The WWE has decided that they had a lot of dead wood among them, and has been releasing talent like crazy. Now admittedly, some of those had not been seen for quite some time, which made their termination not too surprising. Others were never seen as big draws to begin with, so their days had probably been counting down for a while now. Let’s look at these, shall we?
Jazz and her husband Rodney Mack, the Basham Brothers, Gymini, Gangrel, and Al Snow had been MIA for a variety of different reasons for a long while. I believe that Jazz could have contributed greatly to the women’s division – she had talent for the business. But did she possess the look that Vince McMahon is so fond of? No, and I believe that is the major reason she is gone. Mack might have contributed to that cause, but I really feel her physical appearance did her in, in the McMahon mind.
The Bashams and Gymini were around to fill a mid-card void, and really never did so. Gangrel had only his gimmick, which was not embraced by the fans. (What that says for Kevin Thorn, I don’t know. He has Ariel though, whom most probably feel is better to look at than Luna.)
Al Snow has been released from his wrestling contract, but is still a trainer. If I were The Snowman, I’d still be a bit uneasy. On second thought, that position might be stronger, now that trainer Bill DeMott has also been given his walking papers.
C.W. Anderson has been on the injured list, but was scheduled to return soon. That hope was dashed when he was let go.
Mike Knox and Tony Marmaluke are also gone. Knox has the size that is desired, and Marmaluke is a good athlete, but they too were sent packing.
Now for the two that surprised me. Tatanka had been used weekly on television, and it appeared that all was fine. I can only imagine the feeling when one goes from consistent exposure to being told you are no longer needed. I think I did read that he wanted out of his contract, and if that is the case, I wish him luck. He had the luxury of being a regular, but now it’s anybody’s guess.
Finally, Sylvester Terkay. Here is a man who, in my opinion, could have done so much for the company. He is big and athletic, and had so much in his favor. But he was put in either really bad story lines or, worse, ignored. Elijah Burke was originally brought in to be Terkay’s introduction, as it were. Slowly, Burke rose to the top, and Terkay was pushed out of the ring before he was given a chance to show what he was made of. Of all of those shown the door, I believe that this man’s release was the biggest mistake, and I would like nothing better for him to move on to great things.
But never fear – there is good coming out of all of this. We still have those great performers The Miz, The Boogeyman, and of course, The Great Khali. They will certainly pick up the slack, won’t they? (God, I can’t even write that without shuddering.) Didn’t they say that Khali was moved up after the injury to Triple H? Yeah, that’s an even trade!
A quick word about the Royal Rumble. Undertaker won, which brings him one step closer to living the rumor going around of late, that being that ‘Taker will suffer his first Wrestlemania loss to Batista when The Phenom challenges him for his title. Undertaker mark or not, I believe that if that happens it would border on the ultimate disrespect. Love him or hate him, ‘Taker has been the major workhorse for the WWE for what, 14 years now? To not allow him to retire – and that will happen sooner rather than later – with an unblemished WM record would really be a bad decision.
Be safe and God Bless,
Viva La Raza,
Barb.
