10 Biggest Wrestling Stories Of 2019 (So Far)

7. Widespread Reports Of Unhappy WWE Talent

eric bischoff paul heyman
WWE.com

Jon Moxley said, post-Double Or Nothing, that the paradigm in pro wrestling has been shifted. It was a great line, if not a keen observation.

WWE was once the ultimate - only - destination for talent. In a shocking subversion, several contracted talents now wish to leave the money and the fame behind. Under-utilised, not utilised at all, utilised in such a way that it inspires feelings of embarrassment and work dread, the want-away roster has framed the company as a toxic, unfulfilling environment.

WWE is the biggest heel in all of wrestling, and it has go-away heat.

Sasha Banks petitioned for and won the WWE's Women's Tag Team Championships. The IIconics, one of whom is arguably the worst in-ring performer in the entire company, captured them at WrestleMania 35. Those titles now belong to a stand-up act without a residency. Luke Harper, meanwhile, had the temerity to share a ring with Braun Strowman when the Monster Among Men botched on the same show. He then failed to appease Vince McMahon in a dark match disaster opposite EC3, several of the spots in which were devised by producers. The system didn't merely stifle Harper; it buried him.

Also, and this is legitimately dormant-madness Mr. Burns stuff, he can't do the southern accent inexplicably imposed on him four years ago. McMahon cannot remember the events of the previous week's RAW.

Tye Dillinger, the Revival, Lio Rush, the erstwhile members of SAnitY, Rusev, Lana, Naomi - several WWE acts have spoken out, either in rage or cry-laugh-emoji bemusement. And, per insiders Dave Meltzer and Sean Ross Sapp, several more have kept silent, waiting for their deals to run out.

This was the strategy employed by one Jon Moxley...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!