Drake Maverick was given a new WWE contract on last night’s episode of NXT . The superstar was announced as one of the many employees who were released from the company on April 15, but his performances in recent weeks encouraged WWE management to change its mind, according to Triple H.
As quoted by Fightful , Triple H opened up about the matter during a media call ahead of this Sunday’s NXT Takeover: In Your House pay-per-view. According to “The Game,” Maverick was given the option of continuing in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship tournament — which he reached the finals of — after being told he was being let go. Maverick then used the platform to prove his worth to the company.
“As we said when the release happened, it wasn’t like he was involved in anything, it just happened. But through the process of this tournament, he captured people’s hearts and imaginations. He earned that spot. It was already out there, in the biggest way possible. You either ignore it or turn it into something, so we turned it into something based off him and his performances. I’m personally thrilled for him that he can continue to do what he loves and dreams about doing. I’m thrilled we were able to get where we did.”
Maverick’s emotional journey back into WWE’s good graces has turned him into a huge fan-favorite. He’s arguably more popular at this moment than he’s ever been, and his recent push could be the start of bigger and better things for the underdog superstar.
As The Inquisitr reported earlier, Maverick’s new deal doesn’t pay as much as his previous one. WWE has been cutting costs during the coronavirus pandemic, and the company reportedly isn’t giving any employees pay rises for the foreseeable future.
There have also been reports of the company reaching out to other released superstars about returning for less money than they were on before, but Maverick is the only confirmed superstar to have signed on the dotted line at the time of this writing.
Not everyone was happy to see Maverick’s redemption story come to fruition, though. As the Fightful report documents, Lio Rush — who was one of the many superstars released in April — took to social media after the show and claimed that the entire situation was a worked shoot.
While Rush also stated that he’s happy to see any superstar get their job back, he also believes that other released performers might find it traumatic to watch.
