WWE Roster Cuts, Should Be Released, and "Future Endeavored" Discussion

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

We're not really shocked about Kenny, as he was the resident jobber with no bankable skill whatsoever. But Elijah Burke? WTF? He was a highly athletic performer and, if nothing else, a mouthpiece. I think that he got lost in the color shuffle when Bobby Lashley showed that he was bigger stronger and more marketable as a black athlete being pushed to the forefront. This is a travesty. And outrage. This is a gross misjustice. WWE made a big mistake letting a guy of this caliber go without trying him out in any other roles, especially seeing as how they turned a much lesser talent in Matt Stryker into an announcer.

 

[klunderbunker]

Ok, I'm going to say this once, and likely not only once: Burke was awful. He was so bland and should be gone. People keep talking about how great he was. If he was so great, why did he never do anything, and why wasn't he on tv for 6 months? Same with Dykstra. Totally overrated. Lena, who cares?

 

[My$terio_Fan]

Both were suppose to be the future, both are gone. I liked them both and though Burke had some charimsa and good mic skils but I'm not to sad either way. Lena was useless anyways and they can just get Tiffany to do interviews. WWE has been on a firing spree the last few months and I wonder who's next?

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Damn, Vince sure as hell won't pack away the cutting knife...

KD had mic skills and wrestling talent. But he had a bad attitude. So...he's out of a job I guess. Too bad. Ah well.

Why the HELL did they sack Burke? He had natural charisma, mic skills, a cool wrestling style...sure, he might not have been the most used guy but he sure as hell had a better upside than most people who have NOT been released. But seems like it wasn't meant to be.

Lena...yeah, she had a nice body but the crowd hated her guts. Who cares really?

Wow...they were not kidding when they said that it was time to trim the fat. I wonder who's next? Here's one hoping for Hawkins and Ryder...okay, so not. But damn, things are really moving fast, and SmacKDown vs. Raw's roster is getting outdated by the minute -_-

 

[ECWildsider]

Well the WWE has once again decided in their infinite wisdom to drop a few more wrestlers from each of the rosters and to be honest I was surprised by some and amused by others.

I was greatly shocked to see Elijah Burke, who I have been an avid supporter of being used again because of his almost passable mic skills and in ring ability, having been let go by the company. I never felt like the WWE gave him as much effort as they did certain other wrestlers with less ability. He was instrumental in the first and only worthy feud in the ECW, The Originals vs. The New Breed.

Another surprise was the letting go of Kenny "Spirit Squad" Dykstra, who I will admit was lack luster on his mic skills but was enough of a performer in the ring that he could have made a good mid card filler and transitional Intercontinental or United States Champion when somebody got hurt or needed a break. That and any guy who can recover from a gimmick like male cheerleader deserves a little more time and energy.

The only shock about the others who got released is that it took so long.

Lena Yada was not up to par with the WWE's standards for being a diva.

Chuck Palumbo came off strong but withered and died off after a few short weeks, even a turn to heel couldn't revive that failed "American Bad Ass Undertaker Clone" gimmick.

Super Crazy, whom I do admire, was floundering around doing tag matches with Hacksaw and other miscellaneous members of the each roster.

Finally Paul London, despite reportedly taking time off, hadn't been seen or heard from since right before the draft and isn't it odd? Just like the Rockers so many years ago, The Brian Kendrick, has been given a push, a new look and a bodyguard. The other will now and most likely reside in obscurity doing special appearances from time to time, but never truly being a thorn in the side of anyone.

They still have missed a few that could lighten the WWE pocketbook and allow better talent to be brought in. My suggestions would be ...

Mark Henry- Big, strong, and dull!!!!
Hardcore Holly & Val Venis- Both no shows in months and past their expiration date as far as entertaining.
Snitsky- Nuff Said!
Kung Fu Naki- ??? Just his name sets my spellcheck into a fright. His mic skills do the same to my ears.
Scotty Goldman & Ryan Braddock- beaten, used and untalented.
DH Smith- Seriously use him or let him go!
Vickie Guerrero- They could save money on wheelchair rental and neckbraces.
Gavin Spears, Ricky Ortiz, Jack Swagger and The Boogeyman- Another group of never used or overly promoted wannabes.
Hornswoggle- ENOUGH ALREADY with the little green guy being everyone's son. He adds no value to anything except tearing down the career of a once great and mean wrestler.

Okay so I have made my list of people who should get the axe from the WWE. Now it is your turn to agree, disagree or add to the list.

The WWE may be cleaning house again, but unlike the last time we can only hope that the new entertainers being brought in will meet or match our expectations.

 

[OIL]

Snitsky - The WWE already has enough monster heels, and we don't need anymore. He has been round long enough to impress the WWE, and the fans and it hasn't worked. The Big Show, Kane, Kozlov and Khali are all above him and he won't be able to get past these who already do his role better than he can.

Hornswoggle - I agree. Him being in the WWE is pointless. He isn't funny, and when JBL threw that trash can at him at WrestleMania 24, it was the best. I'm sick of him. He is a midget acting like he's on crack. He needs to leave. Only little kids love him and all the more mature fans are sick of him.

 

[mcflyboy]

All I have to say is that it boggles my mind that they released Burke yet keep the boogeyman around. While the boogeyman's gimmick is, unique (although enough with the worms already that doesn't add anything)...it doesn't seem good or interesting enough to keep him around over burke.

Even if you take away gimmicks entirely and focus on in-ring ability, I would much rather watch a match with burke over boogey anyday. Not to mention, burke seemed a natural on the mic.

So like I said, I am perplexed. The only thing I can think of is that I think I read a long time ago that the whole boogeyman character is more or less shane mcmahon's baby, so maybe that's why boogeyman still gets to cash paychecks.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Out of your list there, these are the few that I agree warrant an unemployment period and I also added some workers.
______________________

Bam Neely

I can't stress how useless this guy is. He's boring in the ring, seems perpetually clueless in promos and he caused Bourne to have an injury due to a bad save. This guy shouldn't have a job in WWE.

Hawkins & Ryder

Yeah, these guys are also expendable. I already said my piece about the Super Major Bros. in the article about them. They're a tag team, which is of course needed, but if WWE ever start getting serious about tag team wrestling again, these guys should go.

Snitsky

As the OP said; NUFF SAID. Even having never hired the guy in the first place was a waste of time.

Mark Henry

This guy makes me fall asleep every time he appears on the TV screen. Why he got to have an ECW Championship reign while Holly did not sucks. He has never ever entertained me for one second. Can him.

 

[Fizzy]

Mark Henry
This guy has been in WWE for years, yet has showed no signs of improvement in any area. He is completely boring in the ring because he can't maneuver himself fast enough, he sells stuff so bad, and you can't put a decent match on with him no matter who you are. He is a waste of money

Snitsky
His gimmick is stale, and he is used to job to people now to make them look good. His moveset is limited, and when he wins matches all he does is throw his opponent into the corner, stomp them, pick them up, and pump handle slam them. His mic skills are horrible, and so are his wrestling skills. No reason what so ever to keep him.

Bam Neely
He doesn't even wrestle. All he does is strut on the outside of the ring and get involved in matches. He is utterly boring no matter what position he is in, and cause Evan Bourne to get hurt. He is definitely not worth what he is being paid.

 

[Mr. PPV]

Absolutely ridiculous that WWE have never gave Elijah the chance to shine, yet Mike Knox which is basicly a Snitsky with facial hair is getting a push on RAW. I'd really like to be behind the scenes and see how they come up with some of the decisions they make. I really can't f**king believe it.

 

[ECWildsider]

So far so good, but I did forget a few of my own...What??? Yep there are a few more that the WWE could benefit from by showing the exit sign...

1.Hacksaw Jim Duggan- From Hooooo! to Gooooo! This guy wasn't good enough to promote to champion in his prime! Santino said it best.

2. D-lo Brown- Once one of my favorite wrestlers, now he just has a spot on the Raw webpage. He had like three matches and POOF, absent!

3.Manu- The big powerful, dull, non-gimmicked, utterly useless member of the Third Generation Coalition! I know he's like family in the WWE, but not everyone has what it takes to make it in the family business.

4. Mr.Kennedy- I like his style, his promos and his ability to entice the crowd, but he's a walking disabled list every couple of months. For his own safety he must go or become a cripple far too early in life!

5. Armando Estrada- He's cut, and...well that is his only quality as is so many others. Good exterior and no other skills to match.

I will also agree with the many who pointed out Bam Neely and Hawkins/Ryder. In my defense they were merely oversights.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

That's a shame that they released Dykstra and Burke. Both of them could've been used much better. I still don't understand why they want to have a failing tag team division in the WWE when they've got enough guys to make it work. If they had nothing for Burke, why not team him up with someone? That would help your product rather than just paying the guy to do nothing. Dykstra to me should've been a solid midcarder. I see no reason why he wasn't pushed. Sure, he's no HBK yet, but he's really young and he wouldn't be getting any better if he had no practice. He was still talented. Remember that match he had against Punk on ECW a while back? That was one of Punk's best matches, I think.

Lena Yada....well, we all saw that coming once Gail Kim was signed. Lena clearly was going nowhere and the only attraction that would've come from keeping her (outside of how she was, you know, attractive lol) was because she was the only Asian girl, but now with Kim, they probably thought that they had it covered. Personally, two hot Asians are better than one in my book, lol, but Yada wasn't proving herself worth the bills.

POTENTIAL FUTURE CUTS:

Ryan Braddock - Guy's done nothing impressive at all. I don't see why he was even called up to the main roster.

Ricky Ortiz - We can all hope. ALTHOUGH, I still think it would be a good idea to put him in a tag team with Scotty Goldman, just to get the two over as two "comedic" guys, despite how neither of them are funny.

Scotty Goldman - Jobber, hasn't done anything in a while.

Armando Estrada - Hasn't been seen in a long while and was a jobber.

Bam Neely - Useless.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan - Just give it up.

Gavin Spears - They apparently have no intent of using this guy.

 

[Edgeheadfan]

There are many people I see being fire from WWE soon

Santino Marella- We have all heard how big of a jackass he is and how he has gotten some top people in WWE fire (Jim Cornette) He has gotten at least two DUI while in WWE and is basic the new Scott Hall has talent but keep screwing himself over

MVP- Just like many wrestler before him he was push way to fast to the top way too soon and now WWE has no idea what to do with him and to make matter worse he has gotten so lazy in the ring that people are refusing to wrestler him in fear of getting hurt.

Mr Kennedy- same as MVP push way too soon

 

[donutman]

Wow, the release of Burke is one I don't agree with at all. I guess Vince thought he had too many black guys getting TV time so he had to make a cut. With all the trash they have over there, including some of the new guys, but they end up releasing a guy with real talent. Your loss Vince, this guy has star potential.

 

[supersayian]

none of these really surprised me. Burke has been off TV for almost a long 9 months. i knew his time was almost up. creative blew this though he was great on mic and ok in the ring certainly better then some still on the roster now who should have been gone long ago. KD i feel the same way great athlete not used to full potential. lena left because like you guys said Gail Kim is back and better then most of divas if not all of them. now as for future releases here are my top 10

1 Kennedy this guy has been pushed and had his chances and blows it every time. i know its not his fault but he may be next i have a feeling

2 MVP im not feeling the player anymore he is on a losing streak storyline now. if he does not win by SS he is gone. this may be their send off for him. plus he is not as young as i thought he was.

3 Bam Neeley this guy really screams boring and should have been gone first. enough said.

4 Chavo Guerrero this guy is alright in the ring but is not solid at putting people over so he goes to.

5 hawkins and ryder these two were never a good tag team at all i cant believe there still here. they should never have won the tag belts. they will be gone next before anyone else.

6, 7,8,9,10 these all suck and should not get TV time on air. Duggian,Venis,Holly,Ortiz,Boggeyman. these all have no storyline purposes. why do they even bother

 

[supersayian]

why there way more of a upgrade then those dam edge heads they cant wrestle worth of crap. Carlito can wrestle big time and is great on the mic. Primo is still young but has a lot potential for the future.

 

[Tim]

Oh noes! Elijah Burke is gone! And who really gives a fuck? When was the last time anybody heard anything of Burke? I was actually wondering when he was going to be let go. He's a good entertainer, and he wasn't that bad on the mic imo, and I think he could have won a mid card title at least, but nobody would've cared. Kenny Dykstra has done nothing since dumping the Spirit Squad, I was just wondering when he was getting released. Lena Yada, do I even have to explain?

As for who will be next, there are a couple of people that stand out in my mind.

Snitsky - Name one important thing he has done. Ever. There are enough monsters that are above him, and anybody can beat him now, he's just a jobber. He's not believable anymore, so theres no point in him staying.

The Talent Initiative superstars - Except for Evan Bourne. He's the only one who has worked so far, and the others are still getting no reaction and will eventually turn into jobbers. No point keeping them, may as well save some money and release them.

 

[The Undercover Man]

They were all very talented and i can see TNA snapping them up sooner rather then later. London and Burke seem to most likely to find a new wrestling promotion soon but as for Dykstra whats he going to do? Go back to FCW?. Its a shame the WWE are getting rid of some of their most talented wrestlers. I suppose this is showing the sign of the times with the money and the "financial meltdown". I would'nt be surprised if we see more releases in the coming weeks.

The person who i could see being released next would be Snitsky, whats this guy doing? He has'nt been on WWE prgramming for a good few weeks apart from won squash match. He isn't even talented and has poor mic skills. I think he could ebthe next person on McMahon's hitlist. Another person who i think has a chance of being released is Gregory Helms, he's been injured, yes. But as we know WWE don't care if your injured, they want to see you back in the ring and i'm afraid if Helm's remains off screen, for yet another long period of time its safe to say he won't be returning

 

[mvk112]

I don't see guys like MVP, Mr. Kennedy, Hawkins, Ryder, Marella and Chavo getting released. These guys are on television for the most part, and involved in angles. I would put these guys next on the chopping block:

Snitsky - I don't think he was ever over, he isn't good on the mic, and he's just not that great as a monster.

Charlie Haas - He is essentially a jobber with a gimmick, but I can't see how far they can extend him portraying others. He should have been kept a tag team wrestler, I'm sure they could find someone for him to make a good tag team with - maybe he could be the new Billy Gunn - good tag wrestler, never over as a singles guy.

Ryan Braddock - I don't see much for him to do, he had started the tag team with Dykstra, now that he is gone, Braddock may be too.

Nick Nemeth/Dolph Ziggler - Just back from his wellness policy suspension, but I don't think they have much in store for him. If they are going to cut guys, why not cut guys who don't bring anything to the table?

 

[EDGECAGE]

What can i say that has not allready been said. Kenny was just a bad person to work with i have heard.

However i belive that Burk WILL be back some day. And I hope that he finds sucess in the Inddy or mabey even TNA Worlds. But i belive that Burke is simpley To GOOD to just get up and walk out of the light never to be heard from again.

 

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of ECW Superstar Armando Estrada as of Nov. 18, 2008. WWE wishes him the best in all future endeavors.

Totally called that one. You'd have to be a fool not to realize that he was one of the people that was in jeopardy. Estrada wasn't being used and even then, he was a jobber that wasn't getting any real reaction. There are some people I'd have cut before him (mainly Snitsky), and I'd have kept Burke and Dykstra, but if I was holding the power, I'd have cut Estrada in the first round of layoffs.

FUTURE CUTS STILL TO COME: Ryan Braddock, Ricky Ortiz, Scotty Goldman, Snitsky, Bam Neely, Hacksaw Jim Duggan (most likely to just be transitioned into a Legends contract though, not an official release), and Gavin Spears.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

Armondo Estrada was a very good mouthpeice. He helped Umaga get over as a monster heel and although the accent go annoying at times he was very proficient as a manager. He then made a mediocre general manager which could have went better if he was involved in a good storyline but since it was ECW there wasn't much hope. Once he was "fired" as the GM he jobber to Colin Delaney among others and never really found a solid place on the ECW roster as a wrestler. It was too early to say he sucked as a wrestler I just don't think people took him seriously since he was a manager for so long. This really isn't shocking and I don't care at all really, possibly he will go to TNA as a mouthpeice for someone but I really just don't care.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

They coulda kept Armando around, because he was a pretty good GM and a great mouthpiece type of character. But I won't miss the guy much. He wasn't a great wrestler. They could have kept using him as GM since T-Lo pretty much sucks as ECW GM but what's done is done. Good luck Mr. Ali.

 

[Tim]

I would've predicted for Armando to be the next if I had remembered him. But he was pretty forgettable, and while he could be entertaining, he was stuck in the middle of nowhere and couldn't get out. I can't really remember anything that he's done, so he obviously wasn't that great. But there were many others who could have been released, and Armando can be used as a manager, a wrestler, a GM, all types of roles. I don't really think he'll go to TNA, so maybe we'll hear of him in the Indys sometime.

 

[Siege27]

The following has been posted on WWE.com:

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of ECW Superstar Armando Estrada as of Nov. 18, 2008. WWE wishes him the best in all future endeavors.

His release doesnt really come as a shock, as he hasnt been used in a long time. I just think that he could've been used in a lot of ways on ECW which would have helped him and other wrestlers.

He was potentially a good GM too.

Your thoughts?