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What's the story?
Former WWE Tag Team Champion Darren Young has officially been released by the company.
In case you didn't know...
A 15-year veteran of the ring, Darren Young wrestled in and around the New Jersey independent scene before signing a developmental deal with WWE in May 2009. Young spent a year or so in Florida Championship Wrestling before being announced as part of the first season of NXT.
Young made little to no impression on the show, but his return in season five saw Mr No Days Off establish a partnership with Titus O'Neill. The duo became known as The Primetime Players and were eventually called up to the main roster in April 2012.
The team had their ups and downs, the undoubted former being a WWE Tag Team Championship win at Money in the Bank 2015. The low point was the regrettable feud between the two in late 2016. Young suffered a major arm injury in January 2016.
The heart of the matter
Darren Young's release was announced on WWE.com earlier today, along with those of female competitors Summer Rae and Emma. The news has also been confirmed on the company's official Twitter account.
Young is yet to comment on the news but has added the contact of his management to his Twitter bio. Young has been missing in action for most of 2017 after suffering a serious arm injury in January, but The South Beach Party Boy recently made his return to live event action.
The release of 'Mr. No Days Off' will come as a surprise to many. Young publicly came out as gay in summer 2013, becoming the first professional wrestler to do so whilst active and signed to a major promotion.
What's next?
As with most WWE releases, it is likely that Young will have a 90-day no-compete clause to sit out before returning to the ring. This means Young will have to wait until 2018 to begin taking bookings on the independent scene if that was his plan.
Author's take
Darren Young is going to surprise a lot of people. The former WWE Tag Team Champion was one of the most underrated in-ring performers in the company, and will almost certainly excel with the extra freedom that comes from the independent scene.
Young will land on his feet once he returns to the ring. It will be no surprise to this writer to see the New Jersey native raising eyebrows and impressing people throughout 2018.
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