Eric Young is free and clear of being under contract with WWE.
A new report from Fightful (via Fightful Select) claims Eric Young asked for and was granted his release in April 2023. Furthermore, Young’s 90-day no-compete clause only expired last week. Young had just re-signed with WWE in November 2022. It’s now being said he asked to be released once Vince McMahon returned as part of the deal with Endeavor.
WWE sources told Fightful that Eric Young didn’t want to work with Vince McMahon and asked to be released when it was evident that McMahon was working in WWE in an official capacity again. Those sources said Young cited “moral, creative and personal reasons” for not wanting to work with McMahon again. WWE reportedly had some creative plans for Young after WWE, but exact details were not revealed.
Young is believed to be in Windsor, Ontario, Canada for Saturday’s Slammiversary pay-per-view. Young has been rumored as the mystery partner of Scott D’Amore for a tag team match on the show since Thursday. D’Amore teased bringing someone “back from the dead” to help him.
Update: Eric Young returned to IMPACT Wrestling at Slammiversary as the mystery partner of Scott D’Amore for his tag team match against Bully Ray and Cody Deaner.
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This is Eric Young’s third run with IMPACT. He worked for the company from 2004 to 2016, but left and signed with WWE for a first time. WWE cut Young in April 2020 due to COVID-19 budget cuts. He returned to IMPACT at Slammiversary that June. He worked for IMPACT until December 2022, when his character was storyline killed off by Cody Deaner and The Design.
At the time of his first release from WWE, Young voiced his issues with McMahon, explaining why he believed McMahon failed as a leader.
“If you have a three hour television show, pro wrestling show, and you can’t find something for me to do, then you’re failing as a leader,” Eric Young told Chris Van Vliet. “Plain and simple. You failed your company, you failed the shareholders, you failed the fans and you failed yourself. The reason I wasn’t on the show was his choice, no one else’s. I would tell him to his face, you failed as a leader.”
