The Nature of the Beast: WWE’s Black Friday

Well, here we are again, the weekend no one likes to think about. Its calendar position has shifted over the years, but for the past few years, it’s been the weekend after WrestleMania. Which I think makes it sting just a bit more. The company makes major profits, the biggest event of the year, and then releases several wrestlers. It just doesn’t look good, especially when we just learned that Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro made around $67 million each last year.

Some of these releases aren’t out of left field and make sense, from a business standpoint. NXT wrestlers who aren’t progressing, wrestlers who aren’t being used, or haven’t clicked with the audience. It’s either cut them or let them sit and lose even more value. But then sometimes we get releases so surprising that it makes you wonder who made that call.

Aleister Black was rumored to be the one in Randy Orton’s ear before Pat McAfee got involved, and Kairi Sane was in the middle of a year-long storyline. The Motor City Machine Guns weren’t doing anything huge, but a break-up had been teased, and when they signed, it was with the intent of transitioning into backstage roles. The Wyatt Sicks just finished a long feud with The MFTs.

It really makes me wonder who is pulling the strings when it comes to releases. I think that Ari Emanuel gives Nick Khan a budget. And then Nick Khan and the head of talent relations, Chris Legenti, make the calls. I also read that Zelina Vega said the call came from TKO and not the WWE offices. Paul Levesque may have some say in the matter. But I think the build to WrestleMania and the releases this year are showing how much power he actually has.

The Nature of the Beast

I hate seeing anyone lose their job, especially in today’s economic climate. I can see the business side, the nature of the beast, if you will, where there are only so many slots to go around. And you have to make hard decisions on who to keep and who to let go. As I said before, some decisions are easy, but others are less so.

It is life as a wrestler, though, you know, you aren’t guaranteed a spot on the roster. You make the most of every minute you are given on TV, and you hope to catch on or make a name for yourself. And with the knowledge that the company isn’t loyal to you, you don’t have to remain loyal to them. You take the opportunities given to you and hope it was enough to make you a commodity, for if/when you are released.

It’s similar to any other public-facing art form; you are only as good as your last performance, so go out and do your best every night. That way, when the studio/record company/wrestling promotion/sports team doesn’t find value in you, another might decide you are worth it for them. It’s an ugly business model. And the fact that wrestlers have yet to unionize like every other similar business is a damn shame.

The Path Forward

The road ahead for many of the wrestlers is a return to the grind. Most of the top names that were released have been on the independent grind before, and hopefully, they can quickly land in a solid place. For many of the NXT and Evolve talent that were let go, there is a chance they stick with it, but there is an equal chance they decide to be done with wrestling.

But let’s make some predictions on where the top talent might end up.

Kairi Sane

Barring a call from Tony Khan, I think Sane returns to Japan. Her first exit from the WWE was to return to Japan to spend more time with her husband. She also owns a gym there. So, a return to Stardom seems to be the most logical choice for her.

While I’d love to see her show up in AEW, I don’t know if there is a place for her in its women’s roster currently. And while she could have a dual contract with Stardom and AEW, I think she is going to be mostly in Japan going forward.

Rumors have been that Black was hard to work with in AEW. But there was never anything to back that up. So, I could see Black returning and bringing Vega with him. But I think a better option for Black and Vega would be TNA.

Black would be a big fish in a small pond and could finally be given the chance to prove whether he can be a top guy or not. His occult stuff fits in well with the company, and it leaves an open door to a WWE return.

Motor City Machine Guns

MCMG is one of the best tag teams out there. Alex Shelley is one of the most underrated wrestlers on the planet. I want to see MCMG in AEW. They inspired over half the roster, and we could get matches with FTR, The Young Bucks, Cage & Copeland, The Dogs, Hurt Syndicate, and the Rascalz (to name a few).

More importantly, they would be able to work into those trainer/producer roles. As I said, they already inspired so much of the roster. So, why not become part of the veteran voices backstage? They would be joining fellow trailblazers Jerry Lynn, Chris Hero, and Christopher Daniels. And that isn’t a bad crew to be helping out your roster.

The Wyatt Sicks

I am putting the whole group here because I don’t think Bo Dallas and Erick Rowan are going to be doing much. Bo Dallas is going to go back to his farm, and Rowan didn’t really do anything after his first release. Maybe we could see him pop up in MLW.

Nikki Cross is the biggest get out of the group. I know she is working on her PhD and could also choose to leave wrestling. But if I’m TNA, I am doing everything I can to get her signed. She is a great character and an underrated wrestler.

Joe Gacy could fit in anywhere; he is good on the mic and decent in the ring. And he has connections to a lot of wrestlers. Honestly, I’d bring him and Lumis in as backup for Black, only for them to eventually turn on him.

Alba Fyre

Another talent whom I’d go out of my way to sign. Whether I’m TNA or AEW, Kay Lee Ray is a must-get. Last I checked, her former Unholy Union partner, Isla Dawn, is in AEW/ROH. And I’d love to see her and Toni Storm have more matches. Not to mention fresh matches with Thekla, Willow Nightingale, Athena, Hikaru Shida, Kris Statlander, and Mina Shirakawa.

Or if she goes to TNA, and we could see Kay Lee Ray mixing it up with the Elegance Brand, Elayna Black, Harley Hudson, and Lei Ying Lee. I’m good with either one, and I hope in 90 days we see her debut in either company.

Zoey Stark

Zoey Stark is one of those talents who has trouble clicking with the audience. She was talented in the ring, but outside of it, she doesn’t seem to have much of a personality. With her being cleared and recently training to return, it makes me wonder if she lost a step with her injury.

Despite her difficulty connecting with the fans, I think she has a lot of potential. She would be a good get for AEW, because they could put her in ROH, and she could work on her shortcomings. I can see her working well in TNA as well. She could be Elegance Brand’s hired gun. Which would give her the role of the silent killer type, and an eventual big face turn.