Former NXT wrestler reveals creative team had no clear explanation for popular group’s disbandment
Andre Chase recalled the conversation with the NXT creative team on their decision to disband Chase U.
Speaking with former NXT star Duke Hudson on Between Two Jobs, Chase recalled the disbandment of Chase University. He was informed by WWE executives of the decision without any reasoning behind the move. He was initially informed that Chase U merchandise had sold well during Heatwave in comparison to Trick Williams and Roxanne Perez, the then NXT Champions.
“When they tell me what they’re doing, they don’t really tell me why they’re doing it. Which obviously they don’t have to. But because I think this is a conversation, I start from a business perspective, from a numbers and a dollars and cents perspective, I started to say I think this is a bad idea. At Halloween Havoc, the merch guy Teddy pulls me aside and he goes, ‘Hey, I just wanted to let you know you sold just as much merchandise as Trick and Roxanne, the champions. Now that I think about it, you did that at No Mercy, too. I think Heatwave, you had the highest selling shirt.’”
“So I talk about that. I talk about how we are the highest selling merch. Also, I talk about how good our ratings are, which they already have to know because they book us in five segments a show. The metrics that they say are important, I’m telling them why we have achieved these metrics. With very little advertising and very little help from them, why does it make sense that we’re selling as much merch as Trick Williams and Roxanne Perez when they’re in every main event, every piece of advertising? It shouldn’t compute and somehow we have done it.”
“I’m telling this to the creative team. ‘From a business perspective, can you please tell me why this is a good idea?’ And they can’t. They just say, ‘This is the direction we’re going.’ And that’s when I realized it wasn’t a conversation. They had already made up their minds and I go, ‘Okay. I can’t do anything to change your mind.’ No matter the ratings, no matter the merchandise sales, no matter the reactions, they were just ready to move on.”
Shortly after his WWE release in April, Chase revealed that he was originally selected to be positioned as a wrestling coach on NXT. However, he declined the role and became a wrestler despite the lower salary.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.