Ex-WWE Star Says Company Are “Going To End Up Letting A Bunch Of Guys Go”
WWE is going through a period of upheaval following a deal to be taken over by Endeavor and merged into a new company with UFC, and one former star thinks this could be bad for those on the roster.
WWE CEO Nick Khan has gone on record saying that the company is going to be “aggressive” in finding savings as the deal comes to completion. Although Khan did note that the roster wouldn’t be carved up as it had been in the two years before Vince McMahon briefly retired in July 2022.
Speaking on the MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, John Morrison – who was released by WWE in November 2021 – expressed his concern that more cuts will be on the horizon and explained why having an alternative in AEW is a blessing for those in the industry:
“I think there’s a hiring freeze right now. I think they’re going to end up letting a bunch of guys go. I think salaries are going to get cut. I’m really glad AEW is around to balance that out a little bit, because if they weren’t, there would be no leverage, and nowhere else to go, and WWE and UFC would be this weird monopoly that just wrings the money out of the livelihood of the fighters and wrestlers and I always think that sucks.”
Morrison’s wife Taya Valkyrie recently joined AEW and is embroiled in a feud with the undefeated TBS Champion, Jade Cargill.