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Several Stories Emerge Following Drake Wuertz WWE Release
NXT referee Drake Wuertz was reportedly released from the company earlier today, along with various other members of the NXT roster.
Wuertz was suspended by WWE and had his duties reduced back in March after a video of him speaking out against mask mandates at a County Board of Commissioners whilst wearing his NXT uniform gained attention online.
Following his firing from the company, Fightful Select (subscription required) has spoken to several members of the NXT roster to gain their opinions on the situation.
It was noted that multiple names from the Capitol Wrestling Center had mentioned how Wuertz has had ‘nuclear heat brought on my himself’ for almost a year, with several instances of WWE having to warn him about attending events unmasked. It was also noted that Wuertz had attempted to position himself for specific roles in WWE, with him even willing to put heat on his co-workers to get there. Many also mentioned how they didn’t feel comfortable being around the referee, as he was known to criticize wrestlers for getting vaccinated.
Fightful noted an instance where EJ Nduka, who was also released by WWE earlier today, almost felt the need to ‘get physical’ with the referee, with situations of talent, specifically people of color, having to speak to NXT management.
Amid the Black Lives Matter movement last year, it was noted that Triple H had given a speech stating how people of all races, genders, and religions were welcomed, however, once Wuertz heard HHH mention ‘religions’, the referee had packed his bags and left aggressively.