May 2 was a tough day in professional wrestling as several names were cut from the WWE roster. Shayna Baszler, Dakota Kai, Kayden Carger, Katana Chance, Jakara Jackson, Gigi Dolin, Cora Jade, Braun Strowman, Eddy Thorpe, Javier Bernal, Oro Mensah, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Wolfgang, and Riley Osborne were all released. Fans and colleagues offered heartfelt support to those individuals, while scrambling for more details on what happened.
These moves came just days after WWE laid off several behind-the-scenes employees. Christine Lubrano, WWE’s Senior Vice President of Creative Writing Operations, was the most recognized name released. There were also cuts to the company’s photography department and other support teams.
This comes at a time in which WWE continues to find strong business success. However, that doesn’t always translate into immediate financial improvement. Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics pointed that out in a post.
“As hot as WWE and UFC are, TKO was narrowly profitable (net income) last year, with Endeavor’s UFC purchase debt and antitrust settlement taking margin down,” Thurston posted. “Regardless of that, shareholder value is society’s highest priority so (perceived) efficiency will always come first.”
TKO is reported to have its next earnings call scheduled for Thursday, May 8. According to Sohini Mondal of Nasdaq.com, the company is expected to report a profit of $0.48 per share which is a decline of 78% from $2.14 per share at the close of Q1 2024. This was due to the falling short in keyways. In businesses such as these, falling short often means that they need to make up ground in other ways, leading to layoffs. WWE has typically made these types of cuts quarterly, and they started picking up frequency during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
WWE releases: What’s next for the impacted talent
It is too early to tell what is next for the impacted performers. Fans may spout out suggestions like “go to AEW” but it is never as simple as it seems. Fightful Select reported that Dakota Kai has already “gained some interest” and that they expect her “to have plenty of offers.”
Fans were concerned about Jakara Jackson after she split from Lash Legend on the latest episode of WWE NXT. Oro Mensah was also removed from the group and both were cut days later.
There are several other prospects to point out on this list as well. Cora Jade is one who many expected to be a top name in the women’s division. She’s had several breakout moments and remained near the top of the group, even as she suffered through some injuries. Riley Osborne was another that caught the eye of fans for his work as a part of Chase University. Gigi Dolin was another who seemed like a great fit for WWE, taking part in Toxic Attraction and other major storylines.
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