Triple H & Shawn Michaels Tried to Save Velveteen Dream from Himself Prior to WWE Termination

Patrick Clark—formerly known in WWE as Velveteen Dream—is pulling back the curtain on what really happened behind the scenes before his release, and now he’s revealing the emotional conversations he had with both Triple H and Shawn Michaels that were meant to save his career—and possibly his life.

In a revealing interview with LiMPiN AiNT EASY w/ Timmy Baltimore, Clark recalled a specific airport incident after an NXT road loop that snowballed into a turning point. His lost luggage triggered a meltdown, and that moment found its way back to WWE higher-ups.

Clark explained that after causing a scene in the Delta lounge, he was kicked out and word traveled fast back to WWE security and ultimately to Triple H.

“So, we were coming back from a road loop… they lost my bag. I was pissed and I was tired. But I didn’t handle it as a man. I didn’t handle it with maturity. I did not handle it with grace. I made a fuss in the Delta office about me not having my bag. So they kicked me out.”

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“The officer that kicked me out was friends with Dave McKinnon, who was our security guard for NXT. So it got to Dave. Small world. And it got to Triple H.”

That led to a sit-down with Triple H, where Clark was given blunt advice that still sticks with him to this day.

“Patrick, you have to understand that we need you to grow up. You cannot be in the position we want you to be in acting the way that you’re acting.”

“You have to learn that you have a lot more to lose than everybody else. Anyone else can go in that airport into that Delta lounge and they can act a fool and no one’s going to care the next day. You do it, and you’re on Twitter. And he was very right.”

Clark also shared heartfelt reflections on his mentorship under Shawn Michaels, who coached him for four years at the WWE Performance Center. He remembered family dinners, church outings, and gym sessions with Michaels—and the core message that stayed with him years later.

“Now I’m in Shawn Michaels’ class for four years. I’ve gone to church with Shawn Michaels. My family’s visited and we’ve all gone to church together, me and his family.”

“He always said, no matter what happens in your careers… I would much rather you be great men than great wrestlers. And I understand that now, five years later, better than I did when he first said it.”

These personal moments with Triple H and Shawn Michaels paint a deeper picture of the effort WWE leadership made to help Clark stay on track before the backlash and personal issues took over.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.