Former WWE Star Mansoor Explains Why He Isn't Bitter About His Release
Former WWE star Mansoor has opened up about his WWE release and why he holds no ill feelings anymore.
In a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, the former Maximum Male Models member stated that the first month following his release was tough for him, but his focus changed, with him concentrating on becoming a success in the indie scene.
"I'm not like bitter about it [his WWE release]. It doesn't like ... it did bother me, believe me, but 90 days is a long time. And at a certain point, you're in bed and you're trying to go to sleep and all you can think about is, 'What did I do wrong? What could I have done better?' And at some point, you're like, 'I can't live like this. I gotta just try and make the most of it and make the best of it,' and that's exactly when it turned on for me like probably a month after I got let go."
He added that he called, texted, and emailed everyone he knows in the pro wrestling industry following his release. Mansoor, who joined WWE in 2018, had a five-year run with the promotion before being released in September 2023. The standout moment of his WWE career came at the Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia in 2019, where he won the 51-man Battle Royal match.
Later in the interview, the former WWE star also detailed a frustrating aspect of working in the WWE.
Mansoor on his goals in the indie circuit
Mansoor explained how it was, at times, frustrating in WWE as he was sometimes not used for months.
"There were periods of time where I would go months without taking a single bump, where I wasn't in the ring for a minute, and you know, you can train and you can try and stay in shape and keep that ring rust off but it really gets to your soul," said the former "WWE NXT" star.
But, Mansoor is now focused on showing what he's truly capable of on the indie circuit, highlighting how any success that he can garner is entirely dependent on his talent.
"So now I can say — and I'm proud of it — if I fail, I fail because of me. And if I succeed, I succeed because of me, and I'm so content with that. I'm so happy and I'm so excited to be able to go out there and say, 'Listen, for whatever happened in WWE, what you're about to see is who I really am.' And you're about to get the most serious and real indicator of my talent, and if it goes great, phenomenal," said Mansoor. "If it doesn't, I'll fade off into the sunset."
Mansoor and Mace made their first post-WWE appearances at the DPW 2nd Anniversary show in December, and Mansoor will wrestle at the GCW Look At Me show later this month.