By David G. Firestone
So I was going to devote this week’s column to the Team Penske IndyCar cheating situation, but I have a lot more to say than I thought I would, so I will save that for at least next week. I’ve been sitting on this for some time, and I want to discuss this. As is typical in the period after Wrestlemania, WWE has released a number of wrestlers.
Those who were released include main roster members Braun Strowman, Shayna Baszler, Dakota Kai, Kayden Carter,and Katana Chance. On the NXT/developmental side, those released were Cora Jade, Gigi Dolin, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Wolfgang, Eddy Thorpe, Riley Osborne, Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson, Javier Bernal, and Dani Palmer.
Whenever these releases happen, fans cry and crow for a while, and claim that WWE shouldn’t release talent. To that, I say, yes they should. First off, WWE is a for-profit company, and profits are key. It should also be noted that, after the last few years, WWE and TKO had a lot of debt, and costs involved in the merger, so the “profit” isn’t as great as it was.
Why is this an issue? Well, let’s do some math. There were a total of 17 performers released. If we assume they were all making the $250,000 minimum, this comes to a total of $4,250,000 that is directly saved by releasing these performers. It should be noted that some talent, including Braun Strowman, and Shayna Baszler were making much more than the minimum.
But there is a second reason these cuts are needed. WWE is the top echelon of professional wrestling. There is nothing higher. There are a lot of wrestlers in other promotions, or on the indies, who would love to be in WWE, and many of them have the talent to make it to WWE. When you are in the top echelon of anything, sports, business, or otherwise, there is the need to perform at the highest level.
This brings me to a concept I call the “personal glass ceiling.” The idea of a personal glass ceiling is that everybody has a point that they reach, where no matter what, they can’t go any higher. There are opportunities above them, but their personal limits prevent them from reaching new heights. This affects everybody, regardless of gender, race, religion, or ability. Even if you are fortunate enough to get to the top echelon, your career can and will be limited by your own limitations.
Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not knocking, or disrespecting any of the released wrestlers, far from it. They all had the skill, talent, and ability to perform at the top echelon of professional wrestling. 99.999999% of us can’t do what they did. That should be applauded. But when there are a lot of hungry mouths, and only a few spots at the top table, sometimes, it won’t work out.
Professional wrestling, like any other occupation is constantly changing, and constantly evolving. What worked yesterday, might nor work today..What works today, might not work tomorrow. For some, their time at the top table was brief, but for others it was much longer. Changing times call for changing rosters. It’s like that in every job. I’ve worked at the same job since 2007, and I can say that the job does evolve, and it does change. If it changes to the point I am no longer needed, I can and will be sent packing. That’s just a fact of life.
In the end, every single person at a job has a personal glass ceiling. Every single person at a job also has an expiration date, and for many of us, it’s out of our control. My advice is not to worry over things you can’t control. It doesn’t do anybody any good.
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