New Japan Pro Wrestling talent Jonah shared his thoughts on WWE releasing him and why it surprised him.
Fightful’s Denise Salcedo spoke with Jonah about WWE cutting him from the roster in an interview yesterday. When asked about the morale in WWE, Jonah shared that the people are on edge and walking on eggshells. He admitted that he thought WWE would never release him. WWE had Johan wrestle on dark matches, and he thought the company wanted him on the main roster. However, The company released Jonah on August 6th.
” I mean, it’s definitely not good for morale. I’ve spoken to people that are still there, and it just puts people on edge. People walking around on eggshells and stuff like that,” said Jonah.
Jonah explained, “For example, when the first few rounds of cuts happened, which it’s never good when someone gets released. I was one of those people that were never worried about it. I was like, I’m set. I never thought I was going to be released, and from speaking to some of the higher-ups in WWE, they always said like you’re going to have a job for a long time. Not to worry, and then when I then when I was released, there’s people that are close with me in NXT and WWE that now are worried for themselves.”
Jonah Conversation with John Laurinaitis after his Release
Jonah shared that he still doesn’t know precisely why WWE cut him in the interview. He tried to ask Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis why WWE released him. However, Laurinaitis didn’t give him a clear answer and told Jonah that the door was always open for a return.
“…I spoke to John Laurinaitis, and ‘hey said we are releasing you. You have so many days non-compete’. I said, okay, cool, what is the reasoning for you releasing me,” said Jonah.
He continued, “…he gave me again a bit more blanket statement that didn’t help me at all. It was it’s a no for now, but the door is always open. I was like okay. I rather you tell me it was something to do with character or we didn’t like your size or we didn’t like how you moved in the ring. Whatever it is, because then I know I can work on it and change it.”
What’s Next For Jonah
While Jonah is no longer in WWE, he found a new home in NJPW. He is under a non-exclusive contract, allowing him to wrestle for Impact Wrestling. He made his Impact Wrestling debut at Turning Point on November 20th. Jonah will also wrestle for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla next year. Now working for other wrestling promotions, Jonah plans to show WWE their mistake.
