The story of promising NXT acts losing momentum on the main roster is a familiar one, and SAnitY often stands as the example. Now, the group’s former leader Eric Young has opened up about the frustrations that defined his WWE run, pinpointing the exact moment he stopped contributing ideas to the creative process.
Speaking on the Developmentally Speaking podcast, Young recalled the breaking point. “I had pitched some really cool ideas, they ended up stealing one of them and using them for other people,” he said. “I’m not going to get into that, that made me stop pitching ideas because if they’re just going to take them and give them to other people, there’s no sense of me wasting my breath.”
Young first joined WWE in 2016 and quickly made an impact in NXT as the leader of SAnitY. The faction’s peak came at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, where Young and Alexander Wolfe captured the NXT Tag Team Championship. But after their move to SmackDown in 2018, the group’s momentum stalled. Within a year, SAnitY was disbanded, and Young was shifted to RAW, where his appearances largely revolved around the 24/7 Championship before his release in April 2020 as part of pandemic-related budget cuts.
He later returned to WWE in 2022 for a second stint but departed in April 2023 after requesting his release. According to Young, he chose to walk away rather than continue under Vince McMahon, who had resumed a leadership role in the company.
Since leaving, Young has reestablished himself as a cornerstone of TNA Wrestling. He made his return at the 2020 Slammiversary pay-per-view and continues to be one of the promotion’s top stars today.