When news broke that Scrypts wasn't going to have his contract renewed by WWE, it came as a relative shock around the IWC.
Sure, over his time in the promotion, Scrypts/Reggie/Reginald has worked a ton of gimmicky angles across the main and developmental roster, but when he linked up with OTM in NXT, it seemed like he really found something cool, serving as a mouthpiece for the young tag team as they worked their way through the wrestling ranks. Unfortunately, when Jaida Parker was added to the group, it spelled the end of the 31-year-old former Cirque du Soleil performer, as the group will now move forward as a trio with the former LSU soccer player seemingly now taking on a hybrid wrestler/valet role for the group.
Discussing how it felt to learn the news in a special interview with Fightful, Scrypts, real name Sidney Akeem, had a surprisingly positive mindset, as he isn't going to let his exit from WWE end his wrestling dream.
“I'm very positive. The news came three or four weeks ago. I've been in really good spirits. It's not how it was a couple of years ago when releases were happening, and people were devastated. I know it's still tough, but I'm in a good head space,” Scrypts told Fightful.
“I am full-on excited for this next chapter in my story. People don't know this, but I did circus for 16 years. I was ready to lay that career aside and go on the independent circuit if WWE didn't offer me a contract. I was willing to dive into this head first from the very beginning, but I was fortunate enough to get a contract with WWE, so that didn't happen. Now, I'm here, and I'm excited to do that. Lots of companies have hit me up. Lots of projects in the works. The future is very, very bright.”
In 2024, there has really never been a better time for ex-WWE guys to find success on the indies, as performers like Matt Cardona and Mustafa Ali have opened up the doors for serious wrestlers to get better, define their own characters, and ultimately land new full-time deals elsewhere or even back in WWE, as per Scrypts, that door isn't closed.
Scrypts could still return to WWE in the future.
Continuing his conversation with Fightful, Scrypts discussed what his conversation with WWE was like when they let him know his contract, revealing that they appreciated working with him and would consider bringing him back if the right opportunity presented itself.
“It was a great conversation. I don't know what a conversation like that is, ‘We're going another direction. Good luck on your future endeavors.' That was the conversation people said was happening, but I got a call, and it was, ‘Hey Reg, I hate to be the one to have this call and give you this news.' I knew right there, but it's a person I have a really good relationship with. He said, ‘Unfortunately, we're not going to renew your contract. I want you to know the door isn't closed, it's forever open. You were such a great talent, you were great to work with. A joy to be around.' Just a flattering message,” Scrypts told Fightful.
“I thought in my head, ‘If I'm that great, why can't I get a new contract?' But, it was a good conversation. I was like, ‘Okay, what's next?' My biggest thing was, I didn't leave on bad blood. That's not who I am. I'm a very positive guy. My brother is heavy in drugs right now. My grandmother is sick. My other brother is in jail. My other brother is in a mental hospital from a car crash when he was 16. I have people that are constantly dying back in St. Louis, and I'm living a life that many would kill to be in my shoes. I have nothing to be upset about. This is just another obstacle, another hurdle that I have to jump. It wasn't a bad call at all.”
In the past, WWE looked at itself as the end all, be all of professional wrestling, with opportunities away from the promotion viewed as lesser or like the “minor leagues,” but now, under Triple H, not only is the promotion working with indie feds from time to time but they are bringing in indie acts and storylines from other promotions a la GOD on SmackDown. If WWE had nothing planned for Scrypts and his contract was up, maybe they do want to see what he can cook up on the indies in order to bring him back at some point in the future.
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