Former NXT United Kingdom Champion Flash Morgan Webster was released by WWE earlier this year, in a shock exodus of talent that took everyone by surprise. He was fired by WWE on August 18th, 2022, along with a host of other European WWE talent.
This included his tag team partner Mark Andrews and other top stars of the UK scene like Dave Mastiff and Sha Samuels. Andrews and Webster, as “Subculture”, made history at NXT UK: Cardiff (the first televised WWE event in Welsh history) by becoming the first ever Welsh wrestlers to win a championship in WWE, when they defeated Gallus and Grizzled Young Vets to win the United Kingdom Tag Team Championships.
It came as a huge shock to everyone when the releases were announced, especially the reason for it. It wasn’t the usual budget cut reason that was given out most of the time. Instead, the entirety of NXT UK was being disbanded to make way for an NXT Europe some time in the future. The wrestlers who were kept moved on to NXT in the US, while the rest (including Webster) were released from their deal.
Flash Morgan Webster had only recently just come back from injury when he was informed of his firing. He hadn’t wrestled in a year and had even turned down multiple WWE contracts in the weeks leading up to it. This seemed odd at the time, but the Welshman revealed that this was down to him wanting to step away from wrestling for a while and maybe even retiring.
In a long Twitter post, Flash Morgan Webster spoke about his firing from WWE. He confirmed that he was fired due to NXT UK shutting down and revealed that the rumours of him turning down WWE contracts in the lead up the release as being true. He was contemplating retirement from the WWE before the end of NXT UK and we could have seen the end of Flash Morgan Webster. Luckily, he has since taken some bookings and his career could be on the up.
On the Twitter post, Flash Morgan Webster said about his firing
Last night was my first match in over a year and my first independent match in close to three. In April, rumours started surfacing that I’d turn down multiple renewal offers from the WWE. Those rumours were true.
There was a few reasons I turned them contracts down but one of them was that I felt like maybe I was done with stepping into a wrestling ring. That passion just wasn’t there, I wasn’t enjoying it, and motivation to rehab or get in any form of ring shape was the last thing I wanted to do. I’d later go in to re-sign so my family and I had security while I was injured.
Then the release came, and I kinda felt relieved in some capacity. While colleagues were looking to fill up their schedules, I was looking at becoming a coach or running Chaos full time as a promoter. I knew I wanted to be involved in wrestling but maybe just not in a performing capacity. Anyone who knows me professionally will know the huge amount of pressure I put on myself before matches. To the extent of making my days before shows and show days insufferable. And this anxiety has only got worse over last few years.
But a few weeks ago I made the decision to take two bookings. One booking a tag team match with Mark and the second a singles and really see where my head was at. Last nights at OTT, I stepped into a ring in front of a crowd in over a year and I did so with the intention of just enjoying it and trying to find that fun I seemed to have lost along the way.
All I know for now I spent last 3 years not really knowing what I wanted or where I stood with wrestling. Now I know I just want to enjoy it and last night was a good start to that. I look forward Riot Cabaret in two weeks time and then back at OTT for round 2 and then who knows. All I know is whatever I do going forward I’m going to try my best to embrace and enjoy it.“
Since his WWE release Flash Morgan Webster has wrestled three matches, according to Cagematch, with the last one being on 27th November 2022. He teamed with Mark Andrews as Subculture in a match against Bowl-a-Rama.
He and Mark Andrews were the first Welsh wrestlers to win gold in the WWE. Click below to read about Tegan Nox, the Welsh Wizard who has the best shot at being the first Welsh women’s champion in WWE history.
