WWE just lost a key member of its roster. According to Wrestling Inc., Drew Gulak is no longer with the company as his contract recently expired after last Friday’s episode of SmackDown aired. Gulak and WWE were attempting to get a new deal done before his contract expired. He doesn’t have a 90-day non-compete clause, which means he can join any promotion at any time.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live talked about the Gulak situation this week, claiming it’s “possible WWE could bring Gulak back if both sides can agree to a new deal. The belief is he is gone, but it has been hinted to Dave [Meltzer] that it’s not a dead issue,” Alvarez said, according to Ringside News. “He is represented by [agent] Barry Bloom in this negotiation. So it does appear that Drew Gulak is interested in returning if he gets a good deal.”
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Gulak’s last match in WWE was against Daniel Bryan on SmackDown, which was an Intercontinental Championship Tournament match. He lost to Bryan, but the match itself earned a lot of praise from fans. Gulak was working with Bryan as they were training together and coaching each other before matches. The two battled each other at Elimination Chamber in March with Bryan coming way with the win. “As crazy as it sounds, I feel alive,” Bryan said when talking about wrestling Gulak after Elimination Chamber. “This is what I love about this. I don’t ever wanna just go through the motions. When I go out there and fight, I want to fight with my heart. I want to fight with blood and guts. That’s what I want to fight with. That’s why I wanted to fight Drew Gulak.”
Gulak, 33, made his debut in WWE in 2016 after spending years on the independent circuit. In June 2019, Gulak won the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and held on to the title for 108 days before losing the title to Lio Rush. He made his SmackDown debut later that year, but it wasn’t until February where he began working with Bryan, which is when fans started to take notice of his in-ring abilities. WWE has not officially announced Gulak leaving the company, but it was confirmed when he was moved to the alumni section of the official website.
