Drake Younger returns to wrestling, apologizes for past controversies

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When NXT made its rise as a brand/promotion in the mid-2010s, hardcore wrestler–turned-referee Drake Younger/Wuertz seemed to be one of its best stories. But whispers about Younger’s outside affiliations, and how he was bringing them to work at the WWE Performance Center, got too loud for his employer during the pandemic. Younger was the one who turned up the volume, posting on his social media and making speeches in public forums about the various societal ills he believed God called on him and others to fight. After that predictably caused numerous issues in the NXT locker room, Younger was released as part of roster cuts made in May 2021. After a failed run to be one of Florida’s representatives to Congress, Younger retired in 2023. But this is pro wrestling. Younger returned to GCW on Saturday night (Aug. 15), getting involved in the main event and helping Joseph Sawyer (recently released by WWE himself, where he wrestled as Joe Gacy) win the promotion’s World title from Atticus Cogar. On Sunday night, the second of GCW’s two Homecoming shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Younger lost to GCW Ultraviolent champ Otis Cogar. Post-match, Younger got the microphone to address what he said was “incredibly valid” criticisms fans had about his booking for GCW owner Brett Lauderdale and his frequent collaborator Joey Janela. Younger also shared how both men reached out to him “five or six years ago” to express concern, something Janela opened up about at the time. Last night, Younger told the crowd at the Showboat: “Somehow, at some point, I lost my way. I had people like Joey, like Brett, reach out to me and say, “Hey, you’re not the guy that I know. That’s not the Drake that I know that you’re saying. That’s not the loving Drake that everybody was so happy about when he signed a contract. That’s not our guy. “And I brushed it off. I didn’t listen. I had tunnel vision, stuck in my own bubble, associating with topics, loosely or directly, that I had no business or no interest in affiliating with. “Through that, I may have said some things, and I definitely did some things, that I’m sure offended a large portion of our audience here in Game Changer Wrestling and in independent wrestling. “And for that, listen, look me in my eye, I want to tell you genuinely, for that, I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me. “I’ve spent the last five years proving and showing that I’m not that guy. And all that I’m asking, as I look some of you in your eyes, all that I am asking is for that chance to prove myself to you.” While this admittedly didn’t hit our radar, Post Wrestling’s Neal Flanagan points out that this wasn’t Younger’s first comeback, or apology for his QAnon-tinged past: Following a deathmatch against Janela at Juggalo Championship Wrestling’s Powder Keg on August 1, 2025, he told the audience he was a “changed man,” described himself as “clean and sober”, and apologized to people he had offended through his actions. Americans have shown a willingness — or eagerness, even — to move on from the political correctness of the past 10-15 years, and to not really reckon with the impact of our collective pandemic experiences in any meaningful way. The current President and his political movement working aggressively to roll back everything that happened during the four years they were out of power, but they’re also less popular than ever. In that environment, will indie wrestling accept Younger’s apologies and welcome him back? Let us know where you stand, and/or how you think Younger’s comeback will fare, in the comments below.