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WWE 2025 Releases, Mercedes Mone and more Wrestling Thoughts

Christopher Connor — Sun, 04 May 2025 12:41:40 +0000

I apologize ahead of time but there needs to be something stated that alot of the IWC Sickos and AEW Sickos need to hear. I understand that it might sound snarky and stupid but this is something my dear sainted mother once told me. Plus, I think people need to hear this because this is the mantra of business and pro wrestling.

Life is not fair, never will be fair and damn your feelings. You need to get over it so you can be a stronger person.

I state this because all I have heard this week from the AEW wrestlers complaining about tribalism to the IWC sickos complaining about releases is the same line.

WWE is evil and its not fair that they are doing the releases. Its not fair that people are criticizing AEW.

If you ever want to know why people don’t like the IWC, AEW and the wrestling media, its because their mentality has become a big reason. They are the equivalent of being around small children that misbehave in a restaurant whose parents won’t get them to stop.

You want to run the other way or pray management 86’s them from the joint so you can enjoy your meal in peace.

But lets first start with the AEW talent like Ricochet who this week have done some passive aggressive shot taking at WWE. Ricochet told fans that he “lost his fun and passion in WWE.” and that “They never gave me a fair shake”.

Then you had Fightful go on about how the WWE releases were Paul Levesque’s fault and basically portayed him as the villain. The same website that has several alumni working for AEW, constantly portrays AEW in a positive light and yet claims to be balanced.

And you people complain that Mr. Tito is a big mean troll who is one sided.

So first let me address Ricochet because this one has really set my cheeks on fire.

The cold hard facts for Ricochet and you IWC idiots is that no matter how much you sugar coat it, the truth is simple. WWE tried their best with Ricochet but he is just not a main event star nor is he someone who casual fans can get behind.

His personality is not that engaging, he is a product of lots of aerial moves that once you see them, they start losing their luster and he is not creative. I would argue that he is basically a dork with a hot wife that whines way too much..

Look at his run in NXT and WWE and you can see that WWE tried to make him a big star but it never caught on. In NXT he was pushed as a big deal, feuded with the Undisputed Era, won the North American Title and even the Dusty Rhodes Tag Title cup.

In the main roster, he has reigns with the United States Title, the Intercontinental title, high profile matches with Logan Paul at SummerSlam and even beat Seth Rollins to face Brock Lesnar for the world title. WWE even wanted to resign him but he decided to leave and go to AEW.

Explain to me how that is never getting behind him?

The reality is that AEW has exposed Ricochet for what he truly is; a mid card wrestler who does cool moves but really isn’t a main event star. He doesn’t have an over the top charisma that makes you want to listen to his promos and hang on every word. He looks and dresses like a cross between Prince and Steve Urkel.

He is a guy that screams nerd and dork that you wouldn’t hang out with if he wasn’t a famous wrestler.

Again everyone wants to scream that Ricochet was treated unfairly and that WWE was mean. But the reality is Ricochet was a guy that is a niche wrestler that most regular fans look and go “meh”. WWE tried on several occasions but at some point you are what you are.

I get his frustration because so far his AEW run has been underwhelming and even worse than his WWE run. He has basically been jobbed out in every high profile match, his feud with Swerve Strickland had them incorporating scissors that made both guys look stupid, and he has failed in all his title bouts to win.

But he is getting paid very well, his wife will probably end up joining him on the Main Roster this year and he gets to do whatever he wants in terms of who he wants to wrestler and coming up with his character.

And yet all he has done is whine online to fans who criticize him, bash WWE about how he lost his passion and generally just cry “its not fair”.

Honestly, this is where someone should have pulled him aside, told him to shut up and get off line and just focus on developing a character we care about.

But as we have learned, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink it.

In this case you can drop hints to Ricochet and the IWC, but if they don’t get it… then well, those are the breaks. Which brings me to my next tangent

WWE RELASES HAVE FANS IN A TIZZY.

Dear IWC, I understand you don’t grasp the real world but here is the stone cold truth. Business companies are going to do what’s best for business and every business has a bottom line that it has to follow.

I know everyone loves AEW but that isn’t a real business; its a rich kid who is playing wrestling fantasy booker with his billionaire dad’s money.

Meanwhile WWE is owned by TKO Holdings which if you look at their board of directors is run by very successful business people. A few of them run private equity firms which are famously known for maximizing profits and focusing on the bottom line.

Their prime objective is to make money, increases profits and reduce wasteful spending.

They are not running a Go Fund Me for wrestler’s career earnings.

If they feel that something is not making them money, compared to what they are spending, they will have it cut or let go of the person.

We can stamp our feet and scream all we want, but that is the nature of business and as I and many other people have learned, you are hired with the notion that you are always expendable. Athletes understand that fact, business executives understand that fact, real workers understand that fact… even alot of wrestlers understand that fact.

The truth is that for years, Vince McMahon didn’t do alot of mass releases between 2011-2019 because it looked bad and there was no reason. The roster was semi manageable, wrestlers were not staying on too long past 40 years old, and unless you were a screw up or not good, WWE kept you.

Then Covid hit and in 2020 and 2021, WWE had to trim the roster because travel was halted, live shows were done with no crowd and nobody knew how long that would last.. Then when Vince sold WWE in 2022, the pro wrestling fans and industry got dragged into the cold reality of corporations running a family business.

I know, I have hurt many of your feelings by not pandering and telling you it will be alright but you need to hear this again for the 1,245th time.

The WWE and AEW are overcrowded and both could use some massive layoffs so that talent can actually get on television.

Raw has FIFTY ONE wrestlers on the roster, Smackdown has FIFTY FIVE and NXT/Development has a grand total of ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN.

Stop living in la la land and realize that WWE doesn’t have the time, space or opportunity to continue to just hire wrestlers and do nothing with them.

Again, everybody wants their favorite wrestler to be signed and pushed but nobody advocates for someone to get removed or depushed. But that is the reality of things that unfortunately there is not enough room and this is not a Utopia of wrestling.

Meanwhile, Paul Levesque is the Chief Content Creator and Head of Creative which while its very important and powerful, is not the end all of the company. He has bosses he has to answer to and despite what you read online or saw in a movie, he can’t tell his bosses to “go screw.”

If your boss tells you to do something, either you do it or they will replace you.

Don’t blame him for following orders as this is the ugly truth of the a corporation running a business like… a business.

As far as those who are released;

Braun Strowman is 41, has bad knees and not the athlete he was ten years ago. Credit to him for working his way back into the WWE but this second run showed at times how limited he was physcially. Sucks getting old and you could tell that the pain and wear and tear was catching up to him.

Dakota Kai is similar in that she had become injury prone as her body had betrayed her. Since 2019 she has had two torn ACL surgeries, Torn Meniscus and suffered a serious concussion. Love her work and I am confident she will be in-demand on the free agent market but if you can’t stay healthy, it will be a problem.

Cora Jade got caught in getting injured at a bad time with her torn ACL in 2024 and NXT signing Guilia and Stephanie Vaquer which made her expendable due to a deep roster. At 24 she is still young, and hopefully she can follow the lead of Naomi and Jordynne Grace by going to TNA and flourishing. Her biggest issue is getting more time and reps which NXT doesn’t have anymore.

Shayna Baszler was cursed with the fact she wasn’t really what Vince wanted and even Levesque dropped the ball. The Ronda Rousey win should have led to bigger things but it didn’t and Pure Fusion Collective was a fart in church. The other horrible reality is that in pro wrestling, looks matter and sex sells and that was not what Baszler was about.

Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Riley Osbourne, Dani Palmer, Javier Bernal, Oro Mensah and Jakara Jackson all fall into the category of just caught in a numbers crunch. A decade ago, you could have moved them to the main roster and have them is mid card to low mid card. But none of the above connected with the crowd and all could also benefit from working the Indy’s, developing a new look and building their brand.

I thought that Gigi Dolin was the biggest victim of just bad timing and getting caught in issues beyond her control. Her, Jacy Jayne and Mandy Rose were MEGA over as part of Toxic Attraction and should have been elevated to the main roster. But Mandy got released due to her OnlyFans, Toxic Attraction got split up and then Torn ACL shelved her right when the women’s division in NXT was getting loaded. I could see her making her way to TNA with her fiancé, Zachary Wentz, and being a major star there.

Again, the blueprint is out there to get released and come back. See Rusev, Naomi, Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre for a few examples. But it will come down to being able to putting in work, reinventing yourself and trying to come up with something that will entice the crowd to care about you.

LIV MORGAN CAST IN BAD LIEUTENANT: TOKYO

Honestly, I am incredibly happy for her and congratulate her for being in a legit movie that should help sell her as an actress. With Shun Oguri and Lilly James attached as the leads, and produced by the Academy Award winning studio NEON, this is a legit role and opportunity for her.

Despite her great work as a heel, Liv Morgan is the ultimate underdog babyface when you look at her upbringing and what she has had to go through. Unlike Rhea Ripely, Bianca Belair or Tiffany Stratton, Morgan was never the “it” star in the eyes of management.

She is living proof that just grinding, hard work, perseverance and willing to step out of her comfort zone can lead to great success.

Hopefully this is the start of something big as not every wrestler hits it in Hollywood. For every Rock and John Cena, there are thousands of wrestlers who never rise to bit parts.

Rooting that Liv Morgan is closer to the former and not the latter.

Oh lord… For one, Google is about making money. If something was GOOD, they won’t go out of their way to “shadow ban” something that could ring up massive advertisement

MERCEDES MONE STARTS A CHAT SERVICE FOR FANS STARTING AT $99.99 PER MONTH

The best thing I can say about that and Mercedes Mone right now is that at least she is not going the route of Jordon Hudson, the gf/aide to Bill Belichick. It co”uld have been worse as she could have started dating Tony Khan, have his baby and then take half his stake in his father’s sports franchises.

That is the best thing I can say about this venture.

But at this point, its getting tougher to defend Mercedes as this whole thing makes her look like a money predator for desperate people.

Here is where me and Mr. Tito disagree. I get the whole Only Fans thing but at least with Only Fans, your getting more than just a Chat bot texting you responses that are AI created. Because make no mistake, she sure as hell isn’t going to be answering those texts herself, I guarantee that.

Plus unlike alot of female wrestlers and adult content creators that I know on Only Fans, THEY ARE NOT GETTING PAID MILLIONS AT ANOTHER JOB.

At what point do you have enough money where you don’t have to stoop low enough to hustle suckers out of the money?

This is as bad as a brokerage lawyer with a million-dollar business in real estate deals, selling NFT’s on the side just so he can afford a second Ferrari or a surround sound system for his summer home.

And for AEW fans, at what point do you get embarrassed that your AEW women’s champion is just a vulture who is using the company to get rich and go back to WWE. She has elevated nobody, her matches have been average at best, she doesn’t seem to care about promoting the company outside of being on TV.

Oh and she has creative control; don’t believe me just go to TMZ where SHE ADMITS IT TO THEM.

Mr. Tito has the attitude of “Well, morons will be morons so if they get abused that is their fault”.

For me, this just makes wrestling look bad in general as you don’t see any successful female athlete or actress pulling this.

But again… at least Mercedes isn’t pulling a Jordon Hudson so thank god for small miracles.

TNA BANNING BLEEDING FROM THEIR SHOWS

Again, this is what smart businesses do when they are trying to make their product more mainstream and profitable. They cater towards families and casuals who don’t want to see carnage and wrestler’s looking like they got carved up by Freddy Kreuger.

TNA has been quietly shopping their product to several streaming platforms and TV networks over the last few months. This has been the byproduct of working with the WWE in that they now have access to people who a few years ago, never would have given them the time of day.

And make no mistake about it, TV executives and marketing executives don’t like gore or blood. Its tough to sell advertising spots, families don’t want to get their kids scarred for life and it comes across as low brow and crass.

Ask Dominos Pizza about that after AEW ran that disastrous angle with Nick Gage vs. Chris Jericho and the Pizza cutter. Dominos’ told Tony Khan to take a hike and there went that sponsorship.

I get the IWC loves its hardcore matches, bleeding, TLC high spots and “old school real rasslin” but this is a corporate world and industry.

And TNA is now being run like a business and less like an overgrown mark’s dream plaything.

Which is what you can call… Best for business.

To listen to interviews from fighters, sports reporters and more, check out the website at www.LastCallPodcast.com or follow me on www.twitter.com/LastCallwChrisC

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MR. TITO: My Personal Message to the Many WWE Released Wrestlers

Mr. Tito — Sat, 23 Sep 2023 00:19:50 +0000

The usual can-of-internet-fan-outrage has been opened, once again, after the WWE released multiple wrestlers on Thursday, September 21st, 2023. Most of the wrestlers listed either haven’t been on television for a while or were working for NXT. To me, it’s just another day of cost cutting at a publicly traded corporation. Places who have cut THOUSANDS of employees are laughing at the WWE and TKO.

Let’s be honest here… Among the 2020-2022 WWE releases, as well as the late 2022 Triple H re-signings of previously released wrestlers from those years… Have any of them proved Vince McMahon wrong and “stuck it” to him? Not really… Many have tried to sign with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and they have all failed to get beyond being “one of the boys”. I take that back… I personally thought Brodie Lee, formerly Luke Harper, was on his way but he passed away unfortunately. He was the one guy whom I thought was severely under-utilized in the WWE and was on his way to making himself a big name in AEW. Other than the great Lee, we’ve seen nothing significant at another promotion and Vince/WWE seems to be proven right for releasing them.

You could give me the late Bray Wyatt, whom I’d agree was inspiring when he returned with his initial return promo during late 2022… But then we had the return of Firefly Funhouse and the abomination known as the LA Knight vs. Bray Wyatt Match at Royal Rumble 2023.

But everyone else… Eh.

Here’s the question that I want to ask today’s generations of wrestlers… Where is your fire?

Why aren’t you PISSED OFF that the WWE overlooked your talents? Where is your motivation to revamp and revise yourself to make the WWE regret that they released you?

Here’s the dirty secret of the WWE Attitude Era, you know, when the WWE abnormally grew form 1997-2001… They did it on the backs of former WCW wrestlers and talent.

– Undertaker was told he wouldn’t be a big star by Ole Anderson in WCW during 1990. What did he do? Joined the WWE for the gimmick of a lifetime and seriously lasted 30 years in the WWE and drew them billions with his character alone. Seriously.

– Mick Foley was Cactus Jack in WCW, and Eric Bischoff didn’t like his character at all. Rather than making any tweaks to his character, they just released him.

– Steve Austin was on his way up the card in WCW during 1994, but then Hulk Hogan arrived and all of his older former WWE friends got signed. Making matters worse, Austin was fighting through some injuries. WCW released him via FedEx Letter, I believe.

– Triple H was liked in WCW, but only for the Tag Team division. Wasn’t allowed to be a singles wrestler.

– Jim Ross helped bring many great talents through WCW as their early big breaks, but the second Eric Bischoff took over after the faltering Bill Watts during early 1993, Jim Ross was on the chopping block. Had Bischoff kept Ross and maybe had him assist with Talent, WCW would have been a powerhouse early AND WWE wouldn’t have had its 1997 turnaround with the talent that Ross signed (Austin and Foley, by the way).

– Chris Jericho wasn’t allowed to grow beyond the midcard with the many overpaid former WWE stars that WCW signed. By early 1999, he let his contract expire and then had the greatest debut of all time.

What did each of those legitimate ALL TIME GREATS have in common? Their previous employer took their talents for granted and it PISSED THEM OFF to prove them wrong.

Here’s another good case to consider, but this guy was more proactive and asked for his release instead. Cody Rhodes was going nowhere as Stardust, so he boldly asked for his release from his WWE contract. WWE granted it to him, so Cody was off to prove himself on the Independent scene, in Japan, and at smaller promotions like Impact or Ring of Honor. By wrestling anywhere and everywhere, a groundswell of fan support happened and it helped spur Cody and friends to draw 10,000 for the infamous “All In” event that convinced a billionaire to start a wrestling promotion with his son called AEW. Then, through 2022, when WWE had a chance to get Cody back, Vince McMahon personally flew to Cody’s home to talk him into rejoining WWE. He’s getting paid millions and he is on his way to a World Title in the near future.

Cody was PISSED OFF at the WWE and wanted to make them pay… Literally, made them pay… millions of dollars!

This is what makes me wonder if the WWE will go for CM Punk or not… Lots of risk there, but I could see Punk being so pissed off at AEW that he’d go out of his way to be on his best behavior in the WWE.

Look, I’m not here to belittle the released WWE or NXT performers. I’m sorry that you lost your job… But I question this: How much do you want it?

How badly do you want to be a top pro wrestling star?

Because I’m here to tell ya, life is going to get tough…

(1) AEW’s roster is already too big, even with 3 shows and 2 brands.

(2) Impact’s budget is limited.

(3) NWA’s budget is really limited.

On the latter two points, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW)‘s budget was limited during the 1990s, but did that stop Mick Foley and Steve Austin from joining them following their WCW releases? Nope… And both made the absolute most out of their tenure in ECW. The 3 Faces of Foley and “Stone Cold” were born there because Paul Heyman took the filter off of both. Foley and Austin could have bigtimed ECW, but they didn’t… They treated it like it was the big leagues and took it damn seriously. In return, they repackaged themselves to be amazing free agent signings for Jim Ross in the WWE and helped build confidence in Ross as Talent Relations manager. So what if Impact and NWA are small… Go there, make a big name for yourself. Draw well in Impact or NWA, the WWE will beg for you to return.

Internally, look at LA Knight. Vince McMahon wanted him to be the manager of the modeling stable that had most of its members released yesterday. Seriously… Did he cry about it? No, when given the chance to return as LA Knight, he worked extra hard and made personal tweaks to his character to appear like a brand new character.

The question again, is, do any of these wrestlers WANT IT? Do you want to prove the WWE wrong?

Maybe wrestling in the 21st Century with the WWE has made you soft? Maybe earning 6 figures as a developmental wrestler has ceased that hunger? Maybe working in the air conditioned Performance Center has given you a big head? Maybe working fewer dates than past generations hasn’t toughed you up?

Something is missing from today’s generations of wrestlers because I don’t see the ANGER of wrestlers getting released and trying to prove the WWE wrong. Sure, they’ll shed tears on their Social Media accounts or start shooting when they play video games on their Twitch account… But how are you going to “stick it” to the WWE for releasing you?

Did David Letterman cry when he was passed over for Jay Leno to replace Jimmy Carson on NBC’s The Tonight Show? No, he went across the street to CBS to create his own 11:30pm nightly show as competition to the Tonight Show instead and was a pain in their arse for like 25 years. Many pro athletes gets passed over in drafts and use that denial as revenge against teams later. Tom Brady going to late and being passed over by many teams fueled him.

I could go through the entire list of WWE/NXT released talents and speculate who will go where… But I won’t. I’m not convinced that any of them want to stick it to the WWE for releasing them, including longtime veteran Dolph Ziggler who spent 20 years with WWE and was praised both by the Rock and John Cena for his work after he was released.

Where is your fire at? Where is your anger at the WWE firing YOU just as they sign a new $1.4 billion, 5 year deal to host WWE Smackdown? Where is your anger at the TKO issuing stock trading between $80 to $100 per share? Where is your anger at WWE being valuated at $9 billion? Where is your anger at WWE ticket sales going up, viewership increasing, and merchandise sales moving again? WWE, TKO, and Endeavor are making money HAND OVER FIST yet they feel the need to release you. Why aren’t you angry?

Look at the United Autoworkers (UAW) labor union right now. They were willing to go on strike to get better earnings, even as the top auto executives cry “poor mouth” in spite of their companies making record breaking profits. Then, you have Hollywood… Every studio is screwing actors out of royalties because streaming wasn’t defined in their contracts and executives at the studios are paying themselves more than ever to eat into all revenues made from movies. While many movies have flopped, many haven’t… Freakin’ Barbie just pulled in over $1 billion. LOTS of accounting games being played with Hollywood productions, trust me. The Actors AND Writers know all of this and are trying to “stick it” to Hollywood by striking. UAW, Actors, and Writers ARE WILLING TO STARVE in order to make a point.

Where is the fire in your belly, released WWE wrestlers? It’s very likely that some of you have been leaking hateful stuff about Vince McMahon to dirtsheets anyway, so why not get revenge by overperforming and reinventing yourself elsewhere?

Stop venting through killing groups of people in a video game and get real revenge. Channel your anger into proving Vince McMahon wrong and becoming very successful as a pro wrestler elsewhere.

Because if you don’t, you proved him right.

Be like Mick Foley, Triple H, Jim Ross, and Chris Jericho who each proved Eric Bischoff of WCW wrong in the long-run.

Stick it to the man!

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WWE’s Reluctancy To Build New Stars Is Infuriating

Warren Garry — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 03:45:17 +0000

Fallout From Royal Rumble

This past Saturday we were treated to the first of the “big four” PPVs of the calendar year, Royal Rumble. I use the phrase “treated to” very lightly. The only treat is I don’t work Sundays so staying up until 5am on a Saturday is fine I guess. During the show we seen Lashley toppling Lesnar for the WWE title due to some outside interference which set off a chain reaction. A bad one at that.

So with Reigns screwing Lesnar out of his title surely he’ll be gunning for Reigns and his championship, right? Sort of. Lesnar later enters at number 30 in the Royal Rumble match and goes on to win the whole thing. This results in Lesnar challenging Reigns to a match at WrestleMania but he also wants the WWE Championship back. Brock is now competing in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE title less than two months before WrestleMania. A match I am nearly sure he’s going to win, which is a shame for Lashley’s current reign.

Reading that just proves the rinse and repeat formula we keep getting with WWE. Like everyone else, before the Rumble I was thinking of potential winners. I actually wrote about five different wrestlers who could benefit from the big win right here on NoDQ. That one was for Mrs. Foley’s baby boy!

As soon as that number 30 flashed on the screen I felt gutted, and not just because I wanted a different entrant. I knew instantly Lesnar was winning when he really didn’t need to. Why not have him run a gauntlet? Enter the Elimination Chamber where the winner gets the title shot? Overall, nobody came out of this year’s Rumble looking particularly good in my opinion.

Take A Chance On Transitional Champs

The Royal Rumble can be considered one big barometer. The perfect setting to test out a wrestler’s potential, judge crowd reaction and tease future feuds. AJ Styles’ Rumble debut in 2016 is a good example. Even though AJ was established worldwide that doesn’t mean anything in WWE terms and he passed their test with flying colours. It really didn’t feel like the springboard to elevate talent this year at all. For example, Bad Bunny lasted longer in the Rumble than former WWE champion, Big E.

There seems to be a real reluctancy to elevate talent to the next level and really let them show their worth. I think back to Big E’s title reign. A feel good moment, for a man who genuinely deserves his time in the spotlight. The booking let him down overall and it was one thing that stood out to me as strange. Big E was presented as a more stoic, serious champion which is good but didn’t feel like Big E. I feel like that was WWE’s way of making him “their” version of a top guy which dampened his character. In turn, he ended up eating the pin from Lesnar to lose his WWE championship in a multi-man match.

From a business standpoint I understand why WWE stick with their pool of top guys. The likes of Reigns, Lesnar, Rollins, Orton etc are all proven money makers for the company. Hell, they would sooner throw the title on a returning Goldberg or Cena than build a new top guy. What happens if these guys move on or go down with an injury? WWE will have to bite the bullet and let others take the main event mantle. Why not try it out now? It’s pro wrestling. It’s scripted. You could literally change the outcome at a drop of a hat if it doesn’t garner interest or revenue. Genuinely speaking it feels like a time warp when I watch WWE and it’s so tiring.

Refresh The Main Event Scene

While I strongly believe a championship doesn’t make a star, I do think we need new stars to freshen up a stale championship scene. Some of the most talented wrestlers in the world are on the WWE roster, let’s start dusting them off. Big E, Balor, Cesaro, Nakamura, Roode, Kofi, Riddle, Montez Ford just to name a few. Some of those guys have been champions yes, but never given the full backing to be seen as established main eventers. Now is the time to elevate in my opinion. There is more than enough talent to hold their own at any level on the card so now is the time to start calling on these guys. Adding even three of those names to a pool including Lashley, Reigns, Styles and Owens would greatly improve the main event scene.

From a creative standpoint WWE is stagnant and has been for quite some time. The lack of innovation coupled with lethargic writing is shocking. As far as an entertainment standpoint goes, it has become borderline unwatchable some weeks. I only watch WWE for the same reason I watch any promotion, too see great wrestlers do their thing. Lately we have seen less of the great and more of the boring though. Between talent cuts and dropping the ball on stars like Malakai Black, Adam Cole, Buddy Murphy and Mustafa Ali it’s blatantly obvious WWE are content with their own standard. All I can do for now is hope for a change of heart from the higher-ups and maybe we’ll see a fresh new main event scene this year.

– Warren Garry

Feedback: discuslariatcollective@gmail.com

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ASK TITO: WWE Releases of Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax, and Others, Jox Moxley Needing Time Off from AEW, and More

Mr. Tito — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 03:58:46 +0000

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The weekend Excellence in Column Writing is upon you, as I remain the only pro wrestling columnist on the entire internet who cares about YOU, the readers. Who else pumps out a quality column for you to read and enjoy during a freakin’ weekend? Answer is nobody. In fact, the ASK TITO columns usually take me longer to produce than my weekly Tuesday columns as I dig deep into each of your questions via Twitter, Email, or the Comments section below.

A short while ago, news released that Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon would take more “active roles” in overseeing the creative of NXT. NXT, as you may know, was the promotion previously overseen by Triple H (wishing him a speedy recovery from whatever happened, heart wise). If you read the overall opinion of the Internet Wrestling Community (besides me), you would have thought that this move to put Bruce and Vince more actively involved with NXT to be a “disaster”.

Well…

NXT Average Viewership from 4/13 (moved to Tuesdays) through 9/7 (before NXT 2.0): 686,136

NXT Average Viewership since 9/14 (NXT 2.0 began): 683,857

That looks virtually the same… BUT, the 4/13 to 9/8 data has 2 freakish’ outliers with the first 2 weeks popping 800,000+ viewers with the novelty of being on Tuesdays alone. If I back those 2 special nights out, you’re looking at 672,450. Furthermore, look at July 2021’s data… There were TWO back to back week instances where NXT was under 550,000 viewers. That is shocking.

But in fairness, that is me playing Dave, Wade, Brandon, or Tony and using a special ruler (though my argument is far more sound than their 18-49 Demographic bragging). Even if we keep weeks 1 and 2 of the Tuesday NXT shows, we’re still very close. Furthermore, NXT 2.0 has NEVER been below 600,000 in viewership while NXT 1.0 on Tuesdays did it twice.

Fact is that Bruce and Vince overseeing NXT has NOT become a disaster that many wrestling fans online were predicting. In fact, FAR FROM IT.

The excitement that I hear for Bron Breakker aka “Rex Steiner” is something that I hardly ever heard mainstream fans have for any NXT wrestlers. You KNOW that guy has serious Main Event potential based on his talent, bloodlines, and decent promo ability (sounds like Scott Steiner, I LOVE IT). And with Bruce and Vince overseeing NXT now, they are taking OWNERSHIP of the Talent Developmental process and having NXT cater to grooming wrestlers that THEY want to see on WWE television. There was an obvious disconnect to what Triple H was presenting and what Vince McMahon wanted. That or maybe Triple H just wasn’t good at booking wrestling shows on his own or grooming talent? Take your pick.

But the FACT is that NXT 2.0 is NOT a disaster and its numbers are holding up to what NXT was prior to NXT 2.0’s debut

So are all of the haters of Bruce Prichard and Vince McMahon going to apologize to them for slandering their good names about them managing the NXT show? The fact is that the NXT Developmental system plus the cushy Performance Center was NOT grooming future Main Event talents for the WWE. You’ve got, what, Kevin Owens, Braun Strowman, and Finn Balor to brag about as signings since mid 2012? One guy is gone and the other 2 are forever upper midcarders.

I’d argue that NXT 2.0 is a success and is planting seeds for WWE to potentially have long-term growth. Getting Vince McMahon caring about the Talent Developmental system and having it groom wrestlers that he wants to book is what has been needed all along with Triple H’s system. Vince and Triple H were never on the same page and that’s why Vince McMahon was baffled by many of the male NXT call-ups when they joined the main WWE roster. With Vince actively involved and caring about the wrestlers flowing through NXT, it will only help the main WWE brands moving forward.

If you’re a corporation, you HAVE to get on the same page or else it causes friction and goals won’t be met. As President/CEO, you have to assess what your direct reports are doing and if one is struggling, you either improve the resources surrounding them or make a change. This is why Vince McMahon is a successful company President. He had a son-in-law in charge and he made a tough decision to revamp the talent developmental despite of him. Because of that tough decision, NXT 2.0 might deliver a few male Main Eventers to the WWE roster on a silver platter.

If NXT 2.0 can restock the WWE roster like I think it may, AEW should be quite scared of things to come. As AEW signs more and more free agents, the WWE is creating new stars. Ask WCW how the “Monday Night Wars” went during 1998-1999 as the WWE presented itself with a roster full of brand new stars from the ground up. This is why it baffles me why AEW isn’t using Jim Ross to the fullest of their abilities. 2021 has seen Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Shelton Benjamin, and John Cena STILL wrestling in a WWE ring after debuting with the company during 2002 from that Ohio Valley Wrestling call-up class. That’s insane. And yet AEW wants no advice from Ross on how to develop their own stars of tomorrow?

Because AEW fumbled the football on debuting CM Punk and Bryan Danielson creatively, they’ve lost their momentum and interest already (viewership numbers have consistently declined since CM Punk’s debut and the Arthur Ashe show) and the WWE is putting real effort into securing their future. While that future may create some tough decisions now, such as releasing underperforming talents relative to their contract $ amounts, it’s clearing the path to push younger, fresher, and cheaper wrestlers for the WWE that will, at worst, draw the same viewership as their current roster was doing.

When you’ve been there and done that, it matters. Tony Khan hasn’t been there or done that, thus he’s making mistakes and is lacking maturity to pull this off.

Onto your questions.

————————————

What are your thoughts on the 11/4/2021 WWE Releases?

Funny how this happens on a day where AEW Dynamite BOMBS on their viewership number this week with a 878,000 viewership number to continue to prove that Tony Khan CHOKED on the Creative for the debuting CM Punk and Bryan Danielson wrestlers.

I mean, what can I say? “I told you so”? For the past 3-4 years both here at NoDQ and the prior place, I’ve been critical of the NXT system for the way it was developing MALE wrestlers for the WWE main roster. Wrestlers were either older veterans, too small, or if they were brooding characters who wrestled exactly like Triple H. The developmental wrestlers have a cushy Performance Center and a trainer in Matt Bloom who isn’t training wrestlers on how to cut promos or showcase their personalities. Then for the NXT shows, they were glorified indy shows with high risk maneuvers and violence. When WWE put them on USA Network for a LIVE 2 hour show, it completely exposed their program and fans tired quickly of this programming instead of watching 3-4 Takeovers per year.

Look at all of those Triple H signed wrestlers… GONE. Funny how guys signed by either Jim Ross or John Laurinaitis BEFORE mid 2012 are STILL on the WWE roster. They weren’t cut at all.

And don’t give me that “Creative screwed Karrion Kross and Keith Lee”. Sorry, but working at Full Sail or the Performance Center in front of a few fans DOES NOT equate working in a 10,000+ seat big arena for the WWE Main Roster. It just does not… The fact is that without Kross’s beautiful valet, Karrion Kross was totally exposed as a performer. That is what WWE has been testing with Kross for the past few months and he failed miserably. With Keith Lee, something happened and he didn’t quite look as athletic in WWE as he did in NXT. His matches lacked energy and you could see others struggling to work with him.

BOOM, Nia Jax is gone and many rumors are swirling online about the reason why. Effective January 4th, 2022, businesses with over 100 employees will be required to have employees vaccinated or endure financial penalties. I’m not going to get into COVID politics, but if this is really true, then it’s likely that WWE made an announcement to talent and maybe a few of them scoffed at this idea?

But here is the thing with COVID… If you’re not going to get vaccinated in the WWE, you’re actually a threat to Roman Reigns’s life. WWE is going to do whatever it takes to protect their #1 asset and if performers or staff refused to be vaccinated with Roman around, see ya! That’s business.

As for who could sign these released wrestlers… Best of luck to each of them, as AEW’s roster is quite full at the moment. There’s Impact or NWA, but their pay is quite low and NWA is really limited right now. For the Women, they might want to seriously look into the Women of Wrestling (WOW) promotion that AJ Lee and Tessa Blanchard have joined recently. WOW is owned by Los Angeles Lakers partial owner Jeannie Buss and has a television deal with Viacom CBS (airing on Paramount+?). Nia Jax would be a PERFECT signing for this venture, for example.

Here’s the deal, folks… WWE is stuck in the mud with their existing roster and Triple H’s developmental system did NOT restock the WWE with enough Main Event caliber superstars. Therefore, WWE is going to be revamping its roster and talent developmental system. They are going to get YOUNGER but also CHEAPER at the same time while retaining the same core superstars that you know and love (Roman, Orton, Lesnar, Lashley, Drew, Big E, New Day, etc). WWE is NOT going anywhere but down with the current roster of talent, so thus it’s time for a rebuild. So far with NXT 2.0, I like what I see… They fixed Mandy Rose with younger female talents and have the Steiner kid named Bron Breakker who will be exciting in the WWE soon. WWE made many signings recently and I expect to see more of those wrestlers appearing in NXT 2.0 or maybe being trained up quietly to debut in the WWE instead.

WWE is using its playbook for defeating WCW… They are revamping their roster to be fresh and youthful while at the same time being cheaper. The dirty secret of the WWE was that Triple H was paying a good salary to many of the “future” WWE superstars in his NXT system. Go watch that NXT Documentary on WWE Network where he gives Nia Jax a significant pay raise DESPITE her barely wrestling in the promotion. Seriously, it’s right on tape. Then, when everyone joins the WWE, they disappoint Vince and then he looks at the salaries paid to each wrestler. CUT! AEW is getting older by signing more and more veterans while WWE is pushing to get younger.

In addition, Ring of Honor just closed shop and many AEW contracts come up during 2022 (everyone signed 3 year deals to start in 2019). If WWE wanted to, they could steal a few key wrestlers from AEW and raid Ring of Honor if they wished. That or just increase their scouting department to find athletes that they can mold into bigger, stronger, but younger WWE superstars.

Everyone keeps thinking that “WWE is going to be sold” and the way I see it, they are just making themselves more profitable for Shareholders while sowing the seeds for future growth. This is why Vince McMahon is a great businessman and why he surrounds himself with great people in his corporate offices. WWE operates like a lean machine and they are going to devastate an AEW promotion who has already run out of bullets after botching CM Punk’s return to wrestling.

*****

Should the WWE have the ability to terminate if someone isn’t vaccinated?

Problem with travelling internationally is that you cannot enter certain countries without being vouched as vaccinated. Thus, any wrestlers refusing to get the COVID-19 shot would be unavailable for a tour and that would cause other wrestlers to be used more often.

A private company can impose whatever policy that it wants, as long as it is consistently enforced among its workforce. If they have any exceptions to policy, that opens the door up to liability and lawsuits. Furthermore, down the road, we have Federal Government mandates coming for vaccinations and that could cause an issue with the unvaccinated, too.

I also think, as I said above, that the WWE wants to protect its Roman Reigns asset. Last thing they want is his compromised immune system, thanks to Leukemia from 2018-2019, to cause him to be infected with COVID-19.

Here’s what I want to say about this COVID-19 shot: It’s safe. I know that many dislike receiving shots and really dislike how ineffective that the Flu shot is. However, getting the actual COVID-19 infection is FAR worse. That virus attacks your lungs and creates permanent damage. Furthermore, it spreads quickly to others and now appears to mutate quickly. There are no microchips in these vaccinations, as scientists, drug companies, and medical facilities don’t want to endure lawsuits if a vaccine doesn’t go well or has any foreign objects in it. To me, taking a safe vaccination is worth receiving instead of getting the worst symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.

Is refusing a SAFE and FREE vaccine shot worth becoming unemployed? That said, things are going to become troublesome soon when the Government tries to force it instead of private businesses. As I’ve said REPEATEDLY now, private companies should offer discounts on Health Insurance premiums if proof of the vaccine can be shown. You don’t need any mandates if you have a simple incentive like that. Instead, companies and governments are using force on the vaccine and that is going to cause friction or mass unemployment (which also causes friction). If people don’t have jobs to feed themselves and their families, you better lock your doors…

*****

Do you think that the WWE has the right to enforce non-compete clauses?

Anything that is in a valid contract signed by both parties is fair game. If a wrestlers signs a deal with that 90 Day non-compete clause, then they have to abide by it.

Now, why does the WWE impose it? Simply put, WWE put the time and effort into putting a certain wrestler on their televised time, they don’t want a competitor to instantly be rewarded if that same wrestler jumps ship suddenly. WWE took the time to place the personality on their television and it grants them fame because of it. Thus, what the WWE doesn’t want is for a competitor to reap the rewards of their work creating fame for a wrestler.

Same thing happens on most Television or Radio channels. If a big Television broadcaster decides to leave a network, he or she cannot instantly join a competitor. In fact, most news broadcasters are blocked from appearing on TV elsewhere from 9 months to a year! 90 days is just a 3 month vacation for wrestlers and then they can be relevant elsewhere.

The difference is the medium of Television or Radio. If I quit my job today, for example, and worked for a competitor… That’s that. Only internally at both companies would anyone notice a difference. However, on Television or Radio where MASS CONSUMPTION happens, a moving personality from one station or network to another could actually harm their business or commerce. Let me give you an example… What if Roman Reigns had a contract that expired today and he could instantly appear on AEW’s programming. Wouldn’t AEW benefit from WWE’s hard work? They sure would… But with the 90 non-compete, it allows the WWE to let the situation of losing Roman cool down and allow them to get their footing to find a replacement. It also diminishes AEW immediately benefitting from Roman leaving a company. WWE built the brand of Roman Reigns and thus they have the right to protect their VISUAL asset.

I actually agree with the non-compete clause and it makes sense to me… Anyone who builds a televised brand shouldn’t be penalized simply by that talent leaving the company and joining a competitor. Besides, ALL wrestlers are PAID during those 90 days of the non-compete. Life isn’t all that bad unless nobody signs you after those 90 days are up.

*****

What are your thoughts on Tony Khan’s announcement regarding Jon Moxley needing help for alcohol?

First and foremost, I wish Jon Moxley the best. The guy wants to perform for all of us or else he wouldn’t have jumped to AEW for more freedom or to make a difference with AEW. He has helped legitimize AEW from the beginning. I applaud him for getting the help that he needs.

That said… Do you really want to announce that to the world?

I don’t know… That’s a tough call, as maybe AEW could have filmed an injury angle or came up for a storyline reason why Moxley was out. Announcing that he needs help for alcohol reasons to the public blurs that line between the wrestler and the human behind it all. Furthermore, AEW has been pushing a storyline with Adam “Hangman” Page being somewhat of an alcoholic. So how does that look now?

And maybe it’s just me, but could we start looking into WHY Jon Moxley has been self-medicating excessively lately? You’re letting him work hardcore matches not just for AEW, but for other independent promotions. Is that really the best uses of his talents? He’s a well trained wrestler who can perform in the ring WITHOUT needing the stunts, the bumps, or the weapons. Moxley is 35 about to turn 36… These dangerous bumps and weapon shots are adding up and I’m sure that he struggles to get out of bed.

If Tony wants to show that he really cares about his performers, how about protecting his wrestlers from themselves. AEW has had a ton of injuries since they began and many of which are due to pure careless things happening inside or outside the ring. When you have veterans like Jake Roberts, Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, or even Jim Ross around, have them push more in-ring psychology to be taught. You don’t need these high risk spots that always have an injury risk for wrestlers.

It’s a bummer about Moxley, as you’d figure with a great home life with his wife Renee and child, he wouldn’t need an additional dependency to get through his day. But the wrestling business is HARD to get through, despite whatever money it may pay. Taking those bumps and shots to the head take their toll, especially as you get older. It will wear you down mentally and physically and then it starts spilling over into other stuff at home.

It’s great that Moxley is getting help… But would I have announced it to the world? I just don’t know that answer or if Tony Khan should have been the one delivering that message. I don’t know… Seems too public to me but then again, maybe Moxley wanted it public so that others, who are having the same problems as him, can get help too?

*****

What are your thoughts on former WWE wrestler Kalisto (Samuray Del Sol) now appearing in AEW?

So they signed a wrestler who is 5’6″ in height and 170 pounds. You know, there is a problem when most of your fans in the crowd could actually handle themselves in a fight with a wrestler.

Unless AEW is going to make a Lightweight division, who cares?

And Kalisto has already been ruined by being publicly shamed by Chris Jericho for incorrectly spelling “Jon” for Brodie Lee’s real name. Way to treat this wrestler on his way in, Chris. Good job.

*****

Do you agree with Bray Wyatt not wanting to work the independent scene?

For a guy who gets injured often, please keep him away from the Indy scene. We don’t need Bray getting hit with lightbulbs or taking large dives in front of 50 people or whatever. He’s a former WWE Champion with the ability to cut great promos and works like a big man… It should be obvious that Impact or AEW is going to sign this guy.

I believe that he’s AEW bound, as I believe that Bray has a bone to pick with the WWE who released him. Also, he has a golden opportunity to be booked well on the way in and help AEW in the way that Punk/Danielson haven’t so far.

*****

Will the WWE ever induct Lex Luger into their Hall of Fame?

This one hurts me to answer. For one, I liked Lex Luger as a wrestler growing up. As a kid watching late 1988 NWA/WCW, Luger was a huge babyface then and his work with Ric Flair made me believe that he was a real superhero. Then, when he turned heel on Ricky Steamboat during 1989, it was heartbreaking and you felt it… Now, his WWE run was terrible, but I don’t blame him for that. The “All American” stuff was just awful. Now, his WCW run from 1995-1997 was spectacular and I adore his August 1997 WCW Title victory on Nitro. It was all downhill after that.

So I’m a fan… But what will forever haunt any wrestling opportunity for Luger is Miss Elizabeth. She passed away at his home due to a mix of painkillers and alcohol at the young age of 42. That, along with being charged for domestic violence with Elizabeth earlier in the year of her death, is what might keep Luger out of the Hall of Fame even though Liz’s death was ruled an “accident”. Still, many in the industry consider her pure and try to blame Luger for her later years. On his end and through recovering through his own problems, Luger has spent almost the last decade apologizing for what happened.

My fear would be if Luger did get inducted and was in front of a live rowdy crowd, they’d chant stuff about him and Elizabeth. I’m guessing that could have been a fear of the WWE’s too, which could have allowed for 2020 or 2021’s Hall of Fame inductions to be the perfect time for his speech and induction. Opportunity lost, and now we’ll just have to wait and see if WWE wants to put him in. I just don’t know with the amount of “heat” there could remain about Elizabeth.

In my opinion, Luger, based on his NWA/WCW work, is definitely at WWE Hall of Famer. He was a big star for many, many years even if his WWE run didn’t work out as well as it could. Trust me, his WCW return on the first ever WCW Nitro was HUGE not just because of the surprising reveal, but because he was a legitimate star. But the Miss Elizabeth stuff will haunt him forever, as I’m sure that it does to this day.

*****

What are your thoughts on the Rock declaring that he’ll never use guns in any future films?

It’s pandering based on recent news. What happened on the film “Rust” with Alec Baldwin accidentally shooting a cinematographer was due to negligence, same thing with Brandon Lee over 25 years ago. Think about how many movies have existed out there with lots of blank ammunition fired off and nobody was killed.

Honestly, for someone who has been heavily involved in action films, it would be interesting to see what happens without guns in action. That will case more fight scenes and, well, acting.

But I believe it is the Rock firmly placing himself in a position politically on a particular issue and we’ll how successful he is in the future with that stance. It’s pretty obvious that the Rock, once he gets the most money out of Hollywood, he’ll move onto to politics. I figure he’ll either go the route of running for Governor in either California or Florida and/or run for President. And he’ll be doing that as a Democratic Party member, which would make things interesting if he tries in Florida.

Watch what happens with the “Black Adam” DC Comics film. If that does well, he’ll keep making movies for that franchise until he physically can’t (he’s 49 years old now). If that underwhelms, then expect him to jump into politics immmediately.

So just chill… Until the next episode!

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The post ASK TITO: WWE Releases of Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax, and Others, Jox Moxley Needing Time Off from AEW, and More appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Breaking news: 14 WWE stars reportedly released from NXT and 205 Live brands

Aaron Rift — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 19:08:33 +0000

On Friday afternoon, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported that WWE released stars Ariya Daivari, Tony Nese, Marina Shafir, The Bollywood Boyz, Curt Stallion, Marco Ruas and August Grey. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com noted that Killian Dain, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, Tino Sabbatelli, and the Ever-Rise tag team (Chase Parker and Matt Martel) were also let go. Several of the released wrestlers confirmed the news…

All the bumps, torn ACL’s, dislocated shoulders, it’s all been worth if for the last 5 years. And how ironic, we finished our last match with a shoulder hanging out of socket

It’s fitting we got fired while showing up for wrestling training – we love what we do, with a passion

— Bollywood Boyz (@BollywoodBoyz) June 25, 2021

Classic tweet, man.

One of the hardest workers in a business full of hard workers. Creative, intelligent, and a student of the game.

To whoever lands AG next, congrats! https://t.co/AvAuj9CfPz

— BLACKHEART (@NXTCiampa) June 25, 2021

Thank you all for the kind words and support. It's time to put sports entertainment behind me and get back professional wrestling.

— Ariya Daivari (@AriyaDaivariWWE) June 25, 2021

Thank you everyone! I don't care about how unwatched and underappreciated 205 was. I busted my ass every single time I stepped foot in the ring doing whatever was asked of me with no questions asked. I can't wait to be that type of employee for someone else.

— Tony Nese (@TonyNese) June 25, 2021

Thank you @VinceMcMahon @TripleH @StephMcMahon Thank you for the last 14 years . I truly appreciate it!

— Fandango (@WWEFandango) June 25, 2021

It was reported by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast earlier in June that more releases would possibly be coming. Jon Alba of Spectrum Sports 360 noted the following…

WWE is releasing more personnel today. Unsure of who.

This is a continues the cost-cutting by the company we've seen the last couple of months.

I believe it was @AndrewZarian who reported earlier this month more releases would be coming. #WWE https://t.co/ZsFblO6doe

— Jon Alba (@JonAlba) June 25, 2021

The post Breaking news: 14 WWE stars reportedly released from NXT and 205 Live brands appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.