I’ve done enough of these articles that I’m beyond sick of starting off with “here we go again.” At this point, it should really just be “Welcome to another weekly edition of WWE Budget Cuts Analysis.”
Yet again, for whatever reason, WWE has decided to release even more Superstars from the roster. Also, once more, some of them happened at times when these wrestlers were in the midst of pushes, so it makes just as little sense as always.
We’re well past the “why” talking points. I’ve been fully convinced Vince McMahon is selling WWE for months and I feel as though that’s what will be confirmed as the cause for all this, in due time.
However, in the meantime, all we can do is look at the latest releases from the past few days and chat it up about where we’d like to see those performers go in the future, if at all possible.
Once again, and hopefully for the last time for many, many months, let’s take a look at the latest releases and toss out some projections of what’s to come.
Tegan Nox – Poor girl had such an awful run in WWE. Literally every single time she started to get somewhere, she was given a setback. Multiple injuries in NXT, then she had this tag team title shot on the main roster that she won several times and never actually received, then gets drafted to the opposite brand and never shows up. What a waste.
A general rule of thumb is that any good women’s wrestler is someone I’d like to see in AEW. I think someone like Nox can be beneficial to that brand. However, I don’t think that’s where we’ll see her. I’m picturing she’ll probably make appearances for NWA and then go back more to the UK scene instead.
Jaxson Ryker – He lasted longer on the main roster than his tag team partners, despite creating more of the controversy that led partially to the other two being released. Now, The Forgotten Sons are all gone. Yet another casualty to this “wipe NXT clean” agenda. With that being said, I don’t think many people will be crying out for Ryker to return, based on the lackluster reaction he’s had.
Where does he go? I’m imagining probably Impact Wrestling. I don’t think AEW would want to bring him in after some of the political stuff.
Hit Row – I keep using the word “baffling” to express my thoughts on these releases, and Hit Row fits the bill. Why do you bring that group together, give Scott the North American title, have him drop it so they can go to SmackDown, release B-Fab right after their debut, then release the other three? What in the hell is going on in WWE???
I don’t think Top Dolla will particularly go anywhere. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott should be brought into AEW, but I could see him ending up in Impact. Ashante “Thee” Adonis is an outlier. I’m currently a bit pessimistic we’ll see him again on another mainstream program, but I like the guy, so I’m rooting for him.
Slapjack / Shane Thorne – Shane Thorne had a few attempts at getting something going, but Slapjack was basically the death knell for him, I guess. Supposedly, he was trying some Crocodile Dundee type gimmick, but it never saw television. Not that that would matter based on the releases we’ve seen.
Thorne would have been a better fit for NXT UK, I think. Maybe he goes back to that scene. I’m not expecting to see him signed to AEW, NWA, Impact or anywhere else. He could make appearances, but I don’t think he’ll get a true contract any of those places.
Drake Maverick – This is such a bummer. I liked Maverick so much and it seemed like he was really such a big fan of having a job in WWE, as it was his dream. When he got re-signed after his previous release, that was one of my favorite feel-good moments. Now, we’re back again at him being gone.
Any company would benefit from him, I think. I really hope AEW snatches him up. If not, Impact Wrestling would likely welcome him back, and he’d find something to do in NWA, too. My fingers are crossed for AEW.
John Morrison – Speaking of someone who I think goes to AEW, the same certainly applies to John Morrison. He’s another person I think WWE shouldn’t have released by any means. I’ll admit that I don’t think he was on track to winning a world title any time soon, but he’s a veteran who is talented and could have been a great asset even for NXT if they had decided to actually keep some people who aren’t purely on the younger side.
AEW should definitely be his destination, if Tony Khan is willing to bring him in. If that’s not the case, I’m sure he’ll get looked at by the other two companies. I just hope he doesn’t fully retire or anything along those lines. He still has some great matches left in him.
Where do you think these men and women will end up next? What do you think about their releases? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!
