Here is your news for April 16 2020
We’re starting off with some truly HUGE news from WWE today, as the company
has parted ways with over three-dozen members of their workforce, including
Superstars, commentators, referees, producers and other backstage workers.
These releases came shortly after a conference call from Vince McMahon, where
he discussed cutting and furloughing talent to save money during the ongoing
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In a statement from the company, these releases were described as part of “short-
term cost reductions,”, which includes:
Reducing executive and board member compensation
Decreasing operating expenses
Cutting talent expenses, third party staffing and consulting
Deferring spend on the build out of the Company’s new head quarters for at least six months.
The statement added:
Given the uncertainty of the situation, the Company also identified headcount
reductions and made the decision to furlough a portion of its workforce effective
immediately. The decision to furlough versus permanently reduce headcount
reflects the fact that the Company currently believes the furlough will be temporary
in nature.
The list of wrestlers who have been released include Rusev, who hasn’t been seen
on months after negotiations regarding his contract, Drake Maverick, The OC,
Heath Slater, who worked for the company for 16 years, Eric Young, EC3, Rowan
and Sarah Logan, who appeared as recently as this past Monday’s edition of RAW.
It’s very interesting to see Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson be released, as they
were recently involved in the critically-acclaimed Boneyard match from WrestleMania 36.
As for EC3, it didn’t take long for the former Derrick Bateman to take to Twitter to
cut a promo on the situation, complete with a new haircut, where he sent a
warning to the entire wrestling world.
No Way Jose, both Mike and Maria Kanellis, The Colons, Curt Hawkins, Lio Rush
and Zack Ryder have also been released from the company, with this release
bringing Ryder’s 14 years with the company to an end.
On Twitter, both men were thankful for their time in WWE, as Ryder tweeted:
The only thing I wanted to do in life was wrestle. I’m grateful I spent
14 years living my dream in WWE. Thanks to my fans & everyone
who believed in me. As I was getting released, I was looking at this
photo & smiling. I’m #AlwayzReady & beyond excited for the future.
#NotThere
Hawkins, who knows what it’s like to be fired from WWE, said:
Last time I got fired I had a really funny tweet in response to it. Doesn’t
really feel appropriate today. I will say this, a lot of very talented ppl
lost their jobs today and out of this disaster the PRO WRESTLING
community will rise stronger than ever!
Ryder’s release has been particularly hard for his fans, who saw the Internet
Champion build himself up in 2011 with his Z! True Long Island Story YouTube
show, but this may be a huge opportunity for the Long Island Iced Z, at least
according to Cody Rhodes.
On Instagram, Rhodes shared a photo of Ryder after capturing the
Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 32, and praised the Long Island
native for his constant hard- work in the industry, adding:
I have a little rule, and that’s that if you’ve ever “gotten over” in
wrestling…you can always do so again. That rule being fully
applicable to Matt (Ryder) now. At 34 years young, his best wrestling
days are ahead of him. Cheers to a great start and 14 years of
unrelenting blood, sweat, and tears. Future endeavors are limitless
when you actually endeavor.
With comments like these, it may be just a matter of time before Ryder
finds himself in an AEW ring, though the question is whether Hawkins will
be there with him.
It didn’t take long for Ryder to release some merch, which now reflects his
status as a former Superstar.
On several on his tweets whilst with the company, Ryder would end his
comments with the hashtag #StillHere, highlighting his tenure with the
company, so it makes sense that this new shirt now has the hashtag #NotThere.
Fans will have to get used to calling him Matt Cardona, as the Ryder name
is trademarked by WWE, as is his Woo Woo Woo catchphrase.
Like Rhodes said, Ryder is relatively young in wrestling, and given his in-
ring skill, hard-working personality and popularity with fans, the skies the
limit for the former US Champion.
In addition to these Superstars, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle was also released,
which came as a huge shock given his status as one of the greatest of all time.
After retiring from the ring at WrestleMania 35, Angle took his knowledge of
wrestling backstage as a producer, with his final appearance on RAW being on
August 5th last year, where he was attacked by the Fiend in his home town.
On Twitter, the Olympic Gold Medalist tweeted out his thoughts on the situation, saying:
I wanted 2 say thank you to the WWE for the time I spent there.I made
many new friends and had the opportunity to work with so many talented
people. To the Superstars, continue to entertain the WWE Universe as well
as you possibly can. They’re the best fans in the world. #itstrue
205 Live commentator Aiden English has also been released, as has veteran
referee Mike Chioda, who started working for the then- WWF back in the 1980s.
From NXT, Deonna Purrazzo has been let go from the company, and she has been
joined by German-born Super star Aleksander Jaksic, MJ Jenkins and Josiah Williams.
If there is a silver lining to today’s events, it’s that WWE will be paying those
released for 30 days after their departure, and they are free to do whatever they
like, instead of having to wait on a 90-day non-compete clause.
WWE writer Andrea Listenberger confirmed that she too had been released, and
fans will know her best for being the creative force behind the recent storyline
between Otis and Mandy Rose.
Several people from backstage have also been shaken up today, though the Pro
Wrestling Sheet is reporting that producers have been furloughed, not released,
meaning that they have been granted a leave of absence.
Billy Kidman, Pat Buck and Shawn Daivari are just some of the producers to be
furloughed, as is Mike ‘IRS’ Rotunda, the father of Bo Dallas and Bray Wyatt, who
was sent packing shortly after appearing on WWE’s The Bump.
Former US Champion turned producer Fit Finlay has also been furloughed, as has
Scott Armstrong, Sarah Stock, Shane Helms and Lance Storm, who closed his own
wrestling academy earlier this year.
From the announcers desk, Spanish commentator Jerry Soto was also furloughed,
as was Performance Center coaches Ace Steel, Serena Deeb and Kendo Kashin,
Although stars such as Rusev and EC3 haven’t been seen on WWE TV in quite
some time, others like Logan and Rowan were on RAW over the past few weeks,
as it seemed like the company had some sort of plan for the stars on TV, which
clearly isn’t the case.
Unsurprisingly, this wave of releases saw a huge outpour of support on social
media, as plenty of the stars who were let go had something to say about the situation.
Maverick, who entertained fans for months with his hilarious shenanigans over
the 24/7 title, fought back tears in a video, as he confirmed that he will still be
competing in the interim NXT Cruiserweight champion tournament, and this video
caused Alexa Bliss to cry her eyes out, as the Women’s Tag Team Champion
revealed on Twitter.
Lance Storm had a similarly sombre tone in his comments, as he, asked those still
with the company to quote “hold down the fort for us.”
Whilst today has been a very sad day for the wrestlers and their fans, some were
able to see the funny side, as Shane Helms commented that he shouldn’t have
picked up that phone, referencing a similar tweet from JTG in 2014, after the
Cryme Tyme star was finally released from the company.
For the NXT stars, Deonna Purrazzo remained hopeful, saying that she gave this
journey her best, and is more excited for the future, whilst Jaksic was more
pessimistic, saying that no matter how hard you work, sometimes it’s not enough.
Even the demonic Bray Wyatt couldn’t help but be moved by what happened, as
he tweeted out a simple “Yuck,” which summarised what the entire WWE
Universe is feeling right now, whilst Dolph Ziggler encouraged fans to support
those who have lost their jobs, by purchasing merchandise on Pro Wrestling Tees.
We’re not quite sure what’s worse in this situation, seeing stars such as Heath
Slater and Zack Ryder go, as they both remained loyal to the company for over a
decade, or younger stars who now won’t be able to enjoy a lengthy tenure in the
company, like Jaksic and Deonna Purrazzo.
Despite cutting dozens of employees already, things may not be over just yet, as
WrestleVotes speculated that when all is said and done, the number of people let
go will be in the hundreds, and described this event as a dark day in WWE history.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Dave Meltzer commented that whilst some of those
who have been let go will find jobs, most will not, as due to there being no indie
promotions at the moment, meaning there’s nowhere for the majority of these
stars to work.
When a follower commented that WWE had to do this as they’re a business that is
losing money at the moment, Meltzer claimed that WWE didn’t have to release
these stars, as a $500 million cash reserve and giant TV deals means that the
company has more than enough money to keep itself afloat.
If this is true, then this certainly doesn’t make the WWE or Vince McMahon look
good, especially after paying lucrative, multi-million dollar contracts to part-time
performers like Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and John Cena.
Wrestling Inc reports that Vince McMahon stated that up to 40% of WWE
employees will lose their jobs, and whilst he hopes to bring some back, others will
be permanently cut.
Ultimately, we hear at Slat Rock can only send our very best wishes to all those
who have been affected today, both those who have lost their jobs, as well as
those who will no longer be working alongside their friends, and we hope that
everyone is able to land on their feet, during this truly unpredictable time in both
professional wrestling, and the world.
Whilst it’s easy to be mad at WWE right now, after so many beloved stars were
released, one Superstar who is trying to spread some positivity is Seth Rollins.
Whilst he didn’t receive that dreaded phone call today, the Architect did appear
on Instagram Live, where he called out negativity and hostility at WWE, saying
that this was a difficult day for them too. He added:
“I think pointing fingers or saying, ‘you should’ve done this, you
should’ve done that’ is… I don’t know it just doesn’t feel like the time
or the place for it. I think this is a day for compassion and empathy
and understanding and to try to support each other, you know? To
pick each other up. That’s for everybody. Not just just the guys and
girls who were let go.”
“For all of us who are fortunate at this moment to still be able to, you
know, have a position where we can collect a paycheck and support
those around us and those who love us I think we have to take it
upon ourselves to, you know, work harder to make sure that there’s
a place for all those who had it the worse today to come back to.”
Whilst Rollins tried to take a balanced look at the situation, former WWE Diva
Sunny was more blunt, as she said:
sorry to hear about all the firings in the WWE…some of them are
friends… oh well, see you all on the indies soon!!
This cavalier attitude didn’t go over well with fans, who accused Sunny of being
tone deaf, whilst others brought up her recent comments about the deceased
Ashley Massarro, not being able to date for money anymore.
After some backlash, Sunny responded with an equally tone-deaf comment, saying:
people, its a fact of life.. You get hired, you get fired. At least they
had a chance that not many people in this world would have. Y’all
are a bunch of pansies for even commenting negatively. No one can
stay in the WWE forever.
This comment didn’t exactly help heal the wounds between the former
Diva and the fans, and whilst some Superstars are expected to be re-hired
down the line, fans shouldn’t expect to see Sunny being re-signed to WWE
anytime soon.
One man who knows all about what it means to leave WWE is reigning AEW star
Jon Moxley, who has done pretty well for himself since his departure from Vince
McMahon’s company one year ago.
While speaking to Wrestling Observer Live, the former Dean Ambrose expressed
his sympathy for those who have lost their jobs, saying:
“My heart goes out to all these people who are affected by this craziness whether it
be financial or worse. I heard a bunch of news through the grapevine people in our
business got unfortunate phone calls this morning so it’s a weird time.”
Fans will know that Moxley is married to WWE’s Renee Young, who also expressed
her sympathy for those who have lost their jobs, as we can only help a similar fate
doesn’t befall her, or her husband.
We’ve talked a lot about releases today, but the company is also taking on new
stars, and one huge name the company signed recently was ****** Kross.
After making his NXT debut this week where he assaulted Tomasso Ciampa, it
looks like fans can look forward to a feud between the two, though Kross has
undergone a name change.
Given WWE’s PG rating, the company opted not to use the ****** part of his name,
and merchandise for the former Impact star is now referring to him as Karrion Kross.
Time will tell how Kross will do in NXT, as his girlfriend Scarlet Bordeaux has also
been signed by WWE, but for now, fans will have to get used to referring to him as
Karrion, and not the ******.
Now, earlier this week we reported that WWE has been deemed an essential
business by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but this decision drew a lot of
speculation from people, because of it’s timing.
The same day that DeSantis deemed WWE an essential business, meaning they
can still operate in Florida, Linda McMahon announced a Super PAC from the
Trump Administration, promising $18.5 million to Tampa and Orlando.
That isn’t the only connection between WWE and the President, as Vince
McMahon was also named on a committee by the POTUS which will oversee re-
opening the U.S.
In a press conference, DeSantis denied that the Vince McMahon’s relationship
with Trump or the $18.5 million influenced his decision to deem WWE an essential
service, and added that since the McMahon’s didn’t support his campaign for
office, then there’s no reason for him to give them special treatment, as the story
behind the scenes with WWE is proving to be just as exciting as what’s happening
in the ring.
From a returning legend to a possible new face in the company, as UFC fighter
Colby Covington has called out WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
Speaking to Submission Radio, Covington said that he can beat any man alive right
now, and re-iterated his comments to “make wrestling real again,” which he
recently said on social media, when he announced plans to jump to professional wrestling.
Time will tell whether Covington actually does make it to WWE, but if he does, it
may not be long until he has a showdown with the WWE Champion.
And finally we have concerning news regarding WrestleMania 37, as according to
the LA times, Mayor Eric Gacertti has said that large gatherings may not be
approved in the city for at least a year.
That is certainly bad news for WWE, who plan on hosting WrestleMania 37 at the
SoFi Stadium on March 28th, 2021, as if this year-long period is correct, then the
company may be forced to host WrestleMania, once again at the performance center.
The LA Times also reported that Mayor Gacertti’s plan is to re-open the economy,
including small and large businesses, in the next 6-10 months, and we’ll make sure
to keep you updated as this story develops.