SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
According to multiple reports, WWE has released another slew of talent, mainly from 205 Live, that includes Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, Tyler Breeze, Fandango, and others.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported the releases of Nese and Daivari, and later the release of August Grey. Daivari tweeted his thanks and that it was “time to put sports entertainment behind me and get back to professional wrestling.” Nese initially tweeted, “Welp,” before tweeting a longer statement about how he “busted his ass” every time he stepped in the ring and did what he was asked to do, no questions asked. He added he “can’t wait to be that type of employee for someone else.”
Thank you everyone! I don't care about how unwatched and underappreciated 205 was. I busted my ass every single time I stepped foot in the ring doing whatever was asked of me with no questions asked. I can't wait to be that type of employee for someone else.
— Tony Nese (@TonyNese) June 25, 2021
Grey added this tweet of the year candidate with a “Loser Leaves Town” stipulation in light of the news.
Johnson later reported that The Bollywood Boyz/Singh Brothers were released; that Curt Stallion and Arturo Ruas (though they wrote “Marco Ruas,” who is a former UFC champion) were released; and that Marina Shafir had been released.
Fandango confirmed his release through a tweet, tagging Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon and thanking them for the last 14 years. Shortly thereafter, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com reported that Tyler Breeze, Fandango’s long-time tag team partner, had also been released. As of this writing, Breeze has yet to comment.
Sapp also reported the release of Ever-Rise, Chase Parker and Matt Martel and later, Killian Dain.
Dain released a statement on Twitter (which is back to his “Damo” name) saying he received the call while he was doing extra training at the Performance Center, leaving him “gutted.” The accompanying tweet stated the chip was back on his shoulder.
Lastly, Sapp earlier reported on the release of writer Kenice Mobley. Mobley was recently hired by WWE, but enraged many wrestling fans on the internet when she admitted on a podcast she didn’t know much about wrestling, referring to WWE Champion Bobby Lashley as “Bobby Ashley.” While WWE has hired many writers in the past with no knowledge of wrestling, it seems her admittance on a public platform irked those enraged fans. WWE told Sapp that her release had nothing to do with her comments.
Sapp added in a later tweet about the releases, quoting from Fightful.com’s “Select” service through Patreon, that Nick Khan was willing to take all the heat for the releases.
"We were told that Nick Khan specifically is willing to take the heat and did not seem concerned about prior plans, projects, who the person or married to, how long they've been signed, or what they have going on." https://t.co/RMTGc0sDvY
— Sean Ross Sapp of Voice Over Work (@SeanRossSapp) June 25, 2021
As of this writing, WWE has yet to comment on the reported releases, aside from Mobley’s.
I hope nobody’s sitting on ten thousand Ever-Rise coffee mugs.
“Nese … tweeting a longer statement about how he “busted his ass” every time he stepped in the ring and did what he was asked to do, no questions asked. He added he “can’t wait to be that type of employee for someone else.”
Wait – I thought talent were independent contractors, not employees?!
On a less pedantic note, wrestlers are performers, performers are artists, unless they are just extras (scenery.) Why would any artist/performer just do what they are told? Is there nothing inside Nese that he has to offer?