Darren Young Reveals His Reaction To Being Released By WWE

Darren Young

After being released by WWE last October, Darren Young has plans to continue his wrestling career on the independent circuit. Under his real name Fred Rosser, he is wrestling his first match since leaving WWE tonight in Union, New Jersey for WrestlePro against Impact Wrestling star Fallah Bahh.

On October 29, 2017, Rosser was released from the WWE. Less than 24 hours prior to the release, he had been representing the company at a Los Angeles Clippers game as an ambassador for WWE. The timing of it all made the release a complete shock to Rosser.

“I’d been doing so much PR work since I’ve been signed, I was one of WWE’s main guys that always did PR work,” Rosser said in an interview published today on ESPN.com. “When I was a guest at the Clipper game, and then getting released 24 hours later, it was a little rough for me. A bit of a tough pill to swallow. I didn’t know why the release had happened. What was even rougher was that the release came right before my birthday on Nov. 2. I never even received the usual birthday message, so I was a little hurt by everything.”

Though it ended in disappointing fashion, Rosser accomplished more than he imagined considering how his run with WWE began.

“I had to pay to try out in 2009,” Rosser recalled. “I paid $2,000 out of my own pocket just to try out. It was my last resort. I had the door shut in my face so many times with WWE, but I was consistent. Without commitment, you’ll never start, but most importantly, without consistency, you’ll never finish.”

Despite the upsetting nature of his release, Rosser remains positive about the situation.

“Nothing lasts forever, and I’ve had a wonderful career with WWE,” Rosser said. “I hope to continue my relationship with WWE as an LGBTQ ambassador or a talent scout. Michael Jordan can’t play basketball forever, and I can’t wrestle forever. So I’ve enjoyed my time from 2009 to 2017.”

Rosser also talked about coming out as the first openly gay performer in WWE history, being apart of Nexus, future plans and more. You can read the interview here.