Report: WWE Official Comments On Mass Releases
13 more names were let go on Friday
With the releases of 13 different talents on Friday, WWE has now cut ties with over 50 performers in 2021, and over 100 since April of last year.
An anonymous WWE official spoke to Fightful Select about the recent trend of mass releases, and shed a little bit of light on WWE's perceived hoarding of wrestlers over the past several years.
* The official stated that in 2018, WWE entered a "talent stashing" mode, with what he and others believed were "honest intentions".
* The plan for talent stashing was to develop Performance Centers worldwide, fortifying each Center with both native and international talents, with some wrestlers traveling between groups (there were stories of WWE trying to start up developmental groups in Japan and India, a la their UK group).
* The report states that after the stashing began, "Within a year, the source told us, they could see the brakes being pumped on that and talent being "parked," with an enhanced focus going to launching NXT on USA. Once that happened, the pandemic occurred shortly after, and everything came to a screeching halt."
* The source says of the releases, "Vince McMahon can personally put a stop to any of these," while also claiming that the decisions on releases are a group effort.
* They go on to say that the releases are going to be a "regular occurrence" going forward, but with less frequency, and less cuts among bigger name talents.
* The source also says that the subject of mass releases hadn't been a concern for four years, from the summer of 2016 until early in 2020.
Written by Justin Henry
In addition to writing lists and commentaries for Cultaholic, Justin is also a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine, and is co-author of the WWE-related book Titan Screwed: Lost Smiles, Stunners, and Screwjobs.
