Last month, FCW wrestler and WWE Tough Enough winner Andy Leavine was released from his WWE contract. He discussed his release with The Full Nelson. Here are some of the highlights:
On the news of his release from WWE and why it happened: "To be honest, man, I wish I knew the whole story of why I was released. It was one of those things where (John) Laurinaitus called me up and told me I wasn't progressing enough down there at FCW. So, they released me to go out on the independent scene and gain a little experience. ... Yeah (I was released over the phone)."
On what reason he was given for his release: "To be honest with you, for whatever reason, FCW wasn't a good fit for me. I was born and raised in Tampa and it just wasn't a good environment for me. I was only wrestling maybe once every two or three weeks. When you're breaking into something, that's no way to learn. Kind of struggling and whatnot. To be honest with you, I think it was the best thing for me.
On what he plans on doing now that he's been released: "Just go out there and work, man -- have matches. It's the only way you get better at something. Back when I played football, the only way you learned is getting your ass on the fire. That's what I intend to do.
"I've been in contact with a couple of different promotions -- UCW and CPR in Puerto Rico. So, I think I'm going to be heading down to Puerto Rico on the 14th of July. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to work and earn my grit.
On the people he's heard from since his release: "I've heard from Matt from Tough Enough. He gave me a bit of encouragement. He was a really cool guy on the show and he's a cool dude in real life. I heard from a couple of guys from WWE developmental. I talked to Bill DeMott and he encouraged me to keep at it. He said that a lot of people out there liked me, but they want me to go out and get a little more experience.
