Mark Carrano FIRED By WWE, Blamed For Mickie James Incident

Mark Carrano and other officials leave WWE in MAJOR talent relations shakeup.

Natalya Mark Carrano
WWE

Long-serving WWE senior director Mark Carrano has been let go by the company.

Wrestling Inc.'s Raj Giri broke the news on Thursday, with the Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer confirming it soon after.

The move is part of a wider shakeup in WWE's talent relations department, as PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports that Director of Talent Relations Nicole Zeoli and John Cone have both been removed from their roles on the team. Zeoli was let go outright while Cone remains employed as a WWE referee.

Advertisement

Johnson also reports that Vice President of Communications Mead Rust and Manager of Publicity and Corporate Communications Joe Villa are gone from WWE.

Per Fightful Select, Dan Engler has also left talent relations. He, Cone, and Zeoli were removed from the department on Tuesday.

Advertisement

The same outlet notes that Carrano had been blamed for Mickie James being sent a trash bag containing her belongings following her recent WWE release. John Laurinaitis pointed the finger at Carrano while calling certain released talents to apologise for the incident, though some wrestlers were only given a simple apology.

Long considered a convenient WWE scapegoat between management and talent, who'd take the blame for unsavoury incidents like the trash bag, Carrano's dismissal has led to several ex-WWE wrestlers speaking out, including Gal Kim.

Advertisement
Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.