INSIDE THE RING NEWSLETTER
by Eddie T. & Trevor Hunnicutt
LOOKING AT THE WWE RELEASES
BY EDDIE T.
Well, the #1 topic this week has to be the releases WWE made in two days. A
lot of people were let go, and there was plenty to comment on. Many people
have shared their thoughts, so I thought I’d give a run-down of who was fired,
why, how they reacted, as well as what I thought of it. I’m sure you’ll read
things here that you probably haven’t before.
The Dudley Boyz
– Apparently, this stems from an year ago. Bubba made a comment that pissed
off Stephanie McMahon to the point where their contracts were not going to be
renewed. Having in mind how much they’ve done for the company, WWE let them
go on a break (a bit forcefully from what I hear) and told them to stay at
home. They chose not to renew their contracts, instead of release them because
they’d have to pay them more in severance pay (Once you get released, you get
paid 1/4 of your down guarantee, which is $60K for most guys… Not for the
Dudleyz though, I’m sure.), and also because of the history the team has made
in WWE (out of a little respect). I’m sure we’ll be seeing them in the
future for ECW reunion shows, or for one-night shots. To be honest, I think they
ran their course, and were really out of touch. Their release makes sense to
me, since they couldn’t cut it as singles guys (as witnessed back in 2002). As
you can guess, they weren’t happy to be released.
Joy Giovanni
– There was no need to pay money to someone they barely use, and someone who
never was able to fit on the show. She has plenty of things she can do in
her future, so this wasn’t that big a deal to her. It was about time in my
opinion. She should have never been hired in the first place.
Kenzo Suzuki
– Had it coming. This was the man they brought from Japan who was supposed
to main-event SummerSlam 2004 with Chris Benoit. That’s how good he was in
their minds. They were either blind, or Johnny Ace called the wrong person.
Suzuki never made it. This cut makes sense.
Hiroko Suzuki – Not Released Yet!
– I want to share a funny story here. Seeing as Kenzo is gone, his wife was
supposed to get fired too, according to sources. The funny thing is that
every time WWE would call her on the day of the releases, she wouldn’t pick up
her phone. Now, that’s smart! Wow. Anyway, expect her gone too.
Matt Morgan
– Some members of management were quoted that they thought Morgan “never got
it” inside the ring. He was quite surprised upon finding out he was let go.
This guy proved to be incredibly tough on MTV’s Tough Enough but couldn’t
compete due to an injury. Based on his toughness and will during one of the
competitions, where he busted his knee but didn’t give up, WWE gave him a
developmental deal. I think he had a lot of potential, and had gotten to the point
of doing well on the mic in OVW, but WWE killed him with the stuttering
gimmick. This was all WWE’s fault. They could have used him better.
Charlie Haas & Jackie Gayda
– The cause for the firing here was mostly Jackie’s big mouth. She would
often comlpain about the way she was being used. For someone who’s had the worst
match in pro wrestling, you’d think she’d be smarter. Charlie’s release was
shocking to everyone. Many believe it was simply due to Jackie being let go.
Charlie never seemed to cut it by himself after splitting with Shelton. In my
personal opinion this cut sucked, because the two just got married. Another
thing here is that WWE could have used Charlie. I was so sure he’d be traded
to RAW during the Draft Lottery. Wow.
Marty Jannetty
– Two weeks ago on RAW, Christian mentioned that he had “heard” Jannetty was
in prison. That’s correct. Marty got in some trouble with the law, as he was
arrested for domestic violence. That really turned WWE off and they didn’t
want to do anything with him, which is why they let him go. In my opinion,
they should have used him after the two matches he did for them before his
hiring. He was hot back then, and the fans would have been into it. They messed
this one up.
Dawn Marie
– She’s pregnant, fourth/fifth month. Management told her they’re a family
organization and they encourage her to take care of her family. Her release
came right after she had told people backstage that WWE will take care of her
during her pregnancy and pay her downside guarantee. She got fired right
after. Personally, I feel really bad for her. This was the worst timing she could
get fired. I also think, from a business standpoint her release was dumb,
because she’s the only “diva” that actually know what being a wrestling “diva”
is about. I wish her the best in her future.
Mark Jindrak
– He’s known to be the biggest partier in the company. Randy Orton‘s best
friend (logic works). Unlike Orton, management felt that Jindrak just didn’t
cut it inside the ring. This guy has been given way too many shots now. It was
time to see him go. I’ve been behind his release for a wihle.
Maven
– Similar to Jindrak (by the way, him, Jindrak, and Orton are a party
clique), they felt they invested enough time in him, but he never got over. I have
to agree. Maven has had his chance before, and he just didn’t cut it. I guess
he’s not Tough Enough after all.
Shannon Moore
– He was supposed to be let go a long time ago, but WWE kept him for
whatever reason, perhaps mostly due to Matt Hardy. Ever since the M.F.er storyline
died, Shannon has been back to his original place – nowhere. They tried to
give him a short lived push but nothing seemed to work. It’s a shame, because
he’s a good worker. You also have to consider the releases of the
crusierweights they made. They did bring Mexicool to replace them.
James Yun (Akio)
– Another victim of the cruiserweights cut. Lots of people thought, that
just like Shannon, he’d be gone a long time ago. He’s a really good worker who
has a future on the indy scene. I wish he’d gotten a bigger shot in WWE.
David Heath (Gangrel)
– They had nothing for him to do. Which makes me wonder – Why the hell hire
him then? Ugh. At least they did something with Viscera. Gangrel showed up on
TV once, got destroyed by ‘Taker and that was that. Good decision.
Billy Kidman
– He was very pissed. Refused to do a WWE.com interview but told them he’ll
talk to them in the future. Many felt he would have been released sooner if
it wasn’t for Torrie Wilson. Billy never seemed to get a break in WWE,
although they have tried to push him in the past. Many think Wilson will quit
because of this, although WWE won’t mind. She’s gotten big-headed latley too, due
to her Playboy shoot. Good worker who will always have a job on the indy
scene, if he wanted to.
Spike Dudley
– Perhaps the most experienced and hardest working guy from all the ones
that were cut. He was released because WWE simply felt they’ve done all that
they could with him. I have to agree. They’ve given Spike a nice run for his
money, and have used him in plenty of roles. He’s not exactly your regular
wrestler, either. He was very upset about his release, as written on this site,
and called WWE “a sinking ship.” In my opinion, we’ll be seeing him in the
future for ECW events. I feel that he was let go because it wouldn’t have made
sense to not renew the Dudleyz’ contracts, yet keep him. I have a strong
feeling we’ll see him in the future though.
Kevin Fertig/Mordecai
– He was described by some upper management as “too outspoke” in the
company, which rubbed them the wrong way. Was said to be a very nice guy backstage
who was willing to learn. He was called up too soon, and he was way too green
to be on TV. Had potential but not enough Cornette time. I think that’s a
good cut.
SMACKDOWN CONTROVERSIAL STORYLINE
BY TREVOR HUNNICUTT
There has long been a debate over how much of a genius Vince McMahon is. Some
have said that his foresight and risks in the 1980s coupled with later
success prove that he is a business genius. Others have said he was simply the
first to catch a trend and stumbled upon successes, his failures to them are
indicative of the flash-in-the-pan nature of his achievements.
But on Thursday, July 7, 2005, many questions about McMahon’s perceived
brilliance were answered. Not so much business acumen as personal judgment. I don’
t pretend to know McMahon personally, but his decision and that of his
company to run a pre-taped angle about jihad and martyrdom in the aftermath of an
urban, rush hour, choreographed Al Qaeda attack was classless and
inconsiderate.
The act of terrorism, which killed at least 37 and wounded on the order of
700, came days after an angle that would’ve otherwise seem harmless or dumb—
but not on this night. WWE decided Thursday morning to remove the angle from a
broadcast that aired in the United Kingdom (FOXTEL in Australia edited it out
themselves), but it ran in the U.S., with a ticker disclaim that said “In
light of today’s tragic events in London, parental discretion is advised when
viewing tonight’s episode.”
WWE is not known for tact or thoughtfulness in its angles by any stretch.
When on the June 13 episode of WWE RAW, Steve Austin began a segment with
Muhammad Hassan and Daivari by saying “I see sand people,” a disguised reference
to a less tame epithet for Arabs, it was not the first pandering and
unapologetically racist or xenophobic act on a WWE broadcast. But there was something
fundamentally different about last night’s angle with Hassan and Daivari
than the usual note about Blacks, Latinos, and Asians.
When people die, an angle that didn’t even in the first place intend to
address Hassan’s actions seriously seems even more tasteless. When people die, it’
s a world event, not a UK event, and there was no reason for the angle to
appear here but not in England. When people die, it’s not an issue that requires
“parental discretion” as the note during Smackdown suggested, but a
conscious and thoughtful reflection on what is and what is not appropriate when
ordinary people are killed in the carrying out of their day.
Unlike when Owen Hart died during the May 1999 Over the Edge PPV and many
felt it was in poor taste to continue the broadcast, this decision did not
require emergency action from the sight of Hart’s fall, but a quick edit. WWE is
quick to edit the Smackdown broadcast to make a horrible Heidenreich or John
Cena match look like it was actually good, but in this case it was not worth
it for a cheap angle.
Kevin Dunn, the director of both RAW and Smackdown, once said that WWE should
be free to examine serious issues and events in the same way that programs
like “Law and Order” are given such latitude. It is events like this that
bring into question WWE’s credibility and discretion in taking real events into
their creative purview. The comparison is clearly invalid.
WWE is always on the cutting edge. It’s the only television show that I know
of where racial epithets, derogatory portrayals of women and minorities, and
otherwise inappropriate events are commonplace and fly without criticism. It’
s sophomore television presented by a man going on 60.
People who aren’t wrestling fans often scoff at it without knowing one thing
about it. Wrestling fans, the reason goes, are ignorant and uneducated.
However, by watching the programming, you can come to that conclusion nine times
out of 10, because that’s who WWE is programmed to. It shouldn’t be the fans’
responsibility to shirk that reputation—it’s that of the producer, the
genius in the tower. Part of the problem here is unfortunate timing certainly,
but the angle was stupid enough even outside of the context of the terror
attack that they only opened themselves up to controversy such as this, as in 1991
when they started an angle that featured Sgt. Slaughter as an Iraqi
sympathizer right before the war began.
So let’s see how WWE chooses to handle this. Perhaps a controversy of this
magnitude will force WWE to think differently about the material it presents on
television and broadly rethink the influence its broadcasts carry on a
diverse and worldwide audience. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.
