Cameron Grimes Recalls Being Told WWE Star Stole His Gimmick

Last week, WWE fans were met with disappointment as the company announced a new round of talent releases. This latest wave saw several notable stars let go, including Xyon Quinn, Jinder Mahal, Von Wagner and then, Cameron Grimes. Grimes has now recalled how a WWE star told him he stole his gimmick.

During an appearance on Busted Open Radio, Grimes opened up about his release and what led to it. When asked why he thinks he was released by WWE, Grimes explained that the timeline for his move to the main roster was complicated. He was written off NXT television in August 2023 to join the main roster but wasn’t officially drafted to SmackDown until 2024. This left him in limbo for about six to eight months, where he was traveling to the main roster shows without any clear direction.

During this time, WWE had a different person in charge, and Grimes was told they were waiting to get him started. When the draft came, it seemed like the right moment to introduce him, but even then, his storyline didn’t gain much traction. Grimes described his match with Baron Corbin, where Corbin told him, “Hey, just so you know, nothing in NXT matters now. Up here, everything’s new.” However, soon after, NXT began to matter again, with talent from NXT being brought to the main roster.

“That’s really what I’ve been trying to wrap my head around as well. You know, I got called up, well really, it was August of like 2023 is when I believe I was wrote off of NXT television to head up to the main roster. I started going up to the main roster, to SmackDown and going to the shows, but then still I wasn’t drafted on to the main roster until 2024 when they did the draft there. So there was probably like a good six to eight months that I was just traveling to the main roster waiting to make that transition.”

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“At that time that’s when there was a different person in charge and everything. They just kind of told me that we’re waiting to get you started. So when the draft came around last year, that was their point of being like, ‘Okay, well, here’s a good way to lead you in now because we didn’t really have a story for you the past couple of months.’”

“I got drafted up. We had the match with Baron Corbin. It was funny because in that moment with Baron Corbin, he literally told me, ‘Hey, just so you know, nothing in NXT matters now.’ That was a quote that will always stick in my head. ‘Nothing in NXT matters now. Up here, everything’s new.’ Then literally two weeks later, everything in NXT mattered. You’ve seen guys getting brought from the NXT show onto our show.”

Grimes mentioned that he pitched various ideas to WWE, including different character concepts, because he sensed that the “money” gimmick might not work on the main roster. This was especially true given that WWE had previously tried a similar gimmick with Corbin’s JBL storyline.

Despite his efforts, WWE seemed to struggle with finding a fitting role for Grimes. He noted that the lack of direction ultimately led to his release. Grimes shared his disappointment but acknowledged that he was ready to explore new opportunities and bring his talents to other promotions.

“I was just always told that they just didn’t really have an idea for me at the moment. I pitched a bunch of different ideas. I pitched a bunch of different character ideas because I had a feeling that the money thing just wasn’t going to work up there. They already kind of tried it with Corbin before I got up there with the JBL thing. I feel like that was very much because of the success that I had with the character of Cameron Grimes in NXT. I think that’s why they kind of went with that storyline.”

“Going right back to Baron Corbin the first time I met him, he said, ‘Hey, I’m the guy that stole your gimmick. Those are my two big quotes from Baron Corbin. Still a great guy, but it’s just things that stick in my head that make me remember.”

Cameron Grimes also revealed how a WWE executive lied to him about his release. WWE’s internal reaction to Cameron Grimes’ release was revealed as well. Nevertheless, we will have to wait and see what the future holds for Cameron Grimes.

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