Adam Cole’s WWE contract expired recently, and he agreed to a short extension to conclude his feud with Kyle O’Reilly at NXT TakeOver 36. The belief is that someone within WWE’s management team wasn’t paying close enough attention and allowed both Cole and Pete Dunne’s to run down, resulting in them being fired.

With Cole now being just weeks away from being able to sign with AEW, where he is well-known backstage due to his girlfriend Britt Baker working there, it’s understood that Vince McMahon personally spoke with him ahead of Friday’s episode of SmackDown. While the conversation was private, it’s assumed the meeting went well, as Dave Meltzer has stated on his Wrestling Observer Radio show that WWE’s writing teams have been told to begin pitching storylines for Cole’s main roster call-up.

Cole debuted for WWE in 2017 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III by attacking NXT Champion Drew McIntyre, and posing with the title, showing the company had big plans for him. Unfortunately for Cole, WWE would change their strategy to put the title on him, as according to Andrade, Cole was deemed too small to beat McIntyre. Therefore Andrade would instead be the man to defeat McIntrye.

Cole would have to wait almost two more years to finally win the NXT Championship when he defeated Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: New York. He would hold the title for 396 days, and ever since he dropped the title to Keith Lee, fans had been waiting for his call-up, feeling he was being overlooked.

Cody Rhodes teased retirement at the conclusion of Dynamite this week after Malakai Black convincingly defeated him. It was done strictly in the storyline to allow the AEW star time off to film the second season of TBS’ Go-Big Show, where he is a judge. However, it has prompted fans to wonder when the promotions Executive Vice President will genuinely step away from the ring. Now speaking to Inside the Ropes, he has explained that while he initially was considering retiring in four years when he turns 40, the birth of his daughter Liberty Iris means he may compete for longer so she can see him wrestle.

Over the years, many wrestlers have spoken about their plans of retiring, with 40 being a popular age to aim towards. However, few actually do due to not having opportunities to make money away from the ring. That, though, wouldn’t be the case for Rhodes, as he has a pivotal role in AEW’s management team. Additionally, he has acting experience and is becoming a mainstream television personality due to “Go-Big Show “and the upcoming “Rhodes to the Top” reality show. Although considering his love of the business, it remains to be seen if he can actually follow through.

Unfortunately, botches happen in wrestling, and while the majority are quickly forgotten, one that occurs during the main event of WrestleMania is going to live on forever. This is certainly the case with the main event of WrestleMania 35 when the finish saw Becky Lynch counter Ronda Rousey’s Piper’s Pit into a crucifix roll-up and win the match. The issue was that it was plainly evident that Rousey’s shoulder was up during the pinfall. At the time, some fans speculated it was done on purpose to set up an eventual rematch, but it was later verified to have been a botched finish.

Now while speaking on his podcast, former WWE referee Mike Chidoa revealed that both Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis were furious at how the finish went down. Apparently, there was so much heat that there were concerns that referee Rod Zapata would be fired for incorrectly counting the pin.

In WWE, referees are taught to treat a match like a shoot, and even if it goes against the finish, they are to call the match correctly. Having trained at WWE’s former developmental territory FCW and debuting on Raw in 2010, he certainly had a lot of experience and was fully aware of this policy. Thankfully for Zapata, he wouldn’t end up losing his job and is still employed by WWE. However, it is believed he received a significant fine at the time.

Kurt Angle retired from in-ring competition following WrestleMania 35. Still, with Paul Wight, Christian, and Mark Henry joining AEW, fans have wondered if the Olympic gold medalist might eventually join them. It’s known that Angle was unhappy with his final match being an afterthought on the show, so a match in AEW would allow him to go out on his own terms. However, speaking on his podcast, he revealed that his wife of nine years, Giovanna Yannotti, would kick his ass if he did. Although if the offer was $10 million to wrestle Kenny Omega, he would do it without telling her.

While it would certainly be great for Angle to finish his career with a high-profile match, it should be remembered WWE did encourage him to retire for a reason. He has broken his neck five times throughout his amateur and professional wrestling careers and has suffered numerous other injuries. Plus, he has previously revealed he requires further neck surgery, which will keep him bedbound for up to six months. So given that and the trouble he will get in his home life, it’s probably for the best for Angle to remain out of the ring.

Bray Wyatt was shockingly released last weekend by WWE, having just been medically cleared to return. He was being advertised locally as appearing on the 8th August episode of Raw, so nobody saw his release as coming. It was subsequently revealed that the reason he was let go was for budgetary reasons, which is surprising considering how popular The Fiend’s merchandise has been.

Now speaking on his Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast, Sean Waltman, a man who knows from first-hand experience how WWE does business, has revealed he doesn’t fully believe that was the reason. He’d also note that WWE is testing the goodwill of fans by releasing their favorite wrestlers.

Wyatt has yet to comment and offer his side of the story, and it was rumored but not confirmed that he has been experiencing mental issues over the past several months. If WWE were to have released him due to those, it’s highly doubtful they would openly state that was the reason. However, WWE may have no ulterior motive for firing him and just genuinely felt his salary was no longer warranted, seeing as their booking had undoubtedly devalued him.

Chelsea Green wasted no time filing to trademark her name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, doing so on the same day WWE released her. Vince McMahon’s company had previously attempted to trademark her name, which is also her legal name, but had been prevented from doing so as they did not obtain signed consent from her at the time. With her no longer being with the promotion, it was assumed they would either give up their application or just let it expire, and Green would eventually take ownership.

However, it has now been confirmed that WWE submitted the signed consent from Green required to take ownership to the USPTO earlier this week. What is notable, though, is that Green’s permission is dated November 2020, six months before she was let go. If WWE now gains ownership of the trademark, they can prevent Green from competing elsewhere and even selling merchandise under her own name.

This may simply be an administrative error by WWE as they are believed to be on good terms with Green having allowed her to rehab her injured arm at the Performance Center despite no longer being with the company. Additionally, they let her out of her non-compete early to debut for Ring of Honor early. Hopefully, it ends up being a genuine mistake and can be simply fixed for Green’s sake, otherwise, she could be facing a costly legal battle to use her own name.

To say there is no job security within WWE at the moment is an understatement, with the company frequently making releases to save money despite making massive profits. The belief is Nick Khan is behind the dive to trim the rosters, and it’s now been confirmed an additional 13 talents were let go on Friday. All came from WWE’s NXT brand, and the complete list of names is Mercedes Martinez, Bronson Reed, Bobby Fish, Leon Ruff, Kona Reeves, Tyler Rust, Jake Atlas, Ari Sterling, Zechariah Smith, Asher Hale, Giant Zanjeer, Desmond Troy and referee Stephon Smith.

The most surprising name among them was 32-year-old Bronson Reed. He had previously held the NXT North American Championship and recently been wrestling dark matches in front of WWE officials, with the expectation that he was being called up to the main roster. He would take to Twitter once he received the news stating that “This monster is back on the loose” and tagged in AEW, ROH, Impact, and New Japan.

Also unexpected was Mercedes Martinez, whose last NXT appearance saw her get legitimately knocked out by a roundhouse kick to the head, resulting in her being diagnosed with a concussion. Martinez was called up to the main roster last year as part of Retribution. Although, seeing the group was doomed to fail, she would ask to be removed from the group shortly after debuting. The decision had appeared to have paid off for her, however, she now finds herself jobless while the rest of Retribution is still employed.

At present, there seems to be no end in sight when it comes to the company letting talent go. Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt’s releases confirm that very few on the roster are safe regardless of how big a star they are. Unfortunately, these NXT releases also show that few are safe irrespective of potential.

It was recently discovered that Adam Cole WWE’s contact with the company expired in July. However, WWE got him to extend the contract until after SummerSlam weekend to conclude his feud with Kyle O’Reilly. As of earlier this week, it’s understood WWE was yet to offer him a new deal. However, it’s believed that will happen as he is so highly regarded by management. Then it will come down to whether he re-signs or looks to move on.

Interesting, though, Fightful Select has now reported that WWE allowing a wrestler’s contract to run down isn’t a one-off and that Pete Dunne’s deal is also expiring. At present, it isn’t known if WWE intends to offer him a new contract. Still, it would be surprising if they didn’t, considering he has been a prominent performer on the brand. Just six months headlined a TakeOver event against Finn Bálor for the NXT Championship.

There has been speculation that WWE recently firing of Canyon Ceman, a former beach volleyball player, turned businessman is related to how he managed contracts. Until recently, he was the Senior Director of Talent Development, and therefore, it would have been his responsibility to monitor and extend NXT wrestler’s deals. So his sudden departure could be linked to this situation.

Dunne has been with WWE since 2016, having initially joined as part of the NXT UK roster. His talent ensured he would go on to perform on the promotion’s top NXT brand, where he won both the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and NXT Tag Team Championship with Matt Riddle. Recently he had been part of Pat McAfee’s heel stable, The Kings of NXT, along with Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan, and continues to tag with Lorcan.

In what was a massive surprise at the time, WWE released Braun Strowman in June. Only two months previously, he had a prominent role at WrestleMania 37 facing Shane McMahon and the prior year defeated Goldberg to become Universal Champion when he stood in for Roman Reigns. Unfortunately for Strowman, Vince McMahon believed his $1.2 million a year contract was too much money for where he saw Strowman on the card, and it was decided to let him go. However, some recent reports claim there is a chance he could return if he agrees to a significant pay cut.

Despite having said previously he would never put his boots on for anyone but WWE, the former WWE stars agent had been asking promoters for $20,000 per appearance. Of course, there were always going to be few takers at that price, although it has been confirmed he is set to appear on a big upcoming international show for Qatar Pro Wrestling in February next year. Now though, when answering questions on Instagram, he has revealed he would like to become a motivational speaker, noting he has had a lot to overcome in his life.

Strowman had previously spoken about his mother surviving a terrible accident when he was just one that left her disabled and not knowing who he was. He had also explained that a father-son-type talk with Vince McMahon stopped him from taking his own life when he was suffering from mental health issues. He says McMahon would tell him that he wanted and needed him in the company for the long haul, and finding this out helped motivate him to continue working hard and not give in to the thoughts.

The sister of “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton has shared the sad news on her Facebook page that her younger brother has passed away aged just 62. The details surrounding the cause of his death were not disclosed, however, it has been known for years that he has had health issues, including high blood pressure, diabetes and had to have a pacemaker fitted in 2013. He is survived by his children Dustin, Dylan, Taryn, who are still grieving the loss of their mother, Donna, who was the daughter of Bill Dundee and tragically died in June.

Bobby Eaton was considered one of the greatest tag team wrestlers of all time due to being one half of The Midnight Express, initially teaming with Dennis Condrey and then with Stan Lane. He would also hold tag team gold with Arn Anderson, Koko B. Ware, George Gulas, Rikki Nelson, Duke Myers, Lanny Poffo, Mexican Angel, and Great Togo over his career. While known as a tag team specialist, he was also a capable singles competitor and, in 1991, would win the WCW World Television Championship from Arn Anderson. Later that same year, he competed in the biggest singles match of his career when he faced Ric Flair for the WCW World Heavyweight in a two out of three falls match at a Clash of the Champions event.

Due to the health issues mentioned earlier, he wasn’t involved much in the business recently. Although back in 2019, a surprise show paying tribute to him was held in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was called “Don’t Tell Bobby” and advertised online as Eaton didn’t use the internet and would only find out about the event’s purpose when he arrived at the venue thinking he’d been booked for an autograph signing. The show would feature appearances by Jim Cornette, Tom Prichard, Bill Dundee, Les Thatcher, Tracy Smothers, Dave Taylor, Bobby Fulton, George South, and William Regal. In addition to receiving the proceeds of the event, he would also be presented with a custom championship belt at the conclusion of the show.

Samoa Joe would fight off five security guards during this week’s episode of NXT in an attempt to get to Karrion Kross. While he failed to get his hands on the NXT Champion, he would take out the little-known wrestlers who were acting as the guards. WWE will typically use wrestlers who haven’t appeared much on television in this role because they know how to sell, and fans won’t instantly recognize them. In the past, Sheamus, Keith Lee, Johnny Gargano, Cesaro, and even Daniel Bryan have all played similar roles.

While wrestlers working in extra positions isn’t ordinarily newsworthy, this group of security guards included 23-year-old Bronson Rechsteiner. He is the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner, and a former Baltimore Ravens recruit. He signed with WWE back in February, and you can check out his selling of Joe’s Coquina Clutch below.

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This wasn’t the second-generation wrestler’s first appearance on WWE television, as he previously performed as a zombie during the much-maligned lumberjack match between The Miz and Damien Priest at WrestleMania Backlash. However, it will likely be some time before he makes another appearance as he is still training at the Performance Center due to having minimal pro wrestling experience. When he does, though, make his full debut, it will be interesting to see if he is allowed to use the legendary Steiner surname or has to go with something made up.

WWE released Ruby Riott on June 2, 2021, four years after she debuted for the promotion. She had been a regular performer, popular with her colleagues, and was considered a good worker. Sadly though, she was infrequently pushed, much to the chagrin of fans. Therefore when budget cuts were being made, she was deemed expendable by management.

Fortunately for her and her supports, it appears a fresh start awaits her shortly in AEW. As according to a report by Fightful Select, she will soon be joining Tony Khan’s promotion. It isn’t known when she is set to debut, but her non-compete expires before All Out in September. However, when she does appear, she will likely be going by the new name of Ruby Soho. When choosing her original WWE name, she would select Ruby from the song “Ruby Soho” by punk rock band Rancid, and since departing WWE, she has been allowed by Lars Frederiksen of the band to also adopt the surname.

Ruby started wrestling on the indies in 2010 as Miss Heidi and began making a name for herself in OVW and Shine Wrestling in 2012 when she became Heidi Lovelace. She’d sign with WWE in December 2016, aged just 25, and was fast-tracked to NXT, debuting on the March 22, 2017, episode. Later that year, she was called up to the main roster alongside Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan as the Riott Squad. With Logan being released in 2020, this now leaves Morgan as the only remaining member working for WWE.