Eric Young refused to work for Vince McMahon.
After being written off of TNA TV in late 2022, many fans suspected that Eric Young was making his way back to WWE. Despite signing a deal with the company in November of that year, Young never made his on-screen return to WWE, as he requested his release in 2023 after Vince McMahon forced his way back into the promotion. Young would go on to return to TNA in July 2023.
While speaking to Chris Van Vliet for a new interview, Young talked about how he didn't want to work for a person like McMahon and that he was pretty convinced that he knew what type of person he was.
“I was employed by them for I think eight or nine months. Some people know, but I think the majority of the world, they don’t understand because I never showed up on TV. The truth is, I never left my house. I was proposed a gimmick to work there with two guys and was super excited about it and that didn’t happen and one of them was Bray. Then Bray passed away, which sucked and was unfair in every way possible. So then I pitched some new ideas and then the person I worked for before forced his way back in and I just kind of said, there’s a lot of reasons why I didn’t want to work there at that point, but the number one reason was that I don’t work to want for a person like that. This is long before all the other stuff had come out but I was pretty convinced I knew who he was and how he was. Professionally one, but more importantly for me mortally, I just can’t work for a human being like that. I asked for my release and was granted it. I’m not saying any of the stuff because I had to sign an NDA.”
After chatting briefly about plans with him, Bray Wyatt, and Bo Dallas, Young continued on and said that he's proud of himself for sticking to his beliefs.
"I was obviously very excited [to work with Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas], then all of the stuff happened with the sale and stuff and all of the sudden, I wasn’t working for the person that hired me and I wasn’t willing to do that. I don’t regret it, not at all. It’s not lost on me that I was able to walk away from money like that, stability like that because of what I believe, beliefs of the kind of human being that I am. Ten years ago, I don’t know if I would’ve been able to make that choice financially, personally, and certainly not professionally. I’m in a position where, I’ll be fine, I’ll figure it out. I hadn’t even talked to Scott or TNA at the time, we had zero conversations about it, I just knew I wasn’t gonna work for the WWE anymore. The truth is, it was 100% my choice. I think there will be a lot of people that think that’s stupid, a lot of people that won’t make that choice, but I think for me and my career, it’s one of the proudest things I’ve ever done to be honest.”
Learn more about the plan to make a trio of Young, Wyatt, and Dallas by clicking here.
TNA will air a 'Best Of Bound For Glory' special on Thursday's edition of TNA iMPACT. Learn more here.
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