Heath Slater Believes COVID-19 Pandemic Is Why He Got Released From WWE

In an interview for Buff Bagwell’s Youtube channel (via Fightful), Heath Slater spoke about his release from WWE in 2020 and why he believes the COVID-19 pandemic is what led to it happening. The company had reportedly been doing budget cuts at the time of the releases.

Heath Slater said: “So we’re getting a Fox deal. AEW is opening up. They’re saying, you know, they want to double a lot of people’s contracts. Double. To where you’re like, oh shit. That’s nice. So about 15 of us signed this new contract to where we won’t go nowhere. Five-year contract. Shit, five years at this, I’m set. I’ll take it. Boom. Next thing you know, nine months later, COVID hits. 150-some people get released, but that first 15 people, it was all the guys on that list that I signed to where I’m doing this. So I text my buddies. I’m like, hey, baby, is this true? Is this happening? They’re like, ‘yeah. I think it’s the list.’ I said, shit. This is what’s funny. I put my phone down. I go to my wife. I said, hey, babe, I think I’m getting fired. She’s like, ‘really?’ I said, I do. I said, I really do. She’s like, ‘ah, you know, no, no, no, no.’ So I go outside and play with my kids. Doing my shit. Trampoline. Throwing these little water balloons. Having a good time. Go back in the house. I look on my phone. Mark Carano. I said, damn it. I knew it. I called Carano up. He was like, hey, pal. I was like, you tell me after all these years, COVID takes me out. He was like, hey, pal. He’s like, ‘bro, I’m sorry.’ He’s like, ‘I literally have like 30 more calls to make.’ I said, damn, bro, what the fuck? He was like, ‘I know it’s crazy. I know. I’m sorry. ‘So we hang up. But you know what really blows my mind? Is that he got to fire everybody. Everyone. Then he was the last one to get fired.”