William Regal has commented on his release from WWE.
On Twitter, Regal thanked WWE, citing he had worked there for 21 years and credited them for saving his life.
“Thank you to @WWE for a wonderful 21 year run,” hewrote. “You gave a lad who was happy and in wonderland wrestling on a carnival have a charmed life for 21 years. No complaints and please no one waste time replying as I won’t have a bad work said against the company.I will add that @WWE saved my life in 1999 when they didn’t need to, kept my family fed and took me all around the world. You have my gratitude forever. You allowed me to live a charmed life.”
Regal re-signed with the WWE in 2000 following a short run with the company in the late 90s. He held various titles in WWE, including the Intercontinental, European, and multiple Tag Team championship runs. Most recently, he had been working as a scout for NXT and had served as the brand’s General Manager until this fall with the NXT 2.0 rebrand.
Others released as part of this week’s cuts include Road Dogg, Samoa Joe, Scott Armstrong, Hideki Suzuki, Dave Kapoor, Danny Burch, and Timothy Thatcher, among others.
WWE has released Samoa Joe for the second time in a nine-month period.
Joe, 42, has been let go from his contract, news that has been confirmed by our Bryan Alvarez, as well as WWE.
Joe, real name Nuufolau Joel Seanoa, rejoined WWE in 2021 after being released on April 15 of the same year. Although the timeline surrounding his April 2021 release remains murky, Joe was back with the company in short order.
After he spent the final year of his first WWE run as an announcer on the Raw brand, he made a return to NXT television in June 2021 as an enforcer for on-screen GM William Regal.
Joe would return to the ring in NXT, going on to defeat Karrion Kross to win the NXT Championship for a record third time at TakeOver 36 in August 2022. That match would turn out to be Joe’s last with the company, and the only match of his second WWE run.
Joe tweeted:
Extremely fortunate and grateful to all the young & amazing talent I had the pleasure of working with in the past months. Only saddened at the loss of an “excuse” to see their continued growth & achievement . I am very excited for there future,….. and mine 🙃
It was announced in September 2021 that Joe had sustained an injury and was being stripped of the NXT title.
In addition to his on-screen role, Joe had also been working as a talent scout for WWE.
Word of his release comes a day after WWE cut Performance Center staff members William Regal, Road Dogg, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch, Hideki Suzuki, Allison Danger, Dave Kapoor, Scott Armstrong, George Carroll, and Ryan Katz.
John LaRocca and I are back on the Fight Game Podcast to go over several big topics in the world of professional wrestling before tackling AEW Dynamite and NXT from this week.
Dave Meltzer joins us right at the top of the show to talk about the injuries that happened at AEW Dynamite and the Rampage taping, the WWE releases, and the best matches he’s seen this week.
Then John and I come back to discuss:
Which of the two Hangman Page vs. Bryan Danielson matches were better
CM Punk and MJF and where Wardlow fits in
The Dynamite main event which saw the Jurassic Express win the tag team straps
Bron Breakker winning the NXT title
Carmelo Hayes looking like a star
The fun of Matt Riddle & MSK vs. WALTER and Imperium
Gabe Sapolsky has been released by WWE during this week’s round of Performance Center/NXT staff cuts.
On Thursday morning, Sapolsky posted a tweet announcing his WWE departure. “Looks like the end of the road,” Sapolsky wrote. “Thank you everyone. Love you all!”
Sapolsky had worked behind the scenes in NXT since 2018. After starting his career in ECW, Sapolsky served as a booker for ROH, was the vice president of Dragon Gate USA, and founded EVOLVE Wrestling. EVOLVE was sold to WWE in 2020.
William Regal, Road Dogg, Timothy Thatcher, Danny Burch, Hideki Suzuki, Cathy Corino (Allison Danger), Dave Kapoor, Scott Armstrong, George Carroll, Ace Steel, and Ryan Katz were released by WWE on Wednesday. WWE issued the following statement regarding the cuts: “With the continued evolution of NXT 2.0, we’ve decided to part ways with some of the staff based in our Performance Center. We thank them for their many contributions throughout the years and wish them the best.”
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including all the NXT firings, AEW injuries from Wednesday, COVID updates, Tokyo Dome night one and two reports, AEW and NXT 2.0 TV reports, news and more. A PACKED show, so check it out~!
During a Friday appearance on Busted Open Radio, AEW’s Tony Khan spoke about WWE’s mass releases and the differences in philosophies between the two companies.
The subject came up when Khan was asked about MJF saying on this week’s Dynamite that there will be a bidding war to sign him when his contract with AEW comes up in 2024. Khan said there may be a bidding war for MJF, but — with WWE releasing so many wrestlers — he doesn’t believe that anyone who signs with WWE these days is signing a real contract. Khan called it a “temporary agreement.”
“Yes, I knew he was going to say that. He’s been saying it for a long time. I have no problem with it. I signed him to a five-year contract two years ago, he’s got three years left on it. I’m totally fine with it, because frankly — there may be a bidding war in 2024, I’m fine with that,” Khan said.
“But anybody who signs a contract there [WWE] these days is not signing a real contract, in my opinion. It’s a temporary arrangement. And people who come wrestle with me, a lot of these people are frankly lifers and they know that. And there are some people who are here, and work really hard. And there’s some people here who come in and work more than really hard. Some people come in, and I feel like this is their actual life and they will be with me for the rest of my life. And I don’t know if everybody who works for my competition can say that. I think there are people who work there and they aren’t even sure they’re going to be there next week.”
John Morrison, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Top Dolla, Ashante “Thee” Adonis, Tegan Nox, Drake Maverick, Shane Thorne, and Jaxson Ryker were released by WWE in the company’s latest round of roster cuts on Thursday. It was the second set of mass layoffs within a two-week period, with 18 wrestlers also being released by WWE on November 4.
There were also rounds of WWE roster cuts in April, May, June, and August of this year.
Khan told Busted Open Radio that he may not be able to extend every contract in AEW or bring every person back, but he’ll feel really bad about it when that happens. Khan said that’s one of the reasons why AEW hasn’t let many people go since its launch:
So I just think there’s a lot more security with a contract here [AEW]. And I can’t say I’m gonna extend every contract or bring every person back, but I also through the last couple years have not been doing mass layoffs even though I’m not the most profitable company of all time. I don’t brag about being the most profitable company of all time. I do brag about bringing in a lot of revenue for a start-up and being a real success story. But what I will brag about is that we haven’t been doing mass layoffs and we haven’t fired 15 people last week or 18 people the week before that. It’s not anything to be proud of when a company lets all those people go, and when you’re putting press releases out like that frequently, I don’t think it’s a good thing. And so, to me, I don’t want to make light of that kind of thing ever.
But when you talk about one particular wrestler in a bidding war, I think each person is their own individual case, and in that case [MJF], that’s a very special talent and there may be multiple people coming for his services. But we’ve seen most of the talent going in one direction. And I think that’s for a variety of reasons, but I’ve been very selective in the people I’ve signed. And every time there’s been a mass layoff on the other side, and there’s been 15 or 18 or 20 people — and I don’t mean to make light of it, because each time, every one of these people matters, and the exact number does matter. I believe I heard it was 18 last time, I’m not sure how many people got let go yesterday. But every time it happens it’s terrible, and I can’t say that I’d be able to take on every one of these people. You know, I think if there’s 18 or 20 people let go, on average there’s a few of them that I think can really help AEW, and we can continue to grow.
And as we keep going, I think some of the people who have contracts here are going to expire, and we may eventually not be able to keep everybody. But I don’t take any pride in trying to cut costs or let people go. I really do take a lot of pride in how many people we kept working through the pandemic. So I just take a lot of pride in all the people that work here and I know that not everyone is gonna work here forever, but if somebody’s not gonna work here, please know that I’m gonna feel really, really bad about it. And that’s one of the reasons why we haven’t let a lot of people go yet, and I’ve eaten some of those costs, especially through the pandemic when there was really nowhere else to get work in wrestling.
I expect AEW to be around as long as I’m alive, and hopefully I’ll have kids someday and they’ll be a part of it too. So I expect to be in the wrestling business the rest of my life, and like I said, there are people here who will be here with me for the rest of my life. I can’t say everybody will be, but there’s a lot of people like that. Then there’s a lot of people that know I would be there for them the rest of their life. So anybody who leaves AEW is leaving that. And I don’t know if people on the other side have the same feeling of loyalty or family.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio with special guest Brian Blair.
We talk to Brian about his new autobiography Truth Bee Told (referral link), written with Ian Douglass.
Brian talks about stories from his career including about Buddy Colt, Paul Orndorff, marrying Leroy McGuirk’s daughter Mike, and fighting with Doug Somers.
He goes over what his last year has been like including his son’s passing and complications from his back surgery.
A day after his release, the former “Top Dolla” AJ Francis has responded to a report in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that he “rubbed a ton of people the wrong way” in WWE.
In covering the most recent round of WWE releases, Dave Meltzer wrote this of Francis:
“While he came across well on television, he rubbed a ton of people the wrong way in NXT and was getting the same reputation on the main roster.”
Francis quote-tweeted another site’s coverage of the report and responded with:
“Here’s what rubs people the wrong way.
-Standing up for your own. When Bri was released and I called the office myself to tell them they made a mistake.
-Standing up for yourself. Ppl in the PC told me “Hit Row” wouldn’t work for a year and a half & I never took their advice.”
“TRUST ME I got plenty stories I can tell about how I was disrespected but just took it on the chin like a professional.
Even with the video I released today it was all professionalism. But I’m NOT gonna let these BS “reports” ruin my reputation.
I got tea I can spill too.”
The video Francis references is a rap he released today that references the 89 days left in his non-compete window following his WWE release and name-checks a series of wrestling companies he would be interested in signing with once the window closes.
In addition to his NXT and WWE run with Hit Row, Francis was a character on WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures series that aired on A&E from April 2021 to June 2021.
Stephen Woltz, 30, better known as Hangman Adam Page, became the world champion of the second largest wrestling company in the world in the latest stage of a storyline that started at the promotion’s first press conference nearly three years ago in Jacksonville
From the start of the promotion, the plan was to make Page, whom Tony Khan at the time referred to as their potential Shawn Michaels-like character, the eventual centerpiece. It took years, and had many twists and turns, including a heel turn which wound up not taking and him becoming a babyface, and instead Kenny Omega became the heel.
Page beat Omega in a classic match to headline Full Gear, a PPV that was named after a BTE storyline where the Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes years ago had done a tongue-in-cheek long series of skits making fun of Page’s physique and that by the PPV, they wanted him to look good in his trunks, or his full wrestling gear.
WWE made another round of cuts Thursday night with John Morrison, the three remaining members of Hit Row and Tegan Nox among them.
The full list includes Morrison, Top Dolla, Ashante Adonis, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Tegan Nox, Drake Maverick, Shane Thorne, and Jaxson Ryker.
Fightful was the first to report the news with Dave Meltzer confirming.
The 42-year-old Morrison re-upped with WWE in the fall of 2019 and his wife, Taya Valkyrie, was part of the early-November cuts while she was in NXT. She made her feelings known about Morrison’s release on Twitter. Morrison had been paired with old partner The Miz, but with the latter doing Dancing with the Stars, Morrison was left in limbo. Miz was eliminated recently, but still hasn’t returned to TV.
Hit Row (Dolla, Adonis, Scott) were just called up to the main roster as part of the WWE Draft in October. B-Fab, another member of the group, was released two weeks ago along with 17 other wrestlers that included Keith Lee, Nia Jax and Karrion Kross. Scott is a former NXT North American Champion while Dolla (A.J. Francis) was part of WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures on A&E.
Nox was called up earlier this year, along with Shotzi Blackheart, to be part of the women’s tag team division. She had been in the system since April 2017.
This marks the second time Maverick has been released. He was originally let go in April 2020 as part of the pandemic cuts, but was re-signed several months later to an NXT contract. He took the opportunity to make his reaction a cinematic one.
Thorne had recently debuted a new gimmick that evoked memories of Outback Jack from the 1980s. He was also Slapjack in the short-lived Retribution faction.
Ryker was a fixture on WWE Main Event in recent months and even had a winning streak earlier this year. He found himself in controversy in June 2020 for a tweet of support for Donald Trump as the now-former U.S. president had given a speech in front of a church while protesters down the street were tear-gassed.
This is a free podcast. Just click below to listen and subscribe to our free show feed to catch other free podcasts on WrestlingObserver.com.
On this week’s AEW Full Gear-free edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, longtime pro wrestling executive and booking agent Bill Behrens makes his show debut.
With an influx of free agents due to both the latest WWE cuts and impending Ring of Honor releases, there is a slew of readily available talent but not as many spots available. We talk about how some of those wrestlers are going to have to navigate in this new reality.
Bill also gave insight on why a wrestler would seek representation, using two of his clients (Griff Garrison and Marcus Kross) as examples.
I also get Bill’s thoughts on how much things have changed in the business in the last five+ years with WWE’s big TV and streaming contracts and the emergence of AEW. Bill has some specific thoughts on how AEW is positioned that I found very interesting.
We also talk about Bill’s background in pro wrestling and how he found his way into this sometimes (often times?) ridiculous business.
If you are into how the pro wrestling sausage is made, I think you’ll really enjoy this edition of the show. Click below to listen.
WWE has issued a statement denying that they did not pay Keith Lee’s medical bills.
The company said that Lee’s claim on social media that WWE failed to pay his medical bills were “erroneous”.
“Keith Lee’s recent comments implying WWE failed to pay his medical bills are erroneous,” WWE said in the statement. “WWE has an extensive healthcare program for the medical care of its in-ring performers and Mr. Lee was part of this program while with the company. Should Mr. Lee have any concerns over the payment of medical bills, he is welcome to address them with WWE.”
On November 8, Lee released a statement on social media thanking fans for sending him birthday wishes, and also said that only he paid his medical bills while he was out of action due to complications from COVID-19.
“I paid all my medical bills from the many offices and machines I frequented,” he wrote. “There is positivity in that. And, I do find it amusing that people believe anyone but me paid for my medical expenses.”
Lee, along with seventeen other wrestlers from both the main roster and NXT, were released on November 4, with WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis citing budget cuts as the reason for the cuts.
“Do any WWE cutbacks [Thursday] night intrigue you?” Keller asked.
Before directly answering, Khan addressed the situation of mass releases in WWE being a regular occurrence.
“Yeah. You know, every time they cut like 20 people let’s just say, I mean, it’s terrible. Every time someone loses their job it’s affecting them, it’s affecting people around them. For all I know, with some of these people, maybe they wanted to leave, but I think in general most of these people probably did not, so it’s terrible when anybody loses their work and I feel for them,” Khan said. “Each and every one counts.”
“I’m gonna take a ballpark number, and I’m not trying to make light of everything because everyone counts, and I know this is probably not the exact amount of people, but every time they let, let’s say, as a ballpark, 20 people go, I think there’s been, in general, one, two, three people in there or so, that I am interested in and snatch up, because they keep doing it, these mass layoffs and let, let’s say, 20 people go more or less,” Khan said.
Khan then spoke about the possibility of adding to AEW’s roster from the pool of talent just released.
“And each time, I find a few people and the company gets a little stronger and stronger, in my opinion. And I do see a few in this wave. I don’t want to say who or when I would be interested in them, but I do think there’s a few very interesting people they just let go.”
“And same goes with the last wave and the wave before that and the wave before that, and the wave before that,” said Khan.
“So, each time they let, say, 20 people go, there’s a few interesting ones for AEW and this was no exception to that.”
Main roster talents that were cut all have a 90-day non-compete so they are free and clear on February 2nd, 2022. Those under NXT contracts have a 30-day non-compete with their contractual freedom coming on December 4th.
Having said that, he believed Ember Moon falls under the 90-day non-compete because, despite returning to NXT, she was under a main roster deal.
Meltzer said there was a plan within WWE to repackage Karrion Kross for a third time as he had been pulled from TV by Vince McMahon because he hadn’t gotten over, especially with his new look. On Twitter, Kross joked with a fan who wondered if he could get Kross’ helmet.
B-Fab was believed to have signed a new deal just last week, making her release surprising.
Similar to Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado had requested his release.
An idea for Harry Smith was to make him a primary figure in NXT UK, but due to travel not opening up, they chose to keep him on the main roster instead. He worked one SmackDown dark match in July, got COVID-19, was told to keep that quiet, and that was that.
Eva Marie was off WWE TV as she is filming a movie.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared some notes regarding Thursday’s WWE releases including that vaccination status was the reason for several of the cuts.
“Some of the talent released was due to them refusing to get vaccinated and not being big enough stars to get away with that. While the number going around is that five of the 18 (releases) were not vaccinated, one talent in the company said it was a larger number than that. On the main roster, talent can’t tour foreign countries without being vaccinated. However, talent that may have been cut due to not being vaccinated were told they were let go due to budgetary cuts,” Meltzer wrote.
He also noted that age is likely another reason for several of the cuts as WWE wants more talents in their 20s on TV and have focused on bigger, younger people with an athletic background. He added that the new directive in hiring women is 25 or younger.
There is also discussion, according to Meltzer, that the company is looking at 60-day trial contracts for signing new talent. The idea would be that those under 60-day deals would need to show improvement in the trial period and if they do, they would be signed to a full-time deal. He believes that top prospects and established talent/indie prospects would not be subject to that type of deal.
