Beth Phoenix leaving the NXT commentary team following WarGames
 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr"><a href="https://t.co/pwazRlwLP5">pic.twitter.com/pwazRlwLP5</a></p>&mdash; Beth “Phoenix” Copeland (@TheBethPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheBethPhoenix/status/1466438060774727691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I have a feeling she might pull an Edge and have another run. I could certainly see a mixed tag against Miz/Maryse at the Rumble.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">People in WWE NXT are reportedly saying it’s not fun to work there anymore <a href="https://t.co/Y2ptLBHCjL">https://t.co/Y2ptLBHCjL</a> <a href="https://t.co/irsQOLLHHA">pic.twitter.com/irsQOLLHHA</a></p>&mdash; Wrestling News (@WrestlingNewsCo) <a href="https://twitter.com/WrestlingNewsCo/status/1466556731576758276?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

lol fucking children.

NXT commentary team combination of Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix is the worst I have ever heard... unbearable 2 me

Yes. They're the problem.

They sure as hell aren't the solution

To be fair, it's a job that asks you to put your body on the line. If the work environment is miserable, I'd expect people to be unhappy.

No…no. You don’t understand. These ”millennials” are entitled and should be grateful for having a job in the first place.

I’m sure they didn’t just get that opinion from indy guys who no longer get featured because they spent 10 years slapping hands with hardcore fans.

Look, it’s a job. It’s a physical and athletic job. Is training for the NFL “fun?” Some people may enjoy it. For others it is a necessary evil. One of the worst things to happen to wrestling is the shift in focus from the goal of this being to make crowds mark out into making the back mark out.

So glad they don't feature WALTER anymore. His ultra violent style of slappy slappy wrestling only catered to a small segment of hardcore fans...like the degenerates in the cheap seats who still live in their mother's basements. Look, it's a job. It's a physical and mentally taxing gig. People sacrifice their family lives and other aspirations to be a part of this company. But this big indy meathead is so full of himself because he spent 10 years slapping hands with hardcore fans that he's not even willing to leave his country. What an entitled manchild. I'm glad WWE isn't catering to marks anymore.

I think NXT commentary has always been bad...Beth sounds like she is trying not to cough 99.9% while speaking...Mauro drove me crazy bc he yelled all the time...Nigel 'Nasally' McGuiness, nuff said...

I donut mind Wade Barrett tho, he is fine

A friend of a friend who has worked at the PC/NXT for some time did mention to me the working environment has changed a lot the last few months and things are stressful.

Have also seen noted insider Rovert mention some of the people coming in who aren't familiar with wrestling don't always take coaching well, they misunderstand and take some things personal and complain to HR, etc

Is interesting Scotty 2 Hotty quit his spot as a top trainer and now Bethany Phoenix is leaving as well...we'll see what happens/where it goes

Speaking of 'ol Rovert, he made a good point recently on The Rock's daughter, Simone Johnson. There used to be a lot of reports Simone's training was going really well and she was impressing everyone at the PC and those reports have all sort of dropped off and now there's no rush to get her on NXT 2.0

Isn’t Rovert known for being totally full of shit?

I’m not sure how much of a sure thing Simone Johnson was. I’m sure she wanted to give it a try, but I think anyone expecting The Rock is probably expecting waaaaay too much. But her name might keep her from being exposed too early at the same time.

how dare work not be fun. burn it down

@Destor
I kind of wonder if it's a bit of 'people don't like big changes' in the work environment and there's just a lot of changes recently in that environment

@Nerfect
I think Rovert does know some things. He's one of the few whose mentioned no journos bothered to cover whatever happened behind the scenes with Danny Limelight and AEW. Limelight went from a handful of (very well received on the internet) appearances and matches to persona non grata in AEW and now he's in MLW.

Definitely naive and childish to complain about your average 9-5 not being fun. This isn't really that though. People don't risk injury or even paralysis, and spend large chunks of time away from their family just because it's a job. They do it because they love it. Take that away with corporate bullshit and I'm not sure all those sacrifices are worth it.

Or they could be a bunch of entitled fucking babies, I dunno. Need more info on why exactly it's not fun, before we can judfe.

Beth to AEW confirmed.

You’re also getting paid six figures to take those bumps.

People in NXT are getting paid six figures?

Are they though? Last I heard, NXT wasn't exactly a goldmine when it came to the wrestlers salaries.

Keep in mind, I'm not saying the training required at the performance center should be fun. I'm sure no one thought Verne Gagne's training regimen was fun, but it helped forge stars for decades.

But if the work environment is shit, then everybody loses. The wrestlers do it just for the paycheck without any passion, and in turn, the product becomes even more bland and soulless than it already is.

Again though, more context is needed before the people in this story can be judged.

Well, that’s the goal for when you make it. At least. I’m sure some of the higher profile names down there are either at the $100k mark or very close to it. But I was talking more in terms of what this turns into when you actually secure the job in a company-wide context.

You’re not wrong, per se, and you’re obviously saying that more context is required, but just on the flip side: There’s a difference between something being shit and it not being fun.

You’re starting a potential career in professional wrestling. You’re learning a very specific skill-set that probably needs to be sharpened more than it has been industry-wide. It’s hooking people with your movements and actions, both in the context of a worked match and as a personality outside that context.

It’s a job. It’s a talent-based endeavour. There are some things you can learn and some things that you’re just going to have more or less of than other people. If anyone and everybody can do it and have a blast, it can make the pursuit of excellence in the field kind of trivial. That’s when you end up with people who should be in the crowd in the ring. It should be *hard*. Granted, that doesn’t mean it can’t be “fun” at times either. But I think there are also clear positives to making sure that people understand that this isn’t just a lark. I don’t think that necessarily eliminates passion, and people can be passionate about doing something at the highest level and making the absolute most money out of it for them and their employer. And if it produces more stars, that can attract more people who want to be stars into the field, which is good for wrestling in the long-term.

I don’t know if I should be amused or concerned. It was funny at first but I’m not sure how someone can see no fault in themselves and do this amount of backpedaling.

I stand corrected. It does seem like people like Gargano and Ciampa are making six figures.

As long as a select few make six figures, I guess it justifies the bumping.

And what does securing “the job” in a company-wide context mean? Performers are being let go at an alarming rate. Even the ones we thought would be “lifers”.

And that’s where the mindset changes.

NXT used to be you’re “in” to the company. You work in NXT to “close the gaps” on whatever you’re missing before going to the “big leagues”. You “eat shit” because that’s what you gotta do to get to where you wanna be. Then they pissed so many talents up the wall when the got the call up. Then the philosophy changed; NXT is now a “third brand”. Then it’s fun going out as the “underdogs”, putting on better shows than the “big leagues”, growing the brand, no need for a call up. Then the philosophy changed again; you’re not a “third brand”.

So I’m not growing a brand, and I don’t want to go to the main roster as my talent will be wasted, or I’ll be let go, or both, so what am I doing? I’m not moving forward. That sense of being stuck is a real killer to your enjoyment of work. Previously, what other option did I have? It’s this or grinding out a living on the independents. Now there’s a legit alternative.

I’d be incredibly surprised if Gargano, Ciampa, and a bunch of others re-up when their deals expire.