WWE Black Thursday

[Lock Jaw]

According to the Observer, WWE will start doing layoffs starting this Friday as part of the fallout of their sale to Endeavor & merger with UFC being official this past Tuesday.

The amount of people getting laid off is currently not known but recent rumors is as low as around 50 to as high as around 100. For some perspective, WWE currently has around 800 employees.

In an internal memo sent today, WWE informed their staff to work remotely and to not talk publicly about anything regarding the upcoming layoffs.

It was also reported that it is currently not known if UFC will be seeing a similar level of layoffs as well.



WWE's internal memo:

"As part of WWE's transition into the newly formed TKO Group Holdings, we are evaluating our existing operations and systems to identify potential synergies across the business. This effort includes workforce reductions, which will take place tomorrow.

Those whose roles have been impacted will be notified by our Human Resources Team, who will share the details of their severance package. We are asking that everyone work remotely, Friday September 15th, so we can insure all conversations are handled privately and respectfully. We'll send out a company-wide email once all of tomorrow's conversations have happened.

Our company is home to the most talented, creative, and hard-working employees in the world. WWE is a special place, which makes moments like this difficult. Just know that we have nothing but gratitude and admiration for everyone we have had the privilege to work alongside.

Thank you for all your contributions and dedication."

[Big Vic]

Who will be the most notable released?

Chad Gable?

[Splaya]

I don't necessarily think that the day to day operations staff will matter.

I'm definitely curious to see what talent they release from the company.

[Lock Jaw]

Shocking releases so far:

Jamie Horowitz, Executive Vice President of Development and Digital
Catherine Newman, Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing
Amanda Bloom, Director, Enterprise Master Data & Governance

[GD]

It's disheartening to see people lose their jobs.

[Destor]

There's going to be a ton of overlap. Things like accounting, receivables, HR, marketing etc you arent going to need as many people specifically in the higher positions.

[Bad News Gertner]

I hope only single parents lose their jobs

[xrodmuc316]

Should be interesting to see which wrestlers are cut since they kept saying Triple H is in charge of creative and who is on the roster. If a bunch of people he rehired are cut, we will know WWE were full of shit, per usual lol

[Mr. Nerfect]

Not sure this will bleed over onto the talent side, but there is definitely room to trim.

[Splaya]

Not sure this will bleed over onto the talent side, but there is definitely room to trim.

For sure. There are tons of talent that do not appear on TV anymore. Saying that they are a part of WWE Main Event doesn't count as appearing on TV. If they primarily appear on that, just release them. I know that sounds harsh but I'd rather they have the opportunity to go out and do other things or sign with other promotions.

[Fignuts]

I hope only single parents lose their jobs

And all their cars break down on the way home.

[xrodmuc316]

I feel like there are easily 10 people in NXT that I cannot remember anything about. If they are that forgettable they certainly will never make it to the main roster and should be cut.

Main roster im sure there are 15 who never appear on tv and likely never will.

I get having depth and all, but anybody who has a chance to catch on like LA Knight, they are going to show something that would justify keeping them. Like Gable, even when they were giving him nothing, he always at least showed he had something.

[Destor]

Not sure this will bleed over onto the talent side, but there is definitely room to trim.you might see undercard talent that isnt featured any more get cut loose but thats not really what this is. this will focus on redundancies primarily

[xrodmuc316]

I wonder how Brock Lesnar can play endeavor off itself for his next contract lol

[Mr. Nerfect]

I don’t think there are any urgent cuts needed. They’re bringing back Nia Jax and The Authors of Pain, so…

[xrodmuc316]

Dana Warrior got let go, probably no more Warrior Awards

[Mr. Nerfect]

They could still pay her to license Warrior’s image and the like. I think she may have been with them longer than he was.

[xrodmuc316]

They could still pay her to license Warrior’s image and the like. I think she may have been with them longer than he was.

Oh yeah way longer, I think altogether Warrior did about 6 years, she worked there for about 9 years.

[Lock Jaw]

Reports say around 100 people were fired today... and that at the end of the day there was another e-mail saying that they were done firing people.

Can't even imagine the "stress" of a day like this. Being told to work from home, and just sitting there waiting to see if you are getting fired... probably hearing about all the other firings and wondering if you were next.... and then can finally breath again when getting an e-mail saying the bloodletting was done...

[Mr. Nerfect]

Seems pretty “normal” for the corporate world. I’m kind of surprised they let people know they were done.

[Big Vic]

Dana Warrior got let go, probably no more Warrior Awards

Never thought the answer to my question would be Dana Warrior.

[Sepholio]

Dunno if related but Mustafi Ali is no longer with WWE.

[Splaya]

Which is really weird considering he is fighting Dirty Dom September 30 at NXT No Mercy

[Stu Hart]

Mustafa ali relesed

[Splaya]

25 minutes late....but thank you.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Looks like another wave of talent cuts today. So far they’ve released:

Mustafa Ali
Emma
Rick Boogs
Aaliyah
Elias
Riddick Moss
Top Dolla

[xrodmuc316]

Gotta think rest of hit row too

[Sepholio]

WHAT ARE ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE DOING IN THE IMPACT ZONE!?

[Sepholio]

Elias should go to AEW. I'd love to see him cut off MJF with a sweet guitar solo.

[Sepholio]

Ali would also be a good fit in AEDUBYA.

[slik]

Ali can cut a good promo but he never really was allowed to, could never figure that out

[slik]

Prayer Circle for Dolph and Shelton

[xrodmuc316]

So apparently Smackdown is going back to the USA Network with a new 5 year $1.4 billion deal.

News of a 40% increase in rights fees led to TKO Stock dropping 15%, which is bonkers lol.

[erickman]

Prayer Circle for Dolph and Shelton

an zigler gone

[slik]

Shelton released too

[weather vane]

Ziggy to AEW. Love it.

[drave]

Can't believe y'all missed Ezekiel..... :|

[slik]

Will Jinder be Hindered?

[Black Widow]

Ziggy to AEW. Love it.yeah he can feud with Jericho over which over 45 guy is coolest to the young fan's

[xrodmuc316]

Tiny Khan blowing up Shad's phone right now

[slik]

WILL VEER BE COMING

OR GOING

[slik]

WILL ALEXA BE BLISS'D

[Vastardikai]

Ziggy to AEW. Love it.

His shitty, talentless brother can finally earn what Khan has been paying.

[xrodmuc316]

WILL ALEXA BE BLISS'D

There is zero chance they try to fire a pregnant performer again after the Dawn Marie situation years back.

[XL]

Ali probably the most surprising albeit he’s previously asked to go. I’d had Emma and Moss on the list after they lost interest in them 3 weeks in.

Aaliyah showed next to no improvement from the time she was on Breaking Ground which was probably 7-8 years ago.

Going back to the Elias gimmick killed him.

[Sepholio]

Ziggler is the surprising one to me.

[GD]

Sad to see Ziggler go.

[GD]

<iframe width="1225" height="698" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7I8Eyr9h8e0" title="FULL MATCH - The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler - Intercontinental Title vs. Career Match: WWE No Mercy 2016" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[XL]

He’s had a superb run. I find it hard to be too cut up about it, he’s been there so long it’s almost impossible to make him fresh.

[Sepholio]

Sucks that he never got to that next level because he was legit one of the best wrestlers in the world for a number of years there. He's still really good now.

[Vastardikai]

Dolph is gonna be an interesting one, considering all the concussions and how AEW's safety protocol is.

Top Dolla could replace Keith Lee as the immobile fat guy.

Tenille might come over this time, as she is friends with Saraya. Don't know how she takes with the rest of the Britt Kliq. Maybe bring back the dancing gimmick and put her with Garcia.

[Helmsphere]

If AEW takes Emma it would be to RoH.

She was a available to them up until last year, and they never signed her, at least full time.

Dolph might not go.

Elias seems like a pure on Impact guy.

[Mr. Nerfect]

The talent with the most potential I’ve seen so far are Riddick Moss and Rick Boogs, but WWE has the inside track on those guys. You also have to keep in mind talent that has asked for their release when these things come up.

Tony Khan will sign just about all of them for more money than they are getting now. They will sit in catering and do nothing still. If Dolph wants to keep a working relationship with WWE, he might choose Impact. I’d like to see Shelton go there and do something, but he’ll probably get paid $500k a year to go and pad out Collision.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Elias, Moss and Boogs jump the rail at Impact and start a WAR!

[Fignuts]

Ziggler is the surprising one to me.

Him and Benjamin seemed like surefire picks for backstage roles, either at the PC or as road agents.

[xrodmuc316]

Next wave of releases came out.

Mace and Mansour
Dana Brooke
Quincy Elliot
Daba Kato
Shanky
Bryson Montana
Yulissa Leon

I have no idea who the last 2 are, but they are gone.

Another strange one is Mark Henry said Tegan Nox got released, but nobody else seems to be reporting that, so take it for what you will.

[Lock Jaw]

Poor Emma. Brought back for nothing.

Poor Maximum Male Models... they were the best part of the house show that I went to last year.

"lol" at Aliyah finally getting released after staying in NXT forever and then finally being called up just to go back to doing nothing.

[Lock Jaw]

NOOPH IS POOPH

[Lock Jaw]

Ali can cut a good promo but he never really was allowed to, could never figure that out

Yeah, too bad about Ali too... seems like with "very little work" he could have been really over as a face. I know he is "old" already, but out of all the cuts I could see him being the guy who makes himself a "star" elsewhere and gets rehired by WWE a few years later.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Yeah, too bad about Ali too... seems like with "very little work" he could have been really over as a face. I know he is "old" already, but out of all the cuts I could see him being the guy who makes himself a "star" elsewhere and gets rehired by WWE a few years later.

He’s also asked for his release publicly and been a massive pain in the ass. I can very easily see him being a “go be someone else’s problem” firing. Especially since Bryan Danielson is a fan of the guy, he’s from Chicago, he’s of Pakistani descent and he does a lot of flips. They know he’s going to end up in AEW and they don’t give a shit.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I can’t remember if Yulissa Leon or her partner is the one who really impressed me. Valentina Feroz or something is the name she uses. One of them looked REALLY good when I saw them. Then one got hurt.

[Sepholio]

lol TKO looks to be getting ready to force Vince out. They listed all his shares for sale today and in the SEC filing was apparently a gem about him opening them up to negative publicity and stuff.

[xrodmuc316]

Them forcing him out while the stock is down $15 would be karmic justice.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Bye bye

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Gotta think rest of hit row too

So now that the releases are seemingly done, how the fuck did this not happen

[Ruien]

WILL ALEXA BE BLISS'D

I miss Bliss....... :( Where did she go?

[xrodmuc316]

So now that the releases are seemingly done, how the fuck did this not happen

No clue, I mean I suppose Ashante Thee Adonis was the worker of this iteration of the group, so maybe they still think they can do something with him. B-Fab is like background hype machine that only says yeah and ohhhhh, so no clue why she is around still.

I still have no idea how they thought this would work without Swerve, since the little matter that it was his group lol

I miss Bliss....... :( Where did she go?

She is pregnant and out on leave.

[Lock Jaw]

Also at the house show I went to I remember that after winning the match, "Top Dolla" was slapping hands with the fans and taking pictures and seemed "happy to be there"... while the other two Hit Row members just went to the top of the ramp and waited for him, looking kind of annoyed at having to wait

[Lock Jaw]

He’s also asked for his release publicly and been a massive pain in the ass. I can very easily see him being a “go be someone else’s problem” firing. Especially since Bryan Danielson is a fan of the guy, he’s from Chicago, he’s of Pakistani descent and he does a lot of flips. They know he’s going to end up in AEW and they don’t give a shit.

What else has he done to earn the rep as "massive pain in the ass" and a "problem"?

Just the asking for his release thing? Cause if it is just that, that's not so terrible....

[Mr. Nerfect]

That was pretty telling of the dude. Was a fucking stupid career move. He’s lucky to have had the time he’s had.

[drave]

Boots taste good.

[GD]

He’s also asked for his release publicly and been a massive pain in the ass. I can very easily see him being a “go be someone else’s problem” firing. Especially since Bryan Danielson is a fan of the guy, he’s from Chicago, he’s of Pakistani descent and he does a lot of flips. They know he’s going to end up in AEW and they don’t give a shit.

What else has he done to earn the rep as "massive pain in the ass" and a "problem"?

Just the asking for his release thing? Cause if it is just that, that's not so terrible....

Mr. Nerfect doesn't care about South Asian people.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/resizer/eRWp7XwDxivPeyefdQuj_NPgclU=/1200x630/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tronc.s3.amazonaws.com/public/NN7J5DOFQNCQVLOAW7GC6B2X6I.jpg

[Splaya]

Ziggler is the one I will miss because he was a workhorse. I can see him going to AEW to team up with his brother, which would not be a bad thing.

Ali is prime for the X-division in Impact.

I would sign Emma and throw her in ROH. Dana Brooke could probably end up on Impact as well.

The rest I could care less about.

[drave]

Ziggles, if he does go to AEW, CAN be a big deal. Dude can talk shit extremely well and go in the ring.


I would like to see him mix it up with Adam Page and the lot. It'd be good.

[Sepholio]

Ziggler vs PAC and Ziggler vs Omega please.

[drave]

Also would be bangers. Lotsa good matchups to be had, tbh.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Boots taste good.

You’d know.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Dolph would threaten that lockerroom so bad. It’d be another old guy who knows how to do this coming in and clashing with the lack of vision.

It wouldn’t shock me to see Tony throw money at him. But Ziggler might actually be a better fit for Impact, if he even wants to keep wrestling.

[drave]

haha! so fragile. who's boots am i licking, considering I don't watch shit?


I just don't hate everything because I'm not a narcissist who thinks he knows best than the people actually doing the job.


You and CM Phyllis are a lot alike. Fragile ego, fragile mind, and most likely fragile body. It all makes so much sense now.

[drave]

You'd know






lol, NO YOU! :rofl::rofl:

[Lock Jaw]

Ezekiel should show up on SD tonight and say it wasn't fair how his brother Elias got released...

[Lock Jaw]

Ziggler's finest moment

https://media.tenor.com/U4WyLTZanNcAAAAC/dolph-ziggler-big-e.gif

Too bad the trio didn't last longer

Maybe cause Big E almost broke AJ

https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oQnspLaW7xhQKmUhHiFxjjYl7v8=/1600x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/8351351/tumblr_o5a6qyf9Ew1ruymtyo2_400.gif

[Lock Jaw]

Also really enjoyed Ziggler's feud vs Dean Ambrose over the title... was years after that trio and Ziggler had already fallen off the radar, but it showed how easily he could be shot back up

[Splaya]

You’d know.

Flag on the play. Taunting.

[XL]

If you’re a main roster talent sent back to NXT you gotta be worried. Baron Corbin’s fan better relish what he can for now.

[Helmsphere]

So Becky and Dom Dom will be gone?

[Mr. Nerfect]

haha! so fragile. who's boots am i licking, considering I don't watch shit?


I just don't hate everything because I'm not a narcissist who thinks he knows best than the people actually doing the job.


You and CM Phyllis are a lot alike. Fragile ego, fragile mind, and most likely fragile body. It all makes so much sense now.

Lol, Tony got that job because his dad is rich. That’s peak bootlicking.

[XL]

So Becky and Dom Dom will be gone?

Nah they’re blantant guest stars looking to boost ratings ahead of rights negotiations. They’re also still on the main shows (all of them in the case of Dom). Guys like Ali and Dana Brooke were sent down indefinitely with no exposure on the main shows. Corbin is the latter.

But I don’t actually think he’ll be let go.

[XL]

Ikemen Jiro released and nobody noticed. Much like his run in the company.

[Mr. Nerfect]

All the unknown Japanese guys belong in AEW.

[xrodmuc316]

Ikemen Jiro released and nobody noticed. Much like his run in the company.

I cant remember him doing anything after Kushida left.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I can’t remember him doing anything while Kushida was there.

[DaveWadding]

Matt Riddle released, per Matt Riddle

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just wanted to inform everyone that I’m no longer with WWE. Thank you for the memories and opportunities also thank you to all the fans for the support and love you give me every time I go out to the ring. See you all soon 🤙 <a href="https://t.co/fpuQkIJAFx">pic.twitter.com/fpuQkIJAFx</a></p>&mdash; matthew riddle (@SuperKingofBros) <a href="https://twitter.com/SuperKingofBros/status/1705363043037646872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Mr. Nerfect]

Probably a smart release. They tried REALLY hard with the dude, but he seems a little nuts. Just one of those magnets for drama. Him in AEW would be…hilarious.

[Mr. Nerfect]

If Impact can get Matt Riddle and Nick Nemeth for Hard to Kill…that’d be PrettyCool.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Oh shit, if they could get Shelton Benjamin too. Mike Rawlis, Tenille Dashwood and Jeff Sculio as well. Would be a warm start to the year for a company looking to very slowly expand.

[Fignuts]

Do they require everyone to post "I am no longer with wwe"?

Seems creepy and weird.

[xrodmuc316]

Riddle went off the rails a lot the last year. I also wonder if his beef with UFC factored in at all.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

It’s weird that the overwhelming majority of these releases I think would do better in Impact than AEW. Ali is the only one I think immediately fits in AEW. Think he’d fit in well quickly like Swerve did.

I’d love to see Riddle, Shelton, and Ziggles go to Japan if they’re interested. I dunno if any of them are up for that grind but I think their styles are all well suited for that transition.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Gimme the Boogs and Elias tag team in Impact that I didn’t know I needed until just now

[Sting Fan]

It’s weird that the overwhelming majority of these releases I think would do better in Impact than AEW. Ali is the only one I think immediately fits in AEW. Think he’d fit in well quickly like Swerve did.

I’d love to see Riddle, Shelton, and Ziggles go to Japan if they’re interested. I dunno if any of them are up for that grind but I think their styles are all well suited for that transition.

Its a weird situation where I think they all fit better in Impact because AEW is so loaded already. But if they all come into Impact does Impact lose what people seem to be vibing too a bit. Kind of a weird moment in wrestling to have 3 major (on a sliding scale) companies and maybe more than enough talent to go around. Been a while since that was the case.

Personally I would live to see Shelton Benjamin have an AEW run for the matches he could have but dont see him making a splash there long term. I'm not a Ziggler guy so no bothered either way. I dont really know the rest as I dont watch the WWE product at all really.

[Sting Fan]

Despite not being a huge Ziggler fan I could see him and Cardona doing a bit of a running battle across the indys popping up in the smaller of the big three from time to time.

They have a similar charisma to me despite not being into either myself.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I agree that almost everyone will be better off in Impact than AEW in any other sense than money, but the money will talk and the guys that know each other will try and talk everyone into it.

Mustafa Ali is the no-brainer. He is obviously a muppet, but Danielson likes him and has a lot of sway. He’s of Pakistani descent and from Chicago. He’ll probably be Mr. Collision, providing the show isn’t dropped. I can see him winning the Revolution Ladder Match and TNT Title very soon after coming in.

Tony will probably buy Nick Nemeth his own comedy club. He might be at odds with some of the talentless fucks there, but he’ll probably stay in his own lane because he doesn’t give a fuck anymore.

Shelton Benjamin was wise to never go with TNA when they were #2. At his age, he’ll probably sign a deal worth over $1 million to come in and wrestle Danielson before becoming an enhancement guy and coach no one listens to.

Tenille Dashwood will come in to do softcore angles with Saraya and Toni Storm and just be there. Her fiancée, Eric Bugenhagen and Elijah “You Might Remember My Brothers” Sampson will probably travel with them and be undercard enhancement, bodies for the shows and probably World Trios Champions at some point.

Aliyah will be there.

I can’t even remember who else was released. They might have the sense to stay away from Riddle for a year. Ikemen Jiro will probably go to Impact too.

[Helmsphere]

Truth be told. Once everything settles. Emma will probably be back in WWE.

[Helmsphere]

Surprised Cedric Alexander wasn't released.

[XL]

Gimme the Boogs and Elias tag team in Impact that I didn’t know I needed until just now

WWE gave us that.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Elias wasn’t very good in the ring. He didn’t suck-suck, but he wasn’t very engaging.

[GD]

I'm assuming this thread has somehow devolved into why AEW is poopy by now.

[Mr. Nerfect]

New Japan could be a good place for a few of the releases guys. I absolutely hated Darren Young in the WWE, but he got really good from what I saw from New Japan.

Bring him back to feud with CM Punk. Issues from the NXT game show days, with Punk’s failings as a mentor as the fuel.

[GD]

It’s weird that the overwhelming majority of these releases I think would do better in Impact than AEW. Ali is the only one I think immediately fits in AEW. Think he’d fit in well quickly like Swerve did.

I’d love to see Riddle, Shelton, and Ziggles go to Japan if they’re interested. I dunno if any of them are up for that grind but I think their styles are all well suited for that transition.

Working for WWE was merely a cushy gig for Ziggler by the end so he could pursue comedy and related media. I'll be genuinely surprised if he chooses to go to Japan, especially in his forties.

Personally, I want to see Shelton Benjamin have another go at ROH. Considering his sheer size and agility, I do feel like he'd make for interesting matchups.

[GD]

And as far as Riddle is concerned, I hope he takes a short break from wrestling and work on improving his health. Posturing bravado and burning bridges doesn't make for an ideal employee (or independent contractor).

[Rammsteinmad]

Absolutely gutted about Ziggler. Would love to see him in a AEW though.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Boogs has already outed himself as crazy since being released.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Mace and Mansoor not crazy, but they say some wacky things. Mansoor alleges the Saudi deal meant he couldn’t lose on TV, which ruined them. That doesn’t make sense because he got fired.

[Tom Guycott]

Gimme the Boogs and Elias tag team in Impact that I didn’t know I needed until just now

Eh.

The weird thing is, Bugenhagen had one of those "intangible charisma" deals for a hot minute. For a couple of weeks, he completely took over NXT with the air guitar and dancing with random chicks. Then he was disappeared off of TV for who the hell knows how long, only to come back with a shortened name and over-the-top screechy promo delivery. Total WWE move in "if it ain't broke, break it because we didn't come up with it".

Despite not being a huge Ziggler fan I could see him and Cardona doing a bit of a running battle across the indys popping up in the smaller of the big three from time to time.

They have a similar charisma to me despite not being into either myself.

The funny thing is, when the last time Ziggles was due to leave, I was kinda eager at the possibility that one "Notorious" Nic Nemeth was going to possibly assert himself into the NWA title picture in some clashes with Nick Aldis and whoever else they could manage to make credible... but that was pre-POWERRR and obviously a lot less stable of a proposition than the boatload of cash WWE dropped on him to stay. Interesting to ponder if he could have been a possible massive upswing to the company that they needed? And even, if being generous, he was, would it still have fallen apart for Billy Corgan like it has and, by extention, dragged DZ's stock down with it?

I cant remember him doing anything after Kushida left.

I can’t remember him doing anything while Kushida was there.

I had asked a good while ago if this is the same Jiro that had wrestled the then newly repackaged <s> Husky Harris </s> Bray Wyatt after giving my favorite promo of his (Where he incorporates Danzig's "Mother"), and nobody ever answered me. If it isn't him, and WWE just happened to hire two different Japanese guys and sort-of give them the same name (which is entirely possible, as this was the same company who has tried to give multlple guys either the name "Bronson" or the initials "K.O."), I'm sorry for sounding suspiciously racist... however, if it IS the same guy, consider this show in question was an FCW show. And this same FCW show featured Roman Reigns before he fell into the WWE name generator, so was still wrestling as "Leakee". He had been in developmental that long to do nothing of note? People like Enzo Amore came in, got hot, got a call up, got a couple sizeable pushes, got into hot water, and got released... Patrick Clark had like three different weaksauce failing gimmicks, resurrected his career as a hybrid of The Artist Formerly Known as Prince Iuakea, Sherri era Shawn Michaels, and Goldust combined, tanked his career by outing himself as a potential cho-mo AND, after that blew over, completely went full nutcase right before he was supposed to come back in... and WALTER being a huge indy superstar, getting signed to WWE developmental in WWEUK, then NXT proper, getting a rename midstream, a call up, massive weight loss, and becoming the longest reigning IC champion... and while all these things happened THIS MAN WAS EMPLOYED BY WWE THE ENTIRE TIME?!?!?!?

So, again, if this is in fact the same guy, I'm genuinely curious if his WWE tenure was longer than JTG's, but without the dedicated web timer.

[drave]

Lol, Tony got that job because his dad is rich. That’s peak bootlicking.


Ah, Tony licked dad's boots.

[xrodmuc316]

LOL naw Tom, that was Yoshi Tatsu. Ikeman has to be at least 10 years younger. Tatsu was the guy they booked to beat Chavo one time where Chavo complained, and after he left WWE he is one of the guys that took the Styles Clash wrong and broke his neck.

[Tom Guycott]

LOL naw Tom, that was Yoshi Tatsu.

So my first point stands, and WWE are destined to hire another Japanese guy and call him Jiro.

Jiro Bronson.

And you may say "No, they have Bronson Reed", to which I will say they'll take away part of his name, as Vince is want to do occasionally, and he will just be "REED".

[xrodmuc316]

So my first point stands, and WWE are destined to hire another Japanese guy and call him Jiro.

Jiro Bronson.

And you may say "No, they have Bronson Reed", to which I will say they'll take away part of his name, as Vince is want to do occasionally, and he will just be "REED".

Reed the Bronsonator! :rofl:

[rez]

This thread has turned into one of them ol' threads that people get their post counts up on, test their signatures, and admit to their parents they are indeed a walrus.

[Splaya]

This thread has turned into one of them ol' threads that people get their post counts up on, test their signatures, and admit to their parents they are indeed a walrus.

Well that's basically what the last 15,000 posts have been for one person in this thread.

[Tom Guycott]

This thread has turned into one of them ol' threads that people get their post counts up on, test their signatures, and admit to their parents they are indeed a walrus.

cuckookachoo!

[drave]

The Dubya has decided not to hire Phyllis citing they have enough female talent on the roster already.

Source: fuck you

[drave]

lmfaoooo,

the fucking jey & cody presser AFTER judgment day was hilarious

[xrodmuc316]

lmfaoooo,

the fucking jey & cody presser AFTER judgment day was hilarious

YEET! :lol:

[Sepholio]

Do you feel him sir?

[Evil Vito]

I wonder if those who were released from WWE with less established characters and who only know the "WWE way" via coming up through their system realize that just being a former WWE guy isn't the guaranteed weekend booking it used to be.

On Effy's podcast he basically called out Riddick Moss for this, not mentioning him by name but referring to a tweet he put out about how promoters need to be ready to back up the brinks truck to book him. No offense to the guy, I saw a little bit of his work as Madcap Moss in 2022 and he seemed pretty good, but that's not a guy I'm rushing to a show to see as is.

If he's fine just being known as a WWE castoff taking whatever bookings he can that's his prerogative, but he's got a golden chance to reinvent himself. However, doing so involves being creative which he'd never really had to think about before.

[xrodmuc316]

I wonder if those who were released from WWE with less established characters and who only know the "WWE way" via coming up through their system realize that just being a former WWE guy isn't the guaranteed weekend booking it used to be.

On Effy's podcast he basically called out Riddick Moss for this, not mentioning him by name but referring to a tweet he put out about how promoters need to be ready to back up the brinks truck to book him. No offense to the guy, I saw a little bit of his work as Madcap Moss in 2022 and he seemed pretty good, but that's not a guy I'm rushing to a show to see as is.

If he's fine just being known as a WWE castoff taking whatever bookings he can that's his prerogative, but he's got a golden chance to reinvent himself. However, doing so involves being creative which he'd never really had to think about before.

I am sure he is in for a rude awakening. Ryback had the same expectation and he was a astronomically bigger star, and even he did not get hardly any Indy booking because he was asking for/expecting way too much.

Maybe Moss is banking on getting bookings as a package deal with Emma, but even so I can't imagine after this run with WWE she is going to have much leverage either.

[drave]

lol "this run" with Emma.

[Mr. Nerfect]

Orlando Jordan still commands bigger money than most for his bookings over here. The indy shows he’s on do better than the ones he’s not. Then you go on the internet and read that Aussie independent wrestling is hot, AEW is super-popular down here, etc. I wouldn’t take Effy’s word for shit.

Mike Rawlis will find work if he wants it. Guy had a great look and was a better actual worker than most on the indy scene. It will just depend on where he wants to take bookings. Impact Wrestling seems like a shoe-in if AEW doesn’t take him because of that spot monkey mindset and/or Emma was too threatening to them.

[xrodmuc316]

I bet whatever Indy bookings he does get will be as "Madcap".

[Mr. Nerfect]

If he can use the name “Madcap” at all.

AEW is really desperate for it’s women’s division. And in general. If he, Elias, Emma and Boogs all get signed it wouldn’t surprise me.

[Splaya]

If he can use the name “Madcap” at all.

AEW is really desperate for it’s women’s division. And in general. If he, Elias, Emma and Boogs all get signed it wouldn’t surprise me.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::rofl::rofl::rofl: