Fandango Says He Knew His WWE Days Were Over When Nick Khan Arrived
On June 25, 2021, Dirty Dango, better known as Fandango, was released by WWE. Dango had been with the company for 15 years before he was let go due to budget cuts.
Dirty Dango recently appeared on the Insight with Chris Van Vliet to discuss how his departure came about.
"I started to think like that," Dango stated on if he felt he'd be at WWE forever. "When the Covid cuts came, like, we're definitely out of here. Then we never got fired, and I'm like, maybe I'll just keep working here and I'll be the next Brooklyn Brawler, you know. I'll retire when I'm 60.
"But then, when [Nick] Khan came in, is that his name? He started cleaning house and I think Breeze and I were still on some main roster contract pay scale, so I kind of knew, I think we both kind of knew it was coming. It sucks because you're not getting paid as much, obviously. For me it was exciting because I can go off and do some different stuff, you know. You can't work at the same place forever, man."
The next chapter for the former NXT Tag Team Champion involves continuing to pursue his pro-wrestling career. Dango stated he also invested well during his time with WWE and is focused on construction, specifically his own house, right now.
More recently, he signed a deal with Billy Corgan at the NWA and made his debut at the Hard Times 2 pay-per-view on December 4. Dirty Dango explained how the deal came about.
"I was at Drew McIntyre's wedding a few years ago. Drew and I are really close. Billy [Corgan] was there from Smashing Pumpkins. When I got released, It's weird, because when you get released, you kind of figure out who your friends are, and people you think you'll hear from, you don't. A lot of people you didn't expect to reach out to you do, which is kind of surprising.
"Drew reached out to me and goes 'hey man, if you ever wanting to go, try and get in with Billy, here's his contact' so I gave him a call and he said 'yes, we're doing some tapings in December' and I just flew back today. We just did three/four days down in Atlanta. Long days filming, but it was like a family reunion down there. Saw my old buddies, Mike Knox, and a bunch of guys from Deep South Wrestling. Sam Adonis was there. It was like a reunion."
For Dirty Dango, he assumed he would retire once he was released by WWE, but is now busier than ever the last few months in pro-wrestling. Notably, his passion for the business has returned following his time with Vince McMahon's company.
"Honestly, I thought I would retire, but I've been busier in the last three or four months than I did in NXT the two years prior to that," Dango began. "It's cool, and It's reminding me of why I got into the business. I guess it's not just work anymore for me, it's why I got into it, you know what I'm saying? I'm not trying to talk s*** about WWE, but it's just that grind, bro. That schedule is tough when you're making two three million dollars a year, but it's even harder on guys like Heath Slater. This dude is showing up to TV and grinding every week and you know you're going to roll into TV and lose, probably. That's your job. You're that guy that shows up every week, and every now and then you'll get a little pushki, but it's tough, man. That grind and your equity on TV is still kind of s***** and you know you're just going to do Superstars or Main Event every week, it gets to you, man, it really does."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.