Triple H On Why Drake Maverick Was Kept In Cruiserweight Tournament After Being Released

Last week on NXT, Drake Maverick was offered a new NXT contract after being released by the company in April. On a media call, Triple H discussed what Drake Maverick has experienced over the last few weeks with getting released, participating in the NXT Cruiserweight Title Tournament and then getting re-hired.

"The Drake situation came about because we already had the tournament mapped out and promoted but then the releases happened which were horrible. No one wants to see anyone lose their job but a lot of companies around the world are having to make tough business decisions to ensure that they are still there as this continues on. Difficult decisions were made," said Triple H.

"He was given the option of continuing in the tournament and he wanted to prove that he could still be here. If you've met him or know him at all, he is one of the most passionate guys. He loves WWE and just wants to be here. It's his dream and he couldn't be a better guy."

Triple H noted that Maverick's performance in the tournament caused them to turn his release into a storyline.

"When the release happened, he wasn't involved in anything but it just happened the way it did," Triple H stated. "During the process of this tournament, he captured people's hearts and their imagination and he earned that spot. It was already out there so you either ignore it or you turn it into something. We turned it into something based on him and his performances.

"I'm personally thrilled for him in that he can continue to do what he loves and dreamed about. He's a great guy and I'm thrilled that we were able to get where we did."

NXT had a fight pit match between Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher a couple of weeks ago which was the first of its kind in WWE. Triple H discussed the origins of the match and if fans could see more fight pits in the future.

"The fight pit came about organically. The right performers were there with Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher ? two talents who bring a different style with a more ground-based, grappling style. Matt Riddle can do just about anything and Timothy Thatcher is such a good technical, grappling wrestler and is so gritty and tough. That type of environment seemed the right environment for them," said Triple H. "We based it off some things in the past and were able to put it all together. It really captivated people and the match delivered which is always the key to that. I think people were intrigued by it and I think it will become one of the signature matches of NXT. The fight pit can be the go-to grudge match or something like that where I think you'll definitely see more of them in the future. I was thrilled with that one. I think fans enjoyed it and I look forward to doing more with it."

The full audio from Triple H's media call aired as part of a recent episode of our podcast, The Wrestling Inc. Daily. Subscribe to get the latest episodes as soon as it's released Monday – Friday afternoon by clicking here.