Wrestlers Wanting Releases

[TUFFY54]

In the last few months three WWE wrestlers have asked to be released. Now I've certainly never been a wrestler, or worked for the WWE, but something about this just doesn't seem smart. Lets take a look at the three guys then discuss this as a whole.

Matt Hardy - A few months ago Matt started posting bizarre YouTube videos claiming he wanted to leave the WWE. Matt had been with the company for ten years and didn't think they were using him properly. I don't know what his paycheck said, but it's a safe bet that he was making around a half million dollars a year. I don't know what Matt thought they should be doing with him, but I thought they were using him just fine. Short of being world champion, there's nothing the WWE didn't do with him. He has always been a midcard champion and involved in upper midcard feuds. Matt claims he want's to go to TNA, but that might not be happening. The only reason TNA would sign Matt is to reunite the Hardy Boys. With Jeff pleading guilty to drug trafficing charges, he might be out of TNA before Matt ever gets signed.

MVP - MVP is another wrestler who didn't think he was being used properly and asked for a release. Again, short of being a world champion, there was nothing more that the company could do for him. When you factor in his criminal past, they probably couldn't have made him champion anyway with his travel restrictions.

Kaval -Kaval is the big shocker out of this bunch. He won NXT season two and was in a position to have a nice career in the midcard of the WWE. He most likely would have had some nice runs as tag/Intercontinetel/US champ. He was only on the main roster for a couple of months before he decided that the WWE didn't know what to do with him and asked for his release a few days before Christmas.

Let me clarify that I don't know what these guys personal decisions are based on. Like I said, I've never been an employee of the WWE. However, I just can't help but think that these aren't wise decisions. These guys are wrestlers. Out of the thousands of guys working a day job while trying to make 50 bucks in a high school gym on the weekends, they made it to the top. If you are a wrestler in America, you can't do any better than working for the WWE. Matt Hardy and MVP are still in their 30's. They have made good money for years now, but there is no way they have enough to retire on. They still have a good five years in them before they would think about hanging the boots up. What are they going to do? TNA might not hirer Matt Hardy after all the trouble his brother has caused them, and they probably have no plans on hiring MVP. I don't understand MVP and Matt Hardy's decisions, but I think they were in the WWE long enough to know what they wanted to do. Kaval's decision to leave makes no sense what so ever. He was nothing in TNA and made no money working of Ring of Honor. He finally made it and walked away.

The current economic environment is really what bugs me about these people wanting to leave a dream job. There are millions of people in this country who are out of work, and these guys just walked away from a six figure a year income because they weren't 100% happy with the way their job was going. Most people in the world aren't happy at their jobs. They don't quit because they have bills to pay. These guys are wrestlers. I'd imagine that is how they want to make a living for as long as they can. They aren't going to be movie stars or MMA champions, and I don't see them going back to school to get their masters. There is nowhere in the world they can work to make the same money they made in WWE. These three guys act like it was hell on earth working for a company that paid them great money while they traveled the world and had thousands of people chanting their names every night. Again, these guys don't own us anything and are free to do whatever they want with their lives. However, I'm sure anyone that has ever had to work a hard 50 hour week to pay the bills would agree that being a superstar in the WWE is pretty far from a miserable job. Thoughts?

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

Ever since I started reading about behind the scenes stuff on the internet the life of a pro wrestler seems less and less glamorous to me. These guys are taking ridiculous bumps night in and night out that takes a HUGE toll on their bodies, they are traveling almost the entire year with hardly any time to heal (except for the major injuries) and they are away from families and friends the majority of their career. As for traveling around the country and world, that would be great if they weren't paying for it most of the time, providing their own transportation and rooms. It can't be cheap to be paying those bills. If you are paying your own way, working almost all year long, and traveling constantly that 6 figure job really isn't worth as much, you may as well work two regular jobs and make the same amount and have a family to come back to. Add to that the guys who feel like they'll never reach their potential(whether we think they could or not is irrelevant) and I can see why they'd walk away. Working for the WWE seems like a dream job, but it is not necessarily for everyone, particularly with the schedule WWE keeps. Guys walk away from baseball and football and bball despite the millions they make and having an offseason, so you can imagine the life of a pro wrestler. Not that turning to drugs is justified, but I can see how so many of these guys end up with addictions that ultimately wreck their lives. What you see on TV and what goes on behind the scenes are two VERY different things, so I wouldn't be so quick to judge these guys on the decisions they make in how they live their lives.

 

[CDoherty]

Speaking on Matt Hardy and MVP, these guys have probaly made way more money than they know what to do with, Matt Hardy especially. They don't need the job or the money, Low Ki on the other sounds like he couldn't handle the schedule.

 

[takerfan24]

All of them weren't treated well in WWE and thats why they left
Kaval-Kaval was very popular in TNA.In WWE, he was a mega jobber.He had legendary matches in TNA IMO. I have never watched ROH so i don't no what he did in there but he deserved way more in WWE



MVP- His career kicked off great but it went the wrong way for him. I heard he couldn't win a World Heavyweight Champion because of his time in jail but thats just what I heard.


Matt Hardy-Wasn't surprising to me. He has had problems with the WWE for a while now.He was teasing a return OR A DEBUT somewhere on Youtube but you never know

 

[Tequila Dave]

I think these three superstars are plain stupid; as you said, they chose to walk away from a dream job. I think the main issue was that these superstars believed they deserved better than what they were getting: despite being in the company at the pinnacle of sports entertainment, they weren't satisfied with their roles as jobbers. Now the question is, why couldn't these superstars settle? Why couldn't they accept the fact they weren't talented enough to be anything more than jobbers? Why wasn't WWE enough for them? I believe it's the fans fault, particularly the IWC.

Matt Hardy and Kaval are two superstars who were adored by a large portion of IWC; they couldn’t do anything wrong. The same can be said about MVP to an extent, but the point is, I believe members of the IWC gave these superstars a false sense of their security and ability. They couldn’t accept they were jobbers as people were constantly posting about how they were being hard done by and so on. I think this got to their heads and made them arrogant, leading them to mess up the single best career they’ll ever have.

 

[Tired0FthePeople]

The current economic environment is really what bugs me about these people wanting to leave a dream job. There are millions of people in this country who are out of work, and these guys just walked away from a six figure a year income because they weren't 100% happy with the way their job was going.


I think later in your post you say that you have no idea what kind of personal items played a part in their decisions. Its important to note that. Who knows if clinical depression played a part, nagging injuries that wont go away (health is said to be the most important thing in life). It could have been much more than simple un-rest about their position. BUT, I do know that Low Ki also walked away from TNA when he didnt like what he was doing there. Money isnt everything. Who knows if a guy like Low Ki is a wrestling 'pureist' who simply cant be content with money alone. I know we are lead to believe that it isnt true, but some people care more about the 'art' of their art than the money. Im not putting this over as if Low Ki is definitely one of these people but its another possibility.


Most people in the world aren't happy at their jobs. They don't quit because they have bills to pay. These guys are wrestlers. I'd imagine that is how they want to make a living for as long as they can. They aren't going to be movie stars or MMA champions, and I don't see them going back to school to get their masters. There is nowhere in the world they can work to make the same money they made in WWE.

Low Ki just got in WWE and Im assuming he's been paying his bills just fine the last 6-8 years of his life. Obviously he could have afforded more extravagances with a WWE salary but his asking for his release leads me to believe making 6 figures right now isnt the most important thing to him. (for whatever reason) Besides, we know how wrestling works. He probably figures he could get back to the E. Pro wrestling seems to have a revolving door. Even Kurt Angle left the E, so....


These three guys act like it was hell on earth working for a company that paid them great money while they traveled the world and had thousands of people chanting their names every night.

Youtube a couple of videos on x pro wrestlers talking about what its like to be a pro wrestler, especially in WWE. Its certainly no pic-nick. There is a lot about the WWE lifestyle thats leads to drug addiction, pain killer addictions, depression, chronic fatigue and shit...early deaths. Your post makes it seem like working for WWE is the greatest and most positive experience in the world. A lot of people make it big in the porn industry but its not indicative to a healthy lifestyle. 90% of these guys look to be in great physical condition when we see them on TV, but many guys in the business shed some light on the down side of what seems like such a glamorous profession. But still, only a small percentage ask for their release.



Again, these guys don't own us anything and are free to do whatever they want with their lives. However, I'm sure anyone that has ever had to work a hard 50 hour week to pay the bills would agree that being a superstar in the WWE is pretty far from a miserable job. Thoughts?



When Haas and Benjamin debuted in ROH and wrestled the Kings of Wrestling, they both said that they had FUN in that match and fun was something that they'd both been missing for the last 'however-many' years. Ive heard a few wrestlers comment that when they are not having fun in WWE, the toll it takes on you is a lot more than the average job you or I are unhappy with so for them its harder to stick around if they aren’t having fun.

Also, you never know if guys like Hardy and MVP have bought a local strip mall in their home town or maybe opened up a string of sports bars or have other businesses that are making money. In 2006 Hardy was getting paid 300K. I can easily see Hardy or MVP having invested money in some type of way that would generate this sort of income, if not a little lower but in the same ball field. And if they aren’t going to climb any higher, they may as well make this sort of money by owning a chain of 7-11's or something and not have to put up with the WWE schedule.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Of course, we never really know what happens behind the scenes. In this thread, we're assuming the wrestlers asked for their releases because they told us they did, but I've had the feeling that several of them were told by the company: "We're going to release you, but if you like, you can announce that leaving is your idea."

That way, they don't look so "fired."

Take Jillian Hall. Near the end of her tenure with WWE, we read that she was being taken off the road because the company had nothing for her. Then, they were going to let her be a trainer. But when she left WWE, we're suddenly hearing that she asked for her release so she could pursue other opportunities.

Well, which was it? Was the company removing her as an active performer or was she just dying to leave? We don't really know, do we?

Now, in Matt Hardy's case, I'm fairly sure he asked for his release. All the weirdness with him and his brother convinced me he was unhappy enough (or crazy enough) to leave a high paying job in wrestling to go to a lower paying one. If Jeff did it, why not Matt?

Kaval and MVP? Who knows? In most regular jobs, we aren't given the option of quitting; we get fired. In an entertainment industry job, maybe it's different, especially when a performer has done his best and is respected within the company.

In other words, they can just dump a guy like Carlito because he gave a half-assed effort and no one felt the need to give him a graceful way out. But guys like Kaval and MVP worked hard; maybe they got more consideration because of it.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

It clearly wasn't the best career they'll ever have and that's why they left. No one leaves a job they are happy at, and obviously these 3 weren't happy. Who the fuck wants to be a jobber, biggest company or not. Brock Lesnar was the fucking champion and always going to be a major player and he left. Kurt Angle still had a lot left in him, but he left, same with Booker T. Some guys don't want to work the ridiculous schedule WWE has and yes it is RIDICULOUS! Other guys are artists and want their craft appreciated, i believe guys like Kaval fall under this. He was legendary in TNA and ROH and could do so much in the ring, yet he came in and was a jobber. The fans voted him to win NXT, THE FUCKING FANS! Yet somehow he ends up totally jobbing while two guys the fans don't even like as much get tossed in the biggest angle in years (nexus). Of course he's not going to stay in a company that is going to hold him back. Same with the other guys. Just because you think it's a dream job because it looks cool watching it on tv doesn't mean it turns out to be that way once you get there.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As others have said, we're never going to get the entire story when it comes to situations like this. Same thing with wrestlers that have asked for releases in TNA.

Matt Hardy & MVP's reasons for leaving don't surprise me in the least because, quite frankly, I've reports and interviews given by wrestlers over and over again: they feel they're not being used properly. Just about every wrestler that laces up a pair of boots thinks that he should be a headliner and in the main event scene and that anything other than that is a misuse of their talents. I'm sure promoters sometimes overlook guys that could be just as good, or maybe even better, as the wrestlers involved in the main event scene. Promoters ultimately put guys in the main event that they believe will draw the audience and bring in money. That's exactly the kind of reasoning that led Dixie Carter to put the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on Rob Van Dam this past summer. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't, that's how everything in life works, all aspects of life really. As far as MVP & Matt Hardy go, I don't buy into them as main eventers. Matt Hardy is completely overrated and, at his very very best, is average at the most. MVP has improved inside the ring over the course of this year to the point where most of his matches were actually pretty fun to watch in my opinion. Ultimately, however, I never really saw anything overly special about him. He struck me overall as a solid mid-card guy but nothing more than that. However, I would buy into MVP as a main eventer before Matt Hardy. It's also not really such a big deal for these two to leave because they've made a lot of money in the WWE, especially Matt Hardy.

As for Kaval, it's a little bit different. Kaval seems like somebody that expected a huge push and wasn't willing to wait for it to come about. I do understand, however, as he was the winner of NXT Season II that he probably did expect a big push. Look at the pushes that Wade Barrett & Daniel Bryan have gotten, so it's not unreasonable for Kaval to assume he'd be getting the same treatment. At the same time, over the course of 2010, there have been a lot of fresh faces in the WWE that've been absolutely pushed to the moon and pushed very quickly, so maybe the WWE decided to tone back a little on Kaval. I remember reading an article several months back in which there was talk of Kaval going heel and beginning a program with Rey Mysterio early next year, a program that Mysterio himself was requesting. I think that, in Kaval's case, maybe he should've been a little more patient. If he wasn't going to get a major push right away, then show the WWE how valuable of an asset he could be to them, make friends and connections with someone like Mysterio. At the same time, I could be wrong about it. Maybe the WWE felt they made a mistake with Kaval and just decided to use him as fodder, which would be extremely unfortunate in my view.

 

[LitasRevenge79]

I think this is going to be a very gray area. No one will have a very cut and dry answer. No matter who you ask that is no longer with WWE, there will be some who sugar coat it, and some who won't. In the case of Matt Hardy, as much as he tries to avoid it, he will give body language and non-linguistic clues. Sadly, he's not one to hide his dis-satisfaction or displeasure despite claiming to be a professional and above juvenile quips. Especially when you see the other source of income that he and his brother have "The Hardy Show" which is based on them making fools out of themselves and profiting from it. I understand WWE has a young fanbase, and that doesn’t seem to be the way to go about it. Then when things don’t go your way, you start lashing out, and withdrawing. That’s not professional. In many situations, people will take the “fight or flight” approach to things. They will either withdraw from situations that are uncomfortable or fight. Hence some of the more curious behavior. Granted, not everyone will have such harsh words after “granted release” or “released” or whatever called. I would say the door can always be left open for future invites pending the behavior of the superstar surrounding the time around the release. Bear in mind, Kaval/Lo-Ki or whatever his name is, is not new to leaving and coming back in TNA, and has also had some issues before in TNA with not being happy and wanting his release and then coming back for a short period of time. Then in WWE, he wins NXT, and the twitter that he put out, unfortunately did not show very good judgement on his behalf, for seemingly questioning WWE Creative and seemingly putting down Big Show (a long time veteran performer) who is notably well liked by fans, and a close associate to McMahons. That unfortunately is NOT a way to win friends and influence people. Then Matt Hardy, as much as I liked him, he has shown some behavior issues in the past, showing up and openly starting arguments by calling the Byte This on air to air out more dirty laundry with Lita was a guest. Obviously if you’ve seen the clips, you could tell it was not planned for him to be a caller, even years later, he was dating Ashley M, and still would bring it up in interviews. You would think people would be professionals and rise above, and go on, but some still hold grudges, and those can sometimes be nurtured if you are stressed enough and don’t have a healthy outlet. Sure there are other things like “Creative runs out of ideas,” or “Sometimes people just get frustrated with other situations.” Ultimately, I think it boils down to ability to cope on the road, and maturity with stress. Sure, everyone will have bad days, but the ability to cope is the main reason. If you can be graceful under pressure, you are viewed as mature. Everyone tells you that its not an easy job, that there are sacrifices. But for someone to go and put things down in WWE, like Paul London, Matt Hardy…I mean, WWE couldn’t have been ALL THAT bad…they did win titles, and have some success. You’d have to take the good with the bad. That’s what life is to me.

 

[WWEboy13]

If you noticed, the people who asked for releases were treated badly:

MVP- He wasn't ever getting a WHC and he was upset about it. He was a mid carder.

Matt Hardy- Wasn't given a title shot. He was also angry with other superstars.

Kaval- Wasn't given the title from Mr.Ziggles. WWE had no plans for him.

 

[TUFFY54]

If you noticed, the people who asked for releases were treated badly:

MVP- He wasn't ever getting a WHC and he was upset about it. He was a mid carder.

Matt Hardy- Wasn't given a title shot. He was also angry with other superstars.

Kaval- Wasn't given the title from Mr.Ziggles. WWE had no plans for him.

I get what your saying about MVP and Hardy, but Kaval had been on TV for maybe 3 months. Unless they told him specifically, I find it hard to belive that he spent enough time with the company to know what his future was.

Bret Hart started with a lame cowboy gimmick and wrestled in a tag team for six years before getting his huge push.

Shawn Michaels spent four years in a lower card team before his push. They didn't even win the belts.

Steve Austin had the terrible ringmaster gimmick when he showed up in the WWE.

Triple H didn't win the belt for over 4 years and spent a year wrestling Henry Godwin and Duke the Dumpster Drosey.

The Rock was given a gimmick that was so bad people chanted Die Rocky Die at him every night. McMahon almost released him because of how badly he failed at getting over.

The point being I don't think Kaval gave it enough time. However, like I said, he can do whatever he wants.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

Kaval went on NXT and spent time in FCW and was touted as being the next breakout star, while on those shows im sure he made a significant amount less than he could have if we went straight to raw or smackdown, which he could have with his experience. Kaval and DB have had YEARS of experience and should not have been on NXT but gone straight to the big show. For DB it worked out, but not as much for Kaval. Hell, even for DB it may have worked out differently if he hadn't been fired. I admit, you are right he was there only 3 months and guys have waited much longer for a break, but i think he was set up to be a big player from the get go by virtue of winning NXT and so jobbing out instead must have been a big hit to him. Add that to the grueling wwe schedule and i'm sure he just felt it wasn't worthwhile to him, which is his prerogative. How people can say he's an idiot or that he threw away a dream is what bothers me since guaranteed what he got was far from his dream.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Some of these guys just come off as big cry babies if you ask me. When it comes to Matt Hardy, I think the WWE gave him A LOT more than he actually deserved during his time with the company. It's not the WWE's fault he couldn't get over as a heel when he was placed in a feud with his very over and popular brother in 2009. Hardy is a delusional mid carder who THINKS he could be a main eventer. I used to constantly bash MVP on these forums, but I have to give the guy credit, he did improve as far as his ring work goes in 2010. I think MVP was just burnt out from pro wrestling, so I really don't have to big of a problem with him. And as Jack Hammer said, I would definitely buy into MVP as a main eventer before Matt Hardy. As far as Gregory Helms goes, I think he's another whiny little bitch. Yeah, I really enjoyed The Hurricane gimmick, and Helms isn't bad in the ring, but there's nothing overly special about him. He's another guy who was no better than mid card status. Kaval's release kind of annoyed me. From what I read, it seemed as if he didn't want to wait for his push. With more time, Kaval could've been elevated higher, but he just didn't want to wait. Bryan was a jobber like no other, but patience has clearly payed off or him.

Some of these guys just aren't as good as they think they are. Over the years, I've read so many reports about wrestlers who think they've been screwed over by the WWE. They think they should be headlining pay per views and holding World Championships. Vince and the WWE trust guys like Orton, Cena, Triple H, and Undertaker. And they trust them for good reasons. They are over with the crowd, they sell the merchandise, and people want to pay to see them. Now, if these guys are able to excel in the ring, on the mic, and the crowd gets behind them, then I would be in favor of these guys receiving a big push, but you can't just throw anyone into the main event. It doesn't work like that, and if you ask me, it's really not a smart way to go about running a wrestling promotion.

 

[Tech N9ne]

A lot of these guys think they can do better elsewhere. They for sure can't make more money elsewhere. I think they get spoiled a little bit by the money they make. Then, think they have made enough money and can go somewhere else and become World Champion, or at least be more relevant in THAT company's title scene. OR be more relevant in that other company in general.

But I think it is a mistake. Most of these guys that move on will not become a World Champ elsewhere and after a while their money will start to slowly disappear. As they are not making the same money they once were. They get used to living a certain way. Then when they leave, they continue living in that way. But the money is not coming in like it was.

So overall it is dumb. None of these guys that ever leave are John Cena, or Randy Orton.

They all make it seem like they are being held down. But they leave and soon find out that they are not as good as they thought and eventually end up back in WWE or end up somewhere smaller than even TNA is.

They end up in the same place as they were in WWE. Lack of use, or good storylines. The difference??? The money. I would rather toil for awhile in WWE and accept a larger paycheck with Vince's name on it. Then be World Champ in ROH or something for much less money.

You never know what might happen. Sure things in WWE might not be going according to your plan. But if you stuck around and didn't complain, things might begin to change. Maybe an injury or something along those lines will open a door for you.