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The 2021 WWE Forever Purge - Part 3 of ?


Gonzo

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Just now, D.Z said:

Yeah explains why they got rid of Eva. 

It doesn't explain why they brought her back though.

Triple H is partly to blame for his. He sold the NXT roster a pack of goods. Hoarded a ton of talent from the indies and wasn't giving them a long-term future in WWE. 

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In this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shared specific notes regarding several of the 18 WWE wrestlers released Thursday.

Main roster talents that were cut all have a 90-day non-compete so they are free and clear on February 2nd, 2022. Those under NXT contracts have a 30-day non-compete with their contractual freedom coming on December 4th.

Having said that, he believed Ember Moon falls under the 90-day non-compete because, despite returning to NXT, she was under a main roster deal.

Meltzer said there was a plan within WWE to repackage Karrion Kross for a third time as he had been pulled from TV by Vince McMahon because he hadn't gotten over, especially with his new look. On Twitter, Kross joked with a fan who wondered if he could get Kross' helmet.

B-Fab was believed to have signed a new deal just last week, making her release surprising.

Similar to Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado had requested his release. 

An idea for Harry Smith was to make him a primary figure in NXT UK, but due to travel not opening up, they chose to keep him on the main roster instead. He worked one SmackDown dark match in July, got COVID-19, was told to keep that quiet, and that was that.

Eva Marie was off WWE TV as she is filming a movie.

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17 hours ago, Matt D said:

Netflix Pro Wrestling

I'd watch it!

Anyway, when they said Harry Smith was released, are we talking about Davey Boy Smith Jr. Harry Smith here? If so, I really had no actual clue that he was signed. That was at least the second time his WWE stint amounted to nothing (much).

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That's clearly faked because Seth isn't on it.  

The more I think about Keith/Mia, the more I think they may have fallen under the non-vaccinated termination list.  I understand long-term Covid is a motherfucker, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't get jabbed after that, and that's ultimately what did them in.  

Not saying for sure, but that seems like at least one possible explanation. 

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48 minutes ago, BobbyWhioux said:


again, you need to have a heart before you can have a heart attack

No argument there. But no billionaire got to that point by being remotely nice. 

It's clear that Nick Khan's approach is a combination of sports analytics and golden-age Hollywood studio play. The executives control everything, even more than usual. They want moldable talent to make into stars specific to WWE's wants/needs.  They choose who is moldable. They will create every detail of a wrestler's persona. And if you pass their test, you'll be successful and make good money. But if you fall short of expectations, they sweep you out and find someone younger and more pliable. 

They're creating a 3-tier system: the core group of bankable stars (around 6-8 wrestlers at any given time), a secondary group who may grow into superstardom but will be good B-listers if not, and everyone else is a bit player in the act. And honestly, that's not the worst concept to have.  It's a diluted version of Marvel, in a way. But because Hunter (with Vince's approval) hoarded so much talent over the past 5-6 years, the bloodletting to achieve that concept is nasty work.

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I hope that most of those released aren't too disheartened for too long, and from a completely selfish point of view, I'm happy to know that some of those great talents will be back on TV shows that I actually watch ?

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1 minute ago, Shartnado said:

Who's left? Ziggler, Rey, Roode, Shelton, AJ, anyone else come to mind?

Going by the roster on WWE.com

  • AJ (who reportedly is dealing with an non-injury medical issue if I remember the phrasing correctly)
  • Finn Balor
  • John Morrison
  • Kevin Owens
  • MVP (Out injured)
  • R-Truth
  • Rey Jr
  • Robert Roode
  • Shelton Benjamin
  • The Miz
  • Cesaro
  • Drew Gulak
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Jinder Mahal
  • Kofi Kingston
  • Sheamus
  • Shinsuke Nakamura

(I didn't include folks like Orton, Drew, Lashley who are in the world title picture)

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Nia posted on her IG that she asked for a mental health break in September, which WWE supported. She was scheduled to return on November 15, but she didn't feel ready and asked for an extension. She got released right after. She thinks it was a late decision with bad communication where certain office didn't talk to each other about what they were supposed to do, I'm gathering.

I also gather that she isn't vaccinated, so there's also that.

Edited by Burgundy LaRue
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18 minutes ago, RIPPA said:

Going by the roster on WWE.com

  • AJ (who reportedly is dealing with an non-injury medical issue if I remember the phrasing correctly)
  • Finn Balor
  • John Morrison
  • Kevin Owens
  • MVP (Out injured)
  • R-Truth
  • Rey Jr
  • Robert Roode
  • Shelton Benjamin
  • The Miz
  • Cesaro
  • Drew Gulak
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Jinder Mahal
  • Kofi Kingston
  • Sheamus
  • Shinsuke Nakamura

(I didn't include folks like Orton, Drew, Lashley who are in the world title picture)

Of that list, we know Owens is gone in January.  Miz isn't likely going anywhere as he's been doing well on the main stream stuff lately.  Cesaro is likely a lifer, as is Kingston (so long as New Day rolls on).  Everyone else is likely fucked.

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3 hours ago, Craig H said:

Never forget: 

https://streamable.com/ap0ooh

Brock made Lee look like a star and I think you could tell that Lee is someone Brock would have liked to work against.

The only thing WWE had to do with Lee was keep doing this and instead they fucked it up. There is no easy layup WWE won't miss. I'm honestly shocked Ricochet is still in WWE because he's another dude they've totally fucked up on. 

I knew Keith Lee was fucked when Vince decided to change his gear and tell him to tone down his style.  As I posted then, he literally hired a big dude who could fly and then told him to cover up his body and not fly.

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If they release Shinsuke, that might be interesting. To see where he goes, and if he stops half-assing it when he gets there.

Jeff Hardy they'll hang on to, because they know he's more valuable elsewhere.

R-Truth seems to be a Vince favourite, or he wouldn't have been there this long.

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18 minutes ago, Burgundy LaRue said:

No argument there. But no billionaire got to that point by being remotely nice. 

As someone who spent like 12-13 years here (I think I started regular posting here around 07-08ish) defending Dana White and the UFC sometimes, even I must I admit there is a limit to how far I will go with my defense though. I don't think anyone is arguing about being nice or that corporations are not greedy. However, at some point, we can all say that WWE is a shitbag company and they've done things that no one can defend or justify. And I would like to think I have a good gauge on companies like that working for Walmart corporate for about 3 and 1/2 years. Moreover, I think because of this that they've seen a massive decline in popularity. We can make excuses about cord cutters or alternative options for entertainment or w/e, but we have several years in the last 35 years as examples that show that wrestling done right (obviously the word right can mean many things to many people) can attract eyeballs. I feel like the stigma they've definitely earned has become a repellant for interest in pro wrestling. The people who basically deny they have earned it and/or say "well it sucks but that's corporations for you" are the people on the Titanic who weren't convinced there was a huge problem until the ship literally cracked in half.

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Back in the 2000’s, Meltzer would “joke” about Vince believing women were too old to be on tv once they turned 30.  He actually seemed fascinated by Layla El (not in a creepy way) because she managed to stay on tv till her mid-to-late 30’s.

I won’t be too surprised if that joke comes back into vogue a couple years from now.

Edited by Eoae
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