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Friday, May 13, 2016

Being released isn't a failure

Damien Sandow
Courtesy: WWE
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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I recently had WWE Hall of Famer "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan on my podcast.  During the interview he mentioned how tough it is to become a WWE Superstar.  He said there are roughly 100 wrestlers in WWE. That's pretty accurate between the NXT and main rosters.
 

Each of the 32 teams in the NFL can have up to 53 players meaning there are nearly 1,700 players in the league. Granted they may not all play during the season, but they're a part of the NFL. Major league baseball has roughly 1,200 players.  The NBA roster is thinner at 446, but still more than four times the size of what WWE has.

Brooklyn Brawler
Courtesy: WWE
When WWE released Superstars and Legends, some fans online took to making fun of the situation.  Memes, gifs and other comments circulated on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  Some of the comments implied the men and women who had been fired had somehow failed.  After thinking back to Hacksaw's stats, I couldn't disagree more.  

King Barrett
Courtesy: WWE
Anyone who makes it to WWE or even NXT has to have something special about them.  I think it goes without saying the wrestling aspect has always been above average, but lately WWE has brought an A+ game.  That doesn't mean every performer gets an A+, but I think as fans we should respect the contributions made and the path taken to get to the biggest wrestling company in the world.  Some of these Superstars are new to us, but have toiled in the independents for years and in some cases a decade or longer.



I had made a suggestion on Twitter that WWE turn the so-called "Release Day" into a Network show.  I mean it, but I couldn't explain the premise in 140 characters so here goes. 
This would not be to humiliate or embarrass anyone.  Instead, each Superstar being released would be given the option to be a part of the special.  WWE would make their announcements and then play sound bites from those who decide to be on the show.  It's not meant to "shoot" on WWE.

I see this as a win-win for both sides.   Fans had been tweeting and posting about each release throughout the day.  WWE gets another original special on the Network, fans can hear from their favorites and the Superstars get to say goodbye one last time with the support of the company.

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