Did Crown Jewel Concerns Lead To WWE's April Releases?
The Plane Ride from Hell II continues to be a factor.
Complaints raised regarding WWE's shambolic plane ride home from Saudi Arabia after Crown Jewel 2019 may have been a factor in several wrestlers losing their jobs earlier this year.
This is according to Dave Meltzer, who said on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that performers who spoke about the situation publically were effectively punished when the axe swung on 15 April. "Another thing was the guys who had given the company bad publicity over Saudi Arabia, which was Rusev, Karl Anderson, and Joe Hennig (Curtis Axel)," he claimed.
Dozens of WWE wrestlers or backstage staff members were either released or furloughed on 15 April, with the day quickly dubbed Black Wednesday. These wrestlers' non-compete clauses expired on 15 July, leaving them officially free to show up elsewhere. Anderson, Luke Gallows, EC3, Eric Young, and Heath Slater all appeared at Impact Wrestling's Slammiversary pay-per-view this past weekend.
The infamous Crown Jewel 2019 plane ride remains a hugely controversial issue almost a year after the fact. Though WWE has always denied any wrongdoing, an anonymous former independent contractor recently spoke on the issue in court, painting a damning picture of the delay and how it was handled while under oath.