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Thom Hodkinson's Pointless Opinions - YOU'RE FIRED!

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In times gone by, the WWE Post-Mania season was the perfect time to highlight new & exciting superstars and to also cut away any dead wood that was no longer needed by the McMahons or the corporation. Many a brave and valiant wrestler has felt the mighty weight of Vince's Unforgiving Axe as their pink slips come flooding in. This had become a very interesting tradition that sparked a lot of speculation, but has been rarely executed (see what I did there?) due to the political campaigning of the McMahon Matriarch, Linda. But now that elections are no longer an issue, it's time to remove those unfortunate few who really failed to cut the mustard. So let's take a quick look at those on the roster that could very quickly find themselves without a job.... or on TNA (Am I right?)

What a shame. A young guy with quite a lot of potential, he acted as The Miz's lackey for a while, helping out the Awesome One to reach the ultimate goal as WWE Champion. Sadly, Riley couldn't quite reach the same heights as his mentor and, after their divide, rarely made any appearances on TV. Hopefully they'll give A-Ry a second chance with a fresh start on NXT, but I'm not holding my breath

The Million Dollar Son. Mr Trust-Fund. Second generation stars usually don't have a problem with making waves in the WWE, but it seems that after surgeries and poorly-thought-out gimmicks, time might finally be running out for this former Tag Team Champion. Teaming with Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton gave Ted the push that most people would die for. Hell, he even eliminated Orton from an Elimination Chamber match three years ago! Once that angle had ended, he re-instated the Million Dollar Title and even hired Virgil as his personal servant, once again playing on his father's legacy. When that all fell apart, he fell hard. His "DiBiase Posse" gimmick was a total failure and after a few injuries, he really struggled to get back into the picture. A strong contender for Future Endeavours.

These guys weren't exactly what you'd call "over" in the first place. Hunico's original debut in the WWE as a Fake Sin Cara was an obvious move for the company and made for some interesting moments and matches. Then, shortly after his reveal, he very quickly went off the boil. Sure, he had some aerial offence, but the gimmick of a Latin Street Thug, complete with bicycle entrance was just not a hit with the fans. Neither was his compadre Camacho. The pair could've been a really dominant tag team, but at a time while the TT Division is in total disarray, booking failed them. Injuries got the better of them and they've been fairly divided until recently, making their comeback at Axxess last week. But personally, I think it's time to call time on the duo.

The young Japanese star still has a hell of a lot to offer. Quick & agile, he could've been a force to be reckoned with back in the days of the Cruiserweight title. If reports are to be believed, he still could have a future with the possibility of a Cruiserweight show on the WWE Network. But with that a long way away, so are his hopes and dreams. Even a darker gimmick failed to fly. Again, NXT may be a home he can cling on to, but I don't see him lasting for very long. I mean, come on... that entrance theme? He was never going to make it with that!

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Sorry JTG, but it's over. Sadly left in the abyss after tag team partner Shad was let go, the one-half of former racially-stereotypical team Cryme Tyme hasn't had a win since the TLC Dark Match, and before then went 7 months without his victory, which was remarkably on the absolute pile of crap that was NXT:Redemption. I think the final nail in the coffin was his much-publicised moaning and complaints to being trapped in the under-card. Perhaps he had a point, but the heads of WWE don't like being told what they're doing wrong. His card has been marked since that day, and his WWE hourglass is nearly out of sand

The first Welsh WWE Superstar actually holds a place in my heart, purely for coming from The Land of My Fathers... Ok, so it's actually the Land of my Mothers, but I'm doing my best over here. Mason had a huge impact on the developmental brand FCW, being their Heavyweight Champion for over 6 months. He was big, muscular and aggressive so obvious VKM loved him, right? Wrong. He was shoved into the already-fading Nexus stable and really failed to make an impact there after. He was involved in a huge WWE cock-up long ago, when during a "Power to the People" fan's choice night, he was voted into a match against Evan Bourne, when the real winner had in fact been Sin Cara. Confined to NXT, I think he'd be an adequate contender for the NXT Title, all he needs is a little push... then again, the size of the man, pushing him would be like rugby-tackling a concrete bollard.

What is there to say about this guy? I really want him to be given a sweet gimmick and a new push, because he's got all the makings of long-term star. He knows all the right people, has held WWE Gold before. The problem is he's a Tag Team performer. His most well-known moments are either with Zack Ryder or Tyler Reks. Now, without either, he's really not making enough of an impact to justify his wages. Sadly stuck in the land of the Jobbers, his future in the company looks bleak.

You know, that guy that won NXT Season 4...
NXT has seasons?
Well it did, but after Season 1, it kind of sucked
Oh, I must've missed that
Yeah, They did an episode or two where CM Punk was on commentary
Oh yeah, I've seen clips of that on Youtube
Yeah, they're pretty awesome
What were we talking about again?
No idea. Strip Club?

"Woah woah woah there Thom! They won't get rid of Ryder. We Want Ryder. Ryder or Riot! The Ryder Revolution can still make it"
Sorry, I think he's on borrowed time. Initially, the whole "I'm such a jobber" thing was clever and original. Not since the J.O.B. Squad had we seen something this transparent from a disgruntled superstar. And his use of social media and modern tech was sublime. He really caught the audience's attention. He even caught the WWE's attention for a while, gaining him popularity and even the United States title. It was Siiiiiiiick... sorry. But then the Z! True Long Island Story show got kidnapped by the corporation and the soul of the show was wrenched out. It wasn't right. To be honest, this is the one prediction that I hope I'm wrong about. I like Zack Ryder a lot but perhaps it's time for a change

Stop kidding yourselves. They are not worthy to lick the boots of Divas past like Trish Stratus, Lita, Ivory, Molly Holly. These modern Divas are just glorified models, and that shouldn't be what being a WWE Diva is about. There's a reason that Divas matches are referred to as "toilet breaks" and also why you didn't see any divas in competition at Wrestlemania 29. This division is dying... so what else could save it than a total overhaul of talent?
So long Aksana, farewell Alicia Fox. Bon Voyage Bella Twins and See ya later Layla. Nice to meet you Natalya and hit the bricks Rosa Mendes. Time for some fresh talent to restore faith... perhaps from NXT Diva Paige, or Sara Del Ray, who for some reason is only a trainer (What the hell, WWE?)

Now, I know I've missed many out, but that's for you guys to wade in on. And I also know that finding new gimmicks is a tough process, but I only use that as a last resort scenario. Otherwise, we'll be waving bye-bye to these guys and countless others very very soon

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Thoughts and Opinions


  1. walldo 3:16's Avatar
    The roster is way to big anyway hopefully there is more " youuuureeee firrreddddddd " moments than you mentioned .. Less wrestlers would make the shows better and lead to longer fueds with more tv time
  2. TempestH's Avatar
    I don't think a lot lof these guys are going anywhere. Just because they're jobbers doesn't automatically mean they'll be released. WWE needs them to make the guys they DO push look good. You cut all the jobbers, then someone a little higher up the ladder is going to get stuck doing all the jobbing.

    I think people are way too eager to see guys unemployed. Posts like this are the reason why WWE only cares about the main event guys and why they don't bother building a real midcard. Because fans keep dismissing certain guys as being "useless" or "expendable" just because they aren't the second coming of The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin.

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