Released WWE star says he was let go due to a "backstage political power play"

A released WWE star has now opened up about his exit from the company.

Rick Boogs aka Eric Bugenhagen wasn't seen on WWE TV since participating in a battle royale at SummerSlam 2023. He was one of several names who were let go shortly after World Wrestling Entertainment merged with the UFC to form TKO Group Holdings.

Rick Boogs has now shared a video on his official YouTube channel. During the first few moments of the clip, Boogs says the following:

"All right fellas, we're back and let me tell you... it's been an interesting time in my life with my job in WWE being terminated due to a backstage political power play. At least that's my opinion of it, but now is not the time to talk about that. I will get into detail about that when the time is right, but as of right now." [From 00:00 to 00:20]

Check out the entire video below:

Vince McMahon praised the ex-WWE star during a Performance Center tapings in 2020

Back in 2020, the weekly shows were being taped at the Performance Center amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A year later, Rick Boogs spoke with GiveMeSport's Louis Dangoor and revealed that Vince McMahon seemed impressed with him back then:

“So I was like screaming my head off and going crazy. Higher ups are like ‘We’ve got to just tone it down a little bit. Take it back a notch…’ I heard that like Vince (McMahon) was like ‘Nah don’t, just let him just be himself’. I got a lot of people, especially like when I got called up and I was in the locker room with everyone on the regular, they all expressed how much they appreciated the high energy.” [H/T GiveMeSport]

Check out the video below:

At 35 years old, Rick Boogs still has a lot left in the tank. He oozed charisma whenever he was given an opportunity to showcase his talent on TV. His fans would love to see him get picked up by a major promotion in the near future.

Were you upset with Boogs' release? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Please credit Boogs' YouTube channel and give a H/T to Sportskeeda if you use Boogs' quotes.