The controversy surrounding Drake Wuertz had many fans surprised about a former NXT referee ending up in the news so often. Wuertz’s story is fascinating from redemption on the independent circuit to becoming the most hated man in WWE. The trajectory of Wuertz’s career is wild enough to really see a future episode of Dark Side of the Ring breaking down his downfall.
Until then, a look at just how things escalated so quickly is worth seeking for such an unlikely story. Drake signing with WWE as a referee after his wrestling career came partially due to how many of his peers loved him. The absurdness of his WWE career saw him released due to his peers not wanting to work with him. Find out what exactly caused a former WWE referee to become the most controversial figure in wrestling for all the wrong reasons.
Former Favorite
Drake Wuertz became a breakout star for top independent wrestling promotion PWG under the working name of Drake Younger. Fans fell in love with the deathmatch wrestler due to his "PMA" identity of spreading kindness and positivity after his battles with drug addiction. Top wrestling stars like Kevin Owens, Adam Cole and the Young Bucks loved working with Drake and raved about his persona behind the scenes.
The in-ring talent of Younger was likely never going to lead to any relevant success in a bigger promotion. That made it more fulfilling when Drake received a WWE contract as a referee. His real name was used in the role with Wuertz getting to channel his wrestling experience into a new position working for the top wrestling promotion.
Longtime fans and friends loved seeing Drake's journey pay off in grand fashion. Wuertz raised Kevin Owens' hand in his first NXT victory, officiated many NXT classics, and was even the referee for Ronda Rousey's debut match at WrestleMania 34. Unfortunately, the personal changes of Drake took him down a new ugly path.
Fall From Grace
Politics and religion are the two most controversial dynamics of any workplace environment. Most places will see differing philosophies put aside, but there are some extremes that become impossible to ignore.
Wuertz became a controversial figure on social media over the past year with his posts raising more than a few eyebrows. The various comments implied various forms of hate following the “Black Lives Matter” movement and during LGBTQ pride months in the past. However, it wasn’t until journalist David Bixenspan uncovered Drake’s Parler account where things spiraled.
The extreme beliefs saw Wuertz publicly looking to join a Florida chapter of the “Proud Boys” hate group. AEW wrestler Joey Janela added that Drake tried to sell him on the merits of the hate group when their prior friendship hit the rocks. Videos surfaced of Wuertz attending public councils refusing to wear a mask during the pandemic and going against WWE’s guidelines
There were also reports of Drake’s ties to the infamous “QAnon” conspiracy beliefs online, including questionable charitable auctions involving items donated from WWE stars. Wuertz spiraled to a place where fans started questioning how he was getting away with this while WWE released more credible talents than ever before the past year solely for budget cuts.
The Point Of No Return
The damning video of Drake attending a virtual town meeting and demanding any mask mandates be dropped in Florida featured him in an NXT track jacket backstage at an NXT show. WWE realized they had a huge problem around this point and released him within the next slate of a bigger firing period.
Stories surfaced of wrestlers leaking inside information about just how hated Wuertz was backstage. Actions like walking out of an NXT meeting run by Triple H preaching equality and disrespecting other talents in the ring made him a target for a large percentage of the roster. NXT wrestler Bronson Reed and referee D.A. Brewer made comments after some of Drake’s low moments that implied they were fed up.
There are some supporters of Drake in WWE like Road Dogg and Karrion Kross, but the company had no choice. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported details of Wuertz’s close friends from before WWE feeling he became a different person. The post-WWE comments of Drake claim he wants to take wrestling bookings, but he won’t ever be a full-time wrestler again.
Any promotion to work with Wuertz is risking alienating a noteworthy number of fans and talents. Few wrestlers have ever had such a drastic fall in the public eye as Drake. The former underdog hero once preaching love has become the most hated man in wrestling.