34-year-old star breaks silence after getting released by WWE

Former WWE NXT Tag Team Champion Duke Hudson was reportedly released by the Stamford-based company in January 2025. The Australian professional wrestler recently took to X (FKA Twitter) and posted a video in which he was seen interviewing himself.

Hudson signed with the Sports Entertainment juggernaut in 2019. He appeared on the main roster under his real name, Brendan Vink. Hudson's best work in the company was when he was a part of the Chase U faction in NXT. His last match on WWE TV took place on the September 10, 2024, edition of the developmental brand. The 34-year-old lost to Ridge Holland in a singles match. The group was disbanded in November 2024 after Andre Chase lost to Holland in a match that had Chase U's future on the line.

Duke Hudson recently shared a video on X in which he was seen interviewing himself. The video was titled "Wrestling with Identity." The Australian was seen wearing a black jacket and interviewing a different version of himself wearing white.

The Adelaide-born star talked to himself about his time in the company and the other Australian WWE Superstars, who either started at the same time as him or grew up watching him. At the end of the video, Hudson said that ''we'll be right back!''

"Well, you and Bronny [Bronson Reed], for example, I mean, you started at the same time; you came up in Australia together. Now he's dropping off the top of cages at Survivor Series, and you're being written off TV. Rhea, for example; she's a megastar. She grew up watching you wrestle in Australia. You love telling people that story." [0:37-0:59]

---

Potential reason why WWE released Duke Hudson

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer stated that WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H makes the decision regarding roster cuts and that The Game didn't see Duke Hudson ''as a main roster guy.''

“At some point when you’re 34, and you don’t see him as a main roster guy, and he’d been there for six years, it’s kind of like that’s the way it works,” Dave said.

Many superstars in the past have achieved success following their release from the Stamford-based company. It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for Duke Hudson.