WWE Releases - Keep It All In Here!

[The Hardcore Kid]

http://www.wwe.com/inside/melina-released
http://www.wwe.com/inside/vladimir-kozlov-released


Kinda comes as a shock to me...while neither were really being used and Melina was kinda a problem backstage I figured Morrison had enough clout to keep her around, and Kozlov seems like a solid worker.


Thoughts?

EDIT: Also there are rumors, although not confirmed, that Gail Kim quit? What is going on here...Diva mutiny?

 

[AntiChristDeicide]

Meh, i don't care that much. Koslov never did anything except being in tag teams ( once with Santino and once with Ezekiel Jackson), so its not a big loss. Melina, well what did she do except the splits? And another thing, she dissed Trish Stratus ( a big no no in WWE), so its a miracle she lasted this long after that episode.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Kozlov probably would have been released last year at this time if it weren't for Santino saving his career. Not a big loss at all, though I certainly think he's better than some of the other dead weight they're keeping around.

Melina is a bit more shocking, but I can't say that I'm disappointed. A useless Diva who was (rumored to be) holding back a potential superstar? Good riddance. Get rid of more of them.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Not a big loss. Kozlov just didn't really bring anything to the table. His partnership with Santino was actually kind of entertaining for a while but even that got old.

As for Melina, I'm not surprised. I figured it was coming because she's been absolutely buried since losing the Divas Championship. There are lots of reports of her having a huge attitude problem backstage and maybe just got tired of her.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I agree with Nate about Kozlov. If it hadn't been for Santino, he would have been gone a long, long time ago. He's a pretty one-dimensional guy, and he burned his "I'm a complete bad ass" cred a long time ago, like, the first time he lost clean.

Melina looks weird now. Sorry, but she looks crazy, and her face is different. That means nothing, I know, but I felt like saying it. Just another Diva who has passed her expiration date.

 

[JGlass]

I'm a little upset about Kozlov being released. Dude could wrestle a fine middle length match, and he was starting to come into his own as a face character. He was ridiculous, yes, but there's nothing wrong with having a few ridiculous guys on the roster. I understand why they released him though, they have plenty of ridiculous guys that can put on a decent enough match in Zack Ryder, Santino, etc.

I'm fully behind Melina's release. I've always thought she was ridiculously overrated, and she also has a reputation of not being the most agreeable person backstage. I'm much more interested to learn about how this is going to effect John Morrison. Is this the WWE's way of telling him to focus on his career and stop letting Melina be a distraction for him, or is this one of Senile Vince's ways of messing with his wrestlers? Then again, it's entirely possible they did this from a strict business perspective and did it for financial reasons only, without thinking of how it affects JoMo at all.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

I'm not shocked about either release. Kozlov has been doing nothing on Raw or SD since him and Santino not teaming together. He has been in a crappy storyline with JTG on NXT but NXT means nothing. Melina has apparently been having a lot of backstage pronlems for a while now and she's been buried on tv so not too shocking.

Just waiting for JTG to be released.

 

[HorsemenNo4]

I'm shocked about Melina being released. Bret Hart must be heartbroken over the news... j/k.
Seriously though, she's one of the most talented divas who hasn't been used properly in years. I was hoping she would get 1 more title run before she left but I guess that was just wishful thinking.
Another Diva underused and released because WWE doesn't know how to make a star in 2011.

 

[Y2Jericho]

This just in: http://www.wwe.com/inside/david-hart-smith-released

Long time coming, in my opinion, DHS hasn't been used well (or even at all) since his split with Kidd, which is a shame, given his family background, but I never expected him to be bigger or even level with his father.

Edit: Masters doesn't suprise me, this is just like a few years back when he was let go the first time. Kozlov I honestly thought would've been kept around as a jobber for atleast another 2 years. Melina is actually a bit of a shock to me, she's one of the few divas worth watching in the WWE...

As for Gail Kim quitting, saw it coming, she's hardly been used since her return in 2009, which is a damn shame, because she was fairly decent in her first run with the WWE.

 

[avi01]

I don`t really care about Melina and Kozlov being released is no surprise. But David Hart Smith is a little surprised and disappointment. I wish they`d keep him for more time and try to make it work. Hart Dynasty`s split never really him or Tyson kid but both have so much potential...I really wish it would work out.

 

[JWGunslinger]

I'm a little upset about Kozlov being released. Dude could wrestle a fine middle length match, and he was starting to come into his own as a face character. He was ridiculous, yes, but there's nothing wrong with having a few ridiculous guys on the roster. I understand why they released him though, they have plenty of ridiculous guys that can put on a decent enough match in Zack Ryder, Santino, etc.

I'm fully behind Melina's release. I've always thought she was ridiculously overrated, and she also has a reputation of not being the most agreeable person backstage. I'm much more interested to learn about how this is going to effect John Morrison. Is this the WWE's way of telling him to focus on his career and stop letting Melina be a distraction for him, or is this one of Senile Vince's ways of messing with his wrestlers? Then again, it's entirely possible they did this from a strict business perspective and did it for financial reasons only, without thinking of how it affects JoMo at all.

Could not agree more JGlass, even though Koz wasn't doing anything relevant right now he was a solid worker(I love the guy) and had been getting plenty of love from the crowds. I was kind of praying for a Mark Henry esqe turn somewhere down the road but looks like we won't see that

As for Melina I could care less, she was definitely overrated and frankly i'm kindof happy she's gone.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

These are two totally different topics merged into one thread for whatever reason. The release of Kozlov and Masters (and now DH Smith), and the release of Melina and Gail's quitting are two TOTALLY different topics.

Masters and DH Smith are a store of great guys with great looks who had shit runs and couldn't get over. Kozlov got over only because of Santino. All three were expendable and if they were getting expensive or taking up room, it's best to make way for other talent.

Melina and Gail are TOTALLY different. First, you're firing JoMo's girlfriend. Maybe he finally dumped her. Second, you're losing two women who, in the grand scheme of things, are considered "Woman Wrestlers" and not so much "Divas." It just affirms WWE's strategy is to push women's wrestling less like men's wrestling and more like hot girls on a male dominated program. Beth Phoenix is probably the only remaining badass on the roster.

Incidentally, I liked Melina but always felt Gail was an overrated spot-monkey botch-fest waiting to happen. Shoulda stuck her with Sin Cara. Hell, maybe they did!

It's just the sign of the times, but the females releases are vastly more interesting than the guys.

 

[vincent_kennedy_mcmahon]

WWE Facebook page states that Chris Masters and DH Smith are also released.
The Masterpiece and Bulldogs kid, I didn't really expect that, though they were only used on Superstars.
I think all these four could end up on TNA, although their roster is too big anyway.

 

[XXJJ]

Great job by the WWE getting rid of the trash. Cant believe they were paying Masters all this time.

Gail and Melina were not even being used. I dont blame the WWE for getting rid of Gail after what she did on raw. WWE has some better divas waiting in the wings like Naomi, AJ and Maxine. Gail was just a spot monkey who had botched fill matches.

 

[trashboy]

well I personally think it sucks that Melina was released.. she was the hottest chick in WWE and yes, she's even hotter than Trish Stratus.. she was decent in the ring, alot better than Kelly Kelly..

i just say, hopefully she goes to TNA where the women's division is 10 times better than WWE.. they don't even have singles matches in WWE unless it's ppv.. most of the time it's pointless tag team matches and some of the partners don't even get a chance to get in the ring

i have a feeling my other girl, Layla, will also be released.. I mean, what has she done since making Michelle McCool "quit?"

 

[Nate DaMac]

Hmm... I see there's more too.

DH being cut kind of sucks. Well, a little bit. I kind of liked the kid for whatever reason but it's no surprise that he's gone. No charisma to speak of and he was getting by solely on his relationship to the Hart family which doesn't seem to be worth as much as most thought.

Masters is even less surprising. I've been waiting for this news since well, he was resigned a few years back. He never did anything before and he did even less this time around. I always thought he had some potential, but with the 2 wellness policy violations going against him already it's possible that they just didn't want to take a chance with him.

 

[Heavens Vibe]

All the releases came as a bit of a let down for me to be honest, althought I wasnt a fan of DH Smith, Melina or Kozlov they had potential.

Melina is a far better wrestler than half the divas, DH Smith has a heritage thats been brushed aside, and Kozlov? Well he would have made a deccent soviet heel lol

Gail Kim was possibly the biggest loss, way to underutilise a brilliant wrestler.

Masters was a piss take for me, I know hes had problems, but look at the guy! Hes a bloody tank!

 

[SecondCitySaint]

Kozlov can always go back to K1 fighting. Dude was good. Melina is no big loss. Someone said something about her and Morrison/Nitro possibly splitting. If this is true, she can start a career in porn ala Chyna. Still waiting on Drew, JTG and Yoshi to be released. Hopefully DH Smith's MMA career pans out better than this. He screwed himself when he got suspended for steroid usage. I don't see much going for TJ Wilson, either. Mason Ryan should be on this list of releases, as well.
On a side note, how does this correlate to Gail Kim's elimination from the battle royal on Raw? I am curious to know if she quit before or after the match. My guess says after, but I am just speculating.

 

[Raito]

Chris masters bitched on Z true story this week.

Gail kim eliminated herself from battle royal then broke kayfabe and said in a smart alec way that she did what the company told her and "got herself out of the ring as soon as possible".

Melina comes out being a smart alec defending gail.

Relevant points I'm suprised werent raised yet in this topic.

 

[I_Am_Electro_Boy]

So I see there's more releases.

DH Smith - I'm disappointed with this release. I think he was pretty talented. I'm not shocked though he hasn't been on tv for a long time.

Gail Kim - Well again I'm disappointed with this release. She was one of the most talented divas on the roster. But again I'm not shocked as she was rarely on tv.

Chris Masters - I'm not as disappointed with this release he's been annoying me as of late no real reason he just has. I'm not shocked with this release either, he's not on tv much.

Still waiting to hear that JTG has been released.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think it's nice to see the WWE trimming the fat.

DH Smith was actually very solid in the ring. He had a decent look and a natural look. He didn't look like some steroid or bodybuilding freak. However, the guy was straight up 100% vanilla. Zero presence, personality or charisma. The few times I heard the guy talk was just plain painful. He makes Frankie Kazarian look like The Rock on the mic.

As for Chris Masters, he's been much better his second time around. Solid in the ring and with a great look. Masters had decent promo skills and I think something could have possibly been done with him. He'd probably be hated among a good portion of the IWC because he's over 6 feet tall and weighs more than 200 lbs. I think the WWE wasn't willing to take a chance on Masters. While it's true that he's kept clean during his second run in the WWE, the fact is he failed the Wellness Policy twice and that's practically career suicide in WWE.

Also, why are people saying that Gail Kim was released? According to what I've read, Gail Kim quit. She wanted out of her contract. She probably made more than enough money to keep her secure financially for a while, maybe permanently, and she just wanted out.

 

[Vincent Michaels]

None of these releases really suprised me except for Masters and Kozlov.

I've really enjoyed seeing Masters on Superstars in recent weeks as he was putting on some pretty good matches against various others. I personally thought he had a lot more potential than people gave him credit for. Always thought he could've at least gotten a transitional reign as IC or US Champ as he could certainly put on some fairly entertaining matches.

Kozlov was ok when he started as a monster, but like everyone else it had to ware off eventually, and I'm very glad it did as he was awesome at doing his comedic stuff with Santino the past few months or so. It's not like he was a drag in the ring either as he could put on a good match when he wanted to.

I hope things go well for these two as well as everyone else who's been released so far.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

While you guys are talking about santino saving kozlov, santino is next to get fired. He is not doing anything but jobbing.

This has to be the dumbest thing I've read in weeks.

Santino is the only reason Kozlov's career lasted this long, and there's a reason WWE placed Ryder with him. Santino is crowd gold. He gets more reaction that Daniel Bryan does, for fuck's sake. Just because he loses doesn't mean he sucks at his job - this isn't the UFC, it's WWE - and your win / loss record doesn't make a damn is fans react to seeing you.

Computers should have an IQ register before they turn on.

 

[The_Reptile_]

I'm taking this as a sign that guys from FCW are going to get moved up. If this week is any indication Brodus Clay is now on the Superstars crew and we're likely going to see more of Gabriel and Slater on there.

But still, I'm rather surprised by Melina. I mean, I knew she had problems backstage, but she's always been pretty over for a Diva.

 

[Stephen11]

I'm sure Morrison is going to have a hissy fit about this one... Melina was never used properly and never caused a huge impact so seeing her leave is no surprise especially if she caused backstage drama. She has always been over-rated.

I really don't mind Kozlov leaving either since he's basically a lost cause but I'm surprised they release right when he starts being used the most.


I'm mad that DH Smith was released because I was really looking forward to him improving since he has so much potential but WWE obviously wasn't going to use him properly and he seemed to have wanted a way to get out of WWE anyways.