Former WWE Superstar Simon Gotch, who is now going as Simon Grimm on the independent scene, recently spoke with Josh Barnett of USA Today’s “For The Win” section about departing from WWE. Here are the highlights.
On reports of a backstage incident at SmackDown Live before his release:
“The actual story is that it happened at WrestleMania. I was sitting in catering and the chair I was in was kinda flimsy. I go to shift in it and it just collapses underneath me. Being a ham, my immediate reaction was to demand someone pin me. ‘Someone pin me quick.’ The guy who comes over, I think he works for us. I didn’t realize he was a local technician and was not a WWE technician. He was someone who worked on the set at ‘Mania. He came to help me up and I’m like, ‘Nope, you gotta pin me. C’mon, man.’ And he’s not going along with the bit. He thinks I just fell and he’s trying to help me. I see the bit’s going nowhere so I take the chair and I just kick it off to the side, drop it like a little punt and let it lay where it lands. That was it. I saw the story online, saying that I fell in the chair and made this big scene and was yelling and screaming. No part of that is accurate.”
On if his WWE release was mutual:
“They brought it to me and I agreed. It was one of those things where I was unhappy, and they basically felt like the character had run its course. I said I agreed, and they said they wanted to exercise the termination clause in my contract. I agreed with that as well and we went from there. This wasn’t exactly an unwanted thing on my part. I wasn’t happy, and I actually felt that was the best move. In any situation, sometimes if you see the opportunity, you take it.”
On his release being “for the best”:
“I think ultimately, it’s probably for the best. Aiden English is getting an opportunity to show himself as a solid singles competitor. I’m going to get the opportunity to show that I’m capable of more than just being the character. Realistically speaking, both of our careers will be better for it. It played out the best it could have.”
You can read the entire interview here.
