Steve Cutler Tells His Side of the Story Regarding Party He Went To That Had COVID Positive Friend

Back in February, Deonna Purrazzo revealed that she and Steve Cutler tested positive for COVID-19 in January, but denied that he was at work after testing positive. The two had attended a New Year’s Eve party and there had been rumors at the time that Vince McMahon was not happy with Cutler over it. In an interview with Fightful, Cutler gave his side of the story, noting that he tested negative after the party, but then learned a friend tested positive and then he did as well. Here are highlights:

On what may have led to his eventual release from WWE: “It was just more shocking than anything just ‘cause I did not expect that from what was being said to me and then also not being said to me as well. Part of me is like, ‘Oh, okay. Now I’m looking back at things and alright it does make sense.’ So, for my side of the story, which everybody plays the game of telephone in the wrestling universe, so my side of the story is New Year’s Eve, go to a party with friends that I was around with throughout COVID who were constantly tested. We all know because we’re constantly tested together. So, it’s a small knit group that we have. We have a New Year’s party, and there’s multiple New Year’s parties and that’s where the mix-up came from somehow, I don’t know, higher. Doesn’t nearly mean anything now. We had the New Year’s party. Next day I go to TV, I test negative. Work TV, Blake and I work there with Corbin. We do our thing. Monday I find out one of the friends that we had there tested positive. So, Deonna and I went out and got tested like we should do, like anybody should have done, like the right minded and I came back negative. That was that Monday. So, okay cool. No symptoms. Nothing happening. Go to TV Friday and I test positive for the nose swab at WWE TV at Tropicana Field. I’m like, ‘Okay, what do I do?’ Get on the hotline with doctors, talk, we find out what’s going on and they say, ‘Yep, just quarantine.’ Okay, cool. Talk to the writers, everything’s cool and then Blake tested negative. So, he stayed.”

On learning he had heat: “I’m on my way home and then here I am getting texts from Blake. Get a phone call, ‘Hey, do you have heat? Like for something you have done?’ I’m like, ‘I dunno. Why?’ He goes, ‘Ah, somebody’s kind of pissed and a few people said in a meeting that Vince wanted to fire you at that moment,’ and I had a few friends that were in that meeting as well. I was like, ‘Huh. Okay. That’s good. So, of course, I send a message to Mark Carrano saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know what’s going on or what’s being thrown around, if there’s anything you need to talk to me about, please call me, text me, let me know what’s up.’ No answer. That’s how I found out, pretty much, I had COVID that day, quarantine for the next week. Kept in contact with writers. Still no answer back from higher of writer team and creative team. Yeah. What a time. So, it’s just one of those moments of loss.”

On learning of his release: “One of the writers we kept in touch with said, ‘No, you guys are fine. You guys were brought up in creative as well.’ Okay, cool. Then weeks go by. Weeks go by again. I know Vince McMahon wasn’t at TV for a while ‘cause his brother passed and condolences for that. So, we knew obviously we’re not getting an answer ‘cause the boss isn’t there. Makes sense. So, in the meantime I got in touch with Mark Carrano because Otis reached out to me, ‘Hey, brother, you mind coming around? Like rolling around with the big man class (at the Performance Center)? Could use some help.’ I’m like, ‘Dude, definitely.’ It gets me in the ring, keeps me in shape, I get to actually be in a good ring at the PC and I know everybody and I can bump around and I know how Otis works. We’ve worked together for years. So, that day I’m in there, it’s producer Adam Pearce, myself, Drew Gulak, Babatunde and then Big Jordan / Omos. We’re all just rolling around, and I get done in the ring and I have a text from Mark Carrano. He says, ‘Hey, Steve. When you get a chance, give me a call.’ I’m like, ‘Okay, cool. It’s just about, maybe, some creative.’ Text him back, I’m like, ‘Hey. I’m just leaving the PC now. Can you call now?’ He says, ‘Oh, I’m getting on a flight to Tampa. I can get back to you in a little bit.’ Okay, no problem. Few hours go by, get home. Eating dinner, it’s around 7:30 and then I get the call from Carrano saying, ‘Hey, Steve.’ ‘Oh, hey, Mark. How is everything?’ ‘Good. I don’t like making these calls, but—’ Obviously. Instantly it just clicked. ‘Ah. I’m getting fired. Awesome.’ Looked at (Deonna). She’s like, ‘What’s the matter?’ I’m just like, ‘Ah, well I’m getting fired.’ ‘Lo and behold it’s the exact same timeframe kind of close to when she was let go. But, it was just one of those things.”

On reaching out following Jaxson Ryker’s controversial tweets: “We reached out to the office and we went to the Performance Center where Smackdown was taping still at that time, so was RAW. So, Blake and I went in that next day ‘cause Ryker was living in North Carolina at this time. He moved out of Florida about that time. So, Blake and I went in, sat down with Mark Carrano. ‘Hey, you guys are good. Don’t worry about it. Everything’s going to be fine. Just give it a week. It’ll kind of blow over.’ Okay. But, we’ve seen this before. We know the way the company works. Alright, we’re just kind of getting the smoke blown up to us. Everybody talked to us. Big E, Kofi, we just sat and we talked. They were like, ‘You guys are fine. Listen, it’s fine.’ It’s just the way things are type of thing. It’s a shitty situation. ‘Cause it’s just a different time in the world and it’s just shitty because we don’t want to be involved in it because it’s not our business. It’s our business to care for one another, but just keep your words to yourself at this time. Just stick to wrestling in that aspect. But, then again, like I said, you’re allowed to have your opinion. Then, I think, what was worse than the tweet was what resurfaced afterwards, but that’s his business, not ours. That’s where we were like, ‘Listen, this is how we distance ourselves. This is how we feel. This is us.’ Especially me in general, I wanted to distance myself as quick as possible because that’s just because not how I think.”