Andre Chase Claims He Turned Down Higher Paying Non-Wrestling Offer From WWE

Before becoming one of the most recognizable personalities in WWE NXT, Andre Chase nearly entered the company in a completely different role.

During a recent appearance on Between Two Jobs with Duke Hanson, Chase reflected on the path that eventually led him to WWE in 2021. The former NXT star, who previously competed as Harlem Bravado in EVOLVE, explained that he wasn’t among the talent immediately brought over when WWE purchased the promotion in 2020.

According to Chase, he first learned about the situation directly from Gabe Sapolsky.

“Gabe (Sapolsky) calls me in July and goes, ‘We sold EVOLVE to WWE. You weren’t under contract with us. They are going to absorb some of the contracts, but you’re not one of them because you’re not under a deal.’ ‘Okay, cool.’ ‘Stay ready.’”

While the news could have been discouraging, Chase said he continued training and preparing in case an opportunity eventually came his way.

“I was still working out and staying ready, but I wasn’t expecting anything. In September, Gabe texts me out of the blue and is like, ‘Have you been staying ready?’ ‘Yeah.’”

That message soon led to a call from then-WWE executive Canyon Cemen and an invitation to what would become one of the company’s first COVID-era tryouts.

Chase recalled being told that WWE’s interest in him was somewhat unique.

“Five minutes later I get a call from Canyon (Cemen) and he’s like, ‘How have you been? Are you well? Are you working?’ North Carolina was shut down. I had a work-from-home setup. ‘As best I can, I’m staying ready.’ He’s like, ‘You want to come in for a tryout?’ It was the first tryout in COVID. Essentially, he was like, ‘You’re an interesting case because we actually want to sign you as a coach. Come to the tryout anyway, and we’ll talk and discuss what we have for you. We think you’d be a great coach.’ I’m 31 and like, ‘I’m not ready to stop wrestling yet.’ They made it clear it was one or the other. There were no player-coaches. He said they were bringing in ten guys, it was a small tryout and everyone was getting signed, ‘You just have to come to it.’”

As it turned out, the tryout didn’t go exactly as planned. Chase described the session as “cursed,” noting that only three participants ultimately received contracts despite expectations that everyone involved would be signed.

Those three names were Chase, Anthony Henry, and Blake Christian.

A few months later, WWE presented Chase with a major career decision. The company remained interested in bringing him aboard as a coach, but they also offered him a wrestler’s contract after being impressed by his tryout performance.

“I get the call back in November from Canyon and he goes, ‘We really wanted you as a coach, but we enjoyed your tryout. What do you want to do?’ They gave me the numbers, and the coach was a much higher salary than what it was starting as a wrestler. I was like, ‘Do I take the money and call it a day on my career?’ They made it clear, ‘You can’t do both.’”

It was a crossroads moment.

After discussing the situation with his brother, Chase ultimately decided to follow the reason he wanted to join WWE in the first place.

“The money was appealing and attractive, but I came here to be a wrestler, so I’m gonna be a wrestler. I called him and told him. He was a bit surprised. ‘You know the pay difference, right?’”

Chase officially signed with WWE in February 2021 and went on to become a featured act in NXT through the success of Chase U.

Following his WWE release in April, he has returned to the independent wrestling scene, where he is currently performing under the name Andre Chance.