16-time WWE World Champion John Cena has shared his candid thoughts on why WWE has released so many superstars recently.
2021 saw a lot of talent releases from WWE. Though some of the talents left WWE by their own volition, a vast majority of the talents have been released because of budget cuts. Many wrestlers, both active and legends, have given their opinions on the issue. John Cena has also shared his own thoughts on the issue.
During an episode of The Rich Eisen Show, John Cena guested and had this to say:
“I think a lot of it might have been a little slightly defensive hiring. Because there was, and still is, a giant boom right now in sports entertainment. People are absorbing this content, they’re engaging. People are making a name for themselves outside of the WWE, it’s no longer a one stop shop. So I think with this flux of passionate people who love sports entertainment, people do get a name for themselves outside of WWE. If the WWE feels that maybe they can be a fit in that world, they’re going to try to give that person a shot. They’re also really bullish on continuing to hire new talent.”
Because of this bullish behavior, Cena said that it has made the NXT Performance Center work at max capacity. This has led to a lot of unused talent, which frustrated both the performers and WWE, seeing both each other not fulfilling potential.
“I think a lot of the frustration from the audience out there is they view sports entertainment like I do. I love watching matches, I love seeing potential in human beings, I love seeing potential in performers. And I see potential in everybody, especially when people begin to defy what they would call a gimmick or a personality. I love to be able to try to run on with it on conversations and see how far we can take it. But there is only so many spots, there is only so much programming. And I understand, from a business standpoint, the amount of releases that have had to happen, if the company justifies that ‘hey, this is the move we’re making. We want to carry less talent’, it has very little to do with profit loss margin.”
Cena also shared how he sees everyone with potential, but still knows that everyone can be fired at any time. During his early days, he shares, “I got the impression ‘if they can fire Stone Cold Steve Austin, unless your name is Vince McMahon, everyone is replaceable.”
“I think the sad thing here is people who have this gift aren’t being allowed to use it and people are out of a job. And that is the absolute saddest thing, that people no longer can work for a company they called home for a period of time. I feel for everybody who’s had to go in that direction. But all of us, myself included, our journey will eventually have an end. And when you’re in it sometimes, you don’t always have that perspective.”
At the end of the day, everyone's disposable, unless you're Vince McMahon. That's why for John Cena, while the firings and budget cuts are unfortunate and saddening, they are to be expected and not surprising at all.
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