Released WWE Superstar reacts to accusations that he stole popular wrestling move
An ex-WWE superstar finally reacted to the online accusations that he stole his finishing maneuver from a fellow WWE alumnus.
Several stars were released following the launch of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. in September. One of those stars was Mace, who was best known for being a part of Retribution and Maximum Male Models.
After his release, Mace returned to Reality of Wrestling as Mason Madden and began appearing on the independent circuit. He's still with former MMM tag team partner Mansoor, and they are now called MxM.
One of Mace's signature maneuvers on the independent circuit is a split-legged drop reverse DDT, popularly known as Summer Crush. It was Summer Rae's finishing move that she regularly used during her time on NXT.
A few of Rae's fans called out Mace for using the move, but the former NFL player was not having any of it. He pointed out that he was calling it Summer Crush, which meant he might have gotten permission from Rae to use it.
"Sis, I called it a Summer Crush. I know who's move it is," Mace wrote.
Mace on getting released by WWE last September
In an interview with Denise Salcedo back in December, Mace opened up about his WWE release. He was not surprised by it because it was always on the back of his mind every time there were rumored budget cuts. However, it's always about what's next for him, and he was optimistic despite the career setback.
"I wasn't surprised, but at the same time, every time something has ended for me, whether it be football or WWE, it instantly becomes, 'All right, next step. How do we move forward? I gotta keep this ship going.' So it became very exciting and fun and just diving into it. It's been fun." [H/T WrestleZone]
Mace and Mansoor continue to perform as a tag team on the independent circuit. Their current run as MxM has impressed some fans, who thought Triple H and company gave up on them easily.
They were inactive in the ring for four months before they got released in September. Their last televised match was on March 6, 2023, a losing effort against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows.