“Work Ethic” Issues Reportedly Led To NXT Star’s Release
A new report has stated one of the batch of recent releases made by WWE from the NXT brand was related to that talent’s “work ethic.”
On November 1st, it was reported that five talents had been released from NXT, the first mass-culling since April 29th, which saw the likes of Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis, and Persia Pirotta released from the company. Lumis and Kai have since returned to WWE under its new regime to play integral parts on Monday Night Raw.
Among the names released this week was Bodhi Hayward, who’s been regularly featured on WWE NXT television as a part of Andre Chase’s Chase University. On the latest episode, his storyline roommate Thea Hail called attention to his absence, wondering who would carry the Chase U flag with him gone – but Duke Hudson stepped in to carry the flag in Hayward’s stead after writing him off television last week.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that while some of the talents were released due to a lack of progression, Bodhi Hayward’s exit from the company was down to his work ethic:
“All the people who were dropped, the main reason was lack of progression. They felt that they were not improving fast enough. That’s going to be the case. They’re gonna be cutting people at the six-month mark, at the one-year mark, and things like that, if they’re not progressing at a certain level. And anyone who doesn’t get to TV within two years will probably be cut. So we’re gonna get regular developmental cuts.”
“But with Bodhi Hayward, he was the one where it was more than that. They didn’t like the work ethic, and they didn’t like that he was late for shows, and didn’t show up at shows or something.
“The primary reason for everyone was lack of progression, but for him it was a little bit more than that. It had to be enough to overcome the fact that he was actually in a storyline that was a long-term storyline, and that the crowd liked him, which is always a good sign. You wanna keep guys that have a good look and the crowd likes. But it was not enough in their minds for him.”
Bodhi Hayward himself has commented on his release from NXT, saying that he is “hurt and embarrassed” by his departure.