WWE Rumors: Which Superstars Could Be the Next Ones Released?
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Our latest edition of WWE Rumors features possible Superstar releases.
Earlier today, we highlighted the recent removal of The Great Khali and Brad Maddox from the WWE roster to the company’s alumni page.
"Khali has not been relevant on WWE television in a very, very long time. He has mostly been a comedy act since his days of being taken seriously about 5-6 years ago (Yes, we have to go back that far). It has been thought before that WWE kept Khali around for these years because of his presence attracting viewers from India, since he is from there. They may be disappointed to see him leave the company, but there will be no impact on the current WWE product with him gone.We recently saw Brad Maddox appear on the WWE App and speak about not having a job for months. Prior to that, we had not seen him on TV since he was fired as Raw GM in the end of May of this year. If Maddox was ever brought back in a serious wrestling role, it would have been likely been in a low-card spot, since the mid-card is cluttered now. His lack of a role probably led to his departure."
These releases seem like they may show of more to come for WWE, who is always in cost-cutting mode with the continuously underwhelming results of the WWE Network. Noted former WWE backstage worker MetsFan4Ever has broken news over the past few months and is speculating that more cuts may be on the horizon.
"“I’ve heard releases are coming. This is probably the start of things,” he said in response to speculation of WWE and The Great Khali parting ways after his profile was moved to the Alumni section. “I’ve been told about a few. But I don’t want to speculate as of right now.”"
It’s probably not a good time to be at the bottom of the WWE roster. If WWE feels that they’re expendable, they could be gone within a snap of the finger.
With all of this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the likely candidates to be released.
- Curtis Axel – After Ryback went down with an injury towards the end of the summer, Axel was taken off TV for a few months. Once the Big Guy returned, Axel returned, but their team split up. He has since been picking up losses up WWE Superstars.
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- David Otunga – It’s hard to remember the last time that Otunga even participated in a WWE match before being in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania XXX. How he is still on the roster remains a mystery.
- Fandango – He lost his relevancy once the Summer Rae-Layla storyline finished up this summer. It left him further buried in the ground with no way of getting out. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him gone.
- Justin Gabriel – Gabriel has got a decent amount of time on WWE NXT and WWE Superstars, but he is a replaceable character. With him being nowhere near a storyline (It’s been like that for a very long time), he could be on his way out.
- R-Truth – Truth had some standing in the mid-card last year, but fell off the map completely with the Tons of Funk storyline. He has since been involved in low-card matches and squashes to Superstars like Rusev and Bo Dallas. At age 40, he could be on his way out.
- Zack Ryder – Ryder has been hanging around the jobber section of the card for a long time now. Normally, the TV he was getting would keep him safe. However, with the recent surgery he had for a torn rotator cuff, which will sideline him for six months, it could put him in line to receive a pink slip from WWE. They may not have a reason to wait on someone who’s not in their imminent plans.
If any of these Superstars were released, it wouldn’t come to a surprise to anyone. Who do you feel will most likely be released from WWE if these planned cuts are true?