Eric Young has been a solid workhorse for both WWE and TNA over the years. With his rough and ready outdoors persona, he can fit into a wide range of roles, playing both heel and face, as well as working stables and tag teams. Now in TNA, with the sands shifting at WWE, could it be time for a return?
Young’s Previous WWE Tenure
Young first appeared in WWE under the NXT brand, in 2016. After a brief solo stint in which he enjoyed a rivalry with Samoa Joe, he returned with a new stable known as Sanity. This included Nikki Cross, Sawyer Fulton, and Alexander Wolfe. As far as NXT stables go, they were one of the more memorable and had a string of great matches between them. By 2018 they had graduated to Smackdown. However, many believe their tenure here was overshadowed by a roster that was filled with other stables.
This led to a departure after a short stint on RAW, mainly due to budget cuts. It was then reported he had resigned in 2022 but never appeared on television, and left by request. This was reportedly because he refused to work with Vince McMahon.
Young’s Other Careers
Young also has a couple other strings to his bow outside the ring. Where once this would have seemed like a hindrance, there are now plenty of wrestlers who balance a career in the squared circle with one in the mainstream, with YouTubers like Logan Paul and KSI being the most obvious of these.
Elsewhere on TV, Young is well known for having presented shows like 'No Limits' and 'Off the Hook: Extreme Catches' for the Animal Planet channel. Many of the latter show's episodes even had wrestling-themed punny titles, such as "Amberjacked Up" and "Sailfish Smackdown", emphasising the unusual amalgamation of pastimes.
Perhaps Young was something of a trendsetter, however, for more recently we've seen other weird and wonderful crossovers with fishing like Fishing Frenzy, an amusing mix of angling and casino slots. Drawing heavily from the popular iconography of fishing in a manner not unlike Animal Planet's cheeky wordplay, this game features welcome bonuses that let people try the game out without risking their bankroll. It seems then that fishing has managed to reach not only Eric Young's fans, but fans of slots - and, who knows what else?
In the near-future, it would not be unusual for Young to foster a further creative pairing with Animal Planet, particularly as he has done other shows with the channel since.
Is The Time Right?
With Vince McMahon gone, it seems like the time could be right for an Eric Young return. He was never sacked from the company and only had his contract canceled the first time because of budget cuts. Added to this is that he is a consummate worker, as shown by how WWE was so eager to have him back last time.
Finally, there has been a lot of crossover as of late regarding TNA and WWE wrestlers. Joe Hendry, the TNA World Champion, participated in the 2025 Royal Rumble match while under contract for the brand. With a new partnership formed between the two companies, Young could be back in WWE and TNA at the same time under this umbrella. There really does not need to be any exclusivity anymore. We may even see the return of Sanity.
