"They said I wasn't fit to compete" - AEW star discloses why WWE didn't sign him
Popular AEW star JD Drake recently revealed the real reason why he chose to work in the promotion following his WWE tryout.
The 39-year-old star made a late start to his career. He debuted at the age of thirty and has wrestled in several promotions, including Ring of Honor, NJPW, WWE, and AEW. His first match for All Elite Wrestling was back in 2021 when he lost to Eddie Kingston.
Drake was a special guest on the most recent episode of AEW's Unrestricted podcast. During the episode, he opened up about working in the pandemic era. He also shared the experience of trying out for WWE.
"When the pandemic happened, we thought it was done. And then we got a phone call about a tryout elsewhere," JD Drake said.
The star revealed that the tryout did not go as planned, as the Stamford-based promotion deemed him medically unfit and did not clear him to wrestle. Thus, he signed with AEW in an attempt to prove WWE wrong.
"But that was also when they went through and done their medical [testing]. They said I wasn't fit to compete [...] I had too many issues with my knees, and this, that, and the other [thing]. And for lack of getting into everything I said, because it got really bad at points, I basically flipped them the bird and said, 'Hold my beer and watch.'" [H/T Wrestling Inc.]
JD Drake revealed why WWE was not interested in signing him
During an interview with Muscle Man Malcolm, the AEW star opened up about his WWE tryout. He stated that the officials told him following his tryout that he was severely injured and, thus, they could not sign him.
The 39-year-old star mentioned that the promotion had a state-of-the-art rehab facility, and if they truly believed in him, then they would have offered him a contract.
“That was literally what was said to me. When I went for a tryout. They walked in and said, ‘We can’t invest in damaged goods. Your knee is not good enough to compete.'[...] You’ve got a world-class rehab center, inside your Performance Center. So if they wanted me bad enough, it would have been okay. But I get it. I wasn’t what you think of when you think of a WWE talent and they already have Kevin Owens.” [H/T Bodyslam]
JD Drake last wrestled in AEW back in March on an episode of Dark when he and his tag team partner Anthony Henry wrestled Top Flight.
What are your thoughts on the Stamford-based promotion refusing to sign the AEW star? Share them in the comments section below.