Patrick Clark, better known by his ring name The Velveteen Dream, went on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, a podcast about wrestling to discuss his short yet exciting career with the WWE as well as the controversies that surround his name. Clark was released by the WWE in 2021 after a slew of allegations against him came out, including allegations of grooming and sexual assault.
He addresses his apology video that he released a few weeks ago, and why it took him three years to release it. He mentions Triple H and Shawn Michaels when talking about his apology video. He felt he needed to single them out because of the relationship that he has with them. The apology was well received by fans and wrestlers alike. Clark explains that he has used these past three years to find out who ‘Patrick Clark’ truly is and that’s why the apology video took so long to get out.
Clark touched upon the allegations put against him, including two cases of inappropriate communications with minors. Velveteen Dream came prepared to the podcast, with printouts of the conversations that were used against him, which he claims to be doctored. He says the conversations were strictly big brother little brother-esque, with fans reaching out wanting to break into the industry and Clark was providing information and tips to try and help them achieve their goal.
The communications began during the COVID-19 pandemic, as Clark reached out to fans via his Velveteen Dream Instagram for a way to stay connected with his fanbase. It was after this that he received the allegations of inappropriate communications with minors. As mentioned, Clark had many photos of the actual interactions he had with the two accusers, and goes through them all with Van Vliet to clear his name and give his insight to what the facts of the case are.
Van Vliet asks Clark about the aftermath of being released, and how he was able to cope with it. After being released by the company, Clark was arrested with an illegal substance in his possession after he was pulled over by a police officer. The substance had fallen out of his wallet while getting his drivers license. Six months later, Clark was arrested again, he had bitten a gym employee after getting to an argument.
This led to law enforcement being called to remove Clark. His second arrest meant that Clark would be spending time in jail due to his actions. These incidents led to Clark leaving Florida to live elsewhere (where exactly he did not say, just stating he now lives on a farm at “home” with family). Now living on the farm with family, Clark has come to terms with what has happened and has credited his faith in God and God’s plan for everyone to keep his head high and keep going. The final discussion of the interview touches on an accusation leveled against Clark by another wrestler, EC3.
The interview is interesting and sheds some light on how quickly things can change for someone based on accusations accused against them, whether they are true or not. Velveteen Dream was a promising up and comer that look ready to burst and become a star at any moment, and the story of how it all came falling down is certainly a compelling one. Van Vliet does a great job of getting information out of Clark and helping him get his side of the story out to defend himself and give the general public both sides of the story so that they can decide for themselves who they believe.
RELATED LINKS
- Insight By Chris Van Vliet episode with Velveteen Dream
- Jan. 2, 2023: Velveteen Dream issues apology video
- Sept. 15, 2022: Velveteen Dream responds to allegations
- Sept. 7, 2022: Velveteen Dream bit man in fight
- May 24, 2021: Velveteen Dream addresses WWE release, accusations
