Yesterday evening, WWE had it’s latest round of cuts, which saw a total 18 Superstars lose their jobs.
These cuts saw plenty of surprising name cuts, including Nia Jax, Keith Lee, Karrion Kross and Scarlett.
In the past, WWE has always explained their releases as due to budget cuts, a ridiculous notion considering that the company has
has never been as profitable, and it’s reported that this was the same reason given this time around.
WWE may have told their now ex-talent that the budget cuts were to blame, but it seems that wasn’t the reason for at least some of the releasees.
After a report from Andrew Zarian said that four Superstars had been cut for not being vaccinated, Fightful reported that “at least five” Superstars
were “openly unvaccinated,” some of which were described as “very surprising names” which could have caused problems with venues
the company travels to. Some venues require entrants to be vaccinated and have proof of their vaccine to enter,
and WWE would have had to work around using these five names in certain arenas. Their report also notes that this wasn’t the only
reason these five names were cut, and that it’s 100% legal for WWE to release someone for being unvaccinated.
Fightful didn’t say which five were unvaccinated, but we do know that Nia Jax had been very outspoken in the past about letting her immune
system do the work should she ever test positive, which was covered in the New York Post.
Jax’s refusal to get vaccinated may also explain why she’s been off TV, a hiatus which is now permanent.
Karrion Kross has also liked anti-vaccine posts in the past, so he may too have lost his job because of his stance against vaccines.
After having to go for over a year without live fans, WWE isn’t taking any chances especially now that they’re travelling the U.S. once more
and the company’s precautions have allegedly cost 4 people their jobs this week.
With over a dozen names cut from NXT and the main-roster this has unsurprisingly sent shockwaves within the remaining rosters,
but this was something the company was preparing for. PW Insider reports that the latest performance
Center training classes, which were meant to happen today, have been cancelled in light of these recent cuts.
It’s unclear when these classes will return, but their report also revealed that the Superstars who were cut were informed via a phone-call,
rather than face-to-face. The NXT Superstars will have to wait out a 30- day non-compete clause, while those on the
main-roster will have to wait the standard 90- days before they can work elsewhere. It’s unknown whether B-Fab, who only just
debuted on SmackDown as part of Hit Row, had signed a new main-roster deal before her release, but we know that fans won’t be
seeing her, or any other released name for a while, nor will any Superstars be attending the performance center classes for the time being.
These cuts were just the latest in a long line of cuts since April 2020, but how WWE treated their roster this time around is very different than before.
Typically, WWE will post a statement on their website, listing those cut by the company and wishing them well, but that wasn’t the case
this time around. Instead, WWE decided not to publicly announce the releases on their websites, and it was
only when responding to an inquiry from the New York Post that they gave the classic line: “We wish them the best in their future endeavors
After cutting some massively popular Superstars, including the likes of Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman, and the subsequent backlash from fans
it’s no wonder why WWE doesn’t want to let fans know who exactly has been cut, but that hasn’t stopped the information getting out despite the
company’s best efforts
It’s always terrible to see someone lose their job, but it’s even worse when you realise just how much money WWE has made.
Shortly before 18 people lost their jobs due to ‘budget cuts’ WWE announced their 2021 third- quarter financial results, declaring an increase
in revenue. Earning $255.8 million in the yearly quarter, WWE has a ton of money in it’s account,
with 15% of that figure, a total $34.2 million coming from ticket sales and venue merchandise now that the company is back on the road.
WWE’s revenue wasn’t hit as badly over the past year as many other company, as their lucrative broadcast deals with the USA Network
and FOX helped keep them afloat, but they now have even more money to work with thanks to ticket sales and venue merchandise
The company’s revenue stream continues to grow, as they record a 39% increase in digital video views during the third-quarter, while
Live Events in North America attracted the ‘highest quarterly average’ attendance in over a decade.
With this information, it’s baffling why WWE constantly cites budget cuts as the reason behind its talent releases, as if there’s one
thing we know about the company, is that they have money to spare. These budget cuts have led to some massive
names being cut over the past two years, and while WWE wants their roster to believe that these releases are because of the budget
nobody is buying that story after this latest earnings report
The biggest cut this time around is Keith Lee, who signed with WWE in 2018 as part of NXT.
Becoming both the NXT Champion and North American Champion, Lee was called up to the main-roster in August 2020, and defeated
Randy Orton in his first Pay Per View match at Payback. The Limitless One had been scheduled to face
Riddle and then U.S. Champion Champion Bobby Lashley In a triple threat title match in February this year, but was pulled from the match at Elimination
Chamber. Lee’s hiatus was more than WWE not having plans, as he was out of action until July, and later
revealed that after testing positive, he had heart inflammation, and nearly lost his life. Returning in September as ‘Bearcat’ Lee and
defeating Akira Tozawa, Lee’s last RAW match saw him defeat Cedric Alexander on the October 25th show.
A heel turn had been teased for the former NXT Champion, which obviously won’t happen now, as the Bearcat is out of the company.
Changing Lee’s name to Bearcat was one of the last creative decisions for him, but it was an idea that didn’t come from the man himself.
When a fan on Instagram claimed that Lee suggested the Bearcat name, an ode to legendary wrestler Edward ‘Bearcat’ Wright,
Lee refuted the claim saying “no it was not. Lol.” Lee was a shocking release from WWE, but a less shocking cut was his fiancé Mia Yim, who
hadn’t wrestled since the December 28th 2020 edition of Main Event. That match saw Yim, who was Reckoning in
Retribution at the time, lose to Nikki Cross, months before the former RAW Women’s Champion would don her superhero character.
Signed by WWE in September 2018 and making her NXT debut on the October 24th show defeating Aliyah, Yim showed potential,
, but her career faced a dead end in Retribution, where Reckoning was either possessed or had a kayfabe seizure in late 2020.
Yim was reportedly set to return on the May 7th SmackDown, and was meant to start feuding with Carmella, but that segment was pulled for time.
Drafted to RAW last month, Yim never returned to the red brand, and her release will cause problems for Xavier Woods, as she is the reigning
UpUpDownDown Champion. On Twitter, Yim responded to her release, saying she has a 90-day non-compete clause, and
dropped an email address for booking inquiries. That same tweet also saw a video from the movie Friday, in which Smokey says that one
must be a quote “stupid mother****er to get fired on their day off.” Not having wrestled on TV for nearly a year, Mia
Yim has had plenty of days off, and hopefully this cut will give her the chance to showcase her talents in the ring, albeit in other promotions.
As for Lee, his style in the ring never appealed to Vince McMahon, who changed everything that made him great in NXT when the Bearcat
transitioned to the main-roster, and we can only hope that the man who started 2021 challenging for the WWE Championship has a
better 2022 away from WWE’s Chairman of the Board
All releases this week are subject to either a 30 or 90-day non-compete clause, but some may soon find themselves in AEW when the time is right.
On Twitter, AEW World Champion Kenny Omega dropped a very interesting tweet after news of the releases broke, teasing facing some of the
former Superstars when their non-compete clause expires. He writes: Old rivals, old friends, some I’ve never encountered…
I don’t mind padding my record if they don’t mind being a statistic. See if I care. AEW can’t sign everyone WWE lets go, but it’ll be
to pass up on some of the names cut this week, and we’ll have to see what Tony Khan’s next play is when these non-compete clauses expire.
Two releases that fans weren’t surprised to see were for Lince Dorado and Gran Mettalik, as it had been previously reported that both members
of the Lucha House Party had requested to be let go. With their wishes no granted, Gran Mettalik responded to his release on Twitter, thanking
the fans for welcoming him with open arms, and thanked Vince McMahon for granting his release.
Lince Dorado had a different responde to his release, sharing a video of Conor McGregor saying ‘the king is back,’ as the former Superstar
is clearly excited to be out of WWE. The company once had plans for the Lucha House Party to sell a ton of merch to kids and
become fan favourites, but they were never really given the chance to prove themselves in WWE, and we can only hope that things are
better for the pair outside of the company.
Scarlett Bordeaux was a surprising release, as there had been plans in the work to call her up to RAW to reunite with her fiancé Karrion Kross,
who was also cut by WWE. On Twitter, Scarlett saw the funny side of things, as she joked that it’s time for her to fulfil
her dream of a hardcore bra and panties match, stipulations that certainly wouldn’t fly in WWE, and in a follow-up said the Smokeshow is back
Ember Moon responded that all she could do is laugh following her release, while Franky Monet said she’d issue a statement after gathering
herself, but added that she feels all levels of disappointment, sadness, anger and uncontrollable laughter.
In a lengthy statement, Zayda Ramier was proud that she made it to WWE, saying no-one can ever take that from her, while in a video, Oney Lorcan
said he had a great six years in WWE, calling it a “cool chapter in my life,” and said he has a 90-day clause that’ll end in February 2022.
Trey Baxter promised that fans will see him in exactly 30 days, as he doesn’t plan on wasting any time once his non-compete expires.
Karrion Kross responded as only he could, sharing an ominous video of graves, and former WWE Superstar Bray Wyatt had an
interesting tweet of his own. Seemingly responding to the releases, Wyatt said that ‘we wait for the right place, we wait
for the right time,’ before borrowing a line from a Jake Roberts WrestleMania 6 promo, saying that people have been ‘grovelling in the much
of avarice.’ The muck of avarice is believed to be WWE, at least according to Wyatt, and we’ll have to see
what he, and all 18 of the new WWE releases do next in their respective careers. But where do you want to see these Superstars
go next? Which names should AEW snatch up when they can? Leave a comment below. And we’re ending today with Michael Cole who’s
one of WWE’s longest-tenured employees, but his decades working in the loud and vibrant world of WWE has taken its toll.
During the latest episode of the Pat McAfee show, co-host AJ Hawk asked McAfee about working with Cole, to which the SmackDown colour
commentator said that Cole is actually deaf. Cole went on to clarify that he has 65% hearing loss, and that he’s able to keep working
because WWE have provided a special hearing aid that fits under his headset. McAfee went on to praise Cole for staying true
to his craft despite this obstacle, and keeps working each week to provide commentary for WWE.
Joining the WWE all the way back in 1995 on the recommendation of Todd Pettengill, Cole has worked tirelessly in WWE as a commentator
voice over for promos, WWE.com contributor and briefly a wrestler, and we have to commend the company veteran for
continuing to commentate despite his hearing loss