<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">In all, WWE released<br><br>-Bobby Fish<br>-Bronson Reed<br>-Jake Atlas<br>-Ari Sterling<br>-Kona Reeves <br>-Leon Ruff<br>-Stephon Smith<br>-Tyler Rust<br>-Zechariah Smith<br>-Asher Hale<br>-Giant Zanjeer<br>-Mercedes Martinez.</p>&mdash; Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) <a href="https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1423816333649715204?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Mostly NXT also rans but a few stick out

Nick Khan and Vince giving no shits about NXT anymore ever since Triple H failed big time on his mission to take out AEW from ever being a potential threat to WWE.

All its going to do is add a lot more fuel to the fire of the rumors of Vince selling WWE in a few years or once the next tv contracts are signed.

And supposedly while all this was going on, Adam Cole was invited to go backstage to Smackdown

Wonder if they’re offering him another contract while cutting a bunch of his colleagues

SRS has been crushing this intel for a while

Pretty much seems like the go to for wrestling news rite meow

How is AEW a threat to WWE? Yep, AEW such a big threat that they’re just sending them all this super-amazing talent on a platter. AEW doesn’t matter so they can afford to do this. And this actually streamlines their product more.

They’re assholes for hoarding talent and they’re assholes when they cut them. God, wrestling fans are the stupidest people.

If the WWE wanted to torch AEW to the ground, you’d have seen Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles and Rey Mysterio on NXT. They got Finn Balor and Charlotte Flair for a month.

Wrestling sheet marks and their inability to use ANY critical thinking skills whatsoever.

Dave Meltzer doesn’t have any sources anymore. Everyone has iced him out on the WWE side because of his biases and generally being an asshole to friends of theirs. The AEW side treats him like a fan. They’ll say “Dave we’ve got something special lined up for this show,” but they won’t tell him what it is because they want him to be surprised. So he chases his tail with the promotion he has friends in too.

No one treats him like a journalist anymore. He’s got no more credibility and has aged out of his position. He’s just a bad wrestling commentator now. And he knows it. That’s why he’s always trying to poke people for attention and announces stories AFTER they’ve happened.

Christian Cage, Malakai Black, CM Punk, Andrade and Danielson weren’t just stories that weren’t broken by Dave, he’s flat-out retroactively said “I thought it was that” or “I guessed that” when he actually never said anything publicly about any of it.

He’s a hack now.

If they weren't a threat they wouldn't have been working overtime to get that Domino's story about in the media.

They had their splash, man. 1.4 million opposed down to 1.1 million unopposed. I remember your Death of TNA podcast where you hammered in “1.1” as a sleight to TNA. AEW have their 1.1 problem too, and it’s actual viewership.

So if I’m reading this right you’re pro Sean Ross Sapp


Agreed.

If AEW were a threat, salaries wouldn’t have gone DOWN since AEW started.

I don’t know if I’m pro-Sapp, haha. He just seems to be the guy who breaks the stories. And Meltzer used to be that guy, sure, but he’s gone into this weird fanboy territory.

He deserves his historical respect, but his platform is very much based on what he’s given historically, and not so much on him still being the guy to ask.

And I don’t value him as a critic. He’s got the position of a Roger Ebert but he seems to like Michael Bay movies. It’s odd.

R U taking about Sapp or Meltzer

AEW is finally starting to do what they should have done from the start. Go after stars. The best possible outcome for them is that they’ve accidentally sent in a Trojan horse by being shitty for two years. WWE hasn’t bettered itself and now AEW might get lucky off some broken promises and guys being unhappy there.

WWE may have played themselves right there. MAYBE. It’s more likely you still get a show that is poorly booked on Wednesday nights and people ask Bryan why he retired and keep asking Punk when he gets back into wrestling.

WWE may go down, because they have the problem of being too big and too stretched to actually ever matter again. They generate all this content that they want to be sterile and static, but the problem there is that for them to remain in this privileged place, they have to generate content people want.

No one remembers that. No, not even AEW.

That’s why my big hope was that guys like Bryan, Punk, Joe and Brock would go elsewhere — to neither of these self-absorbed entities that are just going to do whatever they want to do regardless of whether or not it works.

Whatever, enjoy the death of wrestling.

Meltzer.

Sapp actually seems to break stuff. I don’t really even know when he came on the scene though.

Sapp has been the only source I’ve really paid attention to for at least a year, probably longer.

The WWE’s best course of action would be to expand to the point that there is autonomy at each branch. It gets too big for Vince. Then he retires or whatever and Raw gets booked as its own thing, and SmackDown as its own thing. They can all be unique and good in their own ways as a genre.

The annoying thing about Vince is that he’s Coca-Cola Amatil, but he only makes Coke and Diet Coke. He hasn’t done Sprite, Fanta, bottled water, etc. When he tries to branch out, it’s something entirely different. Probably because he’s slightly embarrassed to be in wrestling.

AEW are this weird fizzy drink that has all these weird flavors and is this bizarre color but people want to pass it off as Pepsi because they hate Coke.

If I were the WWE, I’d take everyone over 40 off TV and have them either work house shows, be trainers or just release them. Hope that rises all tides a bit and forces you to create new stars that have a chance to connect as prime athletes. Let AEW take in the guys you don’t really want anymore, let them become a little bigger and then watch them erode due to poor booking. Get yourself good and then hope that has increased your cultural value for when those TV deals are up.

Right now feels like a race to the bottom. Wrestling needs TV, TV doesn’t need wrestling.

Basically NXT becoming what the rumored NXT EVOLVE branch was being planned to be had it been launched by now.

Ever since Dusty Rhodes died and Triple H took more direct control of it, NXT had been moving very hard away of what its original purpose was meant to be in WWE. Its why there's been a rift over the past few years between Triple H & his guys and Vince & his guys over NXT being a third brand or not and why a bridge was never established between developmental and main roster to prevent the constant screwing up of call-ups.

I wouldn't be surprised if NXT UK gets the purge treatment soon since its also been getting a bit fat in terms of roster size during the coronavirus pandemic.

Other things to consider:

-WWE not granting talent releases is really obscene on the surface of it. I can’t believe they got away with it for so long. The mental health issues and just forcing people to risk their bodies for a living WHEN THEY DON’T WANT TO is just insane. I’m not saying that most of even any of the talent HAVE asked for releases, but it seems right to get rid of anyone who wants to go. People always leave that out of this discussion because “WWE bad.”

-Turning over talent is a good thing for your show, your audience and talent themselves, although they often don’t look past it being a lost paycheck. It’s good for wrestling for their to be more talent out and about, and to be spreading what they know in creative ways if there isn’t a spot for them in the WWE.

-We never get the full scoop on some of these people. You would think they’ve all passed physicals if they’re working, but there are personality issues at play too.

-WWE doesn’t have to hire anybody or isn’t obligated to keep them employed. If they don’t want to use you in a talent-based role, that’s their prerogative.

That doesn’t mean the releases are all good ideas. There are some people that could, in an ideal world, be valuable. Mercedes Martinez and Bronson Reed jump out in that list. But Bobby Fish? I’m sure he’s a great guy and all, and I’m sure he’ll be able to get work and a stable income inside or outside wrestling, but is anybody even going to care if he goes back to New Japan. He’s probably better and wiser, but come on.

What the NXT cuts all have in common though, is that none of them really have the "WWE Look".

Leon Ruff: really small and scrawny
Mercedes Martinez: in her 40s and butch
Tyler Rust: tall but lanky without much muscle mass
Bronson Reed: comparatively short and stocky
Jake Atlas: has a gymnast's body (unsurprisingly, seeing as he was one)
Bobby Fish: also in his 40s and kinda doughy, plus now that O'Reilly is getting pushed as a singles guy he’s probably viewed as extraneous

There were reports that the new edict when signing talent was to focus on bodies - over 6-foot, 260+ lbs, etc, so maybe this is the higher ups clearing house of people they don't see a future in, which in and of itself is telling.

There is no rift between whether or not NXT is a third brand or not, lol. What does that even mean? It’s a two-hour show they monetize by airing on USA to help offset the costs of having a factory that pumps out wrestlers to fill the 7, 8, 9 hours of content they pump out each week.

NXT became a bit of a vanity project of Triple H because his ego wants the wrestling world to see him as a great genius even though he wouldn’t have shared a ring with half the guys there, and he wants the business world to see him as heir apparent so he can get an executive job when they sell to Disney.

Yeah, NXT used to “try harder” to be something other than an alternative, but that was Triple H’s prerogative before it became monetized. It was an angle for the WWE Network, a bit of an audition and was an hour a week. Vince doesn’t take the same prerogative when he’s booking his show. It’s assembly line.

Should it be that way. I don’t think so, and the biggest concern I’ve got for a Triple H-led WWE is that he sees it that way too and NXT was just a lark for a few years, but we’ll wait and see with that.

So why haven’t they fired Roderick Strong and Adam Cole then? Who in NXT actually has a WWE body? Cezar Benoni and Tino Sabbatelli? They got cut too. AEW has scooped up a lot of bodies from NXT.

Talent get cut for a number of reasons. It can be a look, it can be what you have or haven’t produced, it can be attitude, it can just be time. It can be because you’re 6’8, 320lbs and did a cannonball onto your own head on PPV and you’re the drizzling shits.

NXT definitely needs a major overhaul. Developmental does as well. I hope it becomes less sterile in the future. I get why they expand overseas in a branding sense (there’s that bullshit word again). But I think they should have different styles of school within the continental United States.

Wrestlers learning something one way helps with the tedium.

AEW needs to pick up Mercedes immediately.

For quite a few years now, I’ve thought that the WWE should reinstate WCW. Take everyone over 40 — everyone from Randy Orton to Shinsuke Nakamura. The “backstory” if you even need to get this far is that WCW has the funds to buy their WWE deals out and get them all to sign. The show is just wrestling, in an 18x18 ring, with cables, with its own aesthetic.

Do one Nitro a week, 12 PPVs a year. Throw all the 205 Live guys on there for a Cruiserweight Division. You don’t mention WWE, take shots at WWE. You just put on wrestling and that’s where the old guys go.

You’ve immediately got a roster of AJ Styles, Bobby Lashley, Edge, Sheamus, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Shelton Benjamin and Kofi Kingston right there. Have no McMahon around any of it. Send over Bruce Prichard and Johnny Ace to run it or whatever. Hire Lance Storm to be an agent. Finlay, Billy Kidman, Booker T, Brian Kendrick or whatever.

That show’s going to get as many viewers as Raw. Now you’ve cleared up a whole bunch of roster space and are in the position where there is less clutter and more of a need to get guys up. You’ve still got Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Big E, Drew McIntyre, etc. Move up guys like Chad Gable, Montez Ford. Suddenly everything is less static.

If WCW is #1 and absolutely killing it. Cool, whatever. You still own it. If WWE makes a surge and a comeback with a focus on younger talent? Great. You’ve got three shows that are making giant bank, two “products” for people who might prefer one to the other, and then you’ve kept everyone employed, producing content, but not getting in the way of one another.

WCW would also be a great place to debut talent from developmental or that you want to have a look at, and then you bring them over to WWE TV when you are ready to make them a young star.

This COULD have been what Raw and SmackDown were/are, but the formula and presentation is too much the same and there just hasn’t been that effort made to separate them philosophically that I don’t even think people would buy it now.

Plus, I see value in WCW as an alternative branding, as well as reestablishing PPV as a revenue stream and using old trademarks and IP.

People are probably groaning at the idea, but don’t tell me that you wouldn’t watch a Starrcade with Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles vs. Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Randy Orton, Cesaro vs. Rey Mysterio, etc. It would be stonkers.

And that show probably allows them to enter the market with another $100 million per year for talent they already pay.

You don’t do the nWo. You don’t have Eric Bischoff and Jay Leno. You don’t do DQs at the end of every main event. But the essence is “WCW has the money to pluck all these world class names out of the WWE to end their careers for the one-time giant of professional wrestling.”

Just don’t go plastering “WWE Presents” on everything, or forcing your cringe-inducing aesthetics over everything, etc. *Expands* your business (which is the appealing thing about it to a boardroom), redistributes talent, uses it better by giving them a fresh environment (which is important for stars that have been around for a while), and allows for a more streamlined baseline WWE product that is hopefully more appealing than it is as this giant hodge podge.

She’s one of the more puzzling. You’d think there would be a place for her somewhere. NXT as a player/coach. She’s one that I guess maybe she asked for it? Or maybe because she wasn’t going to be main roster they just thought “fuck it.” But she’s one that I wouldn’t have cut based on talent.

Anthony Henry (Asher Hale) may be a good get for AEW.

I haven’t seen him wrestle. I didn’t even know he existed. He probably does it very well, but at 5’10, 180lbs, I think I’m just tired of seeing that wrestler.

Can't believe it about Giant Zanjeer, protégé of The Great Khali.

Jake Atlas and Ari Sterling (Alex Zayne) were "indie darlings" before they signed with WWE... could def see AEW picking them up, especially Atlas

Damn @ Bronson Reed... he was getting Raw/SmackDown dark matches and possibly about to be called up, and now cut

like 2 guys on the 205 Live roster now, wonder if the show will be gone very soon

Ikemen Jiro and Grayson Waller

Fair enough. I say he'd be a good get for them because he fits that mold of what they look for.

I concur on Sapp


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SRS said on his SD post-show there’s some interesting WWE/FOX stuff that will come into focus next week.</p>&mdash; Danny (@dajosc11) <a href="https://twitter.com/dajosc11/status/1423841729862684672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It’s very disheartening to see the number of people WWE has released over the past year. I know it’s just business but if I were a talent, I’d be very concerned about job security.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">WWE has released the following 41 people since April 2021:<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWERAW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWERAW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SmackDown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SmackDown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWENXT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWENXT</a> <a href="https://t.co/EeVgw4qsiS">pic.twitter.com/EeVgw4qsiS</a></p>&mdash; Colby F. of Fightful &amp; WrestleZone (@ColbsMMA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ColbsMMA/status/1423835829672292359?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you are a top independent wrestler in 2021, why would you even consider taking an NXT contract at this point unless they significantly raise the money? You are just as likely to get stuck in a lease in Florida with no job as you are of making it there.</p>&mdash; SoCal UNCENSORED (@socaluncensored) <a href="https://twitter.com/socaluncensored/status/1423855796174036994?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I wonder if they want to revamp NXT to make it more like Monday Night RAW


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">PWInsider reports a possible reason for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWENXT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWENXT</a> releases are apart of efforts to rebrand the show with a new logo, lighting, and format. Will be interesting to see what happens. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WWE</a></p>&mdash; John Clark (@johnrclark12) <a href="https://twitter.com/johnrclark12/status/1423821953908019201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Supposedly FOX has been growing more upset with WWE in recent times. Not enough for them to suddenly pull the plug on their tv deal but something that could easily come back to haunt WWE when it comes time for the next round of tv deals.

Mix of the recent waves of talent releases baffling them in terms of some of the names gone, them losing interest in promoting non-SmackDown stuff on their network and properties, and them growing upset over WWE's deal with Peacock since they feel NBC has been benefiting way more than they have with their deals with WWE.

Both PWInsider and Observer have also recently mentioned chatter from their sources about the growing unrest at FOX over their WWE deal.

This was from this week's Newsletter about FOX:

This was from a recent Q&A article on PWI over similar issues they've heard about: