There was a time not so long ago when the world was Velveteen Dream's oyster. So young with so much potential, it only seemed like a matter of time before Dream would be gracing Raw and SmackDown and wearing a World Title around his waist. Somewhere along the way, that all went wrong. Dream has all but disappeared from WWE TV during the pandemic and now finds himself without a company, and probably without a future in wrestling. Where did it all go so wrong?
Are You Tough Enough?
Dream's WWE journey started on Tough Enough. As was often the case on the now dormant reality show, despite being touted as one of the favorites, Dream failed to win the show, lasting just five episodes. He was later signed by WWE and would debut on NXT as Patrick Clark. Even then, Clark's character included elements of the Velveteen Dream.
After more than a year of wrestling sporadically as Clark, NXT started to air vignettes teasing the arrival of Velveteen Dream. The character would debut during the summer of 2017 and start stalking Aleister Black. Looking back, it's hard to imagine that was Dream's first feud. He hit the ground running and at the age of just 21, showed he was capable of holding his own with a seasoned pro.
High Praise
People started to see and discuss Dream's potential immediately. In a business where many of its top stars are in their late 30s and early 40s, a 21-year-old with the untapped potential of Dream was always going to turn heads. With John Cena's career winding down, Dream genuinely seemed like a viable option to eventually fill his shoes. Cena himself labeled Dream as being "the one".
The must-see TakeOver matches kept on coming. Dream put on terrific bouts with the likes of Kassius Ohno and Ricochet. Best of all for Dream, the result of the match didn't matter. Even when he lost, Dream was the one being talked about the next day. Whether it was for his performance in the match or for something he had airbrushed into his gear for it.
The North American Dream
Dream would eventually win gold for the first time in 2019, beating Johnny Gargano for the championship. He would hold the title for the better part of that year and remains the longest-reigning North American Champion in NXT history. Now that Dream has gone, WWE might well be keen to have that record surpassed so it is never mentioned again. It's going to be a while though as a new North America Champion was crowned in Bronson Reed less than a week ago.
The following year, Dream's WWE career started to unravel. In April of 2020, the former NXT Superstar was accused of sending inappropriate messages and photos to a minor. Once those accusations had died down somewhat, they resurfaced as a part of the Speaking Out movement. Triple H claimed WWE had performed its own internal investigation regarding the accusations and the matter had been dealt with. Nia Jax's public response to The Game's statement suggested she didn't agree with the findings.
Guilty or not, Dream was being kept off of TV, and it appeared to be obvious as to why. However, shortly after the accusations resurfaced, Dream was reportedly involved in a car accident. The injuries he suffered in that crash were then used as an excuse for his continued absence. Dream wrestled for the NXT Title in a backlot brawl last year but never held the brand's richest prize.
Welcome To Raw, Don't Get Comfortable
Despite the accusations and the car crash, Dream has continued to appear on NXT TV. In some pretty major angles and matches too. He wrestled in a ladder match at TakeOver XXX, and then against Kushida at TakeOver 31. What will now be his last match ever in NXT was a clash with old foe Cole during the Christmas edition of NXT on December 23, 2020. Dream lost that match.
Just two weeks ago, it was reported that Dream was backstage on Raw. The feeling was that WWE thought Dream had been off TV for long enough or had appeared so infrequently that fans will have forgotten the accusations made against Dream. Or that main roster fans would not be aware of the last year of his career. Whether that was the thought process or not, someone changed their mind as Dream has gone from being backstage on Raw to find himself unemployed.
WWE attempted to quietly break the news and surround it with other NXT release news, but the departure of Dream was always going to make waves. WWE keeping hold of him for so long, claiming it conducted its own investigation, only to release him months later also isn't a great look for the company. It's hard to see where Dream goes from here. Whether there is any truth to the accusations or not, we don't imagine Tony Khan will have dropped Dream a line or has any plans to do so. At just 25, someone with so much promise and potential in the wrestling business may now have to pursue a career elsewhere.