Arn Anderson is gone from WWE, but why?
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported that Anderson was “let go” from his behind-the-scenes role as a producer on Thursday. The report did not elaborate on the circumstances that led to his release, but according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Anderson got fired after continued conflicts with Vince McMahon, with a recent conflict being the breaking point.
Details are scarce but something transpired at a recent WWE house show that evidently wasn’t handled to McMahon’s liking. Anderson took full blame for the incident and was ultimately terminated from his role as a backstage producer. The conflict also led to a loud argument.
Anderson is liked by other key individuals in WWE, including Triple H and John Cena. Some believe if Cena was still around regularly, things wouldn’t have escalated to the point where Anderson was released. Cena’s fondness for Anderson is shared with many other wrestlers that have competed in WWE over the years.
Meltzer added that Anderson sometimes caught wind of wrestlers speaking out about what they believed was a poorly made creative decision and would often support the objection, possibly causing conflict.
“I heard Arn was not broken up about it,” Meltzer said on Anderson’s reaction to be let go.
Anderson joined WWE as a producer not long after WCW was bought out in 2001. His role was to help wrestlers put together their matches.
WWE recently hired several new producers, with Jeff Jarrett, Abyss, Sonjay Dutt, Shawn Daivari, and Shane “Hurricane” Helms joining the promotion. According to PWInsider, WWE made these hirings to “bring a younger, fresher vibe to their in-ring content.” The departure of Anderson has led to a discussion within WWE about whether some of the other “old guard” producers may also be on the way out.
