Rip Fowler and Jagger Reid of The Dyad have become one of NXT’s longest-serving roster members in recent years, initially joining the brand back in February 2020 and being part of its UK subsidiary since its foundation in 2018. The two requested their releases from the company back in April and announced on social media that they had been denied, but now Booker T has confirmed recent reports that they have now departed the company altogether.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer and current NXT commentator confirmed that the duo have now left WWE following the expiration of their contracts. They competed in their final match for the promotion of the August 29th edition of NXT where they lost a Steel Cage match to The Creed Brothers, allowing the latter to be reinstated into the black and gold brand.
“There’s a couple of guys who just exited from the WWE as well: The Dyad,” Booker confirmed. “Those guys just let the contract run out, they’re gonna be leaving the company. They may be showing up in AEW, never know, they may be going back to [the] UK. But Reid and Fowler, those guys were actually two of my favorites and I thought they had something good going for them, used to be called the Grizzled [Young] Veterans. But I liked those guys and I hate to see him go.”
Prior to joining Schism alongside Joe Gacy and Ava Raine in the summer of 2022, the two were known as the Grizzled Young Veterans and were notable for their time in NXT UK. Going by their independent names Zack Gibson and James Drake, they became the inaugural NXT UK Tag Team Champions by defeating Tyler Bate and Trent Seven of Moustache Mountain at NXT TakeOver: Blackpool in January 2019 and went on to hold the belts for eight months.
If you use any quotes from this article, please give a h/t to Haus of Wrestling and credit Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore.