Every WWE Release Of 2021 - Where Are They Now? (Five Years Later)

12. Drake Maverick

Then: No-one who witnessed it will ever forget poor Drake Maverick's teary address following his original WWE release in April 2020. The world was in complete meltdown and shock due to the ongoing COVID scare, and now guys like Maverick had to face the death of a professional dream on top of that. It hurt to watch.

WWE did bring him back in and turned his emotions into a storyline on NXT, but they'd eventually release Drake all over again (following his work in the 24/7 Title division and as a manager) in November 2021.

Now: Technically, the former Rockstar Spud's last match inside a wrestling ring was a 24/7 Title win over Reggie on the 8 November 2021 episode of Raw. It lasted less than 90 seconds, and it's fair to say that Drake's entire flirtation with the R-Truth dominated title probably slipped your minds until reading this.

By February 2022, Maverick had returned to the company for a third run. This time, he'd assume a role behind the curtain as a member of the creative team. That's where he's been ever since. It's a neat fit for the former TNA and UK independent scene favourite.

Ask anyone who has spoken to Drake and you'll hear how passionate he is about wrestling. The man is also incredibly polite and humble, so it's nice that he's doing so well in such an important role for WWE. Maverick has bags of personality and was never afraid to make a fool of himself on camera, so he likely adds some levity to creative brainstorming sessions.