Here's your wrestling news for November 6th 2021
And your headlines for today include
New Challenger Emerges For Universal Champion Roman Reigns On Smackdown
How Did WWE Decide Who To Release This Week?
WWE’s New Policy For Hiring Superstar Is Bad News For Female Wrestlers
Former U.S. Champion Teases Heel Turn On Smackdown
Why Is WWE Not Punishing Charlotte Flair?
More Cuts Expected For NXT Roster. Who Will Go Next?
Former WWE Superstar May Lose Everything After Recent Release And more!
We’re kicking off today with SmackDown, which saw the blue brand inch ever-closer to Survivor Series
The show, which is supposedly the fourth-biggest event on WWE’s calendar, will see champion vs. champion bouts, as well as the traditional
elimination tag-team matches, but WWE has practically forgotten about the November show.
On SmackDown, the main-event saw Jimmy Uso face King Woods, with the stipulation being that if Woods won, Jimmy would have to bend the knee,
but if Uso won, the Kin would have to acknowledge Roman Reigns. A fun main event saw Woods get the win, but before
Jimmy was about to bend the knee, Roman Reigns came out to attack the King. A full-on assault on both Woods and Sir Kofi Kingston,
with the Tribal Chief telling Woods he’d show him what a real king looks like. With the new emphasis on Woods, complete
with new theme, WWE are clearly pushing him, possibly as a Universal title contender, and though he won’t be the one to dethrone
Roman Reigns, it’s good to see an unlikely opponent emerge. Of course, this could mark WWE finally building
towards Survivor Series, where the Tribal Chief will challenge WWE Champion Big E, and this feud with the New Day will add some
much-needed tension to the upcoming match later this month
On Thursday night, WWE released a total 18 Superstars from their contracts, with Nia Jax, Karrion Kross and Keith Lee just some of the big names cut.
Internally WWE explained the releases as budget cuts, but it's been reported that at least five names were cut because they aren't vaccinated.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that age was also a factor in this latest wave of cuts, as he writes:
The company is well aware that they don’t have enough talent in their 20s on television and are looking at recruiting bigger, younger and people
with more of a legitimate athletic background going forward." This new policy will be especially tough on women
who WWE lose interest in far earlier than their male counterparts, as Meltzer reported that new female hirings must be 25 or younger under the new rule.
This rule explains why names like Nia Jax, Eva Marie and Taya Valkyrie, all of whom are in their late 30s were cut this week, as this week's
cuts were just as much about age than balancing the budget.
More release news, as WWE cut a total 18 Superstars across both NXT and the main-roster but the company had planned for much more
names to go. In his report, Dave Meltzer notes that all wrestlers who aren’t being used on TV right now
were discussed as potential releases, but the company eventually settled on the 18 who were let go.
It was also reported that WWE will be moving to a new model for signing talent next year, and that instead of lucrative multi-year contracts,
they’ll be given 60-day trial contracts under the new plan. That’ll allow the company to monitor wrestler’s
progress in 60 days before making a decision, and will hopefully mean the company doesn’t have another Harry Smith situation
as the second-generation Superstar was rehired to a long-term deal with WWE, not used at all on- screen, and has since been released.
This plan could also be part of a public relations program from WWE, as the company receives a ton of bad press when these mass-releases
occur, and quietly letting people’s contracts expire after 60 days is far more covert. Whatever the future holds for WWE, it won’t include
the likes of Mia Yim, Oney Lorcan, Scarlett Bordeaux and others, but any remaining Superstars not in a storyline right now should
be very worried
More from SmackDown now, as Drew McIntyre had his SmackDown Warriors open challenge last night, which was answered by Ricochet.
Slapping McIntyre in the face before their match even got started, Ricochet showed a new level of intensity and the pair had a short, but highly
physical match. McIntyre was always going to pick up the win, but this match was more about giving
Ricochet a good showing, and the former U.S. Champion seemingly teased a heel turn, much to the delight of Mustafa Ali, who watched
with vested interest backstage. A Claymore out of nowhere got Drew the win, but the night wasn’t over for Ricochet, who
was confronted by Ali backstage. Ali said how they’d be much better working together, an offer Ricochet refused, citing how the former
Retribution leader had treated Mansoor, and branded Ali a “jerk.” This is either the start of a slow-burn Ricochet heel turn,
or a regular feud between him and Ali, and whatever the case, we’re pleased to see two talented, often overlooked performers get a chance on the blue brand.
More release news, as over 70 Superstars have been cut from WWE in 2021 alone, many of whom came from NXT.
Now, stars like Bobby Fish, Kona Reeves, Tyler Rust and many more will never get the chance to show their worth on the company’s main
roster, and far more names from WWE’s developmental ground could be at risk. That’s according to Bryan Alverez, who reports
that WWE plans to evaluate their NXT roster twice a year, and explained on his show what will decide whether a wrestler stays or goes:
They know what they want. It’s a certain type of person who works a certain way and talks a certain way and is trained from scratch and they
get better quick and they move up or they’re out of there This could pose a serious problem for many NXT
Superstars, even NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, who has made it clear he doesn’t want to move up to the main-roster
This latest cut, and the threats of even more cuts, comes at a great time of uncertainty in wrestling, with ROH on hiatus for the time being, and the deal
between AEW and Impact Wrestling reportedly finished. Whatever the future holds, WWE will no-doubt
keep cutting it’s own roster in the name of budget cuts, and these cuts are likely to be a regular thing for those in NXT.
Charlotte Flair remains with WWE, and is still the Smackdown Women's Champion, despite being massively unpopular backstage.
After going off script during the recent title exchange with Becky Lynch and having an altercation with The Man backstage, Superstars
have been refusing to work with Flair, who has faced no punishment by WWE for her actions. Flair hasn’t been fired, suspended or stripped
of her title, and WWE's lack of action was explained in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, saying:
Charlotte is a tricky situation. Not just because she’s a star in a division with very few stars. But because she’s not the only guilty party.
Discipline her and you have to discipline quite a few people." After the title exchange fiasco, many fans called
on Flair's immediate release, but WWE realises that doing so would just hand AEW another talented wrestler
For now, Flair will stay in WWE, even if those closest to her have advised her to get out of her contract, and while she's obviously made things
tense backstage, she's apparently not the only one to blame.
Back to SmackDown, as Madcap Moss and Happy Corbin continue to find themselves hilarious, and they’re possibly the only two people enjoying their
segments. We’re scratching our heads trying to figure out who the target audience is for these “liking to a Viking jokes ,
that the duo find so funny, but we see their segments as the definition of go-away heat. We have to wonder how many more episodes of
SmackDown will feature the feud between Corbin and Moss and the Viking Raiders, as both gimmicks are very dated, feeling like they’d belong better in
in the 90s
In the latest wave of WWE releases, Katarina Cortez was cut from her contract, but losing her job is sadly the least of her worries.
In a tweet she put out just before SmackDown, Cortez said that she’s just been informed that her visa to be in the United States expires next month,
and that she’ll have to sell most of her belongings just to be able to afford to stay. Moving from her native Chile at age 18, Cortez has
spent the past 7 years in the United States, and was mainly used as an enhancement talent in WWE, but did have a brief tenure
on RAW in November 2019, teaming with Sin Cara. Hopefully, Cortez is able to find a way to stay, as her non-compete clause with WWE prevents her
from taking work for other companies right now, and after spending much of her life in the United States as a wrestler, the last thing she needs is
to move back to Chile so quickly after losing her job.
WWE releasing 18 Superstars at once hasn’t gone down well with fans, and it was only a matter of time before AEW chimed in.
Before a match between Anthony Bowens and Bryan Danielson on last night’s Rampage, Max Caster gave a freestyle performance, saying that
the Acclaimed end careers than Danielson’s father-in-law. Bryan’s father-in-law is actually John Lauriniatis,
who is WWE’s head of talent relations, and often makes the final call to performers informing them about their release
Caster isn’t the only AEW star to reference the releases, as on Twitter, Big Swole said her heart can’t take it, while Dax Harwood said he
wished WCW had won the Monday Night Wars. It’s entirely possible that some of those released this week will be hired by Tony Khan when
they’re non-compete clauses expire, and we’re sure they, like Caster, will have plenty to say when the time is right.
Now, Dana Brooke hasn’t been used much as of late, but the RAW Superstar has certainly been in the news.
First it was for beef with Corey Graves, as fans shared their support for Brooke when Graves attacked her career on commentary, but Brooke
has now been trending for a very different reason. This week, Brooke’s fiancé Ulysses Diaz was arrested on charges of battery, after he
allegedly went to the home of an online troll, and struck them in the face, causing a laceration. Diaz was subsequently arrested and held on $5000
bond, and Brooke’s name quickly trended after fans discussed the situation. The general consensus on Twitter was supportive
of Diaz, as those online felt that the troll got what they deserved after facing no consequences for prior comments
We don’t advocate battery or being a troll, and we’ll continue to follow this story as the case progresses.
And we’re ending today with some much-needed good news, as NXT 2.0 commentator Vic Joseph and correspondent McKenzie Mitchell are now
engaged. On social media, Mitchell broke the news, and said that she plans on having a fun-filled life
with Joseph. Mitchell serves as an interviewer for NXT 2.0 and host on The Bump, while Joseph has been
a commentator for the company since 2017, and we’d like to offer the pair our congratulations at this happy time.