Backstage Report On Internal Reaction To WWE NXT Star Damon Kemp's Departure

Fans of "WWE NXT" were shocked to learn that Bobby Steveson, better known by his ring name Damon Kemp, would be leaving WWE with immediate effect. Kemp had signed with WWE in 2021 around the same time as his brother Gable, who was released from his WWE contract earlier this year. However, Kemp had reportedly impressed many backstage in WWE, and it was a situation where his contract was allowed to expire instead of being released.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer admitted that he, and many other people, were blindsided by the news of Kemp's departure, while also revealing when Kemp can start taking new bookings on the independent scene, if he chooses to do so. "The people who are around were all surprised ... I was surprised too," Meltzer said. "It was 'wow that's a surprise, I wonder what the story is.' I know that he said he can start taking bookings I think on August 13 ... either that's the date of the contract expiring or his contract didn't expire." Meltzer also suggested the August 13 date could be a case of WWE letting Kemp know in advance that he won't be getting his contract renewed.

Kemp had a promising run in WWE during his three years with the company. He became part of the Diamond Mine stable after "NXT" was re-branded to "NXT 2.0," with Kemp being one of the performers fans tipped for success due to his amateur wrestling background. He would later join the No Quarter Catch Crew, and was last seen on TV on the June 25  "NXT" losing to Tavion Heights, who has since taken Kemp's spot in the stable.

Please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.