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WWE has released another set of wrestlers from its talent pool and the list of wrestlers who have been let go includes Drew Gulak. The NXT Superstar was one of the most relevant names on the developmental brand and the leader of the No Quarter Catch Crew. However, his WWE contract, and those of several other developmental superstars, are now terminated.
WWE announced the departure of these wrestlers seemingly owing to budget cuts and the lack of involvement of these superstars in upcoming storylines. While the list included several inactive names, the case of Drew Gulak is a little bit different, especially after the recent controversy where Ronda Rousey made a statement about his alleged improper backstage conduct.
The 37-year-old had eight 24/7 Championship wins to his name along with a one-time Cruiserweight Championship run. Drew Gulak hopped on board with WWE in May 2016, having signed up as a developmental cruiserweight talent. However, his work impressed fans and management, resulting in a main roster debut on WWE RAW within just four months in September 2016.
Despite working with several popular names on the main roster, like Daniel Bryan, Drew Gulak didn’t quite blow up as WWE expected. This resulted in him returning to NXT in December 2022. The year, however, carried another bad turn for him, as this was the time when Ronda Rousey alleged that Gulak engaged in improper conduct with her.
The former UFC and WWE Women’s Champion came forward with the story on April 3, 2024. Following this, Drew Gulak came up with a post on X giving validation to Rousey’s story. However, he maintained that the incident was accidental and he apologized to her immediately after.
“Backstage at a WWE event in 2022, I saw Ronda talking with a group in the hallway. I stopped to say hi and shake all their hands, and in an attempt to shake her hand, I accidentally touched her drawstring. Complete accident, and one that I had apologized to her for the mishap.”
The damage, however, seems to have been done by this point and WWE indirectly started distancing itself from Drew Gulak, evidenced by the fact he was written out of a current storyline on NXT.
How was Drew Gulak written out of WWE?
Gulak was a regularly appearing wrestler on WWE NXT, showing up and fighting almost every week. He last featured in a match on March 19, 2024, where he defended the NXT Heritage Cup against Riley Osborne of Chase University. This indicated that WWE had plans for the nine-time champion in its upcoming storylines on NXT. However, Rousey calling him out in early April ostensibly changed things. However, many fans were furious at Rousey for this.
Gulak didn’t make any more appearances on WWE TV after this. Charlie Dempsey started to take more of a leadership role for the No Quarter Catch Crew, slowly eliminating Gulak's role in the stable. WWE made a brief on-screen acknowledgement of writing Gulak off the show before his eventual release today.
