JD Drake Recalls Fellow AEW Talent Wanting To Quit Pro Wrestling

There's one AEW wrestler JD Drake said almost never got back into the ring after being released by WWE. On the latest episode of Josh Nason's "Punch-Out" podcast on the Wrestling Observer network, Drake discusses his tag team history with fellow AEW star Anthony Henry and revealed his longtime partner nearly retired following his released from WWE. Henry was dropped from the WWE just seven months after signing with the behemoth wrestling company, leading to what Drake described as a crossroads for his career.

"He was ready to quit," Drake said. "He had made it and he was doing well, and then all the sudden it got pulled out from under him. Man, the conversations I had with him. I was like, 'Look man, you're too good. There's no way. I'm not going to allow you to just quit. Whatever I've got to do to get your a** back in a professional wrestling ring.' "

Drake told Henry to take his time and worry about his mental health first, but when Henry was ready to get back in a ring, Drake told him he wanted to tag together again. "And we're going to remind people who we are," Drake told Henry.

Henry has primarily been featured on AEW "Dark" while making appearances here and there on "Dynamite," last wrestling on the weekly show in August when he lost to Luchasaurus. But Drake said Henry is capable of achieving much more in AEW, calling him one of the "top-10 wrestlers on the planet."

"He is unreal," Drake said. "There's nobody on the planet he can't keep up with. You put him in the ring with Brian Danielson for 15 minutes and I promise you he will blow your mind. I promise. He's a special type of human, man."