@jess_coreApollo Crews didn't just get released; he knew it was coming two days before the call even landed. The whole thing unfolded while he was at his son's basketball practice, right around 5 PM on a Friday, with travel staff making a quick 45-second phone call to explain the situation. It wasn't a surprise out of nowhere though. Crews had been in Vegas for WrestleMania, but back then he stayed home for both WrestleMania events two years earlier without doing any media or appearances. When he got home from that trip, he got a call the Wednesday after WrestleMania stating he wasn't needed for SmackDown, which signaled exactly what was coming next. In that moment, he instantly knew Friday was going to be the day. He spent the whole day waiting for the call, went about his routine like normal, and when the call came, it was over. He describes feeling like a survivor during his career because he watched so many peers get released while he remained employed. There were times he expected the axe to fall since he wasn't doing anything, but seeing everyone else go made him feel lucky to still be there. He almost pictured what it would feel like when it finally happened, but the reality wasn't that picture. It didn't feel how he thought it would feel. When asked how he actually felt, he said he didn't really feel anything. It wasn't indifference, like 'Ah, I don't care,' because he just didn't give it enough time to process. Not that it was unexpected, but the fact that he did expect it kind of softened the blow. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he wasn't overly emotional about it. This is the raw recounting from an interview with Chris VanVliet.

@jess_coreApollo Crews didn't just get released; he knew it was coming two days before the call even landed. The whole thing unfolded while he was at his son's basketball practice, right around 5 PM on a Friday, with travel staff making a quick 45-second phone call to explain the situation. It wasn't a surprise out of nowhere though. Crews had been in Vegas for WrestleMania, but back then he stayed home for both WrestleMania events two years earlier without doing any media or appearances. When he got home from that trip, he got a call the Wednesday after WrestleMania stating he wasn't needed for SmackDown, which signaled exactly what was coming next. In that moment, he instantly knew Friday was going to be the day. He spent the whole day waiting for the call, went about his routine like normal, and when the call came, it was over. He describes feeling like a survivor during his career because he watched so many peers get released while he remained employed. There were times he expected the axe to fall since he wasn't doing anything, but seeing everyone else go made him feel lucky to still be there. He almost pictured what it would feel like when it finally happened, but the reality wasn't that picture. It didn't feel how he thought it would feel. When asked how he actually felt, he said he didn't really feel anything. It wasn't indifference, like 'Ah, I don't care,' because he just didn't give it enough time to process. Not that it was unexpected, but the fact that he did expect it kind of softened the blow. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he wasn't overly emotional about it. This is the raw recounting from an interview with Chris VanVliet.