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What's the story?
Former WWE Superstar Darren Young was recently interviewed by Wrestling Inc.'s managing editor Nick Hausman.
Young opened up on the moment he saw Finn Balor sporting LGBTQ colors at WrestleMania 34, stating that he "cried like a baby on that night".
In case you didn't know...
Darren Young gained fame after being the first-ever professional wrestler to come out publicly, while being under contract with a major promotion.
Young was one of the original Nexus members, the group that wreaked havoc on the Monday Night Raw roster throughout the summer of 2010. While in NXT, he was mentored by CM Punk, and was eliminated from the competition at an early stage.
In mid-2013, Young came out publicly, and garnered tons of mainstream media attention. Soon after, Young and his partner Titus O'Neil turned babyface. After working in the mid-card for a while, he was released by WWE in 2017.
The heart of the matter
While speaking with Nick Hausman of Wrestling Inc., Young touched upon the topic of current WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor sporting LGBTQ gear for his match at WrestleMania 34.
Young stated that his release hurt him, but not as much as seeing Balor donning LGBTQ colors in his WrestleMania 34 entrance. The former WWE Superstar went on to heap praise upon Balor, but seemed upset at WWE not giving him the honor to do so while he was still with the promotion.
When I was released in 2017, I was more hurt, not about the release, but more about months later, at WrestleMania, the LGBTQ colors were embraced by a good friend of mine, a straight ally, Finn Balor, who's an amazing wrestler, an amazing talent, and good human being. But I was kind of upset because, why not let me embrace the colors while I was still with the company? Why not let me show my pride and all that other good stuff?
Young further said that he cried like a baby on that night, devastated on not even being invited to 'Mania weekend by WWE.
I cried like a baby, honestly. I was just… I was just devastated that I wasn't even invited to the festivities at that WrestleMania.
What's next?
Darren Young is set to receive the Vanguard Award during Miami's OUTshine film festival on April 28th, 2019.
What are your thoughts on Young's reaction? Was it justified?
