Extreme Rules will be the last pay-per-view event for several WWE Superstars as such, as mentioned here in SUPER STRUGGLES, it is expected that another round of layoffs will take place in WWE before the month of June.
Among the names that will be released from their contracts, according to rumors, some of them will be included that will surprise both insiders and outsiders, and some of them could have a significant role in the company. As a result, there is a tense atmosphere in the dressing rooms these days because many talents fear for their jobs.
More than for financial reasons, the company has been cutting staff "to make room" for emerging talent. As for the dismissals of agent Brooklyn Brawler and announcers Rich Brennan, Kyle Edwards and the latter, NXT interviewer Alex Reyes, their cases have separate reasons, according to ProWrestlingSheet.
According to WrestlingNews.Co, the release of Brawler - which Jim Ross defined as "unexpected" - a WWE employee for thirty years, had to do with a "minor mistake" that the former wrestler may have made. Many have speculated that he may have spoken too much in his recent communication with The Taz Show Podcast. Be that as it may, Ross has pointed out that his departure from the company was "friendly."
As for the three announcers, the word is that they were decided to no longer count on them because they were "too passionate" about the wrestling industry. Strange as it may sound, that seems to be the reason. It is worth noting that in these hours the signings of two new announcers were announced: Austin Romero and Andrea Ocampo.
WWE is starting a "new era" whose purpose seems to be to listen to the fans, and with this in mind, the executives wanted to renew the cast with the arrival of Superstars from NXT such as Sami Zayn, SAWFT, The Vaudevillains, Emma, Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin and Dana Brooke. But they will not be the only ones to make their ascent, far from it. Instead, more talent is expected to be promoted, among them:
- Finn Bálor: Vince McMahon has wanted him for a long time, but Triple H wants to keep him on NXT for as long as necessary. But his arrival in the main cast seems to be getting closer with the appearance of The Club and even more so with the ankle discomfort and the back injury of AJ Styles. His arrival is estimated, at the latest, in time for SummerSlam.
- Shinsuke Nakamura: Rumors say that, contrary to Hunter, Vince has grown tired of the Roman Reigns experiment as the new face of WWE and wants to continue bringing important personalities from NXT. Given his incredible popularity and charisma, McMahon is betting heavily on the former IWPG World Champion. His age and the exorbitant figures of his contract also make his stay in Florida short-lived.
- Bayley: There is no doubt that she is in the final stage of her time in WWE's developmental brand. Her promotion was also often a topic of discussion in recent months, but it would only take place this summer, perhaps at SummerSlam or after the event.
- Carmella: With Enzo Amore's absence and Vince's bet on Big Cass solo, there was talk of pairing him with Carmella, who in NXT already represented the SWAFT. However, the giant declared in last Monday's Raw Backstage Fallout that Enzo is ready to return, so perhaps the blonde's promotion will end up being discarded.
- Eva Marie: Dana Brooke and Emma were a great villain team in NXT and with the push that was being given to the latter in WWE, it was decided to associate her with Dana, making her debut on Monday Night Raw two weeks ago. Then Emma's injury came. And since the Australian will be out until the end of the year, as planned, it is possible that Eva Marie will end up replacing her as Dana's partner.
However, once all the mentioned stars are promoted to the main cast, there will be a need to replace the losses in NXT. That is why the top brass are already studying possible offers. Bobby Roode, Eric Young and Ricochet have been on the company's watch list in recent months, to which we could add, among others, several members of the Bullet Club, mainly Adam Cole, desired by Vince McMahon himself.