Why The Grizzled Young Veterans Felt They Needed To Leave WWE

Former WWE "NXT UK" Tag Team Champions The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson and James Drake) spoke exclusively with Metro about why they wanted to leave WWE. Before their contracts expired in October, Gibson and Drake were known as The Dyad and were part of Schism, but they weren't happy about their direction.

"In a nutshell, this is one of the big driving forces as to why we wanted to leave and get out because without going into too much, we just weren't particularly happy with how things were going," Gibson said. "'It all felt a bit boring. And ultimately, you know, this is our job, but it's also it's our hobby, and it's our life. So we want to be enjoying what we're doing. Now we're back out in the Wild West. It all feels exciting and fresh again; it feels a little bit like starting over, like you've got a new lease on life."

Gibson later explained that their decision to leave WWE wasn't because they hated the company; it was because they felt they weren't "doing the best business." The schedule of not wrestling enough and not getting any TV time for promos were other factors. The two requested their release from WWE in April, but it was denied. Drake shared his two cents and spoke about why the tag team kept working even when they weren't the happiest.

"A lot of people have had that in the past, and they've just decided to stay at home," James pointed out. "[But] it wouldn't have been a good look for us, and it wouldn't have been a good look for the company." Since leaving WWE, Gibson and Drake have wrestled in Over the Top Wrestling, The Wrestling Revolver, and House of Glory.