Darren Young Returns to WWE as a Performance Center Coach, Nine Years After His Release

Darren Young is back in WWE. The former WWE Tag Team Champion revealed on October 31 that he is now working at the WWE Performance Center, coaching talent for NXT, nine years after WWE let him go.

He shared the news on X with a long, emotional post. "Today, I'm back at @wwenxt, fighting back tears of joy every time I pull up to the Performance Center," he wrote, adding that it was nine years since he was released by WWE. He called the return a full-circle moment and said he is grateful for the chance to help the next generation.

WWE has not made its own announcement. The news comes from Young's post, which was first picked up by eWrestling.

Who is Darren Young?

Darren Young, whose real name is Fred Rosser, was with WWE from 2009 to 2017. Some of the moments fans remember most:

• He was part of the first season of NXT in 2010 and then debuted on the main roster as a member of The Nexus, the group that invaded Raw that summer.
• In 2012 he formed The Prime Time Players with Titus O'Neil. They won the WWE Tag Team Championship from The New Day at Money in the Bank 2015 and held the titles until SummerSlam 2015.
• In August 2013 he came out as gay, becoming the first pro wrestler to do so publicly while under contract with WWE.
• In 2016, Bob Backlund became his "life coach" in the "Make Darren Young Great Again" storyline, one of the more memorable comedy acts of that era.

WWE released him in late October 2017. He went on to wrestle for New Japan Pro-Wrestling, where he became STRONG Openweight Champion and also worked as a trainer at the NJPW Academy, and for the NWA.

Why this matters

This is not an in-ring comeback. Young's new job is behind the scenes, helping develop the wrestlers who will become WWE's next stars. That training experience at the NJPW Academy is likely part of why the role makes sense for him.

It is also a nice story on a personal level. Young's post was clearly emotional, and he got the news out on the anniversary of the week he was released. He also turns 43 today, November 2.

There is no word yet on whether he will appear on NXT TV in any role. We will update this story if WWE says more.