WWE released a large list of wrestlers off the roster last Friday, including shocking Raw and SmackDown stars like Kairi Sane and Aleister Black. Several NXT and/or developmental wrestlers were also cut, including Olympic gold medalist Tamyra Mensah-Stock aka Tyra Mae Steele.
On the latest episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, NXT commentator Booker T said the competition to make it in WWE today is so fierce that young talent really need to show improvements quickly, or else.
This kind of stuff is gonna
happen. It’s inevitable that it’s gonna happen. I talk to these young guys all the time, and I tell them, you guys got a certain amount of time to really start making some improvements for the upper echelon to [say] ‘We see something in this guy. I don’t know about this guy.’
It’s so important for these young guys to really hone in and take this thing [as seriously] as they possibly can. Not saying that the ones who got cut didn’t take it serious, or anything like that, but you’ve got to try to figure out how to make yourself stand out in this business, especially today, because there’s so many young kids trying to get into this business.
Booker said the way people enter the business today is so different from his time when you traveled the world to eventually get handpicked as a big star by WWE. Steele’s release should send a message to the young wrestlers in WWE’s system that none of them are safe.
“Now it’s like The Matrix, right? We’re growing ’em. We’re growing talent now. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. But it’s just a different thing. And I think today’s talent got so much competition. You’ve got so many people that you’re gonna be competing with for that one spot. That’s why I say you got to really hone in, try to figure out how to get to that next level. Find a mentor. Maybe that might be that launching pad to get you to that next level.
I’m talking about like a Tyra Mae Steele, Olympic gold medalist was cut. Season one winner of WWE LFG. That should tell everybody: nobody is safe. Right? That should let everybody know that, hey man, this thing is really, really serious.”
Do you agree with Booker T that nobody is safe in WWE? Let me know in the comments below, Cagesiders.
