Sharpen the Axe

[NeanderCarl]

If Vince McMahon inexplicably came to YOU tomorrow and said "financial needs must, I have to cut five people from each roster, and I want you to pick them", who would you tell to "future endeavour off"?

Five names from each roster, no more than one Diva per roster just for scale and to avoid people simply listing a bunch of gormless Divas and ducking the real question.

You could approach it from your own personal likes/dislikes if you want, but preferably you should approach it from a business perspective. You may like a guy, but if he has nothing to offer the company down the line, you may feel he should be put out to pasture...

[NeanderCarl]

From a business perspective, thinking with my head rather than my heart:

RAW:
Chavo Guerrero
Goldust
Sim Snuka
Hacksaw Duggan
Jerry Lawler

SmackDown!:
Candice Michella
Kane
The Great Khali
Kung Fu Naki
Jesse

ECW:
Zack Ryder
DJ Gabriel
Mark Henry
Gregory Helms
Vladimir Koslov... hmmm, or Paul Burchill because he will never get over...

[Savio]

Candice
Sim Snuka
Jim Yang Wang
Jesse
Michael Cole

[Savio]

Oh from each roster?....so your basically cutting ECW in half

[NeanderCarl]

Yeah, I did think twice about reducing the number for ECW after actually looking at the roster on WWE.com

Call it three from ECW if you want, although you can always redistribute guys from other rosters to make up for the cuts anyway.

[Xero]

Tried to go with the business perspective here, used the WWE.com rosters.

RAW
---
Goldust
Hacksaw
Festus
Kelly Kelly
Cody Rhodes (Was between him and DiBiase)

SmackDown!
---
Jesse
Khali
Mike Knox
Shad (I like Shad better but I think JTG would be over better because of his charisma)
Ziggler

ECW
---
Jackson
Kozlov
Mark Henry
Tony Atlas
Tiffany

[CSL]

Going by WWE.com's Superstars pages. Probably a bit unfair to have ECW cut 5 as well

RAW:

Goldust
Hacksaw
Rosa Mendes
Sim Snuka
Michael Cole

Smackdown:

Curt Hawkins
Jesse
Funaki
Ricky Ortiz
Eve

ECW:

Vladimir Kozlov
Tony Chimel
Katie Lea Burchill

[NeanderCarl]

Yeah you can stick to three for ECW if it makes it easier.

[Xero]

Would have been easier to just say cut 15 wrestlers.

[thedamndest]

Raw:
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Jillian
Festus
Sim Snuka
Goldust

Hacksaw should never be on. Jillian is played. Festus I don't want to fire, but he's not worth repackaging because he'll just be a jobber with a new gimmick. Sim will never see the light of day. Goldust, I don't want to fire and I don't know why I am since he'll be back at the Rumble.

Smackdown:
Candice
Jimmy Wang Yang
Charlie Haas
Kung Fu Kaki
Great Khali

I'm surprised I didn't fire Hawkins or Ortiz. Probably because I don't know who the hell they are. Suppose I will give them a shot. These folks have had their day in the sun.

ECW:
Tiffany
Mark Henry
Kozlov
Burchill
Gregory Helms

Surprised I didn't cut WOO WOO WOO.

[Savio]

I would have cut Hacksaw too but I don't think he is technically on their pay roll...right?

[Gertner]

Raw
Goldust
Sim Snuka
Jamie Noble
Jillian Hall
Festus

Smackdown
Ricky Ortiz
Jesse
Layla
Funaki
Jimmy Wang Yang
Curt Hawkins

ECW
Dj Gabirel
Ezekiel Jackson
Katie Lea Burchill

[Nicky Fives]

RAW:
Hornswoggle (he's a little person for god's sake..... hire another LP for some competition)
Goldust (for the millionth time)
Sim Snuka (surprised hasn't happen already)
Hacksaw (I mean really? he sucked back in the late 80's)
Festus (gimmick blows, can't really be repackaged)

SMACKDOWN:
Candice Michelle (hate the useless c**t)
Eve (useless Diva Search reject)
Layla (see above)
Cryme Tyme (never was into them)

ECW:
Ezekiel Jackson (sub-par ring ability)
Tiffany (ridculously hot, but doesn't wrestle, can't talk)
Tony Atlas (no point to keep on)
DJ Gabriel (only to get to five cuts)
Zack Ryder (see above..... the new gimmick is awesome..... woo woo woo..... you know it!)

[Sovereigntywillpr]

do people forget that Burshill was pulled from a push for being to over to fast? Arrrr

[Fox]

I'd be like, "Vince, I'll cut from RAW and Smackdown, but ECW is short as it is, I don't think you should cut anybody from their roster."

And he'd be like "Fuck you, get the fuck out of my office."

[Mr. C]

Chris Masters on SmackDown to replace Umaga

ECW:
DJ Gabriel
Katie Lea Burchill
Zack Ryder

RAW:
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Hornswoggle
Jamie Noble
Rosa Mendes
Santino Marella

SmackDown:
Dolph Ziggler
Jimmy Wang Yang
Kung Fu Naki
Mike Knox
Ricky Ortiz

[Mr. Nerfect]

RAW:
1. Jerry Lawler
I'm not a very big fan of Jerry Lawler or his commentary these days. He's also got no chemistry with Michael Cole. I don't care if you promote Matt Striker or Jim Ross, but both are better than King in this era.

2. Lilian Garcia
She can't ring announce for shit. She is hot, but she is getting up there in age, too. Fire her, and bring back The Fink.

3. Sim Snuka
He's getting older, and he hasn't really done anything. His time would have been a feud with Chris Jericho after WrestleMania XXV, but that never happened. I don't think losing Sim Snuka will lose the WWE too much money.

4. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
I think I am cheating with this one a little, but others have mentioned him. Duggan is just past it, and doesn't really generate any money or interest. He can make way for fresher faces on the roster.

5. Goldust
The character used to be awesome, and the man has looked more motivated than he has in ages in the ring. But, if we're making cuts, Goldust is one who could definitely go without any harm being done to the roster. He's just too far past it to really contribute in any sort of meaningful way.

SmackDown!:
1. Ranjin Singh
I sort of like the character (which is weird, I know), but he's not very important to the show, and he is also a RAW brand writer, which is a bonus.

2. Candice Michelle
Choosing which Diva from SmackDown! was actually pretty hard. Yeah, Candice improved, but she's also injured pretty much every time she steps into the ring. Plus, she just doesn't do it for me like the other girls on SmackDown!. They are all either hotter or more talented than Candice Michelle.

3. Kung Fu Naki
This one really, really breaks my heart. Funaki has been loyal to the WWE for years, and is a damn solid talent. Any attempt to really repackage him now would be a last ditch attempt to salvage the guy, though. He's entertaining, but ultimately getting older and not really adding to the current product.

4. Jimmy Wang Yang
As entertaining and fun as Jimmy Wang Yang can be, he's just not going to get a massive push anytime soon. He doesn't have the same potential as a lot of guys that are laying dorment on the roster. This is another painful one.

5. Mike Knox
I truly like Mike Knox. I think for a brawler he is really quite good, and I think he plays his character well. That being said, I just don't think he fits into the current SmackDown! product well, at all. Knox being cut would solely be to save money, though. Perhaps he can go to Japan, get some more training, and really become a future asset to the company.

ECW:
1. Vladimir Kozlov
The guy can be bizarrely watchable, but he can also be bland. He's not drawing any money, and no one really buys into him. If Kozlov disappeared, he would save the WWE a lot of money, and would free up their roster quite a bit.

2. Mark Henry
The World's Strongest Man gets paid a lot of money, and he pretty much makes the WWE nothing. He's grown into a talent that isn't completely horrible -- but compared to everything else on ECW, he's pretty bleh. Henry could be released, no one would really care, and Vince would save a lot of money.

3. Tony Atlas
The only purpose Atlas serves on-screen is to accompany Mark Henry to the ring. With no Mark Henry, you don't really need Tony Atlas.

4. Tommy Dreamer
This is where things get tricky. I like Dreamer, but I don't think he really warrants keeping around if massive cuts to the ECW roster are going to be made. There are faces more over than him (Christian, for example), and their are enough rising stars that he isn't really needed to hold down the fort. His run is a courtesy run, and could be pulled at any time without any major harm to the company.

5. DJ Gabriel
This one was hard. I originally had Ezekiel Jackson here, but then I realised that if Jackson gets better (which working with the talent on ECW would allow), then he potentially adds more to the show than Dancin' Jack Gabriel does. It's a shame, because I quite liked Gabriel, and wish he got more of a chance.

[The Show Off]

RAW
1. Batista: Terrible worker, bad on the mic, clogs up the main event scene.

2. Festus: Stupid gimmick, not that great a worker.

3. Jim Duggen: He wasn't even good when he was supposed to be good.

4. Hornswoggle: Stupid to have him on the show at all.

5. Bria/Nikki Bella: Either one, both are useless no need for two of the same person.


Smackdown!
1. Alicia Fox: I don't even know who she is.

2. Kung Funaki: Why even keep him if you're going to do nothing with him?

3. R-Truth: Sloppy wrestler with unrealistic offense, you essentially have a better slicker version of him in Kofi Kingston so why keep R-Truth?

4. Ranjin Singh: You won't need him once you cut...

5. The Great Khali: If he's not a monster destroying people he's useless.


ECW
1. Ezekeil Jackson: Gotta cut someone.

2. Tiffany: See Above

3. Tony Atlas: See Above.

4. Josh Matthews: Might as well and bring back Joey Styles with Striker.

5. Zach Ryder: Just because he's the person I like least of the people remaining.

[Mr. C]

RAW:
1. Jerry Lawler
I'm not a very big fan of Jerry Lawler or his commentary these days. He's also got no chemistry with Michael Cole. I don't care if you promote Matt Striker or Jim Ross, but both are better than King in this era.

I agree he's got no chemistry with Michael Cole, but who's fault is that and why fire him over Hornswoggle, Jamie Noble, Rosa Mendes, Santino Marella, etc? I suggest simply switching JR for Cole so you at least have King & JR back on RAW together.

2. Lilian Garcia
She can't ring announce for shit. She is hot, but she is getting up there in age, too. Fire her, and bring back The Fink.

Are you joking me? She's the best announcer in the company today, and you want to replace her, because she's getting up there in age, with a man 15 years older than her? Amazing.

4. Josh Matthews: Might as well and bring back Joey Styles with Striker.

Agree with Styles & Striker, but they could keep Matthews around as a backstage interviewer.

[Rob]

The only guy I'd defintely cut would be Triple H. The people might pop for him now and again but him being there is stopping others from fulfilling their potential. The company isn't an ego boost for anyone. And at this stage, he would probably be a far better working backstage since he is gonna be running the company someday.

[FourFifty]

RAW:
Goldust



RAW
---
Goldust



RAW:

Goldust


Raw:
Goldust



Raw
Goldust


RAW:
Goldust (for the millionth time)


RAW:
5. Goldust
The character used to be awesome, and the man has looked more motivated than he has in ages in the ring. But, if we're making cuts, Goldust is one who could definitely go without any harm being done to the roster. He's just too far past it to really contribute in any sort of meaningful way.


:foc:

*edit
Raw
1. Goldust

[NeanderCarl]

I really don't see how firing Batista and Triple H (as suggested during this thread) would be smart business decisions. Even if your argument is that Trips is holding people down and politicking, a firmer, more disciplined and more balanced management process could counter that. Don't hate the player, hate the game (and all that jazz).

As for Bats, even if you think he should go due to physical unreliability, sacking him now before you've gotten a return on your investment (by giving other guys the rub off the back of his stardom) would be a huge waste. Even if he should go, he should not go now.

[The Gold Standard]

Raw
1. Goldust
2. Hacksaw
3. Sim Snuka
4. Bella Twins (I don't care they are one person to me)
5. Michael Cole

Smackdown
1. Hawkins
2. Jesse
3. Ranjin Singh
4. Ricky Ortiz
5. Charlie Haas

ECW
1. DJ Gabriel
2. Ezekiel Jackson
3. Kozlov

Smackdown was hard, but I think I made the right decision for me. Harder than I expected.

[thedamndest]

To be fair, I did say that Goldust would be back at the Rumble.

[Rob]

I really don't see how firing Batista and Triple H (as suggested during this thread) would be smart business decisions. Even if your argument is that Trips is holding people down and politicking, a firmer, more disciplined and more balanced management process could counter that. Don't hate the player, hate the game (and all that jazz).


Triple H is the management. It's a conflict of interests. And if he goes, they are forced to build new stars. New stars mean new matches and new main events and more money. Taker and Michaels are on their last legs too but there is more fan emotion in their final runs than there will ever be in a Triple H final run. Especially when he is booking his own stuff.