Shane Thorne Details Futile Efforts To Get On WWE TV
Former superstar discusses rejected pitches and one insane reason he was kept off TV.
Shane Haste might best be remembered during his WWE tenure as SLAPJACK, a masked member of the bumbling group RETRIBUTION, but the former The Mighty Don't Kneel wrestler was fighting to get back onto WWE programming as himself right up until he was released last year.
During an interview with the Two Man Power Trip podcast released Thursday, Haste talked about how after RETRIBUTION disbanded in early 2021, he landed on SmackDown and pitched numerous ideas to get on TV, but his ideas were either rejected, or his segments were cut.
"I was at SmackDown every single week and I think I got written into the show and off the show, four or five times. It became comical of how long I could be employed without doing anything. How many times can we stop and start this? No idea. Run out of time on the show? SmackDown is a shorter show."
Haste, who also wrestled as Shane Thorne in NXT, said he pitched ideas as simple as being introduced to Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville, only for Sami Zayn to barge in and take over the segment, just to establish himself on the show. The reason for that pitch getting cut is oh-so-WWE:
"My part got cut because they didn't want me to be Shane. They wanted a new name. Call me Dave, Bob, John, whatever. You're just going to call me Thorne in a few weeks anyway. People don't have two names. Who cares, whatever gets me out there. Me and Toni Storm did this thing with Corbin where he was down on his luck. They came up to Toni and go, 'Here is your part for that.' 'What about my bit?' 'Uhhh, sorry, you've been cut.' In 15 minutes, they cut all of them. I had a few chats with Vince, spitballing ideas, it just never came to."
Haste's last televised appearance was in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the SmackDown before WrestleMania 37. He was among the multitude released in November 2021, meaning that he is now a free agent. He had been with WWE since 2016.
(h/t to Fightful for the transcription)