The following people were released last week:
Shelton Benjamin
Sho Funaki (I refuse to call him Kung Fu Naki)
Jimmy Yang
Slam Master J (Bam Bam Gordy’s son)
Mickie James
Katie Lea Burchill
I can see Benjamin and Haas reuniting, probably for Jersey All Pro Wrestling. Funaki and Katie Lea are probably headed back overseas. Mickie James is probably done with the wrestling biz for now, unless her album bombs and TNA makes her a good offer. Gordy is probably also done and might try to get into acting or something. If he wrestles again, it will be for a small indie. I would be incredibly surprised if Jimmy Yang doesn’t end up in TNA, probably in a tag team with Shannon Moore (again).
Out of the six, I think Shelton and Mickie are the biggest surprises (and the biggest mistakes). Shelton was never used right in my opinion. Eventually I hope he makes it to TNA because they have a better track record with elevating certain former WWE workers (like Elijah Burke, Ron Killings before he went back, Booker T before he decided he didn’t want to be there anymore, Elix Skipper who went from a nobody to one of the best tag team wrestlers in the country) and I think they could probably do wonders with him.
Mickie James could probably go to TNA if she wanted, but I don’t think she wants to. I know she has a country album out pretty soon and might just walk away from the business, but like I said she could go to TNA if she wanted.
Without an emphasis on women’s wrestling in WWE, I’m not surprised Katie Lea was gone so soon after Paul Burchill. I also don’t think that TNA will have much interest in her because she never had any blowaway matches in WWE (like Victoria was able to have on occasion) and she hasn’t been on TV in any meaningful way in months.
However, Melina pointed out in a tweet that any of these people could be rehired by WWE further on down the line. Possible, but I doubt it for most of them.
