Two Former WWE Stars Returning As Backstage Producers?

WWE might be bringing back two wrestlers released in 2020 and 2021 as producers.

Curtis Axel Ariya Daivari
WWE

Fightful Select is reporting that ex-WWE wrestlers Curtis Axel and Ariya Daivari worked tryouts as producers during Friday's episode of SmackDown on FOX.

Axel helped Tyson Kidd produce a match between Liv Morgan and Sasha Banks, and former 205 Live stalwart Daivari aided Chris Park with Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn. There's no word quite yet on how both guys did, but WWE are obviously interested in bringing them in if they even got so far as a tryout for TV.

Ariya's brother, Shawn, already works as a producer behind the scenes.

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WWE cut Axel from the active roster on 30 April 2020. He'd been working alongside Bo Dallas as 'The B Team' - together, the pair were an entry-level tag, and were regularly pummelled by everyone else in the division.

Meanwhile, Daivari was let go on 25 June 2021. Ariya has since worked some shots for New Japan, and even showed up in AEW. Daivari lost to Dante Martin on the 21 November 2021 edition of Rampage.

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Stay tuned to find out whether or not Axel and Daivari will bag respective roles as producers in WWE.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.