Tom Pestock continued to share his frustrations with Matt Bloom, specifically when many of his peers were being called up to the main roster throughout the mid-2010s, while he was being left back in "WWE NXT." He explained that he was often kept on the developmental brand due to his lack of indie wrestling experience, even though he felt he had earned a spot on the main roster.

"Me, Samoa Joe, Finn, Shinsuke, we're running four ways, we're doing things. Sami Zayn's in the mix, and then I'm at training the next day and none of those guys are ... I was like, 'These guys don't train or anything.' And he's like, 'You haven't done what they've done. They've all done independents, they've all worked in Japan forever, and I go, 'I don't care, dude.' I played in the NFL, like, it's the same thing. We're all a little beat up, man, like there's a level to this and him and I were just really butting heads." he revealed.

When Pestock was called up to the main roster, he didn't want anything do to with "NXT," claiming he never wanted to see the Performance Center, Bloom, or Orlando. He was angry at the time because he wanted to prove himself on the main roster, and was tired of seeing others get opportunities before him. 

Pestock and Bloom eventually hashed out their problems, and despite being nervous about their relationship when he came back to "NXT" in 2023, he revealed that they got along great.