Booker T wonders whether Patrick Clark, formerly known as Velveteen Dream, could return to wrestling.
Patrick Clark signed with WWE in 2015 after he competed on Tough Enough. He had a memorable run as Velveteen Dream, but the company released him in May 2021. His WWE run was derailed by controversy, as he had been accused of sexual misconduct by an underage fan. Clark had also been named during the Speaking Out movement. Since his released, Clark has been arrested multiple times for battery, trespassing, and possession of drug paraphernalia, battery, and trespassing.
Speaking on The Hall of Fame, Booker T responded to a viewer who commented that Velveteen Dream deserved a second chance. He noted that he talked to Patrick Clark a few months ago, as the former NXT star reached about about potentially trying to find a way back into the business.
“I talked to Patrick Clark about three months ago. He reached out to me, he was trying to figure maybe a way to get back into the business. I told him to give me a call, and I don’t know, something happened, I don’t know what happened, I hadn’t talked to him. But I was wondering that myself. I wonder if this kid could get back in the business. I knew Patrick Clark before he was on Tough Enough. I knew him…as a kid. Then when he got on Tough Enough, I was like, man, this kid has got so much talent. Then when he got to NXT and created that Velveteen Dream character and gimmick, I was like, man, this is money. This is gold. This thing could go a long time for years. It was a throwback like Macho Man Savage, something like that. It was kind of like a throwback gimmick that he made work. But I don’t know, man. I wonder if there’s a way back in the business for him. But I tell you, it’s gonna be hard. He’s gonna have to put it in a whole lot of work because one thing I said when I came home from prison, I said, I didn’t expect people to trust me. I said I gotta earn people’s trust. People are gonna look at me like I’m a criminal, and that’s the way they should look at me. It’s gonna be up to me to prove myself. So if I could tell Patrick Clark anything, don’t quit. Get out there and just earn it," Booker T said.
Booker T continued by emphasizing that Clark would have to earn his way back. He noted that spots weren't given out to everyone. The Hall of Famer stated that Clark would have to put in a lot of hard work and get someone to trust him. He noted that if Clark did find his way back in a general sense, it would be remarkable.
“Something like that, you gotta earn it. A spot is not something that, ‘Well, everybody should get.’ I really feel like, in certain situations, especially in a situation like he’s in right now, he’s gonna have to earn his way back, and it’s gonna take a lot of hard work. It’s gonna take getting someone to trust you. I’m not even talking about all the way back to the wrestling business. I’m just talking about in general. Brother was definitely going through some troubled times, so finding his way back, it would really be a remarkable thing," Booker T said.
Patrick Clark recently released a video in which he apologized to WWE, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels. More information is available here.
Fightful previously reported that WWE had to interest in bringing Velveteen Dream back, even before his legal troubles. More information is available here.
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