2022 WRESTLERS LEAVING COMPANIES THREAD (Releases, FAs, etc...)

[StevieNippz]

4 hours ago, Zimbra said:

For whatever reason WWE licensed some generic techno instead of having Jim Johnston whip something up.  I've heard it as incidental music on HGTV before.

Harlem Heat's WCW theme was the same way.  You hear it on Chopped as background music from time to time.

It's crazy to me how many "iconic" themes are just generic stock music. Add the Dudley Boyz and Hardcore Holly's music to the list, I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting. I still hear those jams on random advertisements, usually for trucks or something. 

[Technico Support]

Add Luger's late 80s NWA/WCW music to the list.  I think I heard it in Creepshow 2.

[GodzillaPerez]

The Hurricane's original theme is also one. Heard it in the background of Drag Race.

[NoFistsJustFlips]

I'm shocked that after they got over in 1999 WWE didn't tweak the production music and have it redone in house to keep it. While the original could always be used, if they made it similar but distinctly different in like 2000 it changes a lot. Even when they came back at the Orlando Mania. Figured they would have had a WWE-ized version of that song. Because letting letting a big name star walk out and show up on someone else's TV with the same name and same music sounds like something Vince would punch a hole in a wall over.

But let's put this in context. How dumb was TNA? They could have licensed that music for Jeff and it would have made so much more of an impact.

[Log]

It's funny how much Jeff having that music improved his debut.  Like, everyone was expecting it as soon as that "emergency board meeting" was announced, but the shock of hearing THAT music probably increased the pop a lot.

[JLowe]

6 minutes ago, Log said:

It's funny how much Jeff having that music improved his debut.  Like, everyone was expecting it as soon as that "emergency board meeting" was announced, but the shock of hearing THAT music probably increased the pop a lot.

Havin Darby and Sting run in first also helped, a nice little swerve to keep the fans on their toes when it actually happened.

[Curt McGirt]

So who's next on the "...is ALL ELITE" dartboard? We got Keith Lee and Jeff Hardy last. Cesaro seems to be the next guy if TK wants anybody else. Briscoes gotta show up sometime, too. 

[DragonZombie]

Ring of Honor media liaison Marc Kruskol will be done with the company on April 10. He worked for ROH since 2016.

Tony Khan wants a different staff and newer employees.

[w. josh]

Windham Rotunda has started setting up convention appearances in the last few days and looks to have dropped some weight, but I honestly have no idea whether TK has (or should have) any interest whatsoever.

[Casey]

If his past comments from like 2014 are still his thoughts today, he's more likely to re-sign Big Swole than Windham. He's not a fan of his in-ring stuff, if I'm remembering his tweets right.

[John from Cincinnati]

3 hours ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

But let's put this in context. How dumb was TNA? They could have licensed that music for Jeff and it would have made so much more of an impact.

Even if he wanted to use some of his own music eventually, he was arguably coming off his hottest run when he left WWE in '09. They ought have taken as much of his super familiar presentation as possible to start (I know he was using No More Words his last couple years, but everyone still recognizes the Hardys theme and Jeff got it for a chunk of his singles run anyway). That song 100% should have been on the first Hogan/Bischoff episode of Impact. 

Edited March 10, 2022 by John from Cincinnati

[DragonZombie]

Bray to CYN? Or Impact? 

[odessasteps]

1 hour ago, Curt McGirt said:

So who's next on the "...is ALL ELITE" dartboard? We got Keith Lee and Jeff Hardy last. Cesaro seems to be the next guy if TK wants anybody else. Briscoes gotta show up sometime, too. 

I saw someone say that if TK is keeping ROH as a functioning promotion, it might be better to keep the Briscoes there and not on TBS to jump start the brand. And maybe ship FTR there too to feud with them. 

[Casey]

Fair play if the wrestler doesn't want to sign, but I swear if I don't read some reports that AEW didn't at least try and sign Toni Storm...

[NoFistsJustFlips]

If the rumor mill is true, one of the requirements of WWE allowing her to walk away was with an understanding (and maybe even a written agreement) that she not work for AEW until her end date. This wasn't a WWE initiated release, it was her asking out like Ali. Could all be bullshit. But seems plausible.

[zendragon]

I could see bringing in Drake Maverick/Rockstar Spud to do the wrestler manager thing Heenan did in the early 80's

[Infinit]

1 hour ago, zendragon said:

I could see bringing in Drake Maverick/Rockstar Spud to do the wrestler manager thing Heenan did in the early 80's

Drake signed back to WWE

[Nice Guy Eddie]

17 hours ago, Zimbra said:

For whatever reason WWE licensed some generic techno instead of having Jim Johnston whip something up.  I've heard it as incidental music on HGTV before.

Harlem Heat's WCW theme was the same way.  You hear it on Chopped as background music from time to time.

My favorite use of what would become Harlem Heat's theme:

 

[kafkonia]

I could have sworn I'd seen Too Cool's theme crop up in some party scene somewhere, but it appears to have been a Jim Johnston joint.

[Zakk_Sabbath]

Maybe slightly off-topic, but if anyone plays the WWE2k games (just got my refund, but I'll save that for the game thread) you'll be thrilled to know that I recently heard this pop up in a Girlfriends rerun

 

[AxB]

52 minutes ago, kafkonia said:

I could have sworn I'd seen Too Cool's theme crop up in some party scene somewhere, but it appears to have been a Jim Johnston joint.

Might have been that Jake Busey show, where Too Cool were actually cameoing in the scene. Shasta McNasty.

[Wyld Samurai]

1 hour ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

My favorite use of what would become Harlem Heat's theme:

 

Man, Sister Sheri never looked more sinister.

[(BP)]

Shasta McNasty is one of those special cultural artifacts that could only exist pre 9/11 but also post Smash Mouth’s first album being released. 

[RIPPA]

Here is Meltzer's write up about what is happening with Cody from the new WON

Spoiler

The situation with Cody Rhodes took a major turn this week and everything is back up in the air.

WWE had its creative set up for a secret debut of Rhodes imminently, as in the next week or so, regarding how he was debuting and a match that has been confirmed would be with Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. But those in the company involved at the high level have said that they don’t know what happened nor has it for sure fallen through as talks were ongoing during the week and he still could debut imminently. The creative team was only told that it was not 100 percent that he was coming in, when they believed it was a done deal with the key parts of creative having already been worked out for him to debut.

They were told this week to hold off on working on Rhodes vs. Rollins until Rhodes signs the contract, because they had already worked on it, and then had to stop everything when they weren’t sure if Rhodes was coming. But it was not a dead deal.

Essentially the situation appears to be that he has offers from different places and will choose one as opposed to going to WWE as WWE believed it to be last week. Depending on if the show is renewed or not, he’d also have his role on “Go Big Show” with TBS. In a sense it appears he is in the position or at least outwardly giving the impression it’s a situation like Bryan Danielson more than Brian Pillman, but it could be a combination of both.

While many had speculated and were even mad that Rhodes didn’t debut on 3/5 in Madison Square Garden as one of the two mystery men that were to face Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, that was never under consideration. Sacrificing him on his first night in this situation where the WrestleMania headliners were going to be booked strong made absolutely no sense for anyone. WWE had never hinted Rhodes to be one of the guys and only stated that Lesnar’s opponent would be a world champion level performer who was befitting a Madison Square Garden world title match. I don’t think Austin Theory fits that description, but when that description was said, it was Theory who was the person they were talking about.

The terminology we were given from the WWE side was that they believe that Rhodes not signing a WWE deal is either him angling for a better deal with the idea WWE wants everything it can put on for WrestleMania so there is leverage involved. Or it could be that Rhodes is playing a Brian Pillman game (which even Rhodes hinted about ibn one AEW TV interview) or that the deal is not going to happen.

There was a lot of speculation regarding Rhodes somehow being involved with the ROH under Tony Khan as the public face of the company. We were told that tons of people have asked Khan about that, although in that situation only Khan and Rhodes would know where things stand with the two of them. Such a scenario does make sense to keep ROH alive, because owning two companies and doing a promotion vs. promotion angle can work, although it’s rarely done well but there has also been at times great success when it’s done right. But Khan made it clear he would be running ROH and booking ROH. That would in theory indicate that the idea of putting Rhodes in charge of creative and this all being a work to build to that doesn’t seem to be the case.

It is Dave speak but it looks like that Cody got multiple offers from places instead of WWE being his only option so now he is choosing

[PetrolCB]

2 hours ago, RIPPA said:

It is Dave speak but it looks like that Cody got multiple offers from places instead of WWE being his only option so now he is choosing

Cool, maybe he'll go to CYN.