Sean Sapp recently noted behind Fightful’s paywall that Eric Young has officially left WWE. That means he is a free agent, so he might show up in AEW, or even Impact Wrestling, which is more likely.
“There’s been much speculation about Eric Young’s status, and some of it is coming a lot clearer.”
Young is rumored to appear at IMPACT Slammiversary, but had been under WWE contract since last year after leaving IMPACT. Last fall, he was approached by Triple H about returning to WWE in an in-ring only capacity, and signed with the company at the start of November 2022. However, he would ask for his release just a few months later.
Fightful Select has confirmed that Young asked for his release in April 2023, was granted it and finished out his 90-day no-compete clause just last week. We’re told by WWE sources that this request for release was right after the announcement of Endeavor’s deal with WWE, and this wasn’t a coincidence – Eric Young didn’t want to work with Vince McMahon after the Endeavor deal was announced and it was evident McMahon was back in the fold in an official capacity.
WWE sources confirmed to Fightful that Young had cited moral, creative and personal reasons as why he didn’t want to work with Vince McMahon. So far he’s the only talent we’ve confirmed asked for his release due to McMahon’s return. There were some creative plans for Eric Young scheduled for after WrestleMania that we’ve also learned about that we’re working to confirm.
D’Amore had dropped hints at the return of a significant figure from his past, who would be teaming up with him for the Slammiversary pay-per-view event. It was indeed Eric Young. Their opponents will be Bully Ray and Deaner, and former NHL star Darren McCarthy (formerly of the Detroit Red Wings and Calgary Flames) served as the special enforcer. Young and D’Amore picked up the win at the event.
