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Impact Wrestling announced that it has terminated Eli Drake’s contract, effective immediately, putting out a statement that read:
“Impact Wrestling announced today that it has terminated its relationship with Shaun Ricker, known as ‘Eli Drake’.”
Drake’s contract was reportedly set to expire on May 31 and he had recently pushed back against some creative within the company. Specifically, Drake was booked to face Tessa Blanchard in an intergender match at Thursday’s United We Stand show, but he reportedly refused.
Drake has been forthcoming in looking at his future options. In a recent interview with The Wrestling Perspective podcast, Drake said: “It’s time to start thinking about what options I have. Should I stay or should I go? We will find out. There are so many options out there. How can I best boost my brand awareness and how can I put more money in my pocket? It’s a matter of figuring out what’s going to work best for me long-term.”
Dummies! Yeah
Fired because he didn’t want to beat up a woman. So who does Impact have left now? TNA was my favorite wrestling company at one time now I really don’t give a sh*t what happens to it.
You did right Eli. F*ck them anyway.
So we have gone from Andy Kaufman doing intergender matches as a rib, to them being seriously considered as fodder for PPV? Just wow…
If you search this site going back a few weeks someone here wrote a column how intergender wrestling was the wave of the future because it has become somewhat prominent on indie shows. It’s an idea that’s beyond stupid and will never be accepted by large companies that rely on mainstream advertising. Eli Drake has all the tools to be one of the biggest stars in the business, which is why WWE would have no idea what to do with him. Hope to see him in AEW.