WWE Had No Interest In Bringing Back Velveteen Dream Before Legal Troubles

Even before his two arrests in August, WWE sources indicated to Fightful they had no desire to bring Velveteen Dream back. One source even said it would be a "public relations nightmare" that the new regime wasn't interested in.

Dream was arrested for first degree battery, trespassing on property after a warning and possession of drug paraphernalia. A few weeks later, he admitted cocaine use, which was another open secret, and long rumored to be a reason for a quiet suspension during his NXT run.

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By the time Velveteen Dream stopped appearing on NXT TV, he had significant heat within the NXT locker room, we're told. Completely separate of that, he'd become what one NXT coach had said was a "headache," and was talked to several times about unusual behavior in general at the Performance Center.

Triple H noted that Velveteen Dream was taken off of WWE television due to a car accident, as opposed to an internal investigation on misconduct allegations. Fightful can confirm that as soon as an hour before word of Dream's car accident, which took place in June 2020, he was being discussed as one of many possible cuts from the company. He'd return to television in August, where he'd stay until December. We haven't been told why WWE ultimately decided against releasing him at that point.

These weren't the first issues Velveteen Dream had, as he was accused of smashing a car window in December 2019, which police said was captured on security footage. A warrant was issued and recalled.

One WWE source that works directly with higher ups said that it would require a "miracle" for a situation to come about that would result in Velveteen Dream being rehired by WWE. They also confirmed that despite Dream's social media teases, there were no plans or discussions to bring him back to the company upon the new regime.

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