Entertainment
Velveteen Dream ‘released by WWE’ as part of NXT cuts
WWE has reportedly released Velveteen Dream this week as part of NXT roster cuts.
The 25-year-old wrestler – whose real name is Patrick Clark Jr. – first appeared on Tough Enough in 2015 before signing a developmental project, and he would go on to appear with a new Prince-inspired character two years later.
As reported by Fightful and PWInsider, Clark has been let go from the company five months after his last match which came against Adam Cole in December.
During his time with the company, he won the NXT North American Championship in January 2019 and held it for 231 days before losing the title to Roderick Strong.
In April 2020, Clark was accused of having online conversations with and sending inappropriate photographs with underage fans.
At the time, he tweeted: ‘Be assured I did not communicate inappropriately with anyone.
‘A private photo of mine was shared without my consent or knowledge and I am working with a third party to look into this matter.’
These allegations resurfaced two months later during the #SpeakingOut movement, and Clark’s appearances on TV became sporadic.
Although he spent time off television following the allegations, WWE chief Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque said they weren’t the reason for his absence.
He told CBS Sports in August: ‘You know, in this day today, accusations are made and you take them all very seriously. You look into them the best you can, and you find out what is there and what isn’t.
‘In the moment, all this other stuff happens and you look into it and you find that there is a situation that people bring to everyone’s attention, you look into it and find that it is what it is and there’s nothing there.’
And Levesque reiterated the hiatus last summer was due to the aftermath of a car crash.
He added: ‘Everything that we have done, we are comfortable with him continuing to do what he does and everything else. But he had a car accident.
‘It stemmed down to people thought we removed him from TV for different reasons. We didn’t. He was in a car accident.
‘Once he was medically cleared to be able to return to the ring from his car accident, we continued forward the way we did. We looked into what was there and we didn’t find anything.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Triple H says WWE found ‘nothing’ regarding Velveteen Dream sexual misconduct allegations
