Taking the good with the bad

Before I even start to get on my soapbox. I do want to send a get well wish to an old friend, Drew Blood. I haven't gotten all the details yet, but I do know that he took a life threatening fall at CZW Best Of The Best on Saturday and had to be rushed to the hospital. I do send out my prayers and wishes to an awesome person, friend, and wrestler. Drew Blood is one of the more underrated indy wrestlers out there today, I think in many Philly Wrestling Fans' minds you are the true winner of Best Of The Best 2009. Get Well Soon!
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Lately the wrestling world has been shocked by a few releases, mainly Mr. Kennedy and Umaga. I'll admit it, I was as shocked as the rest when I heard those two names. Both stars were prominently featured on WWE TV over the last few years.

Mr. Kennedy just returned from injury and really seemed to be poised to be a World/WWE Title Contender by the end of 2009. His promo that night during the Denver Debacle Raw, I thought, was awesome and shot him right into contention. Esspecially considering it seemed like short of HHH Return or Cena post-Big Show feud there was no one else "interesting" to put in the role against Orton. I figured they'd wait until the end of 2009 to give him the shot to see if he could stay healthy. I think before I laid my head to sleep at 11:15 that night, it was already reported Kennedy was injured. Although that seemed to have been proven to be false, it was enough to get Kennedy out the door.

Umaga on the other hand... As much as I liked this gimmick... Which I know has been done a million times in some form or another. I felt as though he wouldn't get to the top. Looking at his feud with CM Punk, I think he was going to be in the "Jake The Snake" role - grooming contenders for the title. I was still shocked to hear he was released. Looking back, I'm not totally surprised either. He's been on the shelf a lot himself. Later it was reported that it was a Wellness Program Issue. Which is good that the WWE is seemingly sticking to their guns. However, bad for Umaga.

Now I don't really wish for anyone to be fired. I can understand the need for it. Its just a necessary evil, for the time being at least. So as bad as it is to hear that two of my more favorite "new" talents have been let-go. I can see the potential upside.

I think its pretty safe to say that Kennedy and Umaga will be snatched up by TNA. Which is good for them as they will probably get comparable pay for less dates, which is ALWAYS the upside for signing with TNA. But honestly, unless something drastically changes... I don't see this really benefitting TNA in the long run. I hope I'm wrong... But I think it goes back to what Heyman suggests, TNA is simply WWE-Lite. But that's something for another time. Point is, I think Kennedy and Umaga will be okay once their no-compete clause is up.

I do see the potential good for WWE in this... I'm sure these two were more of the higher paid stars in the locker room. Freeing up some money that I know the WWE is tight on right now. On top of that, it opens two higher spots on the roster for other stars to step into. Which could freshen up the shows that right now desperately need to be freshened up... At least on the RAW side of things. And should TNA not screw up with these two, could jump start a much needed WWE/TNA Feud. Obviously that is me being optomistic.

Now granted, this situation is much different than say the Developmental Talents that have been released. Kennedy and Umaga leave huge gaps in the roster that will need to be filled. Those Developmental Talents won't get the huge offers from TNA, and likely will ended up in the unstable independent market.

Point is... You have to take the good with the bad. And in the end, both could get that second chance to be at the top of the business.

On a side note... Why does WWE choose to release talent that is currently on TV? Never made sense to me. Granted I'm sure when its time to go, its time to go. But never really understood why within a week of a high profiled match on RAW, they chose to get rid of Kennedy? Does make sense. It makes the news that much bigger, and gives something for a potential employer [TNA] capitalize on. I've often thought, is this McMahon's weird way of helping TNA in an attempt to jump start his product. I doubt it. But I always wonder.

For those in the Santa Marie, California area... Check out VendettaProWrestling.com... Their debut is July 11th.

Well until next time... You stay classy,
Dan The Phan