– During this week’s WWE NXT Heatwave media conference call, NXT executive producer Shawn Michaels was asked about the recent WWE departures of Drew Gulak and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. According to Michaels, it was due to their contracts being up. Below are some highlights (via Fightful):
Shawn Michaels on the exits of Gable Steveson and Drew Gulak: “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.”
On Gable Steveson’s talent: “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.”
Gable Steveson was released by WWE earlier in May.
