Backstage News On Whether WWE Had Interest In Velveteen Dream Prior To Arrests
If it's not AEW backstage brawls getting the attention in the wrestling world these days, it's the latest from Velveteen Dream. The former WWE star has been in the news again following a string of arrests in August, and a back and forth between him and EC3 over allegations Dream video taped fellow "NXT" wrestlers using the restroom at a house party years ago, a back-and-forth which resulted in Dream admitting he used cocaine. To put the cherry on top, all this occurred just as Dream seemed to be angling to get his job back with WWE.
However, even without his latest controversies, it appears Dream's chances of going back to WWE were slimmer than AEW star Slim J. According to Fightful Select, WWE has no interest in bringing Dream back to the promotion, with one source even telling Fightful that a return would be "public relations nightmare." Another source later told Fightful that Dream returning to WWE would take a "miracle."
Fightful also pointed out that the recent behavior Dream has showcased was something WWE was already familiar with, with sources saying that the former "NXT" North American Champion had significant heat with the locker room towards the end of his stay. An "NXT" coach also described Dream as a "headache" at the WWE Performance Center due to what was said to be "unusual" behavior.
WWE Almost Released Velveteen Dream A Year Earlier
In addition to the allegations brought forth by EC3, Fightful noted that Dream was rumored to have been quietly suspended at one point for drug use, and was nearly arrested for smashing a car window in December 2019, though no charges were ultimately filed.
Furthermore, Fightful was able to confirm that Dream was almost released from WWE in June 2020, shortly before word got out that Dream was involved in a car accident. It should be noted this occurred around the same time as the Speaking Out movement, where Dream was accused by, among others, independent wrestler Josh Fuller, of grooming underage wrestlers. It was the second set of allegations of this nature leveled against Dream that year.
When later asked about Dream's absence around that time, Paul "Triple H" Levesque stated Dream's absence was due to his car accident, and was unrelated to an investigation around his allegations, of which Dream was later claimed by Levesque. Despite Fightful's reporting that Dream was almost cut at the time, he would return to "NXT" TV in August of that year, and remained on television until December, when he was taken off TV for good. Fightful couldn't confirm why WWE chose not release Dream after that initial consideration, and instead waited a year before releasing him.