Columns

Debuts, Returns, And Exits

09/02/2022

As we’ve seen in recent months, there continues to be a turn over of talent, both with debuts and exits, in the industry, an aspect that became more relevant when Triple H took over the creative direction of WWE just over a month ago following the “retirement” of Vince McMahon. Johnny Gargano, Dexter Lumis, Hit Row, and others have resurfaced since the new regime started. That concept itself isn’t necessarily ground-breaking, as it happened in any company as far back as the territory system, with a new booker that will bring in his team to shift the direction of a promotion. Jeff Jarrett, who was rehired to work in the live events division after being released due to “budget cuts” during the pandemic, was released again after just three months in the organization in favor of Triple H’s longtime friend, Road Dogg. That’s not to say that Jarrett didn’t do a decent job in the role, he’s promoted events the majority of his life, but rather that Triple H wants to make sure he has the team on the same page for a new era of the company.

Talent, similar to any commodity in the wrestling business, is used very much the same way. Triple H wants to get the right players in the right roles for the plan he has going forward, which only makes sense. It’s trendy to knock Vince these days, but personal indiscretions aside, his vision for what the WWE should be in 2022 is different than the presentation that Triple H wants to bring to the table, which is completely fine. The point being, the returns or exits are less about trying to make a statement and more about trying to implement a strategy. For example, Io Sky, one of the most talented in-ring performers in the company, was rumored to be on her way out of the organization after her deal expired because she was relegated to the secondary NXT brand. I think it’s almost unanimous that she has much for to offer and has the potential to be a very marketable star. Clearly, Triple H wanted to make sure she remained under the WWE umbrella so she made her main roster debut alongside Bayley and Dakota Kai.

With that in mind, the free agent market is starting to have an impact on both sides of the fence of pro wrestling in the United States. The Triple H regime made it a priority to replenish the roster after the cuts of the pandemic era, which opens the door for All Elite talent to explore their options as well. With so many releases during the past two years, the exchange of talent more or less went only one way, considering that Tony Khan seemed like he offered a deal to anyone that was a former WWE star to get the artificial debut pop. Those that were typecast as secondary talent under Vince McMahon might give more consideration to the WWE now, especially the competitors that were showcased during the Triple H era of NXT.

One such talent was Bobby Fish, a former Ring Of Honor grappler that inked a WWE deal in 2017. As a mainstay of the NXT brand, Fish was used well there as a part of the Undisputed Era stable and remained in the organization until he was released last year. Just two months later, he made his AEW debut and it was announced that he signed a deal with the promotion. Considering that his former stablemates, Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly, also joined the company, it made sense when the trio reunited as a faction in AEW. However, since that time the momentum that the Undisputed Era had under the NXT banner wasn’t recaptured in All Elite. One could question the lack of effective booking for Adam Cole as the leader of the group so it wasn’t a surprise that Fish, and to some extent O’Reilly were underutilized in recent months. Speaking of which, Fish was booked very sporadically by the organization, wrestling just over a dozen matches this year with the majority of them on the Youtube shows. It was confirmed that Fish’s contract won’t be renewed and considering that he wasn’t being used for anything productive, that’s probably the best decision for everyone involved. It goes without saying that Khan misused him as a member of the faction in AEW, which speaks to the bigger issues of how underutilized Adam Cole continues to be in the company. As far as Fish’s next move, he’s a great utility worker, which is meant as a compliment, but he’s almost 46 so he’s clearly in the latter stages of his career. I wouldn’t be shocked if he re-signed a deal to return to NXT since the brand could definitely use depth to its roster, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he simply retires either.

Speaking of potential exits for All Elite Wrestling, the rumor mill suggested that Malakai Black asked for his release, but was denied. I take the story with a grain of salt, but it does bring the lack of proper use of the entire House of Black stable into the discussion. So far, for the vast majority of his tenure there, as well as Brody King and Buddy Matthews, Malakai Black has been spinning his wheels in AEW. The guy can go in the ring, has a unique charisma, and the entrance enhances the entire presentation. But none of that was used as effectively as it could be with the stable being secondary among the All Elite landscape. It might be the obvious answer, but it’s also the correct answer. This is one of the many problems created when there are too many wrestlers on the roster. I don’t expect Malakai Black to leave the company, but Tony Khan is missing the boat on the House of Black stable.

Of course, when there are too many wrestlers on the roster, the right move is to sign someone else to a contract. W. Morrissey, the former Big Cass, rejuvenated his career during his stint in Impact. However, he was quite literally a big fish in a small pond. While it’s great that Morrissey cleaned up his life and got himself in great shape, outside of being tall, I’m not sure he brings anything to the table that someone else doesn’t already in AEW. That’s not to say he doesn’t have a place in wrestling somewhere, but I don’t necessarily think anyone was thinking he was a “must sign” for Tony Khan prior to Dynamite. All things considered, and this is more of a statement about the booking than anything else, I think Morrissey will get lost in the shuffle within a few weeks. And, as far as how to book a monster, Tony should work on the Wardlow project before he signed another big man to the roster.

It was confirmed by PWinsider’s Mike Johnson, the most accurate reporter of news in the sport, that Braun Strowman is confirmed to return to the WWE next Monday on Raw. It’s difficult to believe now, but about five years ago, the argument could’ve been made that Braun was over enough to main event Wrestlemania, but that was in the midst of the Roman Reigns baby face push that flopped. Braun eventually won the championship, but his presentation was very diminished with some absolutely ridiculous booking, including the infamous “swamp fight” against Bray Wyatt. Considering that Braun isn’t exactly the most versatile worker and hasn’t endeared himself to fans online, I’m not sure if even the new regime can reignite his prior status after he returns to the company.