WWE have caused controversy with a ruthless spate of staff cuts over the past 24 hours. In what is being described as a particularly dark day in wrestling, WWE announced that they would be making imminent cutbacks on wrestlers, coaches, staff, production costs and more due to the current coronavirus pandemic. Although most of the entertainment industry has ground to a halt, televised wrestling has continued uninterrupted. AEW cancelled one of their bigger shows, but have prerecorded enough Dynamite to cover the foreseeable future. WWE also aired prerecorded episodes of Raw, Smackdown, NXT and Wrestlemania, but recently transitioned back to live broadcast after being deemed an essential business in Florida.
The continuation of wrestling has already caused controversy, and the situation took an even stranger turn when $18.5 million spending in Florida was announced by Linda McMahon's political action committee the same day the "essential business" decision was made. In another twist, Vince McMahon was unveiled as one of Trump's advisers protecting the economy during and after the current pandemic. Shortly after these political developments, WWE released a huge amount of their staff, including wrestlers, writers and backstage officials. Here are all of the cuts made public so far:
- Luke Gallows
- Karl Anderson
- Rusev
- Kurt Angle
- Drake Maverick
- Zack Ryder
- Erick Rowan
- Heath Slater
- Lio Rush
- Sarah Logan
- Deonna Purrazzo
- No Way Jose
- Curt Hawkins
- Mike Kanellis
- Maria Kanellis
- Aiden English
- Eric Young
- EC3
- Primo Colon
- Epico Colon
- MJ Jenkins
- Aleksandar Jaksic
- Josiah Williams
- Dorian Mak
- Mike Chioda (referee)
- Andrea Listenberger (writer)
Further to the above releases, a number of prominent WWE coaches have been placed on furlough leave:
- Fit Finlay
- Lance Storm
- Billy Kidman
- Shane Helms (The Hurricane)
- Serena Deeb
- Mike Rotunda
- Shawn Davari
- Shane Armstrong
- Pat Buck
- Sarah Stock
- Chris Guy
- Kendo Kashin
- Jerry Soto
Obviously, these losses are devastating news. Not only are many WWE jobs now lost or uncertain, the current pandemic drastically limits new opportunities released staff might've taken advantage of under normal circumstances. The likes of Drake Maverick and No Way Jose have already posted emotional video responses that clearly demonstrate the personal and professional impact these cuts are having. Maverick did, however, confirm he would still be competing in the interim Cruiserweight Champion tournament on NXT. Reports suggest more cuts could be forthcoming.
The pandemic has taken a heavy economic toll in many countries and affected a variety of businesses over the past month. With mostly everything closed, some companies find themselves unable to pay staff, and this has triggered a domino effect on other industries. However, WWE's releases have attracted more backlash and controversy than most, and Dave Meltzer has provided a succinct overview as to why. As explained by Meltzer, WWE are not financially struggling because of the coronavirus, and made the cuts to ensure large profits, rather than to navigate through a tricky period. Not only have televised shows continued to run, but the promotion has $500 million in reserve funds to fall back on, aren't saddled with debt, and are on course to make a profit this year.
While this is a tough time for everyone, letting go of personnel should clearly be a last resort, and the suggestion WWE turned to this option despite being in a strong financial position is the basis of the current controversy. Nevertheless, wrestling fans have highlighted other contributing factors to the release backlash. Many are pointing out the vast sums of money paid to outside talent for lucrative one-off matches as an area where savings could've been made, and it's also worth remembering that WWE hoarded talent with huge contracts when AEW first emerged as a potential rival.