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Post by darbus alan on Sept 21, 2023 18:38:38 GMT -5
Also Mace has the best Twitter handle of all time
GREATBLACKOTAKU. In all caps.
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Totorob101
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Post by Totorob101 on Sept 21, 2023 18:41:38 GMT -5
Sad alround for all the talents who will all be fine and find their feet elsewhere no doubt. Feel bad for Dolph and Dana as they have given so much to the company only for them to just dump them out like this,both hard working, well loved and respected people who deserved a better end. Honestly with everyone still hurting losing Bray, this kind of thing should have been put back for a while as this cant be good for backstage moral,espicially with losing two well respected and easy going workers like Dolph and Dana. Just crap as is the way with WWE.
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Post by KingPooper on Sept 21, 2023 18:50:12 GMT -5
One thing always surprises me when these threads happen is how long some of these talents have been in the company.
Aliyah has been signed for eight years. It’s crazy how time moves differently these days, I remember it was a huge deal when taker or edge was around for ten years. Now guys like Steve Mack make it seven years in company and are on the main show for two weeks.
I get they have the PC and NXT where it takes longer to get to the main roster these days, but eight years is a long time to invest in someone. It’s bizarre she has the record for winning the shortest match ever.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Sept 21, 2023 18:52:34 GMT -5
I will never understand Mace at the very least not getting a proper NXT run. The man is huge, a good athlete, former NFL man, one of the best looks in wrestling, and charismatic. Why wasn’t he allowed to try to hone in the in-ring side of things? A huge missed opportunity for real. WWE needed to have him on payroll for like 7 years and doing nothing with him because reasons. God, this company is run shabbily.
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Sept 21, 2023 18:54:34 GMT -5
Japanese companies don't seem to do the "Giant gaijin" thing as much anymore which sucks for Dabbo-Kato because that would be the perfect role for him. Maybe someone from CyberAgent or All Japan will randomly see something in him. Still if he wants to keep wrestling I'm sure MLW, NWA, or Impact will have him. My gut says MLW. They do to an extent, like they really wanted Reed to be a thing in NJPW, but he went back to WWE and... uh... that's kinda/sorta working out? Maybe? Depends on what they're paying him. Still, Dabbo is definitely not a Reed in terms of skill.
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Post by avenger on Sept 21, 2023 18:54:35 GMT -5
Looking at some of these cuts - Rick Boogs, Elias, Riddick Moss and to a lesser extent Aaliyah. These wrestlers tended to get featured on the main roster under McMahon, but were rarely featured when HHH ran NXT. Boogs only appeared once in NXT. With the news about McMahon's shares being up for sale, are these HHH cuts?
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Post by Hypnosis on Sept 21, 2023 18:55:43 GMT -5
I will never understand Mace at the very least not getting a proper NXT run. The man is huge, a good athlete, former NFL man, one of the best looks in wrestling, and charismatic. Why wasn’t he allowed to try to hone in the in-ring side of things? A huge missed opportunity for real. WWE needed to have him on payroll for like 7 years and doing nothing with him because reasons. God, this company is run shabbily. I think the reliance on nearly every TV match being long, the numerous management changes over the years, and Vince being so fickle likely haven't helped.
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Toates Madhackrviper
King Koopa
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This avatar is so far out of date I might as well stick with it forever now.
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Post by Toates Madhackrviper on Sept 21, 2023 18:58:30 GMT -5
Japanese companies don't seem to do the "Giant gaijin" thing as much anymore which sucks for Dabbo-Kato because that would be the perfect role for him. Maybe someone from CyberAgent or All Japan will randomly see something in him. Still if he wants to keep wrestling I'm sure MLW, NWA, or Impact will have him. My gut says MLW. They do to an extent, like they really wanted Reed to be a thing in NJPW, but he went back to WWE and... uh... that's kinda/sorta working out? Maybe? Depends on what they're paying him. Still, Dabbo is definitely not a Reed in terms of skill. Yeah I was more saying that the days of a guy like Albert Bloom going to Japan and reinventing himself seem somewhat over. Guys like Bronson who are big AND already really good have a shot. Guys like Dabbo and Shanky who don't currently have reputations for being good and would need to do some reinventing to make something of themselves there don't have as much of a place.
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JoDaNa1281
Crow T. Robot
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Posts: 41,980
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Post by JoDaNa1281 on Sept 21, 2023 19:09:49 GMT -5
I think the only bright side to some of this news is that we're now in a world where wrestlers can go grab the brass ring elsewhere. Toni Storm was last seen on WWE television being made to look like a fool by Charlotte Flair and now she's a deranged Hollywood starlet getting superstar reactions. Matt Cardona got released from WWE and reinvented his entire career by playing off how much of his career he spent with the WWE. Steph De Lander's reinvented herself as Cardona's heater Cody left WWE and basically got the dream deal to come back as the company's top babyface There are countless more stories like this now when it wasn't always this way. If people want to do the work, they have a chance. Yep, quite a few people have been able to go to Impact, AEW, NJPW, the indies, etc., and have been able to rebuild themselves & thrive.
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Nr1Humanoid
Hank Scorpio
Is the #3 humanoid at best.
Posts: 5,583
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Post by Nr1Humanoid on Sept 21, 2023 19:15:24 GMT -5
It took three pages for us to let go of our cynisism and accept that this was not a work.
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Post by hbkid718 on Sept 21, 2023 19:22:03 GMT -5
Here are my thoughts about the wrestlers that were released today by WWE. I will not trivialize them by posting their W/L Records, but will mention when their last match was. Also, I'm not going to speculate where they should wrestle next as it's up to them. No matter what company picks them up or even if they want to step away from wrestling, whatever makes them happy is good for me. They all deserve better than how they were treated.
Mustafa Ali - LAST MATCH: Defeated Dragon Lee (9/5 NXT) Incredible wrestler that should have been used better. They let him wrestle for the Cruiserweight Championship at WrestleMania & then did nothing else. They tried to revitalize him by making him the head of Retribution, but that went nowhere. They moved him to NXT as a Free Agent & he was doing great in the North American Title Division with an title match scheduled for No Mercy, so this release doesn't make sense at all.
Aliyah - LAST MATCH: she & Raquel Rodriguez lost to Damage CTRL (9/12/22 Raw) She floundered in NXT for several years before they moved her up to the main roster. They gave her a chance with her feud with Natalya & then the Women's Tag Team Championship with Raquel Rodriguez, but then she got injured. I don't know what was going to happen when she came back.
Shelton Benjamin - LAST MATCH: he & Cedric Alexander lost to The Viking Raiders (9/14 Main Event) He is the most underrated wrestler in WWE History. He had great runs as Tag Team, Intercontinental, & United States Champion. He will always be part of my favorite Sweet Chin Music in History. But then they forgot about him & he was wasted as part of The Hurt Business with Cedric Alexander & recently has been used as Enhancement Talent.
Rick Boogs - LAST MATCH: Lost to LA Knight in a Battle Royal (8/5 SummerSlam) He was great as Shinsuke Nakamura's guitarist when he debuted, then he got hurt at WrestleMania last year. When he came back, they kept him separate from Nakamura & did nothing with him. He didn't even wrestle on Main Event. They were going to do something with him & Elias, but that was quickly dropped.
Dana Brooke - LAST MATCH: Lost to Lyra Valkyria (9/12 NXT) I was critical of her, as she wasn't good at first, but once in a while she would have a great match on Main Event. Moving her to NXT was the right move as she was helping others develop and there was a lot more she could do in NXT.
Dabba-Kato - LAST MATCH: Lost to Tyler Bate (9/5 NXT) He is another wrestler that I was critical of. He debuted as Apollo Crews' bodyguard & was very menacing, but then as a singles wrestler, he wasn't that good. His match against Tyler Bate was good but because of Bate, not because of him.
Top Dolla - LAST MATCH: Lost to LA Knight (8/11 SD) I might have been critical of him in the past by saying that he wasn't that good of a wrestler & his promos suck & I wanted him to be released, but that's wrong. Everyone deserves a chance to learn & grow and if given time, he could be a good wrestler. His strength is impressive and he was great as a host on WWE Most Wanted Treasures.
Elias - LAST MATCH: Lost to Mustafa Ali in a Battle Royal (5/15 RAW) I was never a fan of his gimmick and then when they made him Ezekiel, I thought it was so stupid. But he is a good wrestler & decent on the microphone. You know there's something special when they let you interact with The Undertaker & John Cena. He should have been used more.
Quincy Elliot - LAST MATCH: With Ikemen Jiro lost to Tank Ledger & Hank Walker (7/21 Level Up) It's sad when others get released, but not him. He was a horrible wrestler with a stupid gimmick that for some reason people loved, but he is a horrible human being.
Emma - LAST MATCH: Lost to Shayna Baszler (7/10 RAW) They brought her back for nothing. She was treated as an Enhancement Talent when she was on Raw, but had good matches on Main Event. She has potential to be a bigger part of the Women's Division.
Yulisa Leon - LAST MATCH: With Valentina Feroz lost to Elektra Lopez & Lola Vice (8/1 NXT) She & Valentina Feroz are a great tag team if there was an NXT Women's Tag Team Division. She got an opportunity of wrestling on Smackdown after she returned from injury.
Mace & Mansoor - LAST MATCH: Lost to Mustafa Ali in a Battle Royal (5/15 Raw) I will put them together here. The Maximum Male Models was bad but then when they put Maxxine with The Alpha Academy, they stopped using them. Mace was a big guy that was decent in the ring. Mansoor was a great wrestler that was only used when WWE went to Saudi Arabia before being saddled with this gimmick.
Bryson Montana - LAST MATCH: Lost to Boa (6/16 Level Up) He was basically used as an Enhancement Talent on Level Up & never used on NXT TV itself. He is a good wrestler that could have been part of The Diamond Mine, Chase U, or Drew Gulak's group.
Riddick Moss - LAST MATCH: Lost to Bronson Reed (9/14 ME) He really didn't do much besides a short run as 24/7 Champion & as the horrible Madcap Moss with Baron Corbin. But he is a good wrestler if he was given time on Main Event.
Shanky - LAST MATCH: With Jinder Mahal lost to The Viking Raiders (7/22/22 Smackdown) He's another wrestler that I was crtical of. He's not that good of a wrestler but the crowd was starting to like his dancing gimmick when they dropped it after the draft and that's when he stopped being used. He will forever be part of history as the wrestler that GUNTHER defended the Intercontiental Championship against as the Longest Reigning IC Champion of All-Time.
Dolph Ziggler - LAST MATCH: Wrestled JD McDonagh to a Double Count Out (5/29 Raw) There's not enough words to talk about him. He is an amazing wrestler that had an incredible run. Yes, he held so many Championships & he had classic matches with so many, but he should have been treated better. I was looking forward to his feud with JD McDonagh but that ended to due to his injury.
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J. Hova
Don Corleone
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Posts: 2,051
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Post by J. Hova on Sept 21, 2023 19:22:43 GMT -5
Obviously sucks for the talents. I'm sure most of them will be fine with the plethora of other options out there today, if they choose to continue to wrestle. Honestly, some of them I forgot were even there.
I get why they did it to bury the story, but my god the optics looks terrible announcing cuts the same day that they announce billion dollar plus agreement for TV rights.
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Post by The Rick Jericho on Sept 21, 2023 19:32:53 GMT -5
I wonder why WWE doesn't post a new story or posting on their site on the releases like they use to.
I mean, the lesser of two evils would they be informed by the company, then a blurb is posted on their site. I guess it would be better than a post of a dirtsheet guy and that's all they get leaving the company?
Of all of them, Dolph is a big story, so it's too bad he didn't get a farewell news story on the WWE website.
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Nr1Humanoid
Hank Scorpio
Is the #3 humanoid at best.
Posts: 5,583
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Post by Nr1Humanoid on Sept 21, 2023 19:38:09 GMT -5
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Post by floundertime on Sept 21, 2023 19:38:25 GMT -5
This means will we never have a Batista/Dana Brooke team run. And don't be like Batista is retired bla blah blah. I could still dream he had 1 more run in him.
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Post by Error on Sept 21, 2023 20:02:26 GMT -5
Looking at some of these cuts - Rick Boogs, Elias, Riddick Moss and to a lesser extent Aaliyah. These wrestlers tended to get featured on the main roster under McMahon, but were rarely featured when HHH ran NXT. Boogs only appeared once in NXT. With the news about McMahon's shares being up for sale, are these HHH cuts? Reports are he wasn't consulted on these cuts if I remember right, it's earlier in the thread I think. Boogs started to get some use on house shows if I recall but got called up before anything could be done. Riddick Moss was a staple of the NXT house shows as they tried everything with him before he went up to Raw.
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Post by griti kitty on Sept 21, 2023 20:03:07 GMT -5
Looks like Brookyln Barlow got released. Changed her IG handle. Just to confirm this.
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Post by MrElijah on Sept 21, 2023 20:04:48 GMT -5
Dolf is going to show up at one of the GCW Bloodsport events ala Dolf during Raw underground Funny enough, I liked Underground Dolph. He looked good there.
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Post by koreycaskets on Sept 21, 2023 20:05:30 GMT -5
I have a feeling Shelton will be back as a performance center coach.
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Post by HIM on Sept 21, 2023 20:06:29 GMT -5
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