JD Drake recalls standing up for himself during a WWE tryout.
JD Drake was a part of the first-ever EVOLVE show on WWE Network. During the early days of the EVOLE-NXT relationship, Drake worked with names like Matt Riddle, Gunther, The Street Profits, and more. unlike many of the names that he wrestled, Drake never signed with WWE, now he's opening up about the issues with his knee that WWE credits as the reason they decided not to give him a contract. However, Drake is also reflecting on standing up for himself during his tryout.
“There was one reason. They said my knee was not good enough,” Drake tells MuscleManMalcolm. “They said I had trouble in my left knee When I didn't have an ACL in my left knee, and they were right, I don't, I'll be 100% clear, I don't have an ACL on my left knee. I haven't had [ACL] in my left knee like 8-10 years. I tore it in my second year in wrestling, I had it fixed, and it deteriorated. Go back and watch my work and tell me that you can tell that my knee is blown. Go back and watch my work in EVOLVE and tell me you can tell when I'm wrestling.
“That was literally what was said to me,” he continues. “When I went for a tryout. They walked in and said, ‘We can’t invest in damaged goods. Your knee is not good enough to compete.’ I named off six wrestlers that were there that literally either didn't have a knee or wear multiple knee braces, have had surgery multiple times, or when they were signed, they knew good and well that they had problems with their knees. You've got a world-class rehab center, inside your Performance Center. So if they wanted me bad enough, it would have been okay. But I get it. I wasn't what you — I wasn't what you think of when you think of a WWE talent and they already have Kevin Owens.”
Furthermore, JD Drake said if it was all a matter of him not wrestling for WWE, that would be okay. He would be willing to work in any capacity within WWE whether it be as a coach, doing commentary, or producing.
“I told him I could coach, I can produce, I can train, I can do promos, I can ring announce, I can do commentary. There are a million jobs inside wrestling that I can do. I look at the fella that was running the tryout and told him this. He said, ‘I like your passion. I like your heart. Stick around for the tryout, be hands-on, and let's see what we can figure out, and I did. There were talks and they wanted to bring me in as a coach. That didn't happen. They also said I needed anger management training because I went off from the guy running the tryout. I basically gave him the business without cussing him once,” he said. “They told me, 'Go get an MRI, get your knee checked out, get cleared by your doctor and send us the results.' My doctor literally tells me, ‘Well you've got arthritis built up in the knee that doesn't have an ACL. So there's stiffness there. I'm releasing you to do whatever you want to do. I've seen you wrestle, you look fine.’ Cool. So I set them the release. They said, 'Send us the MRI results. Our doctors are a little more strict.' I said, 'got it.'
"The next email I sent was to AEW," he carried on. "I sent my email to them and they got back to me February 15 or whatever Valentine's Day was. They said, ‘Can you be at Dark? I said, ‘Sure! When?’ They said ‘Wednesday.’ I was like, ‘Oh, God. Oh, yes.’ I showed up, Eddie Kingston sees me there, and he tells Tony, ‘I'm wrestling him on Dark tonight.’ The rest is history.”
JD Drake continues to work for All Elite Wrestling to this day. As for his opponent on that first EVOLVE show on WWE Network, Austin Theory, he has his sights set on John Cena. Learn more here.
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