Well, That Was A Fun Week of Fantasy Booking: Drew Gulak Back with WWE

Rejoice, ya Guls! It's like he never left.
Photo Credit: WWE.com

As quickly and quietly as he was dropped from the WWE roster, Drew Gulak has returned to the company just as quickly and just as quietly. Two Fridays ago on Smackdown, he lost to Daniel Bryan in the Intercontinental Championship tournament, and then the story broke that he was on the outs. WWE even started going into hyper-scrub mode, referring to him as Bryan's "training partner" in tweets for the week or so that he was a free agent. The rumblings were always apparent that he didn't want to leave; he just wanted more money commensurate with the boost in exposure that he was getting after moving from 205 Live to Smackdown. Observer Radio corroborated this talking about how WWE was the one who broke contract negotiations after Gulak asked for more money, asking WWE to violate its policy of not giving an inch off its Smaug-sized hoard of gold in "these uncertain times." How will Vince McMahon and Paul Levesque have their money fights if they have to pay more money to someone doing more work for them?

However, The Site We Shall Not Link (PW Insider for the uninitiated) has reported that Gulak and WWE came to terms and that he'll be back with the company immediately, thus ending the shortest and least fruitful free agency in recent pro wrestling history. While a freed Gulak was tantalizing for fans of places other than WWE, the release/contract impasse always felt unnatural. Gulak has gained notoriety not only as a versatile, charismatic wrestler but also as a trainer. Many observers saw his hiring by WWE as a lifer job, where he would fill roles not only on-screen, but behind the scenes at the Performance Center or in roles similar to how Curtis Axel would get guys like The Rock in ring shape for their big, part-time matches. Much like his current storyline partner Bryan, Gulak was always seen as a wrestler's wrestler.

Perhaps the writing was on the wall at Double or Nothing, when the mystery slot in the Casino Ladder Match was filled not with Gulak but Brian Cage, who made his All Elite Wrestling debut by winning a title opportunity in his first match. While Cage is a "new" hire for AEW, there were rumblings that he'd reached an agreement in January, before COVID-19 made its way to the United States, grinding life to a halt. The fact that AEW has yet to sign whatever The Revival are calling themselves now that they foolishly didn't do due diligence on names other wrestlers had trademarked before coming up with their own team appellation felt like they weren't going to dive into the water to snag someone as recent as Gulak in "these uncertain times" anyway.

The mulling was fun while it lasted, imagining a reunion of the Gentlemen's Club in AEW, or thinking of him returning to Chikara either to vanquish The Crucible or join it. That being said, Gulak's return to WWE feels like a small victory for labor at a time when labor doesn't win a whole lot. I mean, just look at the climate currently where instead of enhancing unemployment benefits for people to keep them safe, governments are taking bipartisan action to attempt reopening society without a vaccine and without flattening any curves just so the societal elites can continue accruing revenue off their employees' backs. If Gulak is back, it means WWE threw him at least a compromise increase in his pay to return. Of course, I doubt the actual details will be released before Forbes or whatever does another analysis of WWE salaries. The increase comparative to the bog-standard 205 Live deal may not ever be known either. That being said, all the tea leaves surrounding the situation show that Gulak was able to get at least part of what he wanted, which has been what labor struggles have been about for the last 150 years anyway. It's sad, but it's true.

In the short-term, Gulak will get his name and agency back when WWE social media starts recapping stuff he's been in. He'll probably be paired back with Bryan as well. For the long-term, well, the future in wrestling is always unwritten. Ten years ago, people probably predicted CM Punk would be a massive wrestling supernova instead of someone who walked away for his own safety and knowledge of worth. Few people can accurately predict how things will ever go on a consistent basis. Hell, no one probably had "Drew Gulak sitting out a week without a contract in May" on their wrestling story bingo cards either. Still, that's one reason why this industry is so interesting, and frustrating, to cover.