The Takeover is Over

AJ Lee wasn't the only person released by WWE on Friday 3 April. Joseph 'CJ Parker' Robinson officially got his walking papers too.

CJP apparently left on good terms. He was rated highly by trainers and his peers (Kevin Owens singled him out as an underrated guy in an interview on WWE's website shortly after his debut) and rquested his release, as opposed to finding himself fired. He's got his eye on a job with New Japan. Which is understandable but possibly a little lofty at this point.

That Parker wanted out is understandable. He'd been in the WWE system for four years and in that time had only managed to progress to the role of NXT's most notable jobber. I enjoyed his work there. I thought the modern day hippy shtick was uninspired at first but it came to life when the negative crowd reaction was embraced and he was turned into a preachy eco warrior. It was a rare example of WWE writers thinking on their feet and altering their plans to fit with audience reactions.

Phenomenal dress sense.

I also liked the way Parker had become the guy who debuting fellas defeated. His appearances started to signal to the crowd that they were going to get to see someone new or watch something noteworthy happen. For someone who lost pretty much all of his matches that was a good position to have. And there was potential for a long term story in which CJ acknowledged his losing streak and went on a quest to end it. That could have turned him into a bigger name within NXT had it been timed right.

But being the guy who loses to everyone who's going to get a big push can't have been fulfilling and while the heel hippy gimmick was enjoyable it clearly wasn't going to get him to the NXT championship, let alone a meaningful position on the main roster. He was best off doing what he did: politely asking for his release. He can use the notoriety he's gained on NXT to get work elsewhere.

The New Japan job he's said to want is, as already noted, probably out of reach at this point. It's not impossible though. Japanese wrestling promotions have an esoteric taste in which westerners they select for prominent roles (look no further than Karl Anderson). He could be just what they're after to spice up their junior scene. It doesn't seem particularly likely.

As far as Japan goes a stint in NOAH seems like Parker's best hope. The company's currently going through a restructuring with Jado implementing the New Japan booking style and attempting to elevate the entire roster with the invasion of Suzukigun. Parker could be brought in as a fresh face for the flagging junior division, which seems far less lively than New Japan's. It would be a low key role but it would be something. And it could lead him to New Japan thanks to the working relationship the promotions share.

A spot in ROH doesn't seem too farfetched right now. Tommaso Ciampa recently revealed he was leaving the company because he felt overlooked, much like CJP had in NXT. The loss of a mid-card guy like Ciampa and the rumours of WWE gunning for some of the company's leading names could make ROH keen to sign a reliable fresh face with decent name value. He couldn't be introduced in a featured spot after losing for so long in WWE, but he could be rehabilitated for something meaningful over time.

He'll definitely receive offers from the usual suspects: TNA and the World Wrestling Network. I'd like to see him in the WWN because I have a soft spot for Sapolsky's approach to booking, although I suspect they're going to start getting wary about using too many former WWE guys soon. I really don't want to see Parker lower himself to TNA. Until that company's back on its feet (which I'm convinced isn't possible with the current creative line-up) it's best of avoided.

I'll miss CJP on NXT. He was always entertaining. But if his departure from WWE leads to him getting a better role elsewhere then I'll be pleased. Plus it opens up a spot for someone new in NXT, even if it is only that of a featured jobber.

KENTA in the Land of Sports Entertainment

So WWE’s signed KENTA to a developmental contract. This is kind of a big deal.

Kenta Kobayashi (he wisely chose to stylize his ring name KENTA in part to avoid confusion with his real life mentor and fellow wrestler Kenta Kobashi) previously worked for Pro Wrestling NOAH and had been their biggest name and most reliable wrestler for several years. He is (or was) the most significant name in puroresu not to be working for New Japan. That company, along with WWE, TNA, All Japan and NOAH, had all made their interest in him known but KENTA opted to go with WWE’s offer. Perhaps he’s always dreamt of being a WWE Superstar™.

The KENTA signing is all thanks to Hulk you know.

KENTA will start out stationed in NXT. He may have been the top star of NOAH and wrestled a variety of styles around the world but that doesn’t matter. In modern WWE everyone starts the same way. Which makes perfect sense. KENTA needs to familiarise himself with the WWE ring, learn how to interact with a WWE crowd, and get used to wrestling alongside the WWE camera setup, amongst dozens of other intricacies.

And, of course, he needs to improve his English. He’s not fluent. WWE won’t want him to be but they will want him to be passable before they promote him to the main roster, and understandably so. He needs to be able to have basic interactions with fans outside arenas and in airports, and have a decent enough understanding of the language to read an audience and interact with fellow wrestlers. It’s all as much a part of the job as kicking people really hard.

This is not to say that KENTA needs perfect English to succeed in WWE. I don’t think that’s the case. Many wrestlers have made it to positions of prominence with limited verbal skills. The most obvious example is Brock Lesnar. During his initial run with the company he developed into a decent, if unspectacular, talker. Since returning he’s barely uttered a word, instead being paired up with premier chat man Paul Heyman.

Outside of WWE Sabu exhibited drawing power as a crazed madman that never spoke in both the US and Japan in the 90s. Goldberg was about the only star WCW created for themselves, and he was never one for long promos. Vader, Taz, and Rob Van Dam were all star attractions for various promotions without speaking. Back in WWE Undertaker initially became a star without really doing much beyond wrestling slowly and looming as managers nattered about him.

Of course, there are arguments for why none of this applies to KENTA. Sabu, Goldberg and anyone else who became a star without talking outside of WWE were all working in different systems with different expectations and requirements. Undertaker had a very specific gimmick that didn’t lend itself to lengthy promos. And Brock Lesnar is Brock Lesnar, a proven box office draw with a star aura whose limitations WWE will work around because of the wealth of positive attributes he possesses.

But, really, none of this matters. If KENTA’s English is deemed not good enough it needn’t stop him becoming a star. He could be introduced as an “international superstar” Heyman Guy. He could be introduced as a member of The Authority, handpicked by Triple H as another star of tomorrow. WWE could even get their act together and cast another manager to pair KENTA with. Ultimately an inability to cut lengthy promos will only hinder KENTA (under whatever ring name he ends up with) as much as WWE allows it to. It’s his ability to interact with crowds and the quality of his matches that will determine whether KENTA becomes a star or not.

The 2014 Future Endeavours Club

On Wednesday 11 June WWE hadn’t done a mass release of talent in around three years. That changed the following day when it was announced that Brodus Clay, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Camacho, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, and JTG, as well as referee Marc Harris and odd job man Theodore Long, had been released from their contracts. Until 2011 it had previously been a rather unpleasant annual tradition that came in the months following WrestleMania. It originally came about through a combination of cost-cutting and clearing the roster of wrestlers who had run their course with the company. It was, in a way, spring cleaning. It had presumably fallen off in recent years because WWE were going through a phase of altruism and-or a phase of feeling the need to get everybody under contract accepted as a star.

The lack of mass releases wasn’t going to last forever. WWE employs too many people at too many levels for that. There had been hints that something big was coming with the release of four NXT names (Shaul ‘Raquel Diaz’ Guerrero, beefy Welsh lovemuffin Mason Ryan, Danny Burch, and former tag champ Oliver Grey) at the end of April, but at the time it was taken more as the beginning of a new norm: WWE making multiple releases from NXT and leaving the main roster alone. Clearly that was wrong.

Below I’ll look at ten of the eleven releases (what is there to say about a nondescript referee?), discussing what they achieved in WWE, whether it was right to release them and what they could end up doing next.

Before I start that I’ll mention that I won’t be discussing Global Force Wrestling as a prospective employer. The promotion hasn’t promoted or even announced its first show yet. All it’s done is flog T-shirts and post pictures on its website and social media accounts, a disproportionate number of which have featured non-worker Karen Jarrett. It’s entirely possible some or all of the people WWE released will end up in GFW but it’s impossible to discuss it realistically bright now because we’ve no idea what their product will be like to hypothesise on where any wrestler could fit into things.

We’ll begin with one of the bigger names on the list: Drew McIntyre. The Scotsman was introduced in a significant fashion (for 2009) and was initially positioned as singles act destined for greatness. He was infamously singled out as Vince McMahon’s on-screen ‘Chosen One’ which, while clearly a storyline, was indicative of there being a lot of faith in him as a performer. The company boss isn’t going to endorse someone on-screen if they doesn’t feel they can amount to something. Especially when that company boss is Vince McMahon.

For a while it looked as though Drew was going to meet the hype. He was shuffled into a rivalry with an authority figure (specifically SmackDown GM Teddy Long), one of WWE’s favoured methods of getting someone over, and quickly had the Intercontinental title slung his way. True, the belt didn’t mean as much as it once had but it was still a vote of confidence from the writing crew.

It’s tricky to know where Drew went wrong. He was never a bad wrestler and he seemed decent enough on the microphone. I suspect those in charge may have cooled on him when he went through a period of visa issues which prohibited him from making regular appearances on TV. Denied weekly use of him I imagine the writing team, and the notoriously fickle-with-mid-carders Vinnie Mac, lost interest.

Maybe they could form a team called 2 Out of 3MB.
Y'know, like 2 Out of 3 Count?

In the last year Drew had been killing time as a member of 3MB, alongside Heath Slater and fellow firee Jinder Mahal. It says something about how far McIntyre had fallen that when he helped found the comedy jobber trio it was seen as a step up for him. Mahal too, for that matter. He’d never been seen in quite the same light as McIntyre but he had been given a prominently booked, if confusing and dull, introductory feud opposite The Great Khali and been presented as a man of significance for a while afterwards.

3MB were never going to amount to anything. Everything you need to know about the group’s standing can be gleaned from the fact that they’d been playing second fiddle to Hornswoggle in his feud with El Torito for a month and a half before the releases occurred. An on-screen split wouldn’t have done them any favours. It would have harmed them in fact. At least in 3MB they had an identity and a chance of getting on to shows to be used in tag matches. Both McIntyre and Mahal would have struggled as singles acts because they’d been presented as losers for so long (something Heath Slater’s about to find out).

I’ll be surprised if McIntyre doesn’t hit up some British indies in the next few months, specifically Insane Championship Wrestling. It’s based in his home country of Scotland and by all accounts does very well for itself. I can’t imagine them passing up the chance to bring in a Scottish guy who has WWE priors. If they start to expand into new areas, and there are rumblings that they might, it’s possible Drew will work there frequently and take other bookings around Blighty. A move to TNA isn’t out of the question, but his ex-wife working there may make that… tricky.

Mahal’s future is a tougher call. There’s no obvious call for a man of average look and ability on the indies. He doesn’t strike me as a man who’d fit in anywhere really, so my best guess would be TNA. Because he’s a former WWE talent. Maybe he’ll surprise us and make it big in the ailing NOAH. Or All Japan. Stranger things have happened.

The release of Camacho isn’t really surprising. He had a brief run as an enforcer on the main roster but that came to an end when Hunico, the man for whom he was enforcing, got permanently morphed into Sin Cara. The most noteworthy thing that happened to him during his subsequent run on NXT was a weird rivalry with Adam Rose.

There was no obvious role for him to fill on the main roster and being a permanent fixture in NXT wasn’t an option, so his release was inevitable. He seemed like a nice enough guy but I don’t think he’s a loss. I think he’d be a good addition to EVOLVE but I that seems unlikely. I suspect the best he can hope for is a string of bookings with nondescript leagues.

Similar sentiments can be expressed for Yoshi Tatsu. If anything it’s arguable that his release seemed more likely. He first signed a WWE contract in 2007. Seven years later he was still stationed in the developmental system. He’d been promoted to the main roster during that time but he’d never progressed beyond an enhancement position. If WWE has no faith in someone who’s been in their system for that long a cut can’t be considered a shock.

Being Japanese Tatsu’s future could very well lie there. As much as I think he’d fit in in Ring of Honor I can’t imagine there’s much call for him there. They’ve got a partnership with New Japan anyway, making a guy like Tatsu less interesting than he would have been to them a year or two ago. For that matter both EVOLVE and TNA have Japanese partner promotions they can call on for foreign talent.

Aksana comes from a bodybuilding background, which makes her release a little surprising. Because Triple H is a big fan of bodybuilders. But then he’s also a fan of wrestling and Aksana was not a good wrestler. She looked good in slinky outfits. That’s about all that can be said for her as far as working in wrestling goes. And even in WWE that will only get you so far.

If TNA aren’t interested in her I think she’ll probably be leaving the wrestling world. So really the question is “Will TNA have an interest in her?” In her favour she has the already mentioned ability to look good in slinky outfits and a history with WWE. That’s probably enough to net her work there. Considering how much TNA enjoy replicating WWE storylines and characters it’s possible, perhaps even likely, that Aksana will be hired to work as their version of Lana, a sexy foreign heel who manages an unstoppable monster.

Speaking of Aksana, her on-screen-ex-boyfriend Teddy Long has gone too. More than any other person who was released I can imagine that there was a degree of amicability to this release. At sixty-six Long probably fancied retiring and putting his feet up. He’d done everything he was ever going to in WWE and was only going to continue to be the butt of jokes if he stuck around. That’s not something WWE is going to pay someone to do indefinitely.

The worst thing about Long’s departure is that it means there’ll probably never be a payoff to his strike storyline on The JBL and Cole Show.

Back to Ring of Honor? Probs.

Back on more surprising ground we have Evan Bourne. He’s been recovering from an ankle injury (suffered in a motorbike accident as opposed to the wrestling ring) since the spring of 2012. He had one match last year and realised that he needed to continue rehabbing. That match aside he’d been injured for twenty-seven months. Only the very top guys can take that sort of time off without fear of release, and Evan Bourne was not close to being a very top guy.

But even with that said Bourne’s release comes as a surprise. He was never going to be a big singles star but he could have been a nice addition to the mid-card or the tag ranks. In fact he’d already had a taste of both thanks to a brief but fun programme with Chris Jericho in 2010 and a tag team championship reign alongside Kofi Kingston as Air Boom. Perhaps there are medical reports that indicated WWE were going to have to wait months before he was ready to step back into the ring and they weren’t prepared to do so. I can understand that but it doesn’t change my belief that Bourne had something to offer.

Bourne is the only man released who has a history with Ring of Honor, as Matt Sydal. When he’s recovered he could head back there and get a spot just below the main event. He could form a tag team with his brother, who works there under the ring name Mike Sydal. A series with Bad Influence would be a natural fit considering Bourne held the ROH tag straps with Chris Daniels. He could even join forces with the Daniels and Kazarian to form a faction.

Beyond ROH I could see Bourne getting work in any other US-based wrestling promotion. New Japan may want him too, although his style is hardly unique and it’s not like they don’t have any guys that can fly. A return to Dragon Gate, and the work in DG USA that would bring, is possible too. Basically if Matthew ‘Evan Bourne’ Korklan can work his ankle issues out he’ll find work.

I’d like to say the same for Brodus Clay but I don’t think I can as he’s not held in as high regard. I thought he had the size, the look, and the verbal ability to be a somebody in WWE. Clearly someone in Stamford disagrees with me. Considering the size of the average modern wrestler he’s clearly cut out for a heel role but he’s a very likeable babyface too. His ‘Funkasaurus’ act could be cringe-worthy at points but people reacted to it, and he showed a lot of personality during his time on NXT season two. There was something likeable about the guy.

In hindsight Brodus's demotion to NXT earlier this year was probably a sign.

Brodus seems like a natural guy for TNA to make a play for. I suspect they’d do so based solely on his status as a former WWE guy but they should be doing it because he’s got the qualities to become an immediate headliner for them and make their product feel fresh. Ultimately the reason they go for him doesn’t matter. I just hope that they do. He never felt fully utilised in WWE.

Brodus working anywhere other than TNA doesn’t seem likely. His style wouldn’t fit in EVOLVE or ROH and I can’t imagine him wrestling a great match with anyone of those rosters. Japan seems unlikely too: he’s big, which they like, but he seems concerned about hurting his foes, which they don’t. The sports entertainment-lite and WWE rerun approach offered by TNA is what’s best for ‘Monstrous’ BC.

Curt Hawkins never really recovered from having his on-screen association with Edge ended in 2008. That was the high point of his WWE tenure. After that he got split from tag partner Zack Ryder, returned to developmental, and then made it back to TV in an enhancement role. He eventually wound up on NXT Redemption and formed a team with Tyler Reks. More could have been done with that pairing but they were victims of poor timing: they got together before WWE began even half-heartedly trying to get its tag team division back on track.

It’s hard to argue against the Hawkins release. He’d shown no signs of improving since his first televised appearance in 2007, had a generic look, and possessed the aura of a jobber (partly WWE’s own fault but it’s true nonetheless). He wasn’t going to become a major star. It would be hard to imagine him even being taken seriously as a contender to the mid-card titles. If he was kept around he’d only have been a jobber. And the reason WWE likes to freshen up its job squad every so often is that keeping guys around who lose all the time makes the company look bad. They can’t present themselves as the elite wrestling promotion if guys who never win are deemed worthy of continued employment.

A move to EVOLVE wouldn’t be the stupidest thing in the world for Hawkins. He started his wrestling career in the north-eastern US working alongside Trent Baretta and Anthony Nese, making storylines with them a natural fit. He could immediately join forces with them or he could show up and tell them he’s disappointed in what they’ve become, prompting a series of singles and tag matches before a swerve turn.

Finally there was JTG. He won’t be missed.

Of course, it should be pointed out that any of these people could find their way back to WWE at some point. If they show they’re still passionate about wrestling by taking more bookings and continue to improve WWE may decide to hire them back. That’s happened before, very occasionally resulting in a more prosperous run for the performer involved. Even Teddy may get rehired at some point. A talent like that won’t go overlooked for long.

The NXT Declutter

Yesterday WWE announced the release of seven talents from developmental contracts. These mass releases come as something of a surprise considering recent news that WWE are keen on signing more wrestlers to developmental deals once their new Florida training facility opens over the summer. I’d assumed there would be no releases with an NXT roster expansion planned. Clearly I was wrong.

Those released were, in no particular order, Briley Pierce, Derrick Bateman, Sakamoto, Percy Watson, and Brandon Traven, along with Divas Audrey Marie and Anya. Here are my thoughts on them…

Briley Pierce is the name that immediately jumps off of that list, being the younger brother of World Heavyweight champion Dolph Ziggler. I’ve seen him wrestle only one match and he didn’t blow me away but his work as a backstage interviewer has always been solid. He could have made it to the main roster in that position. Perhaps that offer was made and he turned it down in favour of sticking with the wrestling. If so good for him for sticking to his goal.

 

Going...

 

Like his brother Pierce has a good look. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him crop up in Japan and on the US indy scene over the next year or two before making a WWE return. Whether that’s as an interviewer or a wrestler is impossible to tell, but I’m sure he’ll be back with the company at some point. He’s too good for them not to utilise.

Sakamoto is another notable name released. He worked on the main roster last year as a manservant to Tensai (now… sigh… Sweet T). He didn’t really get to do very much in the role beyond take the occasional beating from his master. When he got bumped down to developmental it seemed like his release was on its way. Turns out it was but the guy hung on longer than I thought he would.

His path back to WWE doesn’t look especially rosy. The promotion seems less and less interested in Japanese stars. See their lack of an offer to the supremely talented Takeshi Morishima, their disinterest in keeping Yoshihiro Tajiri around, and a complete lack of a working relationship with any Japanese federation for proof of that. If Sakamoto’s going to make a name for himself in wrestling New Japan, All Japan or NOAH seem like his best options.

Audrey Marie seems like a particularly strange release to action considering the dire state of the women’s league. I think it’s fair to say that she hadn’t really done anything to stand out thanks to being scripted almost identically to Summer Rae. She did well with what she was given though. I’d have liked to see her given her own character and a chance to work with the main roster Divas.

I’d seen nothing of Anya but from the look of her she could have improved things too. At this point it’s hard to think of a way the Divas division could become worse.

It sounds callous but Brandon Traven seems like exactly the sort of guy who’d be part of a mass release. Looking like he does I can’t imagine him making it to the main roster. He doesn’t look like a WWE Superstar™. Outside of joining the Wyatt Family I don’t think there was any way for him to graduate from NXT.

 

... going...

Percy Watson was (and is) another guy who didn’t strike me as having the main roster look. He wrestled very mechanically and didn’t appear to have much of a personality. If he’s to return to WWE he’ll need to work on a lot.

 

The news of Derrick Bateman’s release is probably the biggest surprise after Briley Pierce. Bateman was one of the cast of NXT’s fourth season in 2010. He was impressive on the show, displaying good timing and facial expressions as well as a firm understanding of ring basics. He always seemed on the cusp of getting a regular gig on the main roster but it never quite panned out for him. He’s one of several guys in NXT that I felt deserved a call-up in the near future.

If those in charge of TNA and ROH are smart both organisations will offer Bateman contracts. I think he’d be a great benefit to both companies. Not only that but a stint in either could provide him with the seasoning he needs to hone his skills and get a second shot with WWE.

 

... gone.

 

The likelihood is that this is WWE getting rid of talent who they've deemed aren't quite ready yet as opposed to just  firing people to make savings. It's not the damning move many people seem to take it as. Bryan 'Daniel Bryan' Danielson was released from his developmental deal in 2001 and worked regularly as enhancement talent for years before he got a regular deal. It was travelling to different regions and working new styles that helped him improve to the point where WWE wanted him back.

Even CM Punk, arguably the most successful indy standout to sign with WWE over the last decade or more, was close to getting released in 2006. He was saved by Paul Heyman fighting to be allowed to use him in the revived ECW.

 
If any of those released pursue a wrestling career away from WWE they'll be doing the right thing. The key is to continue showing passion for the business and search for new places to improve. That could be Japan, Mexico, Europe, TNA, Ring of Honor, SHIMMER, EVOLVE or the dozens of smaller federations that propagate the USA. If they can go to any of these places and grow as performers there's a chance they'll make it back at some point. Let’s be honest, everyone released wants to get back to WWE.