"I was done" - Roderick Strong reveals why he left WWE NXT 

Earlier this year in February, Roderick Strong handed in his resignation to WWE NXT General Manager William Regal shortly after the implosion of The Undisputed Era. It was shocking for many as Strong had been an integral part of the Black and Gold Brand for over four years at that point.

.@roderickstrong has officially resigned from #WWENXT. We'll miss you, Roddy. You're welcome back at any time. @RealKingRegal @MarinaShafir pic.twitter.com/rkReXpdtru

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) April 14, 2021

However, the resignation was only temporary as Roderick Strong later returned in June as the leader of a brand new faction known as The Diamond Mine. The group, consisting of Strong, Tyler Rust (now released) and Hideki Suzuki, is managed by Malcolm Bivens.

In a recent interview with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Roderick Strong recalled handing in his resignation and revealed the motivations behind that move.

"I did (quit). To me, I did, and I was done. Honestly, there's a huge influence from Shawn Michaels, but Jamie Noble was one of the first people to tell me, 'If it's real to you, it's real to everybody else.' In my head, I had (just quit)." Strong said, "It's one of those situations where the highlight was on Kyle and Adam, but the competitor in me wants to be a part of that, but there wasn't an opportunity at that time. For me, this gave me a chance to distance myself, decompress and really think about what I wanted to do. I've been in a wrestling ring for 25 years . . . I told my mom I quit, my dad, my family. I was like, 'We'll see what happens down the road.'" [h/t Fightful]

You can check out the full interview with Roderick Stronin the video below:

Roderick Strong is currently eying the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

The Diamond Mine

The Diamond Mine sent a strong message as the faction made its first appearance when Roderick Strong laid out Kushida. Strong has his eyes now set on the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.

Yeah, I’m gonna turn the NXT Cruiserweight Championship into a spinner belt. pic.twitter.com/lM6M9z3n3E

— Malcolm (@Malcolmvelli) August 4, 2021

It is likely that the two hard hitters will lock horns at NXT TakeOver 36. The card for the show will be stacked as two matches have already been announced while the rest are already being built. Samoa Joe will face off against Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship. WALTER vs Ilja Dragunov will also take place on the same show in a rematch for the WWE NXT UK Championship.

Even though the match hasn't been announced, there is a high possibility of Dakota Kai challenging Raquel Gonzalez for the WWE NXT Women's Championship. Moreover, WWE is seemingly building towards a third match between Adam Cole and Kyle O'Reilly to cap off their feud.

What are your expectations heading into WWE NXT TakeOver 36. Share your thoughts in the comments section below.