WWE Already Bringing Back Recently Departed Star

WWE is already bringing back a star who parted ways with the company less than two weeks ago.

It was reported on May 17 that Drew Gulak, who had recently received a decent push on SmackDown, was leaving WWE after failing to come to terms on a new contract. Gulak wasn’t released, but rather, as his contract expiration neared, he reportedly asked for a raise, which WWE denied and resulted in the talented former 205 Live star briefly becoming a free agent.

WWE initially chose not to re-sign Gulak amid reports that the company wasn’t issuing any raises, likely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the door remained open for Gulak to return to SmackDown, and he’s apparently going to do exactly that on this week’s episode.

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According to Fightful Select, “Gulak’s contract expired just over a week ago, after negotiations between he and WWE reached an impasse. However, it looks like things ended up working out just fine, as Fightful Select has learned that he’s working this week’s Smackdown. Gulak appeared in the ring with over a dozen other wrestlers, but his brief absence wasn’t mentioned over the house microphones at least. We do not know as to whether or not Gulak has re-signed with WWE or not, as the company officially announced his departure recently.”

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Cageside Seats adds that Gulak “has been added back to WWE.com’s roster page (he had been moved to the alumni section),” a surefire sign that the former Cruiserweight Champion has likely has reached a deal to remain with WWE after it looked like he would be one of the hottest free agents in pro wrestling.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingNews.co) added the following in regards to Gulak’s surprisingly quick return: “I know people who had tried to book him for future dates because he actually was a free agent. He could have been on Double Or Nothing. When people tried to contact him, they knew he was going somewhere because he was not interested in anything so it was pretty much assumed that it was either WWE or AEW that he was going – that he had pretty much made up his mind that he wasn’t going anywhere else.”

Upon news of Gulak’s WWE exit, there was a lot of buzz surrounding his future in pro wrestling. Stars across the industry praised Gulak, who is known as a fantastic talker and elite technical wrestler, as someone who could contribute to any pro wrestling company. Of course, there has been rampant speculation that Gulak would be targeted by All Elite Wrestling, especially given that the company has experienced an influx of former WWE stars ranging from Chris Jericho to Jon Moxley to Brodie Lee to Matt Harper.

Although Gulak doesn’t have the star power of those aforementioned names, he is widely viewed as a very underrated all-around performer who could make a big splash given the right storyline. It wasn’t until just a few months ago that Gulak began getting his first real shot at success on the main roster when he found himself feuding with and then teaming with Daniel Bryan in a surprising turn of events on SmackDown. Bryan reportedly pushed to work with Gulak—as well as the since-released Heath Slater—in a decision that may have ultimately been a career saver for the Gulak.

If you look at the plight of many former 205 Live stars, it, well, hasn’t gone unnoticed that many who’ve left the Cruiserweight-only brand have struggled to gain their footing on the main roster. That list includes the likes of Cedric Alexander and Akira Tozawa, and it doesn’t come as much of a surprise given WWE’s history of largely failing to push smaller performers. Of all the 205 Live alums, however, one could argue that Gulak possesses the best mix of charisma, mic skills and in-ring abilities, and now that he’s apparently back in WWE—whether permanently or temporarily—he should continue to get a decent push as a midcarder alongside Bryan.

Whether he actually does or not, though, is a completely different story.