Who's Next?

[Jack-Hammer]

Off & on, a thread pops up every so often asking which talent we believe and/or feel that WWE should release. It's a fairly regular sight on the WZ forums, but it feels a little more relevant now that WWE released a dozen employees last week as part of company wide budget cuts. Various reports indicate that there may be further releases from the wrestling and corporate side of things, some reports have suggested that there have already been other cuts that simply haven't been revealed as of yet.

A good deal of the "usual suspects" who're frequently mentioned in these threads as to who should be/will be future endeavored have been cut; some of these include Yoshi Tatsu, JTG and Curt Hawkins, but there are a few more left. With more cuts allegedly coming, who else do you feel constitutes dead weight?

The Great Khali - It goes without saying that Khali is among the most disliked members of the WWE roster by the IWC and has been for years. I can't exactly say I'm all that crazy about him as a wrestler myself, though I think we sometimes tend to go too far in letting our dislike become hate for the guy as a person. He's said to be a very likeable person in real life, very spiritual, peaceful, etc. but the age of giants is pretty much finished. It's no longer enough to be over 7 feet tall and 350+ lbs. to get over with fans, especially if they're as limited as Khali is. He turns 42 in a couple of months and has had knee issues for years now that are only gonna worsen as time goes by.

Hornswoggle - Hornswoggle may be THE talent frequently viewed by the IWC as the most useless on the roster. He's been the chief source of comedy relief in WWE since 2006 though, thankfully in my opinion, his presence on television has been pretty limited the past few years. It's seen a brief resurgence during 3MB's program with Los Matadores, but that looks to be finished as 2/3rd's of 3MB were released last week. Hornswoggle is the star of the reboot of the Leprechaun horror film franchise, so he's obviously not going anywhere anytime soon. I just don't see what he really has to offer.

Rey Mysterio - Some will probably think this is borderline blasphemy, but Rey is quickly becoming the epitome of dead weight on the WWE roster. Over the course of the past couple of years, I can count the number of times Mysterio has been in the ring using two hands. Apparently, his current WWE deal was renewed for 1 year and he's currently out with a hand injury. Mysterio's body, his knees in particular, is worn out and he's becoming extremely injury prone. If he sells as much merchandise as is believed, then it's understandable why Vince wants to keep him for as long as possible. At the same time, it's alleged that Mysterio is one of the highest paid guys on the roster and, in all honesty, he's getting paid mostly for doing nothing the past few years. I'm not dissing the guy, I know how big of a star he's been, I know how innovative he was in the mid 90s, etc. That's all well and good, but if the guy simply can't compete all that much anymore, I just think it's time for him to move on or to agree to a major restructuring of his contract at the very least.

Zack Ryder - Zack Ryder has his brief moment in the sun a few years back and has faded into obscurity. I think Ryder is someone who could be a genuine boon to the roster with a different sort of character and general overhaul, but it doesn't look like WWE wants to do that. Ryder's only 29 years old, so it's possible for him to still have a relevant wrestling career somewhere else, but it's pretty obvious that nothing's gonna happen with him in WWE. He'll continue to job out in squash matches before, in a few years time, eventually getting released.

Heath Slater - The only reason I can think of why Slater wasn't released with Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre is because he & his wife just had a baby. For the most part, Slater's been little more than a comedy jobber for most of his career in WWE and I just don't see that changing. Since WWE needs the room for new talent, Slater just strikes me as someone that's only there to collect a paycheck. Nothing wrong with that if the guy's happy, but I don't see what WWE gets out of it.

Justin Gabriel - Gabriel's someone else that just seems to be spinning his wheels in WWE. He's a pretty fun guy to watch inside the ring and he's someone that I could see making a genuine contribution to the tag team scene with someone. Otherwise, I think the guy should be cut as he just comes off as someone else that's simply there getting paid.

 

[tehblogger]

you do need some jobbers and I think Slater is a really good jobber. Firing him would be very bad.

Khali is their entrance into the Indian market.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Slater is a solid hand. I see him having a job for life. Or a few years. This WWE after all. I don't see Khali, Ryder or Hornswoggle going anywhere soon either.

Lost Matadores - People think because they were introduced via vignettes less than a year ago that they're going to be safe for a while. But they were introduced as a comedy act and faded fairly quickly. The midget will stay for a while though.

A.J. - I see her going. She'll never reach the heights of two years ago and she's young enough that she can return for another run. But I see her requesting to be and being released this year.

Christian - World title run just seems like a cheese dream now. I see him leaving because I don't think Christian will be ready to retire, WWE will just want to retire him. There would be a backstage job waiting for him upon his return.

Darren Young, Titus O'Neil, David Otunga & Sin Cara (maybe) as well.

 

[GeneralKarim]

Well to me, as long as they are used very very infriquently, I'm fine with them being on the roster and earning a paycheck, they are human beings after all.

Los Matadores I feel are useless and I disliked the gimmick the moment they announced it. And when they revealed the little bull, I knew it was going to be even worse than I anticipated.

In regards to Heath Slater, Jackhammer, I don't necessarily agree that he is there only collecting a paycheck. He's featured a lot, as a jobber yes, but the company needs jobbers and Heath Slater is probably one of the best jobbers evers. He can wrestle, he has some personality, he has a more unique look . I think he is content with his place there. WWE needs jobbers they cant just fire everybody and have everybody be relevant. I think there is a difference between being useless and deadweight and being a quality jobber. Somebody will always be a jobber, that's the nature of the business.


Hornswoggle will never be let go as long as they are PG and they think his skits are funny.

Ryder will never get anywhere. The guy is creative nad has a passion for the business but he'll only ever be a jobber so I'm guessing he'll have a job for a while.

Ziggler This might seem crazy but even Ziggler I feel is in jeopardy. He wont get released in these coming months but I dont see him having a job here in the next 2 years. I feel that the WWE has given up on him and he is now a glorified jobber who can bump good and have good matches witht he up and and coming superstars in order to get them over.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

Jobbers are required for Raw, Smackdown, Superstars and Nxt. To be fed to the new monster's on the roster, or to be comedy sideshows to new Face's.

The fact that Mahal and Mcintyre were just released and Slater wasn't, think means he is going to be kept around. Although 3MB was a bit annoying, I think Slater did the best with what he could, and ceratinly seemed to be the main focus of that group.

I would Bin Titus O'Neil, don't see him going anywhere and feel he has no personality since leaving the PTP.

 

[Mustang Sally]

As wrestling fans, I think most of us want to see wrestlers who can bring it in the ring.....and have the company lose the dead weight. For sports entertainment purposes, however, WWE often sees things other ways. If a performer offers something unique.....something the company feels they can use to bring variety to their product, they might hold onto the guy/gal despite our puzzlement as to why.

Take The Great Khali. Perhaps at the very beginning of his career they hoped he'd be believable as a ring wrestler; they certainly wanted him to be because of his great size and the fact he wasn't a bloated giant like Andre or Big Show......but his knees immediately betrayed the notion he could function even as effectively as those two behemoths did. So they used Khali however they could.....from a championship contender to a carnival kissing booth act to an enhancement talent whom we quickly tired of watching get broken down in sections by people getting a push. Still, his size and appearance gives him an asset that others don't have, so the company keeps him while getting rid of talented wrestlers who give their all in the ring. That's show biz.

Rey Mysterio? You'd think it would work against him that he hasn't altered his ring routine in years; it's the same damn flying maneuvers over and over, every single match. It's ironic that people disparage John Cena for not having enough variety in his ring work, yet they love Rey Mysterio who executes his damn 619 three times a match....as unlikely as it is his opponents would fall face forward against the ropes and hang there until Rey can swing around to them. Still, if the only reason they keep him around is to sell a bunch of plastic masks......and they're willing to pay him a huge salary to sit out with injuries.....that's their reason for retaining him, I suppose. At least they've stopped using him as a contender for world championships.

Zack Ryder? He was strictly a comedy jobber, with that stupid spiked hair and goofy facial expression. It seems funny that some folks on this forum view him as a fantastic ring performer; personally, I've never seen it. Plus, if they wanted comedy acts, they still had Hornswoggle and Santino, so why hold onto Zack? They solved this (apparently) by "normalizing" his appearance (relatively speaking, of course) and making him a serious jobber instead of a lovable loser. Now that 3MB is gone, perhaps Zack's job is even safer than before. Who can figure?

Los Matadores? As I see it, the release of 2/3 of 3MB puts the Matadores in 3MB's old position, no? Now, the Latino guys will be the tag team jobbers with a gimmick. Why keep Matadores and lose 3MB? Because of their mascot? If that's WWE's reason, I suppose it will have to do......and all of it shows why it's such a tough business to figure who's staying and who's going.

Given our lack of inside knowledge as to what goes on in WWE management meetings, trying to guess who's soon gonna be on the shit list is a losing proposition.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Just to add to the list

Sandow - I like the man but I can't help but to add Sandow to that list. His current gimmick reminds me way too much of Charlie Haas's final WWE run, ie job to everyone in stupid costumes. Like Sandow it got Haas some decent reaction but ultimately the only place it led to was future endeavored. There were a lot of people that said that Drew couldn't recover from his 3MB days, well it's kinda hard to imagine Sandow recovering from this. Not impossible sure but I don't see it happening.

Truth and/or Woods - Woods seems like a case of being brought up way too early, and pairing the two men together hasn't gotten either of them anywhere other than getting squashed by Rusev. They seem to have no idea what to do with Woods, so if he doesn't get sent back to NXT like Bo-Dallas did a while back getting cut would be the most likely thing.

Truth's role in the company seems to be dimishing pretty rapidly, no surprise since he's 42 years in a time where much younger guys are getting heavily pushed. I do hope they give him a backstage role instead of releasing him entirely, I'm sure he would do fine as a trainer and if he can somehow help the other guys get feel more natural on the mic like he does so much the better.

Tensai/Albert - I actually forgot he was still around until Clay's release reminded me of the dancing fat guys. Have no idea why he's still there but I can't think of any good reason to keep him around.

Brad Maddox - For the most part his GM days were unimpressive and very forgettable. Not totally his fault since the Authority just plain overshadowed everyone but it's kinda sad the most memorable thing he did was have a really dumb feud with Vickie that didn't go anywhere. We haven't really seen him wrestle outside of a short appearance in the ATG Battle Royal but I would imagine if he was good enough to wrestle on TV they would put him there.

Swagger- This last one's kind of reaching it, but it wouldn't surprise me if it happened. I have a strong feeling that he still has heat from his huge screw-up a few years back, which would explain why he's pretty much gone nowhere but down since then. And as a money saving measure they wouldn't have to pay him or Zeb, although I would really hope they would find a use for a man as talented as Zeb.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

1. Titus O'Neil- He is 37 years old. He won't be active for another 10 years. If WWE pushes him, there will be very little time to capitalize on that investment. I don't necessarily dislike him, but there is no upside to keep him around. He pretty much has no function on the roster. We have jobbers, midcarders, tag team wrestlers and main eventers. There's no need for a Titus O'Neil.

2. David Otunga- Although he returned for the battle royal, his last match before that was over 1 year ago. I haven't seen any record that he's working live events either. At 34 years old, you have to wonder how long he is going to get paid to just do a few media appearances without ever actually wrestling. He has a famous wife, but that will only get him so far.

3. Christian- He's been coming and going for the last 3 years due to injuries. Vince might protect his investment by making up for lost time, but if Christian decides to hang up the boots, those clauses will be moot. I can see him working backstage like Mercury, Albert and the Outlaws, but I don't see him being a regular TV character for long.

4. Rob Van Dam- He's getting paid some really good money for only working short timespans. Despite being back for almost a year, he's added nothing to the product. Anything RVD does, other guys on the show can do better. He's frankly a waste of money and with WWE cutting costs nowadays, I don't see them keeping a useless part-timer like him around. I don't picture him coming back after he finishes his current run.

5. Scott Stanford- Scott has a fantastic voice that could carry WWE's programming if they let him. He's actually a pretty fine announcer and has had chemistry with everyone he has been paired up with. But WWE doesn't seem to like him. He's been co-hosting some cheap international shows, but WWE could get anyone to do them. He is already juggling sports anchor jobs elsewhere. It's a matter of time before WWE drops him and lets him focus on that career.

6. Alex Riley- He was never a great wrestler, but he was a great character nonetheless. He was also really over with the crowd after turning on The Miz. However, he allegedly talked back to the big cheese and that cost him his push and his in-ring career. He's been stuck announcing on NXT, and he's frankly been doing an awful job. I can't see WWE keeping him on the payroll much longer when they have so many more guys who are better on the booth (Renee, Regal, Byron, Josh, Booker, Tom, etc.)

7. Jason Albert- When his return failed, WWE tried to find a role for him. They tried a comedy act, a tag team, a jobber and a few other stuff, but it just wasn't meant to be. They repackaged him as an announcer on NXT, but it feels like they're just trying to give him something to do. He isn't bad, but at his age (41), I don't see WWE grooming him to be the future voice of the company. He's probably gone when his contract expires.

8. Ricardo Rodriguez- Ricardo is another guy that WWE has been struggling to find him a role. He has been a ring announcer, valet, Spanish announcer, jobber, and even a masked luchador on NXT. He's been tag teaming with Kalisto on NXT, but I don't see him staying around for long in that role. Kalisto will move up to the main roster and Ricardo will be shuffled around until he's eventually released.

9. Brad Maddox- When he debuted, he seemed to have been poised for a big Bo Dallas-like push. But with the Authority's formation, Brad's role diminished and all that hype amounted to nothing. Now, he was fired, and like others before him (Rob Conway and Eric Bischoff come to mind), his on-screen firing may foreshadow his actual release.

10. JoJo- The future doesn't look bright for the only cast member kicked off Total Divas. WWE might be keeping her off the main roster until she's 21 like they did with Paige, but it's more likely that WWE just lost faith in her as a character and a performer, meaning she might be released at any moment.

11. Booker T- I have no idea what the terms of his contract are, but if WWE can release Teddy Long, it doesn't make sense to me as to why "Booker" is still around. It looks like he is a regular pre-show analyst, but with so many legends making sporadic appearances, there doesn't seem to be a point for Booker to have anything more than just a legends contract.

12. Alberto Del Rio- Alberto was a prime backstage politician upon debuting, being able to use his hype and support to rise to the top immediately. He became a top player, held the World title 4 times and never strayed away from the main event. That suddenly changed in late 2013. He was dropped from TV, didn't even appear on TLC, and wasn't considered for the Slammy for SOTY despite being champion all year. He started wrestling in the midcard for the first time in 2014 and has continued there ever since. It could be that WWE has lost faith in him considerably, or maybe he's turned in his notice and will let his contract expire. Either way, I don't see him sticking around for long.

--------------------
I think everyone outside those 12 are relatively safe. I analyzed everybody else and they all seem to have a function within the company that will keep them for at least another few years:

8 Stars of the show: Bray Wyatt, Daniel Bryan, Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Kane, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins

8 pushed flavors of the month/year: Adam Rose, Alicia Fox, Bad News Barrett, Bo Dallas, Cesaro, Paige, Rusev and Sheamus

8 rock-solid members of the tag team division: Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, Goldust, Ryback, Curtis Axel, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan.

8 cast members of Total Divas: Brie Bella, Cameron, Eva Marie, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes and Summer Rae.

8 non-wrestlers, yet consistent performers of the show: JBL, Jerry Lawler, Justin Roberts, Lana, Michael Cole, Paul Heyman, Stephanie McMahon and Zeb Coulter.

8 understudies who fit whatever role is required of them, usually jobbers and midcarders, but sometimes actual threats to win some titles: Big E, Damien Sandow, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango, Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry and The Miz.

8 performers that secure essential demographics: Darren Young, Primo, Epico, The Great Khali, El Torito, Hornswoggle, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara.

8 jobbers and live-event fodder: Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Layla, R-Truth, Santino Marella, Tamina Snuka, Xavier Woods and Zack Ryder

8 ring announcers/backstage interviewers/panelists that serve as the de facto broadcast team Brandi Rhodes, Byron Saxton, Devin Taylor, Josh Matthews, Renee Young, Tom Phillips, Tony Chimel and William Regal.

And then there is Big Show, Batista, Brock Lesnar, Hulk Hogan, Triple H and The Undertaker who are all special attractions and will only retire on-screen whenever they choose to retire off-screen.

There is also all the NXT talent (which I consider Emma and Kidd part of since they do more appearances there than on the main roster) which seem safe to me. In reality, there's really no way to guess their fates as it has a lot more to do with factors off-screen (training, attitude, etc.).

 

[Ace Amoeba]

I don't see "Khali going anywhere. While size isn't necessary to make it in WWE these days being enormous certainly isn't detrimental. Yes he's past his prime and broken down but he's a team player willing to do whatever ridiculous skit they want and that's where he's valuable.

 

[Pedigree1]

Off & on, a thread pops up every so often asking which talent we believe and/or feel that WWE should release. It's a fairly regular sight on the WZ forums, but it feels a little more relevant now that WWE released a dozen employees last week as part of company wide budget cuts. Various reports indicate that there may be further releases from the wrestling and corporate side of things, some reports have suggested that there have already been other cuts that simply haven't been revealed as of yet.

A good deal of the "usual suspects" who're frequently mentioned in these threads as to who should be/will be future endeavored have been cut; some of these include Yoshi Tatsu, JTG and Curt Hawkins, but there are a few more left. With more cuts allegedly coming, who else do you feel constitutes dead weight?

The Great Khali - Khali is 42 years old,beaten up and is slower than snail shit! The only reason,why i think Khali is still around is because he is quite a draw in India and a God over there.. NO secret though,he is disliked by the majority of the IWC and fans alike. 7'2 430 pounds or so,at that height you cant exactly be the quickest guy in the world.. But really i Think he is still there because really if he were to be let go,where would he go?

Hornswoggle - Hornswoggle,is the one guy who gets on my nerves and he should have been let go years ago.. I really dont see how he is serviceable except maybe to make one or two kids laugh but thats about it! Thank god he is not on TV anymore or at least hardly! Since 2006 or so,we have to had put up with him.. I liked him way better when he was the Evil Leprechaun but once he turned to a comedy act,that quickly disappeared.

Rey Mysterio - I am one of the biggest Mysterio supporters out there. 20 plus years he has been busting his ass,and putting in work.. He literally night after night,laid it all in the ring for us fans to enjoy.. I am not sure on the particulars on his contract,but if he sells as much merch as advertised no wonder why Vince hasn't let him go.. His knees are just destroyed he cant go anymore hasnt been able to go like in 5 years. IM not ripping on him,its true he truly cant go. Does that make it right he gets paid to sit on his ass and do nothing? I guess if your mysterio then you get a pass considering what he has done in the past.. But at the same time,he should sign a part-time deal and give back a little bit to the company.. He obviously has made enough money,sign him to a legends deal,go into the HOF at wm31 and if his knees can handle it,do a few 619's here and there..

Zack Ryder - Zack is done as a serious competitor in the WWE.. yes he is young 29 years old,but he had his moment in the sun all thanks to him being a youtube champion. I gotta give him credit on that one,he made himself known and marketed himself.. But he will continue to job and get cut in the next yr or two!

Heath Slater - Why he wasnt cut is beyond me. Drew out of all the three man band,had the most talent but slater is still around kinda baffles me to be honest.. He is just a comedy act,he is okay in the ring but obviously is there to collect a paycheck and thats fine.. Gotta make a living somehow

Justin Gabriel - Gabriel is someone who is stuck in neutral.. He is and has been,going nowhere. He is largely forgotten about and some of us,have no idea he is still on the active roster. His little cool 450 splash really IMO is all he can hang his hat on! Really he is nothing special in the ring at all! He is another one,who will get cut real soon

 

[milkman12]

I have a strong feeling, call me crazy that Bray Wyatt might be next after his feud with Cena has taken its course. Unless he replaces the Undertaker with the creepy gimmick which I would actually suggest the WWE do. Who knows maybe they can have a Bray Wyatt and Bo Dallas brother program similar to Kane and the Undertaker.