UPDATED: Triple H Released Duke Hudson As He Didn't See Him As A Main Roster Guy (WWE News)

Australian star Duke Hudson gone from WWE/NXT for real following on-screen end of Chase U storyline

Duke Hudson

UPDATED (4 Feb 2025 - 1:55PM GMT): Per Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque made the call to release Duke Hudson as he "didn't see [him] as a main roster guy."

Duke Hudson is gone from WWE.

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This is per Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp, who noted that he's been released and that "the move actually happened in January". As of writing, WWE has not commented publicly on Hudson’s release.

Hudson had won gold on NXT, becoming Tag Team Champions as part of cult favourite stable Chase University under Andre Chase, but hadn't been seen on television since Chase lost a match to Ridge Holland in November 2024 that ostensibly brought about the end of the fictional academic institution.

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Hudson (real name Brendan Vink) first signed with WWE in 2019 and competed in various roles throughout his tenure. He initially gained attention during the pandemic era as part of a barren WWE Raw roster before transitioning fully to NXT. Over the past few years, he was involved in multiple storylines, most notably as a member of Chase University alongside Chase and Thea Hail.

Hudson’s departure comes as another shift in the ever-evolving landscape of WWE’s developmental system. The market leader has recently kicked off a partnership with Total Non-Stop Action, and has confirmed that "ID" prospects will work their new co-branded Evovle shows.

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That's not to say he couldn't sign for TNA following a WWE release. It remains to be seen where he'll land in the wrestling world, but audiences that have enjoyed his work on NXT will undoubtedly keep a close eye on his next move.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett