Camron Grimes opens up after WWE release.
Camron Grimes was among the recent list of WWE releases, confirming the news with a tearful message on social media. Grimes was signed by WWE in 2019 and found success in NXT before being moved to WWE SmackDown in 2023.
Grimes was rarely used when moved to WWE SmackDown.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Grimes gave more insight into his release.
"That's really what I've been trying to wrap my head around. I got called up in August 2023, they wrote me off NXT to go up to the main roster. I wasn't drafted onto the main roster until 2024 when they did the draft. There was probably a good six to eight months when I was traveling to the main roster, waiting to make that transition. That's when there was a different person in charge. They kind of told me, 'We're waiting to get you started.' When the draft came around last year, that was their point of 'here is a good way to lead you in now because we didn't have a story for you the past couple of months.' I got drafted up, we had the match with Baron Corbin. In that moment with Corbin, he literally told me, 'Nothing in NXT matters now.' That was a quote that will always stick in my head. 'Nothing in NXT matters now. Up here, everything is new.' Two weeks later, NXT mattered. You saw guys being brought from NXT to our show. I was always told that they didn't have an idea for me at the moment. I pitched a bunch of ideas and a bunch of character ideas. I had a feeling the money thing just wasn't going to work there. They tried it with Corbin before I got there, with the JBL thing. I feel that was because of the success I had with the Cameron Grimes character in NXT, that's why they went with that storyline. To go back to Corbin, the first time I met him, he was like, 'Hey, I'm the guy that stole your gimmick.' Those are my two big quotes from Baron Corbin. Still a great guy, just things that stick in my head.
"Over the past few months, I had been going to writers and saying, 'I just want to work.' I would hear that I would maybe sound bitter. I don't understand that process or how I came off being bitter. I guess every week, when I ask to work, I guess it starts annoying people. I could see that. it was strange to me. The last time I was at TV, I had a pretty high executive tell me -- I was worried. Starting the stock market gimmick made me see business in a different light. Following these companies and playing with stocks, I would see things in a different light. I knew that I hadn't worked in over a year and I was making a decent salary. I knew that if someone was to look at the books, I was going to be the first person cut, if you're looking at it strictly money-wise. If you're looking at 'this is a talent that can do something for us,' they're going to keep me. I was told by a high executive on Friday that I would always have a job here. I would never have to worry about losing my job, after expressing my concerns. Five days later, they called and told me I did lose my job."
Grimes wrestled on the April 12 episode of WWE SmackDown, losing quickly to Bron Breakker.
Fightful Select has more details regarding his release.
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