The last time WWE did a big round of cuts, it was Thursday, June 12, 2014, when they released JTG, Drew McIntyre, Jinder Mahal, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Teddy Long, Camacho, Brodus Clay, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, and referee Marc Harris. Since then, the company moved in a different direction, electing to allow most contracts to expire. It made enough sense: It’s not the type of thing you necessarily want to publicize. For whatever reason, that changed today, Friday, May 6, 2016.

While WWE doing a big round of cuts is surprising in and of itself, the choices themselves aren’t necessarily out of left field. Let’s take a look at who got cut and why it may or may not make sense:

Zeb Colter (Wayne Keown): Veteran wrestler and booker Dutch Mantel had has career revived for one last big run starting in 2013 as Jack Swagger’s manager. Billed as having served with Swagger’s father (who was portrayed by fellow southern veteran Jimmy Golden) in Vietnam, he reprised his mid-’90s Uncle Zebekiah gimmick as a Tea Party-loving heel and was cutting some of the best promos in the business. However, the character had largely run its course and, except for a six week run last fall, he had been off TV for two years. A lot of people already thought that he was gone, as he’s been taking independent bookings, using his Dutch Mantel Twitter account again, and the official Zeb Colter Twitter account had its “Verified” check mark removed.

El Torito (real name unknown; formerly Mascarita Dorada): The Mexican mini star had nothing to do after Los Matadores were dissolved, having been off TV since last fall. Unless WWE brought in someone from Mexico to be his opponent as a house show opening match act, what could they even have done with him? It’s a shame since it’s so talented. Hopefully he can pick up where he left off in Mexico.

Alex Riley (Kevin Kiley Jr.): He was never really given a shot. His initial babyface turn on The Miz got over to a surprising degree with live crowds, but that fizzled. He could talk well and improved in the ring and occasionally got a minor spotlight (like his match with Shinsuke Nakamura airing on NXT next week) but he clearly hasn’t been any kind of priority for a long time. He didn’t wrestle for an eight month stretch last year and only worked 29 matches to date in 2016.

Hornswoggle (Dylan Postl): He had been off TV for the better part of two years, barely wrestled, and failed a drug test last fall. If WWE was going to do a round of cuts, it was inevitable that he’d be on the list, though not necessarily due to any fault of his own. He deserves credit for lasting a decade in the company, especially since he was brought it seemingly to sabotage Finlay’s push.

Cameron (Ariane Andrew): The former “Tough Enough” contestant never really improved to the point she could carry her end of a match, though she was a very entertaining personality on “Total Divas.” That, and her boyfriend Vinny becoming a fan favorite character, clearly helped extend her run. Even if she had improved more, she had a big hill to climb with fans after saying on Tough Enough that Melina vs. Alicia Fox was the greatest match she had ever seen. She had just nine matches this year, had been off TV since a January NXT appearance, and hadn’t been on main roster television in about a year.

Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli): He had announced his retirement at a house show in his home town of Toronto almost two years ago, though he had teased returning at times on social media. That seemed a lot less likely after this:

Well folks bad news, we had semi-emergency surgery today, had to remove all the hardware in my neck, not sure what recovery will entail

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) December 12, 2014

It was honestly pretty surprising that he was still under a talent contract at this point, especially if releasing him was in the cards.

Wade Barrett (Stu Bennett): He had announced he wasn’t renewing his contract. While a lot of his setbacks in WWE were just bad luck with injuries, he was completely derailed by the transition from Bad News Barrett to King Barrett. He went from a guy who was funny but able to be taken seriously as a tough guy to a total joke who ran around wearing a crown.

Damien Sandow: They built to his babyface turn with the Damien Mizdow gimmick…then it fizzled. Then he vanished. What happened? Who knows?

WWE has announced the release of multiple Superstars on Friday, including:

• Hornswoggle
• Alex Riley
• Cameron
• Zeb Colter
• El Torito
• Santino Marella
• Wade Barrett
• Damien Sandow

As per WWE.com, “WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.”

We’ll update this post if there are any more cuts.

– Following his WWE television return at the special Slammy Awards edition of RAW last week, PWInsider.com is reporting that former WWE Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella will be appearing at the final RAW of 2015 tonight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Santino also appeared on a segment at last Tuesday night’s live Super SmackDown show in Des Moines, Iowa.

– WWE and TNA television ratings will be delayed over the next few days due to the holidays. Ratings for the Thursday night replay of the aforementioned live Super SmackDown show on Tuesday night will be available later today, while the ratings for tonight’s RAW won’t be available until this Wednesday. The ratings for TNA’s special on POP TV last Tuesday night won’t be available until Thursday.

– WWE recently applied to trademark the name “Gorgeous George” now that the long-rumored movie on the wrestling legend is finally moving forward following the news that Josh Gad and Ryan Dixon signed on to write the script for the WWE biopic.

Make sure to visit SESoops.com this evening for live results coverage of the final episode of WWE RAW in 2015!

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– In the above Super SmackDown Fallout video, Santino Marella mourns his ruined Christmas party and vows revenge on those responsible for ruining it.

– The following matches were recently taped for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:

* The Vaudevillains vs. Mojo Rawley & Zack Ryder vs. Blake & Murphy vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan
* Elias Samson vs. Bull Dempsey
* Sami Zayn vs. Tye Dillinger

– WWE tweeted the following link to a clip of Big Show’s appearance on ESPN SportsCenter on Tuesday night.

.@WWETheBigShow talks @TributeToTroops with @TheCoachESPN on @SportsCenter. WATCH: https://t.co/RoepCAlNZR pic.twitter.com/0KGw9T5XaA

— WWE (@WWE) December 23, 2015

• *NEW* Photo Gallery: Awesome Bikini Pics Of RONDA ROUSEY At The Beach!

– As seen in the video featured above, Santino Marella made a surprise appearance during Monday’s WWE RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota to present the Slammy Award for the 2015 “LOL! Moment of the Year.”

– WWE announced a tag-team title match for this Tuesday’s live edition of WWE SmackDown, as The New Day will defend the tag-team gold against The Lucha Dragons. This week’s WWE SmackDown emanates from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.

• Rousey-Holm II CANCELED?, McGregor’s UFC 194 Pay + CM Punk’s UFC Opponent!

Former WWE United States champ Santino Marella was recently interviewed by the Two Man Power Trip podcast about his WWE experience. You can listen to the full podcast here. Here are some highlights:

Is John Cena the leader of the locker room?: “Well, he definitely was the locker room leader. But what happens is when guys like get their own bus they are not in the locker room anymore. He has his own bus, Randy has a bus, Big Show has got their buses and you literally don’t see them in the locker room because they have a different bus. But on European tours he’s still in the locker room, but that being said he was definitely the locker room leader or at least I saw him like that and the reason I saw him there was because of his work ethic and he is just a good guy, really good principles and morals and values. Just a standup guy and he works so damn hard. You could not be but awe inspired that this guy can just go and go and go and not complain or whine and he leads by example and that is what a real locker room leader is supposed to be.”

Do Superstars that have the private buses feel above being in the locker room?: “No, if anyone could afford it they would have one too. It’s an investment in your career. You are pro-longing your career because they have high quality mattresses and they sleep on the same one every night. They’ve got their fridge and their kitchen so they can make their smoothies and they can take care of their nutrition better than us because we actually have to search around for an IHOP and get some egg whites. If John Cena or Randy Orton are putting asses in seats in which I am benefiting from because I am on the same show well then I want my stars and my headliners and main events to be healthy because the more they put asses in seats, the more I get paid. That’s the opinion of the wrestlers in the locker room if you take care of the guy in the main event then he has some leeway because he’s feeding your family.”

Was playing “Santina” competing in a “Divas” match detrimental to his character: “I’m always up for a challenge and when you get a role like that some people would be concerned like “oh GOD” this is the end of his career because once you dress like a woman that’s it. I thought I was going to do a good job and knock this out of the park, do a good job and kind of reverse the joke. Well like if the joke was supposed to be on me well I did a good job it’s like I got praised for it. I know the girls were pissed. But I was given the job by the boss and you just do the best you can”.

Former WWE Superstar Santino Marella recently spoke with Joshua Lopez of the Pro Wrestling Experience podcast. Topics covered include his early days in the business, his Battle Arts Academy in Canada and more. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The Status Of His Injured Neck:

“Not too good. Wish I could report better. when I had the initial surgery, I felt a little bit better and started training and then two of the screws came out, so we had to go in and take out all of the titanium. Little set back with regards to the fact that your body tends to overreact with that type of surgery. Your neck tightens up and it’s effecting other parts of your back. It’s getting there.”

His Time With WWE:

“It’s crazy because like now because of YouTube. People will send me links all the time and so many fun and great moments there. Wrestling has been great. The locker room has always been great since I’ve been there. Traveling the world, putting on shows and for me it’s pure fun getting out there. I tell people that I wrestle for free, I just get paid to drag my bags around.”

Competing at WrestleMania:

“It’s sport entertainment yet you get this playoff feeling in your stomach. You up your training and take it seriously. There’s tension. It seems like any sports entertainer is going to be not judged but significantly remembered for there WrestleMania moments. It’s all about legacy. I love performing at WrestleMania. I’ll be down there this year to enjoy the event as a fan and I’ll be doing a couple signings at Axxess and looking at the card for this year’s Mania I can’t wait to enjoy the show as a fan for this WrestleMania.”

CM Punk’s Chances In UFC:

“Well it’s interesting. Punk is a super cardio efficient athlete. He’s very meticulous with his training. He trains hard. Definitely has the skills as an athlete to be a solid fighter and he trained in jiu jitsu. Has he been studying? I knew that he did karate as a kid. How is his kickboxing/boxing? That’s the only thing I’m worrying about. I’m only worrying because I don’t know, he could be kickboxing at Roufusport right now as we speak (laughing). He’ll have to be a high level and that’s the hard part.”

Word Association:

Maria – Sexy Kitty Cat

Emma – Sexy meets goofy

John Cena – Hardworking

Randy Orton – My buddy

Roman Reigns – The future. I see that everybody saying, “Oh they’re pushing and shoving down our throats.” You complain for 10 years that you wanted something new and here it is and yet you’re still complaining. He’s a high caliber athlete. Very nice guy. Very locker room oriented guy. The industry is going to be in good hands.

Vince McMahon – My idol

Triple H – Tons of respect

As noted, Titus O’Neil’s four second elimination at the WWE Royal Rumble match this past Sunday night was supposed to be a one second elimination to tie Santino Marella as the shortest Rumble reign in history. Due to a timing issue between O’Neil, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, he wasn’t eliminated until the four second mark. Vince McMahon was said to be furious over the mistake, as it was the only spot in the match that was supposed to be timed perfectly.

Speaking of the Rumble match, WWE contacted Chris Jericho on January 19th about being a surprise entrant in the match, however he declined the offer. Jericho is working some non-televised live events for WWE lately, but doesn’t want to return on-camera unless it has meaning and value behind it.

• PHOTO: BROCK LESNAR Sporting A “TRAMP STAMP” Tattoo!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

As seen during the Royal Rumble match on Sunday night, Titus O’Neil was eliminated in just four seconds by Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose.

O’Neil’s role in this year’s Royal Rumble match was to be eliminated in just one second, tying Santino Marella’s record for the shortest reign in Royal Rumble history.

The blame for the missed spot is said to be shared, as many are calling it a timing issue, with Reigns and Ambrose being off with their double-clothesline and O’Neil being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Being eliminated in four seconds, O’Neil is now tied with Jerry Lawler (1997) and Bushwacker Luke (1991), who were also eliminated in four seconds. In 1995, Sir Mo and Owen Hart were both eliminated in three seconds, and in 1989, The Warlord was eliminated in two seconds.

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(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

On the final RAW of 2014, a big segment for the final edition of WWE Main Event of 2014 was announced.

It was revealed that tomorrow night’s edition of WWE Main Event, which airs live on the WWE Network, there will be a Santino Marella New Year’s Eve party.

– Santino Marella posted the following update on his health on his official Twitter account on Sunday.

Day 2 back in the gym after surgery # 2, the road seems so long, i have to constantly remind myself "one step at a time" #healthyliving

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) December 28, 2014

– WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley’s “365 Days of Christmas” has officially ended. The Hardcore Legend is back to wearing his usual attire, as he posted the following on Facebook, which was accompanied by a photo of him in his usual flannel jacket and goatee.

THE POST-SANTA PHOTO

I’ll look forward to resuming my role as St Mick next year, but after 365 consecutive days of Santa themed attire, it was kind of refreshing to throw on the flannel and shave the beard into a classic Cactus Jack goatee.

As previously reported, USA Network will feature “WWE Week” this week, with a lot of WWE-related programming.

Below is the advertised programming for this week.

Monday: WWE Raw, The Condemned (starring Steve Austin)

Tuesday: Live Smackdown

Wednesday: Tribute to the Troops

Sunday: Jingle All The Way 2 (starring Larry The Cable Guy and Santino Marella)

Additionally, USA Network announced that WWE Superstars will be interviewed on their daytime programming from Monday through Friday.

The advertising lists Cat Greenleaf will interviewing The Miz, Big Show, Titus O’Neil, Brie Bella, and Stephanie McMahon. Those interviews will air between 11:00 a.m. ET and 3:00 p.m ET.

Santino Marella tweeted the following on Friday, revealing that he had to undergo “semi-emergency” neck surgery:

Well folks bad news, we had semi-emergency surgery today, had to remove all the hardware in my neck, not sure what recovery will entail

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) December 12, 2014

Next Sunday, the WWE will dust off the tables, ladders, chairs, and apparently stairs for its annual hardcore spectacular. This year’s event will be held in Cleveland, Ohio and will be the sixth incarnation of the pay-per-view.

This will be only the second TLC pay-per-view to not feature a WWE Championship match, as Brock Lesnar is still sitting at home collecting a paycheck. In the past, the WWE has used this event to lay the groundwork for the Road to WrestleMania while providing a sense of finality to various feuds with the hardcore element. With that said, here is a look back at the first five TLC pay-per-view events.

As seen on last night’s post-Survivor Series edition of WWE RAW, former WWE Superstar Santino Marella, along with his “Jingle All The Way 2” movie co-star, Larry The Cable Guy, made appearances on the show during a couple of different segments.

Below is a video of the first segment the two took part in, where Larry The Cable Guy comes out dressed up like a masked pro wrestler.

And for those who missed it, as we posted earlier today, the two ere also part of this week’s “RAW Fallout” video which you can view once again below.

– WWE posted the following video on their official YouTube channel promoting the return of Santino Marella and the debut of Larry The Cable Guy as tonight’s RAW guest host.

– Speaking of WWE’s YouTube channel, they posted this video to hype tonight’s WWE Network special on The Usos.

– Former WWE Superstar Santino Marella will be making his return on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW with special guest host Larry The Cable Guy. The two will be promoting their film, “Jingle All The Way 2.”

– WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair is scheduled to do a one-man show tour in the United Kingdom in 2015. Below are the dates for the “Audience With Ric Flair” tour. For more information on the tour, visit MDAPromotions.co.uk.

May 24th – Scotland
May 25th – Newcastle
May 26th – Leeds
May 27th – Derby
May 28th – Leicester
May 29th – Portsmouth
May 30th – London

The following are highlights of a new Slam! Wrestling interview with Santino Marella:

On his recovery process and plans to return: “I can start riding the bike in a couple of weeks, and then maybe a month after that, some light weights. Then I’ll be able to exercise. I just won’t be able to do any falling. If I can get back into the ring, that’ll be in six months’ time. There’s no guarantee that I’ll be back, but there’s definitely a possibility.”

On his plans once he returns to WWE: “In the meantime, I should go back to work in about a month and I’ll just be doing a non-physical role for the next five months or so, until I’m ready to go. It’ll be interesting how I transition back to the ring; hopefully they do something cool.”

Check out the complete interview at Canoe.ca.

Santino Marella posted the following tweets with more information about the neck operation he recently underwent.

Not only did they perform a double fusion, they also removed a piece of broken bone pic.twitter.com/BHK6vj9TfP

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) September 18, 2014

With a new titanium plate, I'll be better than ever "IF" I'm medically cleared to perform next year, at least I know where I'll be trainin!

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) September 18, 2014

A little over a month ago after retiring from WWE, former WWE Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella announced his intentions to make a return to the ring after he has surgery.

Santino wrote the following on Facebook today:

“Surgery went well, there were some unexpected broken bones in my neck apparently but everything is looking good now, let the legendary comeback begin! 6 months till I get to do what I was born to do again, perform in front of the wwe universe.”

He also tweeted this shorter version of the same news:

Surgery was a success, road to recovery starts now

— Santino Marella (@milanmiracle) September 17, 2014

The following are highlights of a new Chill Magazine interview with Santino Marella:

Having two procedures called rhizotomies: “There’s multiple things wrong with my neck. I had some success with that, but the stenosis has increased to the point where it has to be fixed. I’m not cleared for physical contact due to the severity of my stenosis, but apparently with a double fusion you actually can return to the ring with four to six months of recovery time.”

Making a comeback: “I’m looking forward to getting my surgery within a month and then I will have a four- to six-month recovery in which I will actually attempt to come back in the ring and wrestle again and make one of the greatest, most memorable comebacks of all time. It will be a long comeback, plus I’m going to be 41 years old. I’m just hoping the surgery and the rehab goes perfect and you’ll see me back in the ring sooner than later.”

“SummerSlam is a few months after Wrestlemania, and for us it’s kind of like the halfway point of the season because it’s the second biggest event of the year. I won’t be there. I’m taking care of the neck. But I’ll be there next year.”

Why he wants to return: “I want to come back because of some unfinished business. I believe being the Milan Miracle I have one miracle left. There’s one belt that I haven’t captured—the WWE Championship—and it’s going to require that miracle to do it. On the right day at the right time I can definitely experience capturing that championship. There’s still some good wrestling left in this guy, so that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

Check out the complete interview at IChill.ca.

– Some of Santino Marella’s students from his Battle Arts Academy school were used as “Rosebuds” for Adam Rose on last week’s WWE SmackDown and WWE Superstars shows. Additionally, Randy Reign and Hornet received tryouts prior to the SmackDown television taping last Tuesday and could potentially become the first Battle Arts Academy students to get WWE deals.

– NXT Diva Sasha Banks confirmed that she will be at RAW and SmackDown this week. As noted previously, additional NXT talents, such as Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn and Charlotte are also expected at this week’s WWE TV.

The following is from WWE.com:

Santino Marella makes career-related announcement at WWE Live Event

The in-ring career of Santino Marella could be coming to a close, according to comments The Milan Miracle made at a WWE Live Event in Toronto Sunday.

Dressed in street clothes, Marella — a decorated former Intercontinental, United States and WWE Tag Team Champion — addressed the WWE Universe from the middle of the ring inside Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum. He explained that he’s experiencing issues with his neck — “for the third time” — and stated that between his age and the injury, “this might be the end of Santino Marella in a WWE ring.”

Marella, who underwent neck surgery earlier this year, indicated it wouldn’t be the last time WWE fans see him, noting he’d like to stay involved and try other positions, such as General Manager. He also bemoaned the fact he was never “introduced properly [from Ontario, Canada].” In fall 2013, Marella, who has close ties to the region, opened the Battle Arts Academy, which is a wrestling and mixed martial arts school, in Mississauga, Ontario.

Best known for putting smiles on the faces of WWE fans, Marella refused to leave the ring on a sad note Sunday, concluding with a heartfelt message.

“I just wanted to say to you, once and for all, that I’m one of you guys,” he said, proudly patting his chest.

According to live reports from the WWE house show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sunday night, WWE Superstar Santino Marella (Anthony Carelli) announced his retirement.

After suffering a third neck injury, there had been talk that the master of “The Cobra” would soon be hanging up his snake-designed sock.

Santino made the news official in front of the crowd in Toronto on Sunday, thanking them and announcing that he is officially retired.

The following are highlights of a new Ring Rust Radio interview with Santino Marella:

On a match or an angle or a moment that stands out as his favorite since he’s been with WWE: “It’s very difficult for me and I often tell people that the best moment is yet to come, but I believe winning the United States Championship was very nice, Elimination Chamber was very special for me, defending my U.S. Title in a cage vs. Jack Swagger was cool; I had never been in a cage match before, to have just one moment; maybe wrestling in Italy.”

On incorporating MMA into future matches: “For my matches maybe not because my character is established but for the future and young talent, I believe this is the way the business should go because of the growth of MMA and people are becoming more savvy when it comes to submissions and takedowns and things like that. Before, when we said that wrestling was real we didn’t have to work so hard, but now that we acknowledge that it’s entertainment we have to be very realistic and that is the style we teach at Battle Arts Academy in Toronto.”

On his last name paying homage to Gorilla Monsoon: “When they told me, immediately I realized it was an honor and a privilege and it did put some pressure on me to deliver the goods, so to speak.”

On sharing the stage with various Divas over the years: “If you know how to use them then of course you have a synergy and if you don’t know how to use them it can be a waste of time. I have been with very different women, for example, Maria was very delicate, more like a model, Beth Phoenix was very strong, Emma is very funny and Tamina was like an amazon. So you have to know how to incorporate them and it all depends on how the personalities mingle.”

On Paul Heyman’s influence going back to their days in Ohio Valley Wrestling: “Paul Heyman is like a wrestling genius. His input weighs a lot for me. In training, he was observing me and he pulled me aside and said I have an idea for you and he heard about my background and we became more selective and it was very good and it was very fun. I believe the people that watched, they believed 100 percent so we did our job, you know.”

On how much of his work is a collaboration with others or does he come up with everything we see: “In the beginning, it was more regionalized, then it was a collaboration, and now I have more freedom for input. They give me a skeleton, and say ‘you need to say this, this and this, but in your way’ and I come up with what I want to say.”

Check out the complete interview at BlogTalkRadio.com.