Before we get on with all the huge news in today’s episode - it feels like everyone
was just saving their stories up over Memorial Day weekend - public service announcement:
RKBro just had their first t-shirt design put up for pre-order on WWEShop.com FROM OUTTA
trying to monetize the only good thing on Raw...you know what, maybe WWE shouldn’t
have fired all those graphic designers. Do still try and buy the shirt though to support
your local WWE fed. Because they’re really strapped for cash right now.
Following the main roster cuts on April 15th, which saw big names like Samoa Joe and The
IIconics let go, the NXT round of releases the following month which included Alexander
Wolfe and Velveteen Dream, and last week’s mass firings of over 35 back office and executive
staff, Fightful Select is now reporting WWE is planning on “more cost-cutting” measures.
Fightful notes that “major names” are being considered for the releases, and there
is “an ongoing list…[but] WWE has changed their mind on cutting certain people at the
last minute.” Sean Ross Sapp isn’t revealing the names he’s heard until the talent are
informed themselves. As the recently released Alexander Wolfe has
revealed, WWE told him the reason behind his firing was due to “budget cuts”. It’s
unlikely any of those let go believe that reason, as WWE has just posted its most profitable
year ever, helped by billion deals with Peacock Premium, Fox Sports and the Saudi Arabian
government, all while saving significantly on touring and personnel costs due to not
running live events. PWInsider have reported WWE are going even further on cost-cutting
measures because the pandemic made them realise how bloated their organisation is - citing
examples like having two separate graphics departments, which could be efficiently merged
into one. Others, however, speculate this is the sort
of behaviour the board undertakes before selling the company. It’s long been rumoured that
Fox or Disney could buy WWE to add to their streaming content libraries, but there’s
always been a stumbling block called Vince McMahon, who will presumably never give anyone
else control over his company even when it’s no longer his company.
But one of the more remarkable behind-the-scenes stories in the pandemic could play into this.
Nick Khhhhaaan - no relation to AEW’s Tony - joined WWE last August after successfully
negotiating the billion dollar deal of SmackDown moving to Fox. He replaced Vince’s former
right hand people George Barrios and Michelle Wilson, who McMahon had gotten rid of earlier
that year, and he’s already become one of the most powerful people in the company - with
him, not Vince, informing staff in a meeting last week about the mass cuts.
And now he’s just gotten even more powerful. WWE’s corporate news site has announced
Khan has now been elected to its Board of Directors. It’s very interesting that a
man whose super power is making big money deals has now been given so much influence
over WWE’s overall strategy and direction. Do you think Vince McMahon is preparing to
sell WWE? Let me know in the comments, because I’ll be replying to people for the first
30 minutes after this video goes live FROM OUTTA THIS HORRIBLE T-SHIRT.
Amidst all that corporate reshuffling and talent cuts, it appears one release was incorrectly
reported. NXT’s Kavita Devi was said to be part of last month’s firings, but she’s
now told the Hindustan Times she is “still part of the WWE Universe,” but she’s been
recovering from an ACL injury and supporting her family back in India, where her husband
has contracted Covid. It seems as though she’s already transitioning away from an in-ring
role to an ambassador for WWE’s long planned Indian expansion.
With the reported Major Cuts incoming - Major Cuts, title of your WWE pay-per-view - the
best advice is lay low for a while, don’t sneeze or wear a scarf around Vince McMahon.
And, most definitely, piss him off at Raw tapings.
PWInsider is reporting that the opening segment of Monday’s episode - a terrible MizTV interview
with Charlotte that set up her pointless Beat the Clock challenge with Nikki Cross (because
what better way to make everyone in the Raw Women’s title picture look strong than by
making them lose in the most stupid way possible?) - overran by 8 to 10 minutes, which forced
officials to cut time elsewhere in the show. McMahon was said to be not happy with the
timing issues. Thankfully the time was made up by the very
good main event, letting Drew McIntyre and Kofi Kingston go the originally planned 20
minutes. Both men were reportedly getting a lot of praise backstage, with many people
talking up what a war they’d put on, with McIntyre suffering a bruise above his eye
from a stiff Kofi superkick. Raw commentator Jimmy Smith - who’s definitely
always been there - was also said to impress, with WrestleVotes tweeting:
“The RAW production people I’ve spoken with were absolutely thrilled with Jimmy Smith’s
performance last night. “Tremendous” & “Natural fit” were two comments concerning his debut.”
But even with all that, PWInsider is also reporting Vince McMahon is making the roster
start training at the Performance Center again to prepare for WWE’s return to live events
next month. This will apparently include basic workout drills to make sure their in-ring
work is as good as it can possibly be. The training will take place on non-TV days, which
one wrestler joked they weren’t thrilled about, because it’s their “off day”,
they’re “all for it” as everyone just wants to get back in front of live crowds
now. Hopefully it’s not just a way for Vince
to figure out who else he wants to cut. Another piece of advice apart from just laying
low to avoid firings… quit first and go to AEW.
Adam Cole to AEW confirmed. Nah, I’m just kidding. That’s him with
his real life girlfriend, AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker. Because Cole actually returned
on last night’s episode of NXT. More on that in Tempest’s review in a bit.
I’m of course, actually talking about Mark Henry.
After being announced as the latest WWE legend to jump ship to AEW at Sunday’s Double or
Nothing, the promotion has now issued a press release with more details on his contract.
He’ll join AEW as a “coach, scout, and mentor within the company,” as well as an
expert analyst for AEW’s new hour-long show on TNT, Rampage, in what was described as
a for a multi-year deal. Henry then told Busted Open Radio why he decided
to leave WWE, noting his deal was up at the start of this year, where he told Vince that
he wanted “a position in the office and I wanted everything that comes with it.”
Vince told him to write it up, but then he felt like he “wanted to do more” and that
he felt like “somebody’s holding me back, I’ve got to go.” To which Vince replied:
“Man, you know everything you need to know. You go and if you feel like you need to go,
I don’t necessarily want it, but if you feel like you need to go, then go. I know
you’re going to be successful.” Presumably while he’s secretly rubbing his
hands under the desk thinking, I was going to cut you anyway.
But WWE aren’t the only wrestling company that can get rid of people. Sometimes, very
rarely, AEW do it too. Dave Meltzer has confirmed the status of two
AEW wrestlers, noting both Awesome Kong and Shanna are no longer with the company.
Kong had debuted two years ago at Double or Nothing 2019, and she became part of Brandi’s
ill-fated Nightmare Collective faction on Dynamite. Once that was dropped, though, she
worked behind the scenes on AEW’s woman focused Heels community.
Shanna, meanwhile, got over immediately in her October 2019 debut on Dynamite, but took
time off during the pandemic. Her last match saw her lose to Leyla Hirsch on Elevation
in April. AEW reportedly decided not to renew their
contracts, rather than any kind of firing or release. The reason is currently unknown.
Unlike the very rare AEW firing that happened over the weekend.
AEW’s Spanish announcer Willie Urbina was caught making fun of Hikaru Shida’s Japanese
accent on Friday’s episode of Dynamite during a commercial break. While that has no place
in today’s wrestling, it’s an uncharacteristically quick decision for the company, that has previously
taken its time over other controversies like Sammy Guevarra’s bad taste Sasha Banks comments
and allegations against Jimmy Havoc. Sammy was sent to sensitivity training, while Havoc
was suspended to receive counselling for mental health and substance abuse issues, and then
fired. Urbina had been with the promotion since 2019.
Shida has now commented on Urbina’s firing: “I didn’t wanna talk about this before
my big day, so let me tell you now. I don’t give a s*** what other people say about my
race because I love it and I proud of it, and because I know which is fool. I don’t
even feel anger. So don’t need to worry about me Smiling face with smiling eyes Thank
you.” And that wasn’t the only bad news coming
out of Friday’s episode of Dynamite, which had been bumped from its usual Wednesday night
timeslot by the NBA. It drew only 526,000 viewers, which is the lowest number in the
show’s history, and it doesn’t bode well for the next several weeks in the same time
slot. AEW is potentially pre-empting this by recording
the next 3 weeks of TV this Friday and Saturday. Hopefully they’ll see a post pay-per-view
bump, where the news is very much positive. Sunday’s Double or Nothing appears set to
be the company’s 2nd best performing show ever, estimated to beat last year’s Double
or Nothing
by 12%. Now over to Tempest and his NXT review in
about 5 minutes…