Killian Dain On His WWE Release: I'm Leaving A Much Better Talent Than When I Started

Killian Dain is leaving WWE with a positive outlook and knows he’s a better talent now than when he started.

Killian Dain was a guest on the Ringside Rant podcast and talked about his WWE release on June 25. Dain had been featured regularly on NXT television in recent months, forming a babyface “odd couple” tag team with Drake Maverick. He explained that the past year has shown that plenty of things came as a surprise, but knows it’s the nature of the business and is leaving with an appreciation of his time.

“Honestly, I think we got ourselves into a situation over the last few years where nobody was really being released at all, and then this past year has been very different. COVID has thrown a massive spanner in the works of everybody, every professional league and business across the planet. Originally, we were kinda exempt for a little while, but it catches up and me personally,” Dain said. “you see the writing on the wall. Maybe a year ago when the first cuts were happening, I was thinking, ‘this is one of those situations, could a bunch of us go?’ I was very lucky that it didn’t happen then with how last year turned out.

“I’m actually incredibly grateful of the timing in one way, and very angry at the same time. Did I see it coming? No, not at all. We [were] actually featured on television quite a lot this last few months, the feud with Imperium and then the match with Alexander Wolfe, which we didn’t know at the time, was literally his last hurrah as well. There were a lot of things that you just didn’t see coming at all, but listen, this is a fickle industry, and it always has been. There will be periods where it will ebb and flow and we’ll be rockin’ and rolling, there will be other times where bad things happen, sadly,” he explained. “And sadly for myself and a few of the other guys—incredible talents, actually—we’ve been let go this time, and it’s part of the industry and always has been.

“There’s been plenty of guys before me that’s been incredible talent that got released, and me personally, I went through every range of emotion on the day. The funniest part is I was in the Performance Center when I got the phone call,” he noted, “so it was even worse because I was actually in the building going, ‘Ahh, OK… this is awkward.’”

Dain explained that he was on-site to do extra ring training at the open session makes available on Fridays, and said it was a good day to that point.

“Sadly, it didn’t end a good day, but I went through every range of emotion and to be honest, the weirdest part of it all is that initial ‘what if?’ and then it subsides really quickly,” Dain said, “because you get excited about what’s next. That’s the weirdest part of this week, you know?”

Later, Dain added that he’s leaving WWE in better shape than he arrived in, noting that he’s healthier and a better worker than before. He said it’s easy to be positive about everything he did, and can’t wait to see what’s next.

“I’m leaving in great shape. I’m probably about as healthy as I’ve been in six or seven years, and I’ve got five years of television experience, working with the likes of Shawn Michaels, Fit Finlay, William Regal, all of these guys I idolized as a child, as a teen and as a wrestler, all of these people that had been helping us when I was in NXT and on the main roster. So the reason that I’m quite positive is I’m definitely leaving a much better talent than when I started. I’m pretty excited to get out there again, almost like [I can] bring my knowledge wherever I go. It’s hard not to be optimistic because the world’s opening up again,” Dain noted, “and we’re in this position almost on the other side of COVID where it’ll be easier for people like me to get around the world. I still have a few things on the bucket list to do, this kinda gives me the kick up the arse that I need to make those things happen.”

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