be back” in WWE. However, a new report reveals that even before his August arrests, the company had no interest in bringing him back for a number of reasons.
According to Fightful Select, the star had significant heat in the locker room by the time he stopped appearing on NXT television in 2020 before his release in May of 2021. They also report that separately from his heat in the locker room, one NXT coach said he’d become a “headache,” and he was talked to several times about unusual behavior in the WWE Performance Center.
Triple H attributed his disappearance from NXT television in mid-2020 to being involved in a car accident in June rather than having to do with any of the allegations against him regarding inappropriate sexual conduct with minors. Fightful Select then notes that as soon as an hour before his car accident, the star was on the list of names being discussed to be cut from the company. However, he remained with the company, returning to television in August.
Velveteen Dream was also accused of smashing a car window in December of 2019, an incident said to be captured on security footage by police. A warrant for his arrest was issued in this case, but ultimately recalled.
One source in WWE told Fightful Select that it would take a “miracle” for Velveteen Dream to return to WWE. That source also confirmed that despite Patrick Clark’s social media teases, there were no discussions to bring the star back to WWE after Triple H gained power in the company following Vince McMahon’s retirement.