Tag: WWE releases

Shayna Baszler, Cora Jade, Braun Strowman, Dakota Kai among WWE & NXT releases

Posted on by Bryan Rose

UPDATE:

Sean Ross Sapp has since reported that Gallus (Mark Coffey, Joe Coffey, and Wolfgang) have also been released, as well as Javier Bernal and Oro Mensah.

Mensah reacted to his release on social media:

Original story:

WWE releases are taking place.

Multiple sources are reporting cuts are currently taking place both on the WWE main roster and NXT. Sean Ross Sapp is reporting that Dakota Kai, Shayna Baszler, Braun Strowman, Katana Chance, and Kayden Carter have all been released from their contracts. Bryan Alvarez has also confirmed these names.

For NXT, PWInsider has confirmed that Cora Jade, Jakara Jackson, and Eddy Thorpe have been released, while Sean Ross Sapp has confirmed Gigi Dolin and Riley Osborne. Alvarez believes there are at least 10 NXT releases.

Soon after word got out about the latest round of releases, Baszler, Kai, and Jade confirmed they were no longer with the company.

“No one can offer what I have to offer. Reality. Let the Galaxy burn,” Baszler wrote.

“Thankful for all the childhood dreams I got to live out! I have a lot to say in due time. Stay tuned,” Jade wrote.

News of cuts across WWE started on Thursday night when it was reported that several in corporate were let go including Christine Lubrano, the Senior Vice President of Creative Writing Operations. It was reported on Friday morning that Ryan Pappola, who was a former co-host of WWE’s talk show The Bump, was also let go.

NXT releases have a 30-day no compete clause while WWE main roster releases have a 90-day no compete.

Von Wagner to compete in first match since April 2024 WWE release

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

For the first time in nearly a year, the former Von Wagner in WWE will step into a wrestling ring.

Announced on Thursday, Wagner (Cal Bloom) will compete at this Saturday’s Mayhem at the Mall afternoon event for Midwest All-Star Wrestling in Maplewood, Minnesota, taking on Shay Diesel.

After five years in the WWE system, the 30-year-old was cut on April 22, 2024 — less than a month after losing to Lexis King on NXT TV.

It’s unclear why he hasn’t worked anywhere since that release.

The son of Wayne Bloom who wrestled as Beau Beverley in WWE, Wagner was a college football player who signed with WWE in 2019 after graduating from the University of Central Florida in 2016. He reported to the Performance Center and made his debut at a NXT house show in May 2019.

He actually made his main roster debut before appearing on NXT TV, losing to Sheamus on an April 2020 edition of SmackDown. He then competed against R-Truth on Main Event that same month and worked two SmackDown dark matches in August/September 2021 before making his NXT TV debut under the Wagner name. His first match was in a four-way for the NXT title as he replaced Kyle O’Reilly.

Eventually aligning with Robert Stone, Wagner remained in NXT for the duration of his run while also making several main roster appearances on Main Event in addition to competing in an Intercontinental title no. 1 contender’s battle royal on a May 2023 Raw.

WOL: A familiar new Defy champion, WWE releases, Solo Sikoa returns on SmackDown

Posted on by Jim Valley

It’s another busy day on Wrestling Observer Live.

Ricky Starks is the new Defy World Champion, ending KENTA’s 615-day title reign in Seattle Friday night. I talk about a big win for the current AEW star.

I also cover a firing in AEW and some releases in WWE.

Solo Sikoa made his return on WWE SmackDown and a number of people qualified for next month’s Elimination Chamber.

Plus: a preview for tonight’s AEW Collision, AEW’s image problem, and the controversy over AEW Grand Slam Australia.

It’s a packed show so check it out.

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

Report: Sonya Deville, AOP, Blair Davenport among WWE departures

Posted on by Bryan Rose

More wrestlers are reportedly departing WWE.

PWInsider and Fightful are reporting that AOP (Rezar & Akam), Paul Ellering, and Blair Davenport have been released by WWE. Both also report that Sonya Deville’s contract with the company is not being renewed and will become a free agent in a few weeks.

Earlier on Friday, Cedric Alexander announced on social media that he had been released from WWE, and would become a free agent in 90 days.

After being released by WWE in 2020, AOP were re-signed in 2022 but were not brought back to television until 2023, when they returned with their NXT manager Paul Ellering. They joined forces with Karrion Kross and Scarlett to form The Final Testament. The highlight of their run was at WrestleMania XL, where they lost to Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits in a Philadelphia Street Fight.

Sonya Deville had been with WWE since 2015 following her performance on that year’s Tough Enough. She is a one time Women’s Tag Team Champion with Chelsea Green, although she later had to vacate the title due to injury. Upon her return last May, she formed the Pure Fusion Collective stable with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark.

Davenport was called up to the main roster in 2024 as part of that year’s WWE Draft but was only used sparingly, last wrestling on television in November.

Damon Kemp no longer under WWE contract

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Damon Kemp is gone from WWE.

Kemp, real name Bobby Steveson, announced Monday on X he is now a free agent.

“As of today I am no longer under contract with WWE,” he wrote. “Forever grateful for the people I met and the experiences I’ve had.”

Fightful reported that Kemp’s contract was not renewed by WWE and isn’t a part of cuts.

Recently Kemp had been a member of the No Quarter Catch Crew along with Charlie Dempsey and Myles Borne. His last match was on the most recent episode of NXT when he lost to Tavion Heights. The stipulation of the match was if Kemp lost, Heights would be added to the group.

Kemp is the brother of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson, who was also signed to WWE before being released in May. Gable and Kemp interacted with each other briefly in the company, with Gable being in Eddy Thorpe’s corner when he defeated Kemp in a NXT Underground match back in June of last year.

A high-level amateur wrestler from the University of Minnesota, Kemp qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2017. In 2021, he signed with WWE and was introduced in storyline as the newest member of Roderick Strong’s Diamond Mine stable. Once the stable disbanded, he embarked on a singles run before joining the No Quarter Catch Crew.

Jinder Mahal, Xia Li, Xyon Quinn among several WWE releases

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Update —

Veer and Sanga have also been released by WWE, according to Fightful.

The duo made up the Indus Sher tag team and were last seen on WWE programming in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal on the April 5 SmackDown. 

Both originally signed with the company in 2018, and both made their WWE TV debuts on the NXT brand in 2020.

Veer, real name Rinku Singh Rajput, is also a former professional baseball player and one of the subjects of Disney’s 2014 movie Million Dollar Arm.

Original post —

Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, Xia Li, and Xyon Quinn have been released from the promotion, according to multiple outlets. 

Mahal, who held the WWE title for 170 days in 2017, Li, and Quinn, were all released by WWE on Friday. News of the releases broke as Friday’s SmackDown episode was on the air, with Fightful and PWInsider confirming Mahal and Li’s releases, and Fightful reporting on Quinn. 

Both outlets report that the released talent will be subject to 90-day non-compete clauses, but will be free agents after.

For his part, Mahal posted on social media that he quit WWE, but both Fightful and PWInsider report that he was in fact released:

Li posted a thank you to WWE, Triple H, and the WWE fans on social media: 

Quinn has yet to publicly comment on his release.

Mahal was last on WWE television on the April 5 SmackDown, participating in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He had been on the Raw roster.

Li was shown in an advertisement for a battle royal to crown a new Women’s World Champion on Monday’s Raw that aired during SmackDown, but obviously will not be in the match. Her last WWE appearance came on this week’s Main Event episode where she lost to Natalya in a match taped Monday in Montreal. 

Quinn was moved to the main roster after the 2023 WWE Draft, but was given a free agent designation and rarely used. His last WWE match was a six-second loss to Bron Breakker on the March 1 SmackDown. 

WWE releases Performance Center wrestler Melanie Brzezinski

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Performance Center recruit Melanie Brzezinski was released by WWE during this week’s talent cuts.

Brzezinski confirmed the news in a post on her Instagram Stories on Saturday. Brzezinski had been offered a WWE developmental contract in December 2022 and was officially introduced as a member of the company’s spring 2023 class of Performance Center recruits.

Brzezinski wrote:

Good morning everybody. I’m sure a lot of you have heard the news, and yes, it’s true. My time with WWE, aka ‘TKO’ is now over.

It was an amazing experience that I will forever be grateful for. I am taking this as a stepping stone to another dream of mine.

Thank you all for the support and kind words throughout this amazing experience with the company.

It’s time for me to go after what was truly meant for me.

This week’s roster cuts were made following Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE becoming official on September 12.

Late last year, Brzezinski took part in a WWE tryout for current and former college and professional athletes. She went to college at the University of Tampa and has a background in bodybuilding, CrossFit, and karate.

Brzezinski never had an official match for WWE.

John Cena, The Rock respond to Dolph Ziggler’s WWE release

Posted on by Ethan Renner

John Cena and The Rock were among those who responded to news of Dolph Ziggler’s WWE release on Thursday. 

Cena posted the following on X on Thursday after news broke that Ziggler had been let go by WWE: 

One thousand five hundred and fifty four matches. @HEELZiggler #Respect

The Rock would chime in later in the day, re-posting a Sportskeeda infographic listing Ziggler’s career accolades: 

Just seeing all these releases now. These days so f’n tough for the ones who gave their all to our crazy world of pro wrestling. Like @HEELZiggler. What a decorated @WWE career and I’ll always be a supporter and fan. Can’t wait to see what he (and everyone) does next… #onward

A total of 20 talents either announced their release or that they were no longer with WWE on Thursday, the first mass release event since Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE was finalized last week. 

Ziggler was arguably the highest-profile name let go, as he was a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion, former NXT Champion, and former Money in the Bank winner among a long list of WWE accomplishments. 

The list of those no longer with the company:

  • Dolph Ziggler
  • Mustafa Ali
  • Emma
  • Riddick Moss
  • Aliyah
  • Shelton Benjamin
  • Elias
  • Rick Boogs
  • Dana Brooke
  • Mace
  • Mansoor
  • Top Dolla
  • Shanky
  • Quincy Elliot
  • Dabba-Kato
  • Yulisa Leon
  • Bryson Montana
  • Daniel McArthur
  • Brooklyn Barrow
  • Kevin Ventura-Cortez
  • Alexis Gray

Dolph Ziggler, Shelton Benjamin, Emma among several WWE releases

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Update —

Aliyah (Nhooph Al-Areebi), Rick Boogs (Eric Bugenhagen), Elias (Jeffrey Sciullo), Riddick Moss (Mike Rallis), Top Dolla (AJ Francis), Shelton Benjamin, and Dolph Ziggler (Nic Nemeth) have also been released by WWE. Aliyah and Benjamin announced their departures on social media, while the other releases were reported by Fightful.

“As of today I am no longer apart of WWE,” Aliyah wrote.

“I have been released from my wwe contract,” Benjamin wrote. “I thank @wwe staff, talent, and of course the fans for Everything. Something ends, something new Begins. Looking forward to my next Chapter”

Moss and Elias have confirmed their releases.

Mustafa Ali also announced on Thursday that he’s no longer working with WWE.

The releases come nine days after Endeavor’s acquisition of WWE became official.

**********

Less than a year after returning to the company, Emma has been released by WWE.

Emma (real name Tenille Dashwood) announced on Thursday that she’s no longer with WWE. She was previously released by WWE in 2017 but returned last October after five years away.

Earlier this morning, Emma called it a “dream” that WWE is holding Elimination Chamber in her home country of Australia next February. She then posted an update announcing her release.

“Oops nevermind,” Emma wrote. “I just got released… I am no longer with WWE.”

Emma made her return to WWE by answering a SmackDown Women’s Championship open challenge from Ronda Rousey in October 2022.

In 2023, Emma only wrestled nine matches. Her most recent match was a loss to Shayna Baszler on the July 10 episode of Raw.

Emma and Riddick Moss are engaged to be married. The couple revealed their engagement this June. They had been paired together on-screen for a period of time in WWE and worked a program against Karrion Kross and Scarlett.

Before her return to WWE last year, Emma worked for Impact Wrestling.

Bodhi Hayward comments on WWE NXT release

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Bodhi Hayward has commented on his WWE release.

On social media, Hayward identified himself under his real name, Brady Booker. He talked about not being a stranger to adversity, using the hashtag #30days in his tweet.

“I’m hurt, I’m embarrassed, and Brodies, I’m just down bad,” he said. “For the last eighteen months, Andre Chase University and wrestling has been my whole life. But I am no stranger to adversity. Adversity is something that has come up my whole life, and I’ve always found a way to get on top. I will do it again. I’m Brady Booker, and I’m here to stay.”

Hayward was one of five NXT talents that were released on Tuesday morning. Others include Sloane Jacobs, Erica Yan, Damaris Griffin, and Ru Feng.

Introduced as a student of Chase U last year, Hayward usually accompanied Andre Chase to the ring, and was also frequently seen in backstage skits with Chase and Thea Hail, another Chase student. On last week’s NXT, Hayward was not seen in Chase’s class, with the implication that recent ‘transfer student’ Duke Hudson had taken him out.

“I just want to publicly thank @bodhihaywardWWE for his dedication to #ChaseU,” Chase wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “ I will always appreciate him being my first scholarship athlete, but more importantly I will always appreciate his friendship. Keep going!!”

Five wrestlers released from WWE NXT

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Several wrestlers have been released from WWE NXT.

PWInsider reported on Tuesday that Bodhi Hayward, Sloane Jacobs, Erica Yan, Damaris Griffin, and Ru Feng have been released from their WWE contracts. All five of the wrestlers were part of the NXT brand.

Of those released, Hayward (real name Brady Booker) was most prominently featured on NXT television. He was part of Chase U with Andre Chase and Thea Hail. There had recently been a storyline where Duke Hudson was added to Chase U and Hayward had gone missing.

Andre Chase tweeted about Hayward’s release: “I just want to publicly thank @bodhihaywardWWE for his dedication to #ChaseU. I will always appreciate him being my first scholarship athlete, but more importantly I will always appreciate his friendship. Keep going!!”

Jacobs (Amelia Herr) joined the WWE Performance Center this March. At only 19 years old, she was a participant in the NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament this year.

Yan (Jie Yin) and Feng (Feicheng Wang) were recruits from China who joined the Performance Center in July 2021. They had appeared on NXT Level Up and 205 Live.

Griffin (James Barron Jr.) signed with WWE after taking part in the company’s August 2021 tryouts. He’s also made appearances on NXT Level Up.

Troy ‘Two Dimes’ Donovan released by WWE

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Troy ‘Two Dimes’ Donavan is gone from WWE.

Dave Meltzer is reporting that Donovan was released from the company yesterday due to a policy issue.

“Troy ‘Two Dimes’ Donovan of the D’Angelo family was let go yesterday [June 11],” Meltzer reports. “This wasn’t a budget or creative decision, but a policy issue and he was told he may be brought back in a year.”

Donovan had recently been introduced on NXT television along with Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo as associates of Tony D’Angelo. His highest profile match to date was at NXT’s In Your House event on June 4, where he, Stacks, and D’Angelo defeated Legado del Fantasma. As a result, Legado del Fantasma had to join D’Angelo’s stable.

WWE had announced Donovan’s signing back in March. Prior to signing with the company, he had been wrestling for a year and a half on the independent scene. Under the name Cole Karter, he appeared on several episodes of AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation, most notably losing a three-on-one handicap match to Paul Wight on the episode of Elevation that aired on October 23 of last year.

Dakota Kai comments on WWE release

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Dakota Kai thanked people for their support following her release from WWE on Friday.

In a social media post, Kai thanked those for reaching out and promised that she was far from being done.

“Above everything, thank you all,” she wrote. “I am so overwhelmed at all the love and support. The DMs, txts, tweets…you all have my heart. I love you. I am thankful for being able to meet, work, and intertwine with so many beautiful people, people I looked up to, people I learned from…I met some of by best friends over these last few years that will remain in my life forever.”

She further added that being ‘Evie’, the name she used prior to signing with WWE, is done with. However, she is far from being done overall.

“I don’t know what’s next for me,” she wrote. I chose ‘Evie’ at 17 years old. That chapter is shut…just know this; I am far from being done.”

Kai was part of 10 NXT cuts that took place on Friday. Other notable names released include Malcolm Bivens, Harland, Dexter Lumis, Persia Pirotta, and Draco Anthony.

Daily Update: WWE NXT cuts, Clash at the Castle, weekend schedule

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News:

Latest Audio:

Latest Free YouTube Video:

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter: COVID strikes pro wrestling again, Warner Bros. Discovery & AEW

  • The new issue of the Observer has these stories:
  • Major players from five companies test positive for COVID causing changes in television or major shows.
  • Sunday’s Fukuoka Dome show and a look back at the previous pro wrestling events in the building that featured some of the biggest American stars of all-time.
  • The Discovery/Warner merger, what was said at the earnings call about cutbacks, and the different ways this can go for AEW
  • Streaming vs. television and the realities of the numbers
  • Wrestling on television in every category, who is up, who is down, factoring out cable losses, and reasons behind the ups and downs.
  • WWE & AEW shows coming up between now and August ticket sales, interest in the secondary market, how many seats WWE is setting up for the stadium shows
  • WrestleMania Backlash card update and business update
  • Saturday’s UFC report
  • New wrestling history television show series being filmed and who is behind it
  • Karl Lauer and the growth of the Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Ratings of all the television shows of the past week
  • Death of Toro Bill Jr.
  • Preview of TripleMania
  • Unique statement by L.A. Park about TripleMania
  • All Japan, Dragon Gate, NOAH and other Japanese events
  • This week’s PWG show
  • MLW answers the WWE’s attempt to get the lawsuit by MLW thrown out
  • Personnel changes in Impact
  • AEW injury notes
  • AEW’s Double or Nothing show
  • Updates on ticket sales for WWE & AEW shows
  • Promotion gets major television deal with Amazon Prime
  • Tyson Fury on Drew McIntyre and Francis Ngannou
  • Peacock business update
  • WWE survey sent to fans about what they want
  • Biggest streaming numbers from the week

This Week’s Retro Observer Newsletter: March 21, 2005 Observer Newsletter: Raw leaving Spike TV, TNA Destination X review

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Friday News Update

  • Garrett and I will be doing a show today to go over a lot of major news, including WWE cuts, Warner/Discovery and AEW, and other news in the current issue of the Observer.
  • Some notes on the WWE cuts today.
  • Obviously Parker Boudreaux (Harland) had been removed from the Joe Gacy act so they knew something was coming
  • The decision had been made after several tryouts that they didn’t see Dakota Kai as main roster material. She had been with the company for years and the idea is not to have people have ten year careers as NXT stars so there was nothing left for her. A lot of people disagree but they have visions about women and obviously she’s a good wrestler but didn’t fit
  • Just as obviously, Malcolm Bivens last week had started a multi-week new storyline that had a lot of stuff left. While he did not sign a new deal, him being cut blindsided the people in creative at NXT
  • Same for Persia Pirotta, who just bought a house. She was in a storyline ongoing.
  • Same for Dexter Lumis, which leaves creative in the lurch since he’s supposed to be married to Indi Hartwell and they were given no name to develop a storyline reason he’s gone
  • Paige Prinzivalli was a referee who was cut
  • Mila Malani and Raelyn Divine were from the Las Vegas tryouts and had not made it to television
  • Draco Anthony had just started on television.
  • The WWE’s 9/3 show at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales will be called WWE Clash at the Castle. Tickets go on sale on 5/20 and are expected to sell out instantly.
  • Smackdown tonight from Albany, NY was taped on Friday since the Smackdown crew is in London and the decision was made not to tape from there:
  • Ricochet vs. Shanky for IC title
  • Raquel Rodriguez vs. ?
  • Naomi vs. Shayna Baszler
  • Xavier Woods vs. Ridge Holland
  • Kofi Kingston vs Sheamus
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn cage match
  • Ronda Rousey vs. Shotzi Beat the Clock challenge
  • Charlotte Flair vs. Aliyah Beat the Clock challenge
  • Usos-RK Bro contract signing
  • AEW Rampage tonight at 10 p.m. Eastern on TNT:
  • Darby Allin vs. Swerve Strickland Owen Hart qualifier
  • Sky Blue & Willow Nightingale & Trish Adora vs. Jade Cargill & Kiera Hogan & Red Velvet
  • Keith Lee vs. Colten Gunn
  • Hook-Danhausen confrontation
  • Samoa Joe vs. Trent Baretta for ROH TV title
  • UFC tomorrow from the Apex in Las Vegas:
  • Tatsuro Taira (125.5) vs. Carlos Candelario (126)
  • Gina Mazany (126) vs. Shanna Young (125)
  • Natan Levy (155) vs. Mike Breeden (155.5)
  • Gabriel Green (170.5) vs. Yohan Lainesse (169)
  • Daniel Lacerda (125) vs. Francisco Figueiredo (125.5)
  • Alexandr Romanov (236.5) vs. Chase Sherman (247)
  • Krzysztof Jotko (186) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (185)
  • Darren Elkins (145.5) vs. Tristan Connelly (146)
  • Jared Gordon (155.5) vs. Grant Dawson (155.5)
  • Andre Fili (145.5) vs. Joanderson Brito (145.5)
  • Andrei Arlovski (246) vs. Jake Collier (265)
  • Rob Font (138.5) vs. Marlon Vera (136)
  • Font missed weight by 2.5 pounds and had to forfeit 20 percent of his purse
  • They are pushing tomorrow’s Amanda Serrano (42-1-1) vs. Katie Taylor (20-0) boxing match for Taylor’s lightweight title as the biggest women’s boxing match in history. It is the first time a women’s fight will ever headline Madison Square Garden. It is said that DAZN paid WWE nearly $500,000 to heavily promote the show across all of WWE outfits in a deal made with Stephanie McMahon. It will be the first women’s boxing match where both participants will earn in excess of $1 million. They are claiming it is expected to sellout. There are 14,000 tickets out and 3,000 still left as of yesterday. WWE is involved heavily in this with a lot of talent at the weigh-ins and some will be at the right itself.
  • There will be a lot of stuff this coming Monday in mainstream media since Dwayne Johnson turns 50.
  • Arena Mexico has one of its biggest shows of the year tonight with Mistico vs. Titan vs. Templario in a series of singles matches to determine the Universal champion. Ultimo Guerrero & Rey Bucanero, at one time Mexico’s best tag team, reunite to face Averno & Mephisto, another former regular team.
  • There will be a Toro Bill Jr. tribute match on Monday night in Puebla.
  • Rush is back after knee surgery this week on shows for Robles Promotion in Mexico. He will b be working shows in Mexico City, Merida and Cancun. The Mexico City show has Rush & Bestia del Ring & Vangellys vs. Chris Masters & Marco Corleone & LA Park as the main event, plus Dragon Lee & Dralistico & Bandido vs. Flamita & Taurus & Carlito. (thanks to The CubsFan)
  • Go Shiozaki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya is official as the GHC title match on tonight’s NOAH show at Sumo Hall. Champion Kazuyuki Fujita vacated the title due to testing positive for COVID. The show starts at 2 a.m. Eastern and 11 p.m. Pacific and airs live on Wrestle Universe. Wrestle Universe also has a free trial for the show.
  • Slex & Kai Fujimura vs. Alejandro & Yasutaka Yano
  • King Tani & Mohammed Yone & Akitoshi Saito vs. Manabu Soya & Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara
  • Nosawa Rongai & Eita & El Texano Jr. & Kotaro Suzuki & Super Crazy vs. Hayata & Yoshinari Ogawa & Chris Ridgeway & Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu
  • Kazushi Sakuraba & Kendo Kashin vs. Rene Dupree & El Hijo del Dr. Wagner Jr.
  • Masa Kitamiya vs. Michael Elgin
  • Masakatsu Funaki vs. Simon Gotch for National tile
  • Daisuke Harada & Atsushi Kotoge & Yo-Hey & Junta Miyawaki vs. Dragon Bane & Alpha Wolf & Extreme Tiger & Ninja Mack
  • Naomichi Marufuji & ? vs. Kinya Okada & Yoshiki Inamura
  • Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki vs. Kenou & Katsuhiko Nakajima for GHC tag titles
  • Go Shiozaki vs. Kaito Kiyomiya for vacant GHC heavyweight title
  • Jake Lee vs. Yuma Aoyagi will be the Champion Carnival finals on 5/4 at Korakuen Hall. Lee won the A block. Aoyagi went to a 30:00 draw with Kento Miyahara to finish with a 3-1-1 record while Miyahara and Takuma Nomura both finished 3-2.
  • Mirai beat Natsupoi in the semifinals and Koguma in the finals to win the Stardom Cinderella tournament meaning she can challenge for any title. 
  • Jessica McKay, who just left Impact (formerly Billie Kay) has a role in a movie called “The Charisma Killer” directed by Michael Matteo Rossi.

WWE

  • A story about new WWE signee Gina DeLucia from the most recent tryout.
  • These are the WrestleMania Backlash odds:
  • Ronda Rousey -700
  • Charlotte Flair +360
  • Usos -500
  • Riddle & Randy Orton +300
  • Cody Rhodes -325
  • Seth Rollins +220
  • Edge -150
  • A.J. Styles +110
  • Omos -300
  • Bobby Lashley +200
  • Madcap Moss -180
  • Happy Corbin +125

AEW

  • Chris Jericho will be doing a three-date talk show promoted by Inside the Ropes. The shows are 7/4 in Glasgow, 7/5 in Belfast and 7/6 in London. The 7/6 date means he will be missing the Dynamite/Rampage tapings for that week in Rochester, NY. He is advertised for that show.

Other Notes

  • Jose & Joel Maximo, the SATs, have been added to the 5/13 MLW show in Philadelphia at the 2300 Arena.
  • Combate Global tonight on Paramount + from Miami at 11 p.m. Eastern has a lightweight main event with Ivan Castillo (22-13) vs Claudio Quintana from Chile (8-4). The semi is also a lightweight bout with Hugo Flores (9-4) vs. Richie Palomino (5-2).
  • Icebox is running a show in Alameda, CA on 5/7 with JTG vs. Jacob Fatu, Juicy Finau vs. Vinni Massaro, Fred Rosser vs. Jeckles, Boogeyman vs. ?, Carlito vs. Titus Alexander, Ultimo Panda vs. Boyce Legrande and more.
  • 559 Fights on 5/21 in Visalia, Ca at the Convention Center. 
  • LFA on 5/13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on UFC Fight Pass is headlined by Italo Gomes (10-2) vs. Meiquizael Costa (17-4).
  • Empire State Wrestling on 5/21 in Buffalo,NY at the RiverWorks is headlined by Buddy Matthews vs. Trey Miguel. There will also be a ladder match and Shazza McKenzie and Big Bill Collier are on the show.
  • Mike Rotunda, as IRS will be appearing for CWE on shows on 5/26 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, 5/27 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, 5/28 in Regina, Saskatchewan and 5/29 in Carnduff, Saskatchewan.
  • Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Wednesday night in Omaha,NE: Duke Cornell b Luke Luna, Angus Keyser b Ryan Romanitc, Omar Pachecco b Logan Ocean, Lars Metzger b Keaton Stoneburner, Purple & Xander McIntosh b Paul & Joey Daniels, Willy Sweet b Austin Fouts, Moonshine Russell & Jack Darling b Tim Boston & Seto Kobara Next show is 5/7 in Omaha at the Epoca Cantina,
  • PFL from last night in Arlington, TX in their tournament:
  • Heavyweight: Klidson Abreu b Adam Keresh via decision
  • Featherweight: Bubba Jenkins b Kyle Bochniak via decision
  • Heavyweight: Ante Delija b Matheus Scheffel second round knockout
  • Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov b Cody Goodale first round knockout
  • Heavyweight: Renan Fereira b Jamelle Jones first round knockout in 25 seconds
  • Featherweight: Chris Wade b Lance Palmer via decision
  • Heavyweight: Bruno Cappeloza b Stuart Austin first round knockout
  • Women of Wrestling will be taping its television show for syndication on 5/5, 5/6 and 5/7 at the Globe Theater in Los Angeles.
  • United Wrestling Coalition on 5/28 in Bordentown, NJ at the Elks Lodge with a 25 man Rumble
  • ISPW on 5/7 in Morristown,NJ at the Mennen Sports Arena is headlined by Danny Morrison vs. Justin Corino for their title. Appearing in non-wrestling roles on he show include Maven, Jake Roberts, Earl Hebner, Greg Valentine, Demolition Tito Santana and Tommy Rich. There will also be a Bushwhacker Luke Williams vs. Brooklyn Brawler match.
  • Impact will be running shows on 5/13 and 5/14 in Kissimmee, FL at the Osceola Heritage Park Event Center. Both nights will be TV tapings.
  • Lucha Libre on 5/26 at the Opera House in Toronto for the Demand Lucha promotion.

John Cena feels mass WWE cuts were result of previous ‘defensive hiring’ strategy

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a Tuesday appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, WWE icon and pop culture star John Cena said he felt the massive cuts the company made in 2021 were due to defensive hiring practices due to competition and a growing demand for content.

“This is just me posing a different perspective. I think a lot of it might have been a little slightly defensive hiring because there was, and still is, a giant boom right now in sports entertainment. People are absorbing this content and they are re-engaging. 

“People are making a name for themselves outside of WWE. It’s no longer a one-stop shop, so I think with this flux of passionate people who love sports entertainment, people do get a name for themselves outside of WWE and if WWE feels maybe that they can be a fit in that world, they’re gonna try to give that person a shot,” he explained.

Cena talked about the Performance Center and the continued hiring of new talent, putting them at max capacity and resulting in performers sitting on the sidelines which is “the real frustrating thing, both to the WWE and from a stance of a performer.” 

He felt the cuts had little to do with profit/loss margins and more with the company strategy at the time.

“…There is only so many spots, there is only so much programming and I understand from the business standpoint, the amount of releases that have had to happen. If the company justifies that, ‘Hey, this is the move we’re making. We wanna carry less talent,’ it has very little to do with profit/loss margin. If the company strategy is to run on a lean roster, it doesn’t matter, you run on a lean roster,” he said.

Cena detailed how when he was initially brought up, there were releases twice a year due to the enormous amount of talent WWE had absorbed from WCW, ECW and developmental. 

He said that the releases “created stakes for developmental talent and it created stakes for talent to try to make a name for themselves because we just knew that on a calendar year, shortly after WrestleMania and either before or after the holidays, there would be cuts.”

Ultimately, Cena feels bad for those who were cut, but that it’s part of the business.

“WWE went through such a long period of not releasing anybody and now, they’re kind of getting back into that rhythm again. That it is a very abrupt shift to somebody who’s not familiar with that. My heart goes out to everybody who has to get that sad news because that’s a tough conversation to have,” he said.