Former WWE NXT referee Drake Wuertz has publicly apologized for comments and actions that generated controversy during the latter stages of his time with WWE.
Wuertz returned to the ring at GCW Homecoming and addressed the audience afterward, acknowledging that some fans and people within the promotion may have been uncomfortable with his presence. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat around it. I’m not gonna pretend like it doesn’t exist. I accept and appreciate, for lack of a better term, that there are a number of people possibly building, definitely out there, perhaps back there, that may not be too thrilled about my presence in GCW.”
Rather than dismissing those feelings, Wuertz told those people that their reaction was valid and asked them to hear him out. “And you know what? Listen, you are incredibly valid for feeling that way, but I ask you to hear me out.”
Wuertz then revealed that GCW figures Joey Janela and Brett Lauderdale had attempted to reach out to him several years ago when they became concerned about the direction he was heading. “About 5, 6 years ago, Joey Janela hit me up. Brett Lauderdale hit me up. Just casual friends keeping in contact. Somehow, at some point, I lost my way.”
According to Wuertz, Janela and Lauderdale told him that his public comments did not reflect the person they had previously known. “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 sh*t that you’re saying. That’s not the loving Drake that everybody was so happy about when he signed the contract. That’s not our guy.’”
Wuertz admitted that he was unwilling to listen to those concerns at the time. “And I brushed it off. I didn’t listen.” Looking back, Wuertz said he had developed tunnel vision and become involved with subjects and groups with which he now believes he should never have associated himself. “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 affiliating with.”
Wuertz acknowledged that his behavior had likely offended a significant portion of GCW and independent wrestling’s audience. “And 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.” He then offered a direct apology. “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.”
Wuertz attracted considerable controversy in 2021 while working as an NXT referee. Among the incidents that received attention was his appearance at a Seminole County Board of County Commissioners meeting while wearing an NXT shirt, where he spoke against mask mandates and claimed they put vulnerable children at risk from traffickers and predators.
He also faced criticism over his social media activity during that period. Wuertz responded at the time by claiming people attempting to “cancel” him had targeted his job, faith and family and had threatened to dox them.
His comments following GCW Homecoming represent a notably different position, with Wuertz now acknowledging that people close to him attempted to warn him at the time and accepting responsibility for ignoring them.
While Wuertz did not individually address every statement or controversy from that period, he said he had “lost my way” and directly apologized to those he offended, asking the GCW and independent wrestling audience for forgiveness.
