Eric Young has reportedly been working behind the scenes in WWE NXT since July, with a new update shedding light on his role.

According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, the former TNA World Champion is serving as a producer for the brand. Whether the 46-year-old will also return to the ring remains unclear.

Young’s move followed his departure from TNA on July 1, when the company announced it had “come to terms on the release of Eric Young, effective immediately.”

Young addressed the announcement that evening, confirming that leaving had been his decision.

“I asked for my release! They granted it!”

He also stated that he “was never on a handshake deal.”

Earlier reports suggested Young could combine wrestling with helping talent behind the scenes. Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio in July, Dave Meltzer described a proposed role similar to the one Shawn Spears had held in NXT.

“Player/coach in NXT is the current plan for him,” Meltzer said.

Meltzer had heard September mentioned as a possible starting point, although he was uncertain about that timing. Johnson’s latest report places Young with WWE since July.

Young had remained involved in several TNA storylines before his exit. He won January’s Feast or Fired match to secure an X Division Championship opportunity and was booked against Ricky Sosa at Slammiversary on June 28 in Boston.

His final TNA run also included taking control of The Northern Armory after turning on Josh Alexander in 2025. Young defeated Alexander in his farewell match that February, before breaking up the group by attacking Judas Icarus and Travis Williams in September. Later that month, he appeared in TNA’s invasion storyline on NXT.

Young brings more than two decades of experience to his reported producer role. He first arrived in TNA with Team Canada in 2004 and remained there until joining WWE in 2016.

During his first NXT run, Young led SAnitY and won the NXT Tag Team Championship alongside Alexander Wolfe in August 2017. Their reign lasted until December.

WWE released Young in April 2020. He signed with the company again in 2022 but departed without appearing on television, returning to TNA, then known as Impact Wrestling, at Slammiversary 2023.

His championship record includes two TNA world title reigns, having defeated Magnus in 2014 and Eddie Edwards in 2020. He also held the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship with ODB for a record 478 days.