Vince McMahon Knew WWE Roster Cuts Were Coming Before WrestleMania 36
New notes on WWE's mass Black Wednesday releases.
15 April was a tough, tough day for WWE talent, as several dozen wrestlers and backstage staff members were either released or furloughed by the promotion on what was quickly dubbed "Black Wednesday," leading to immense criticism towards the organisation.
Per ESPN's Kevin Seifert (who has penned an article on Vince McMahon's latest XFL revival), the WWE Chairman and CEO apparently knew he was going to make these cuts before WrestleMania 36 weekend.
The moves were made as part of a larger plan to maintain profit margins during a period of decreased revenue. As such, wrestlers like Rusev, EC3, and Zack Ryder were cast into unemployment during a global health crisis, while long-time staffers Dave Finlay, Gerald Brisco, and more were placed on furlough. WWE also postponed plans to move to a new headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut for at least six more months.
WWE's justification looks fine at surface level but loses credibility upon understanding that the promotion stood to make record-breaking profits in 2020 without making the cuts, per projections based on WWE not running another attended show for the rest of the year. Per recent reports, the company is looking at bringing audiences back as early as next month.