Former WWE Tough Enough winner Maven has addressed the recent back and forth with NXT's Jackson Drake, offering an apology while also sharing some advice from his own time in WWE.

The exchange began after Maven reviewed an NXT segment on his YouTube channel and criticized Drake's performance, admitting he was never a great actor himself before describing Drake's work as "pretty sh*tty acting."

Drake, 22, fired back on social media, taking aim at Maven's WWE career.

"This fossil was signed to WWE for four years. I've been signed for six months and my impact has already usurped his.

"Lmao at him calling my 'sh*tty acting' when it's 10x better than he ever was at any aspect of the industry. Until somebody asks for advice on how to be as forgettable and vanilla of a wrestler as possible, dude has nothing to offer."

Rather than escalating the situation, Maven responded in a new YouTube video with a more lighthearted approach. After jokingly referring to Drake as "Jackson Blake" and reflecting on the legendary names he shared the ring with during his WWE career, he made it clear there was no ill intent behind his comments.

"In all seriousness, Jackson, we did not mean to upset you. And if our video struck a nerve, I promise you that was not the intent.

"Jackson, I have no doubt that you will go on to do better things than I did. I have no doubt you will make a bigger impact. And I am indeed now a fan. I will be watching you and looking forward to seeing what you bring to the world of professional wrestling."

Maven also offered Drake a piece of advice that he said was passed down to him on his very first day in WWE, encouraging the young star not to let critics know when they've gotten under his skin.

"But Jackson, if I may: allow me to offer you one bit of free advice. And trust me, I know my free advice is overpriced. Never sell anything. And by sell, I mean if a rib or a joke lands with you personally, don't let anyone know it bothers you. My first night in the WWE, my trainers told me, 'When they rib you, not if, but when, don't let anyone know that it gets under your skin.' I walked into the locker room and my bag was chained to the ceiling. With every wrestler in that locker room's eyes upon me, I walked in, looked up, and said, 'Huh? How the hell did that get up there?' and proceeded to looking for bolt cutters."

To cap off the video, Maven revealed he was sending Drake an autographed photo addressed to the WWE Performance Center. The photo was humorously signed "(Fossil)," and initially made out to "Jackson Blake" before Maven crossed it out and corrected Drake's surname.

Drake currently leads the Vanity Project faction in NXT and is a former WWE Evolve Champion.