John Cena Pays Tribute To "Gifted" Released WWE Wrestler

The 16-time WWE Champion praises the "powerful message" posted by this now ex-WWE star.

by Andy H Murray
John Cena
WWE.com

John Cena has thrown praise at Drake Maverick following the latter's WWE release, responding to a new video put out by the former NXT wrestler soon after the news broke.

Maverick was amongst the eight wrestlers let go in WWE's latest round of cuts, joining the likes of Hit Row, John Morrison, and Tegan Nox to bring the promotion's list of releases up to 79 in 2021. He quickly released the video below, calling back to the teary-eyed clip he uploaded when he was originally released by WWE in April 2020:-

Cena was amongst the big-time wrestling names to respond to Maverick:-

WWE ended up turning Maverick's 2020 release into an NXT storyline following the massive online response to his original video. The Englishman then "earned" a new contract through participation in the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Title tournament, with Triple H ceremonially offering him a deal on television towards the end.

See below for more on this latest batch of WWE releases:-

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.