April 15th, 2020 will go down as a monumental and landmark day in professional wrestling history. Late this afternoon, World Wrestling Entertainment announced yet further releases of on-air talent and the waves of shock continued. Today’s talent purge also saw the federation immediately parting ways. With Rowan, No Way José, Aiden English and last but not least, the Bulgarian Brute, Rusev among the WWE releases.
Thank you All, Rusev out!
— Miro (@RusevBUL) April 15, 2020
Rowan, formerly Erick Rowan broke in as a member of the Wyatt Family and reached the pinnacle of the tag team division as a Bludgeon Brother alongside Luke Harper. He was then sent back to being a singles competitor and was aligned with Daniel Bryan, a nice insurance policy-enforcer for the leader of the Yes movement.
Rowan later became an entity unto himself and carried around a mysterious creature in a cage which turned out to be a mechanical spider. In the pre Wrestlemania run, he was squashed twice by Aleister Black before becoming fodder to Brock Lesnar in the Rumble. While big men seem to be favored by the WWE, Erick Rowan fell through the cracks and is now a free agent.
Is a Dark Order reunion seeming more than plausible?
No Way José also was let go by the company. Another NXT success story was given a limited opportunity but ultimately made the most of what was presented. His most notable feud was with Mojo Rawley.
Love you all ?? #ThankYou @WWE @WWENXT pic.twitter.com/1elDFcDygO
— No Way Jose (@WWENoWayJose) April 15, 2020
Aiden English was also dismissed today. The one time Vaudevillain was last seen doing color commentary on a fill-in basis and actually did a nice job. One can truly feel sorry for the likes of English. No matter what field you’re in now is a horrible time to be let go. Even when things do return to normal there are only a finite number of feds with limited spots and often bulky rosters. It is hard to rely strictly on name recognition when for whatever reason. He never had the shot to take things to a higher and more lucrative level.
Gone seem the days of loading your roster just to keep talent away from the competition. The Ronnie Garvins of the world has seen their ice cream bars melt away.
Rusev Among Notable WWE Releases
We were more than surprised to see Rusev let go of today’s tsunami of releases. The Bulgarian Brute had talent and the public clamored for him. To have meaningful matches and intriguing credible storylines makes 2015-2016 seems so so far away.
Rusev was cast to the side in recent years and drowned in a sea of neglect and incoherent plot lines. His feud with Bobby Lashley over Lana, a convention in wrestling, the romantic triangle was very poorly scripted and never saw a legitimate resolution.
While Rusev will find it easier to rebound than many of his colleagues let go today. He is yet another sad example of marketable and skilled talent left to melt away like ice in the sun. No one could come up with a program worthy of his appeal, willingness and ability to deliver. There is no denying that even at its highest level, pro wrestling is an unforgiving and cruel business. All too often, those who are called upon to create content giving rise to collateral damage, frustration, and bitterness.
