Read on for my thoughts on WWE's releases yesterday.
Before I look at each release individually, I'd like to say something generally. Roster releases are a natural thing, just like callups are. There's only so much room on the main roster and it's competitive. If a talent isn't getting over and that doesn't seem like it's going to change anytime soon, there needs to be a decision make on whether or not to keep that talent.
Yes, the creative team shares some of the blame when they can't find a use for a wrestler. But the reality is there ultimately has to be a choice made to push one act in favor of another. Sometimes it's better to take chances with new talents than try to re-push others who are considered damaged goods or who have been around so long it's time for some fresh faces.
Ultimately any creative endeavor is subjective. There's no 100% right or wrong answer about who to push and who not to push. Talented people slip through the cracks and opportunities are missed. It's a sad reality and I wish those talented people always made their marks on TV for another successful promotion.
All that said, here's how I feel about each release individually:
Aksana - Honestly, Aksana never quite "fit in". She was a fine enough worker at times, but they never really found a role for her I could sink my teeth into. While she had some fun stuff as the ditzy foreigner on NXT Season 3 and I enjoyed her pairing with Cesaro, after that there wasn't much going for her. If they had to cut a Diva, she makes sense given her age and lack of prominence (no Total Divas appearances, for instance).
Brodus Clay - I have a soft spot for Brodus. I saw potential in him from NXT Season 4. There were glimmers of hope for him to be an agile big man with some technical experience from then. I thought he worked well in every role they used him for (though the Funkasaurus gimmick wasn't my cup of tea) and he definitely got better in the ring as time went on. As a monster heel, I thought he was great on Superstars squashes and for his last run in NXT vs. Adrian Neville. I hope this isn't the last we see of him. There's something there, for sure.
Update: Creative had nothing for him. Clearly. He would have made a great heel. A tag team with Titus was on my wish list for a while.
Camacho - Camacho unfortunately never really got a chance to be himself. I don't think that gimmick was the best fit for him (or for Hunico, really). I wish he would have gotten a chance at a reboot like Fandango, Axel, Ryback, Bray, etc. after some time spent in NXT to sharpen things up. I was starting to see something from him down there.
Curt Hawkins - The best thing I can really say about Hawkins is that he was a "good hand". As unpopular as it is, I think there need to be some people on the roster who are good at the oft-maligned jobber role. I liked what Hawkins showed us when paired with Tyler Reks, but I never saw him as someone who was really going to break out. That's not uncommon, though, as sometimes that doesn't happen until someone's pushed like they really matter. Anyway, I think he'll be a great trainer and I wouldn't rule out him getting a second chance down the line after some more experience. He's still young and it's probably better for him to go out and improve his game instead of just putting others over.
Drew McIntyre - This one's a damn shame. I know I'm not the only one to have seen the potential in Drew. I have to say it was the incident with the former Tiffany that doomed him. I was ALWAYS (ever since the Chosen One days) impressed with how hard he worked to get whatever he was doing over and the stuff he did from a physical standpoint. He was a keeper, but I can see why they made some cuts. He wasn't an amazing talker, unfortunately, but I think he could have really succeeded if he was put with the right manager or partner in a more serious role. 3MB was an effective act and I wish I still got to see it.
Evan Bourne - The big injury and the two Wellness violations were all she wrote for Evan. I wish he would have at least gotten another shot in NXT, but I guess they felt he had blown his chances after the Wellness strikes. Talented guy in the ring, for sure, and I think he got over. I never saw him as becoming a really big deal like some people did, but he was still (and is still) so early in his career, it can still show up. He made for a solid lower-card, tag team high-flyer. Had the injury and Wellness strikes not happened, I think he could have done some really good stuff in the ring with a lot of people. From that standpoint, I'm sad he's gone. But he was an obvious choice to cut given how long it had been since he was on TV.
Jinder Mahal - I've already talked about how much I liked 3MB. I don't think much of that was due to Jinder specifically, but I didn't think he was bad by any stretch, either. I actually liked his first gimmick, but there wasn't much to do with it after feuding with Khali. Another young guy who might have been brought up too soon. I hope he gets some great experience outside of WWE and gets another crack at it.
JTG - After all the "still employed" jokes, it's finally come to an end. JTG definitely always worked hard when he was given a chance to succeed. I was a big fan of Cryme Tyme (even with Eve) and thought the group put on some really entertaining segments. JTG was a workhorse in the ring for getting others over and that became something of a curse as far as upward mobility. All in all, an entertaining and creative performer. Without a partner or manager, though, I don't know how far he should really have gotten.
Marc Harris - WWE only needs so many referees. If cuts have to be made, cutting a referee instead of a promising act makes sense.
Teddy Long - I miss Teddy Long's run as an authority figure. He made that work well. Obviously he had some running gags and catch-phrases, and I think he played the part to a T (I actually got a kick out of him always making tag matches after a certain point). He never overshadowed the wrestlers he was booking and wasn't really expected to get in the ring. I think those should be the general rules for an authority figure. Just show up, move the story along and let the wrestlers do what they do. A great performer and great addition to the show.
Update: Long's contract expired. WWE didn't need any more authority figures, so I can see why they didn't want to use him anymore.
Yoshi Tatsu - I liked Yoshi well enough, but he never really struck me as someone who was going to make it to that next level. If KENTA and Devitt are coming in, I don't think they "had to have" Yoshi anymore to appeal to that market. He was a good worker, but not a great worker. He definitely had a long way to go on the mic. I do have to give props for his feud with Tyson Kidd and he was enjoyable as a lower-level babyface on the ECW brand, but this isn't a huge loss as far as someone with a lot of potential to go the distance.
Update: the feeling with management was that he had regressed as a performer. The next time someone lays all the blame on Creative for failing to get someone over, remember it's a two-way street.
Mark Carrano, who works under Triple H in talent relations, likely made most of the calls to inform talents of their being released. Some released talents would have preferred if Triple H made the call himself. That can't be an easy job.
There could be more cuts coming, and not just on the talent side of things. That's an unfortunate reality of WWE's current financial situation.
The popular theory circulating is the cuts are related to the losses taken as a result of launching the WWE Network. WWE knew there were going to be big losses in that areas. I think the Network will eventually be the success they want it to be, though. Especially once they expand internationally. I am disappointed in subscriber numbers given how so many people seem to want wrestling content streamed online. WWE has a LLLLOOOTTTTT of content for a cheap price. It's a wrestling fan's dream.
A number of the released WWE superstars tweeted about their releases. Some of those were pretty touching. I wish all of them the best. It is in some ways like watching a friend or family member move away given how much we've seen some of them.
Update: Brodus talked to TMZ about his post-WWE plans. I think he'll do great after WWE.
More wrestling tomorrow.
You definitely summed it up well when you said part of the blame has to go to the WWE and not all of the blame can be placed on the released wrestlers. That being said, I definitely was a bit shocked at a couple of the releases.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like just yesterday Brodus was winning match after match and on television everyday, but he unfortunately was just another example of how fickle WWE can be, and especially with its big guys. I definitely saw some potential in Brodus - primarily as a heel - and absolutely thought he deserved at least one run as a heel. Even if it was in the mid-card rung of the ladder, I think he had solid potential to fulfill that. It's a shame he was released so quickly.
The same goes with McIntyre. Vince McMahon doesn't dub everyone as "The Chosen One," so it's very unfortunate to see. Even though 3MB did not have much success, he was still on television pretty much every week. I had thought with his past track record as Intercontinental Champion and also Tag Champion that he would at least get a singles run once 3MB disbanded. He definitely deserved at least that much. His release was also a bit of a shame.
Unfortunately, the JTG and Hawkins releases were expected. You also summed things up well when you mentioned that even though they're talented guys, WWE definitely didn't pay much attention to them with the new wave of talent coming in. I definitely wish them the best of luck and think they can thrive elsewhere. I mean, Bateman was released and I hear he's an upper card performer on TNA competing against legends.
With Aksana, I definitely am surprised she wasn't released sooner. She just did not seem to fit in, which says a lot when she had been on the main roster since around 2010. I would say it was a mix of her not being able to acclimate to our country, lack of "fire," and/or that WWE had nothing for her.
The statement about where blame lies was actually me giving some benefit of the doubt to WWE, since everyone goes to bury creative and management when releases happen. Usually the story's not as simple as "WWE corporate is totally incompetent and all these wrestlers could have been much more successful". Sometimes it is a case of them being clueless, but sometimes a talent's just not indispensable enough for there to be much use of them.
ReplyDeleteBrodus did some of the best work of his career recently in NXT against Adrian Neville. He was actually booked like a monster who was a threat to the smaller champion.
The popular "conspiracy" theory with McIntyre is that the incident years back with his spouse at the time (formerly Tiffany in WWE) doomed him with management. Very talented guy, and he's not even 30!
WWE can't pay attention to/push everyone. They have to have some people at the very bottom of the totem pole working with newer guys. In some ways, it speaks highly of a talent that WWE trusts them to help get newer performers ready for the big time. It's not necessarily a popular role, but it's a useful one. Justin Credible explains: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwvVD1D7UCQ
Derrick Bateman is doing pretty well in TNA, I'd say. He has short hair now and has lost most of the goofiness of his NXT character.
I think Aksana was one of John Laurinaitis' hires. He could very well have signed her just because of her looks and athleticism. He wasn't one to really seek out top indy names and I think it's fair to say he saw Divas less for their potential as wrestlers than as eye candy.
I definitely think WWE has to take a large percentage of the blame in the cases of Brodus and McIntyre. If both of them had one more chance to gain some traction in the mid-card spotlight and struggled as "entertainers," I would be less critical of WWE's decision, personally. I just think it was a bit presumptuous to let both of them go when it seems like both of them didn't have any chance to prove themselves.
ReplyDeleteI understand the WWE roster is getting a bit crowded, but to release Clay and McIntyre, they HAVE to be justified that some of the current guys on the roster are going to be more presentable options. With that in mind, it's really hard to understand the decision.
Shifting gears a bit, you mentioned some information about Tough Enough being halted for a bit. That is news to me that there will be a new season, presumably. That is good to hear. Stone Cold was a solid host last season. I like the reality of the show, the opportunity it gives one wrestler, and how it's not "scripted" like to many other shows. It will be interesting to watch it unfold. Hopefully the winner of the show doesn't end up getting released again.
I also have to say that I had thought Bryan would have been given the green light to defend the title at the upcoming pay-per-view. I had thought on Monday when McMahon stripped him of the titles that it was a way for Bryan to overcome the odds again and outdo Stephanie, but apparently it's reality that he physically cannot defend it. I feel bad for him.
It's a situation where he's had to prove himself time and time again, and he kind of went too far with his high-risk moves and getting so caught up in the hype. I'll be interested to see what happens with him from here.
Brodus got to be the Brodus I was hoping he'd get to be recently in NXT, so they knew he was capable of good things. I think the Tons of Funk breakup was just done to move Tensai to the announcers' desk and they didn't really have any plans after that.
ReplyDeleteUltimately WWE had to make some tough calls on who to cut and erred on the side of people who had already been on the roster for a while. I don't agree with all their choices, but it was pretty much inevitable there'd be at least a few names whom I felt that way about.
Tough Enough will definitely be back at some point. I wouldn't be surprised if it's on the WWE Network given how they need some hits right now.
Andy's working in Puerto Rico now apparently. He still doesn't have a lot of experience to his name, so I don't know if WWE will be interested in bringing him back anytime soon.
I'm a little surprised they kept the title on him as long as they did. MITB was a best-case scenario for a return, and even that was a stretch.
It might be wise for him to change his in-ring style, particularly the suicide dives and diving headbutts. I'm sure he can come up with other moves to compensate and still be compelling.