Duke Hudson Is Grateful For His Time In Chase U, Says It Was A Very Helpful Group

During a virtual signing for K&S Wrestlefest (via Fightful), Duke Hudson spoke about his time in Chase U as part of WWE NXT and how grateful he was to be a part of it. Hudson was released from WWE earlier this year.

He said: “Chase U., not that it’s necessarily meant to be a main event act but, it was something that was so — I can’t say important but… There was some weeks where Chase U. was in eight out of the 15 segments. Whether it’s a backstage or a match or whatever it was, we were involved in a lot of the show and not necessarily that that was making us the stars or the top guys. But we were involved in helping so many people on their journeys. We were often the underdogs and I think with a lot of people, they need — I think a lot of talent need to be pushed and maybe this is just early on in their career as they’re trying to figure out what this crazy business is, especially when it’s athletes who don’t necessarily have five or 10 years of experience in professional wrestling before coming to WWE. They need to focus on their character, their moves and they focus on them. Chase U., we already kind of had our stuff down… If they needed us to lose, great. Here’s a very good losing team and if they needed to give us the win, great, we can look just as good as anyone else when you put us against anyone. One week, I could be losing to Lexis King in three minutes and I go, okay, if that’s what you want from me this week, that’s what I’ll do and I’ll try to make Lexis King look as good as possible. The next week, you tell me that I’m wrestling Oba Femi for 20 minutes. ‘Okay, well, do you want me to look –’ they go, ‘No, you’re 50-50.’ I go, ‘Oh! I’m 50-50? Okay, well, I’ll do whatever you say,’ and then I have to look as capable or as talented or as strong or as dominant as someone like Oba Femi who is made to look like the top guy. That’s why I think Chase U. was — again, whether it was important… Definitely valuable. That could be the word. I’m very glad that I got to be a part of it because, clearly, and I don’t remember but I know that I loved Chase U. before I was in Chase U. Whether we were hanging outside of work or whether it was like a TV day and you know, you go to the — you see your producer or you go to the ring for rehearsals or whatever you gotta do. I would always be wearing the Chase U. shirt. Just because I enjoyed what (Andre) Chase, Thea (Hail) and Bohdi (Hayward) were doing and I saw so much potential in Chase U., that it’s funny that in the blink of an eye, I went into Chase U. and then in the blink of an eye, I had two or three years in Chase U. ”

He also talked about the group breaking up. He added: “I think a lot of people were skeptical of them breaking up but I also think a lot of people were skeptical of them getting TV time at all as well. Wrestling is such an opinionated business, right? Everyone has a thought, everyone has a flavor. (Andre) Chase and I were not Fraxiom. Some people like Fraxiom, some people like Chase U. and that’s okay. That’s what wrestling provides. To each their own.“