13 Ups And 23 Downs For WWE In 2020

8. Black Wednesday

There’s no denying that the global pandemic has wreaked havoc on individuals and businesses around the world. The impacts vary from industry to industry – some have maintained their standing, while others have suffered greatly.

In the weeks after a shutdown that forced WWE to retreat to its Performance Center and tape programs without an audience, it was unclear if or how the company could proceed with its operations. Shortly after WrestleMania 36, we got our first answer from WWE about how the year could shape up: a slew of releases.

Just 10 days after Mania aired, WWE released an unprecedented amount of talent, including: Kurt Angle, Rusev, Zack Ryder, Curt Hawkins, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Heath Slater, Eric Young, Erick Rowan, Sarah Logan, No Way Jose, Mike and Maria Kanellis, EC3, Lio Rush, and a ton of backstage production workers and other employees.

So why does “Black Wednesday” rate so high on this list, especially during such uncertain economic times? Quite simply, WWE is on track to have its most profitable year in company history. Dozens of workers, including several talented wrestlers, found themselves unemployed as a presumed cost-cutting move, and instead of scraping by, Vince McMahon can do his best Scrooge McDuck dive into the money bin impersonation yet.

The lack of depth on both rosters was on full display through much of the year, as we saw feuds drone on for months, with wrestlers competing against each other repeatedly because of a lack of other opponents. It all makes this decision look worse in hindsight.