After watching a number of Superstar get released over the past week, from big-time former champions like Jinder Mahal to underutilized performers like Xyon Quinn, Xia Li, Indus Sheer, and most shockingly of all, Von Wagner, WWE fans were met with yet another release less than a week before the WWE Draft, with last year's final pick, Cameron Grimes, who had one very fun match versus Baron Corbin on the main roster before effectively becoming a full-time job guy, being released two weeks after his final television match against Bron Breakker.

Surprising? Sure, Grimes had a very fun gimmick in NXT that saw him go over the Million Dollar Man and LA Knight and looked like the sort of Triple H guy who would thrive on the main roster as a smart babyface capable of getting big wins over cocky heels.

Taking to social media to share the news himself, Grimes cut a tearful promo that summed up the last five years of his career, noting that he's ready to put in the work needed to get back on top now that he's allowed to dictate his own career.

“This is Trevor Lee. Also known as Cameron Grimes. I just got off the phone with WWE, and unfortunately, I have been released from my contract. Five years ago, the last thing that I was able to tell my father, Tracey Caddell, was that I signed with the WWE. I loved working here. I loved working at the WWE,” Cameron Grimes explained on social media via WrestleTalk.

“I want to thank absolutely everybody that’s helped me. I could sit here and name off a list of people, but the video might be a little bit too long. Even though you guys haven’t seen me in the past year, I’ve been trying my best to learn from everybody that comes through, everybody that would let me sit there and listen. But if you’re a fan of mine, I’m here to let you know that there’s a d**n fire lit under my a**, man. All I wanna do is work. All I’ve ever wanted to do is work. This is all I’ve got, man. But hey, the good news is, there ain’t gonna be no stopping Trevor Lee now, baby, let me tell you that. I love you guys. If you’re watching this, I love you. We’re gonna figure this out. This isn’t what I wanted to do at all. The WWE is all I’ve ever wanted to do and be. But if I have to go somewhere else now to show ‘em that they missed out, I guess that’s what I gotta do. Thank you guys.”

Gosh, poor Grimes/Trevor Lee, it's horrible to see someone have their dream taken away from them as part of budget cuts, especially when the performer in question only got to work 11 matches on television during their year on the main roster. Fortunately, Grimes does have a pretty good resume from his last run on the indies, and he's already earned some words of encouragement from around the industry, including from one of the performers who helped to train him 16 years ago.

 

Matt Hardy encourages Cameron Grimes to keep grinding.

As the entire IWC processes the final message from Cameron Grimes before he fully returns to Trevor Lee, Matt Hardy, another North Carolina native who helped to train him as a teenager in Cameron, decided to share a public message with the 30-year-old Superstar on social media, letting him know that while things may feel bad now, he has a great opportunity in front of him.

“Trevor, I love your passion & your raw emotion. I’ve been in your life & known you since you were literally born. I am IMMENSELY proud of you,” Matt Hardy wrote on social media. “So is your father. The first release from your dream hits hard, but it ushers in a period of personal growth & mandatory change. It’s also a great time to show the world exactly who you are. You’re one of the most gifted pro wrestlers I’ve ever seen. It’s in your blood, in your soul. I see nothing but great things coming to you in your future.”

Fortunately for Grimes, if there's one person who knows his potential as a performer, it's probably Hardy, as they've been connected since before he started wrestling, have worked nine matches together from OMEGA to Impact, the AAW, and will likely wrestle again in the not-too-distant future now that they're both free to work wherever they want – a day that may come sooner than expected since the FTC just struck down non-compete clauses. And the best part? With Hardy back in TNA, Grimes has a perfect in to revitalize the Cult of Lee in the Impact Zone, assuming he doesn't want to shoot his shot in AEW, New Japan, or Mexico.