EJ Nduka opens up about his WWE departure.
EJ Nduka had a brief run in WWE; he had a tryout in 2018 after his football career and his impressive performances as an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder. Nduka had another tryout in 2019, and then signed with WWE in August that year. He started training at the WWE Performance Center, and he was renamed Ezra Judge. WWE then released Nduka in a wave of cuts in September 2021.
Years later, Nduka has landed in AEW and ROH following a successful run in MLW. He took to Twitter to respond to Swerve Strickland’s comments about how WWE reportedly felt that his AEW contract was overpriced. Nduka wrote that the “other side refused to give us opportunities, and now look, the cream always rises to the top.”
Nduka continued with a series of posts. He noted that he was the first one to the ring every day and the last to leave during his time in WWE. Nduka wrote that he “tried to ask for help” but didn’t get any. He then said that, “They pulled the rug from underneath my family and I and many other wrestlers cause he wanted to spend that money on hush money. As far as I am concerned yall can eat glass.”
Nduka was seemingly referring to Vince McMahon and the alleged hush money payments that first became public when the Wall Street Journal reported them and allegations of sexual misconduct in 2022.
EJ Nduka: They Tried To Pay Me Off
EJ Nduka continued by noting that he had receipts, as he claimed that “they even tried to pay me off and prevent me from coming to AEW for a whole year. They said, ‘Certain people don’t like admitting when they make a mistake.’
Nduka then wrote that he was forever grateful to AEW and ROH, and he said they were doing great things. He also wrote that he would rather work for a boss who is genuinely excited for your future and development, rather than “one who ignores you or buries you for trying to be different.”
He also said that his son was not even three months old when he got released, and he was never given a reason why. Nduka stated that he was told, “This was the toughest firing we ever had to do.” He said that his family had nothing, and it was in the middle of a pandemic. Nduka also noted that he almost quit, but his wife and several top guys advised him not to.
Nduka reiterated that he was grateful to Tony Khan for giving his family and him another opportunity.
EJ Nduka: I Was Told To Sign An NDA
Additionally, EJ Nduka wrote that he was told to sign an NDA and never say “I wasn’t given an opportunity” because he would blackball himself. He said that “y’all left my family and I stranded during the pandemic, and we almost lost our house.”
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