Drake Younger apologizes for previous controversial statements following GCW return

Drake Younger is apologizing for his previous affiliations.

During the second night of GCW Homecoming, Younger cut a promo after losing to Otis Cogar, addressing his past controversial statements on COVID-19 and masking. He said that he knew some people were not receptive to his return the previous night, calling those feelings “incredibly valid.”

He said that five or six years ago he was contacted by Joey Janela and Brett Lauderdale, both of whom felt that he wasn’t the same person that they once knew. Younger said he chose to brush those concerns aside. 

“I had tunnel vision, stuck in my own bubble, associating with topics and groups, loosely or directly, that I had no business or no interest in affiliating with,” he said. “And through that, I may have said some things and definitely did some things that I’m sure offended a large portion of our audience here in Game Changer Wrestling and independent wrestling. And for that, listen, look me in the eye. I want to tell you genuinely, for that, I’m sorry, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”

Younger’s controversial statements & affiliations

Younger, who was at one point a senior referee in NXT, appeared at a Seminole County board of county commissioners meeting back in 2021 while at the WWE Performance Center via Zoom. Wearing a shirt with the NXT logo, he called himself a “a leader committed to fighting the evil of human trafficking and child exploitation” and made claims that the county’s mask mandate at the time put children at risk of being trafficked.

The following month, Younger was among eight NXT on-air talent released from WWE. Reporting at the time indicated that he had “nuclear” heat for attending events without a mask and was known for criticizing wrestlers for getting vaccinations and flu shots. Fightful also reported of an incident where Yougner walked out following a Triple H speech where he said “(paraphrasing) that all people, races, genders, and religions were welcomed,” with Wuertz becoming upset once religion was mentioned.