Latest On Rumoured Budget Cuts In WWE
Gauging WWE's backstage mood following renewed rumours of budget cuts in the company.
The WWE locker room was seemingly unphased by rumours of budget cuts at last Friday's SmackDown taping.
Fightful Select reports that there was "no talk backstage of cuts" during SmackDown. The situation wasn't a "big topic of conversation", per the company's sources, despite rumours of imminent cutbacks doing the rounds late last week.
For now, the rumours appear to be just that. @WrestlingBlog_ had tweeted on Friday that talk of wrestlers and staff members being let go from WWE was accurate, with the promotion considering these moves over the past fortnight, looking to reduce expenses.
Long-standing WWE writer Nick Manfredini left the promotion last week. Ringside News claims that although Manfredini was fired, this was not a consequence of budget cuts.
WWE embarked on a brutal period of budget trimming in April 2020, using the COVID-19 pandemic as its justification for releasing dozens of talent and backstage workers during a period of immense global uncertainty. This is despite the promotion entering the most profitable run of its history during the international crisis.
The promotion has since dialled back on such cuts, though there is talk that this year's WrestleMania will be a more streamlined affair, personnel-wise.