Originally published on ProWrestlingSheet.

The saga of Drake Maverick has been a long and winding one, to which Maverick himself draws a cinematic parallel.

By now, you know the story: Maverick was released by WWE on April 15th, only to make a run in the NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament and be offered a new contract at the culmination.

In an interview with BT Sport, Maverick credited the fans for their support, likening his story to that of Rocky Balboa. "I've never been in a situation where, no matter how good the match was, all they cared about was me winning. It was honestly like watching the Rocky movie. It didn't matter what happened, as long as Rocky won," he said. "They just stuck with it the whole way and hoped to see Rocky win. That was what registered the most with me. All they cared about was a guy winning. That's the beauty of pro wrestling at the same time. To be that guy, I'm just blessed."

While Drake's run in the tournament after being released may have been met with skepticism by some, the now re-hired wrestler says he saw it as an opportunity. 

"This is what I have. I'm going to make it work. I'm going to give my absolute everything in the ring because the WWE Universe hasn't seen what I can do in the ring," he said. "A lot of people have before I got here, but now it's time to show them absolutely everything. Because if I don't give it everything, I don't know where I'm going to be at the end of this."

Despite losing in the Cruiserweight Tournament finals on June 3rd, an emotional Maverick was met by Triple H and a contract, which came as a complete surprise. "When I backed up the ramp and Hunter was there, I honestly just thought he was giving me a handshake and we were going to have a nice moment where he was like 'you really busted your ass.' When he handed me the folder, I'm like 'ahh okay!' I texted him later and was like 'I think I signed under duress, I kind of look upset.' It was such a great moment."

Armed with a second chance, Maverick has his eyes set on the future. He's hoping to work in NXT UK, for reasons both personal and professional. "It's been very difficult to be able to go see my family. They're not getting any younger," he said. "I'm hoping there are situations where I can go overseas to England, back home to see my family as well as being in front of those British crowds again for NXT UK. I miss them. We all miss the WWE Universe, but I miss those British crowds."