Velveteen Dream made a return to WWE television last Wednesday on the company’s NXT brand, an appearance that came as a surprise not just because he had been out of action for over two months. Facing sexual misconduct accusations about alleged online conversations with underage fans that surfaced in June during the #SpeakingOut movement, Velveteen Dream (real name Patrick Clark) was suddenly off WWE TV after losing an NXT championship match to Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. 

With Clark, 24, returning on the Aug. 12 episode of NXT as a surprise entrant in a triple threat match, fans wondered whether WWE would release a statement or discuss a potential investigation into Clark’s alleged online conduct. Though the company did not provide any public communication, WWE executive vice president Paul “Triple H” Levesque addressed Clark’s two-month absence and subsequent return in a Monday conversation with CBS Sports.

Levesque revealed that the reason for Clark’s lengthy absence from NXT programming was a June 26 car accident. Clark was hospitalized following the accident, but it is unknown what injuries he may have suffered.

However, Levesque also noted that WWE did look into the aforementioned allegations and “didn’t find anything.”

“You know, in this day today, accusations are made and you take them all very seriously,” Levesque said. “You look into them the best you can, and you find out what is there and what isn’t. In this situation, [Clark] was also involved in a car accident. That’s what took him off TV. In the moment, all this other stuff happens and you look into it and you find that there is a situation that people bring to everyone’s attention, you look into it and find that it is what it is and there’s nothing there.

“Everything that we have done, we are comfortable with him continuing to do what he does and everything else. But he had a car accident. It stemmed down to people thought we removed him from TV for different reasons. We didn’t. He was in a car accident.

“Once he was medically cleared to be able to return to the ring from his car accident, we continued forward the way we did. We looked into what was there and we didn’t find anything.”

While many of those who levied accusations at Clark are no longer on social media, others remain.

Clark is next scheduled to fight Finn Balor on Wednesday with the winner getting a featured spot on Saturday’s NXT TakeOver: XXX event.