WWE superstar ‘couldn’t breath’ on live TV but viewers never even noticed-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

Grizzled Young Veterans star Zack Gibson (left) reflects on the scary moment (Picture: AEW/Ricky Havlik)

Former WWE superstar Zack Gibson has recalled the ‘scary’ moment he was struggling to breath on live television thanks to a major mishap with his ring gear.

The Liverpudlian wrestler – who will be back on home turf this weekend when Burning Heart Pro Wrestling launches with back-to-back shows in Liverpool, Wolverhampton and Swansea – was wrestling with James Drake at the time in hoods and cloaks as part of The Dyad, and he was ‘panicking’.

Speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk, Gibson and Drake, known as Grizzled Young Veterans, were stuck wearing essentially ‘velvet pajamas’ covering their ‘face, nose and mouth’ with no holes for ventilation.

At the time, they were trying to keep their identities hidden before being revealed as part of Joe Gacy’s Schism group, but things took a terrifying turn in a tag match in June 2022.

‘There was a moment in that, I couldn’t breathe,’ he said. ‘I’m panicking, and then I’ve got to get out, so I tag out to James. And now he’s doing his bit in ring. And I know that I’m counting down the seconds to where I have to get in again.’

The incident occurred during a match on NXT (Picture: WWE)

The cumbersome costumes caused plenty of issues (Picture: WWE)

Gibson was desperate to take the cloak off (Picture: WWE)

In the moment, Gibson tried to decided whether it was best to ‘fall and collapse’ or ‘get off the apron and walk backstage’.

‘Luckily that moment of sheer panic passed, and I was able to catch my breath again,’ he laughed.

It’s been seven months now since GYV chose to leave WWE to rebuild their reputation and passion as one of the best tag teams in the world, and they’ve already showed up for the likes of AEW, TNA Wrestling and countless independent promotions.

Neither Gibson nor James Drake were pleased with their transformation or character (Picture: WWE)

A big reason behind the decision to leave was their desire to get back to their roots, and move on from the Schism characters, which were much better suited to Gacy.

‘Spooky stuff isn’t necessarily my forte,’ he laughed, admitting behind the scenes changes in NXT management altered the group’s original plans.

‘We’re not trying to blame any individuals because everyone was just trying to their jobs in a scenario that was ever changing,’ he added. ‘We’re looking around thinking, “How did we get here? This is not what was originally pitched.”‘

Although it wasn’t right for them, it was a perfect fit for Gacy, who made his Raw debut this week as a member of the new Wyatt Sicks group led by Uncle Howdy, which builds on the work of the late Bray Wyatt.

Schism wasn’t the right fit for Gibson or Drake (Picture: WWE)

Joe Gacy (bottom left) is now part of the Wyatt Sicks on Raw (Picture: WWE)

”That role was made for Joe. And I think he’s going to absolutely smash it. The whole faction there looks brilliant, it’s the perfect role for him. We’re just we’re made up for him,’ Gibson beamed.

Schism, which also included Dwayne Johnson’s daughter Ava, have stayed in touch since Gibson and Drake left WWE, and the duo remain on positive terms with the company as a whole.

He explained: ‘We never burned any bridges, we can always reopen those talks if we wanted to. And similarly, if we’re enjoying ourselves more elsewhere, then we may never need to go back.

‘We’re not set on any one particular path. We just wanted to get our stock moving in the right direction again. Since leaving WWE, we made the right decision.’

Now wrestling around the world, GYV are reminding everyone how good they are (Picture: Ricky Havlik)

The UK duo are taking over the world (Picture: WWE)

Their experience in WWE helped plans for Burning Heart Pro Wrestling, with conversations going back ‘years’, predating any of the British stars involved getting signed by the wrestling giants.

However, Gibson and Drake’s time in NXT has inspired them to help forge an environment led by wrestlers, where they know everyone involved can be creatively fulfilled.

‘Myself and a number of other people have been in that position of battling with certain creative that you’ve been given or things that don’t quite fit,’ he pondered ‘We want to try and create this platform for people to do what they do best and excel.’

Burning Heart’s ambitions go beyond the creative side too, with lofty goals from international dates in the US and Canada, to ‘some sort of short series’ with regular ‘bite sized episodes’.

‘This isn’t a smash and grab, it’s not going to be these three shows and then done,’ he promised. ‘There’s a lot of very grand ideas, with its own spin. It’s not just going to be another wrestling project.’

The future looks bright for Gibson and Drake, who have worked with RevPro, TNA Wrestling, CMLL and AEW over the past few months.

The duo have some big plans in the pipeline (Picture: AEW/Ricky Havlik)

Asked if they would like to return to AEW, he admitted they have their ‘fingers crossed’, but added more generally: ‘I’m not allowed to give too much away. But all I would say is just watch this space, because we got some we got some really cool stuff lined up.’

What he did confirm is plans to reopen GYV’s Fighting Spirit Pro Wrestling school at a new base in Florida with some very exciting plans in the pipeline.

‘There is a big third partner there,’ he teased. ‘Watch this space for all of these projects, because they will all feed each other and they all complement each other. And I really think we’re right on that precipice of something very special.’

Burning Heart Pro Wrestling launches this weekend with shows in Liverpool (June 21), Wolverhampton (22) and Swansea (23). Click here for tickets.

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.

Entertainment – MetroRead More