WWE has announced that it has released Mickie James, Shelton Benjamin, Katie Lea Burchill, Jimmy Wang Yang, Kung Fu Naki, and Slam Master J. I’m mildly surprised that Benjamin was released. He’s a phenomenal talent, but the company struggled to highlight him (no, I’m not talking about his hair). I’m personally bummed that he was let go since he was always super nice to me during THQ’s videogame tournaments. I’m shocked that Mickie was released. She was arguably the best all-around worker in the Divas division. I was proud to write her storyline in SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 and was completely surprised by the hug she laid on me after I interviewed her at last year’s WrestleMania.
Any thoughts on these WWE layoffs?
@rpad
you should go find her and pay back the hug.
Im surprised about benjamin and mickie too! Ive always thought the gold standard wasnt given his push but my friends never saw it my way. Im glad to see i wasnt alone. The same thing with mickie, im going to miss seeing her or drooling over her
Mickie James is too good to be in the same ring as those worthless divas anyway. I hope she goes to TNA with the real women wrestlers.
Wow.
Mickie is good… but she's so short in comparison. I mean the top rope easily clips her in the neck. TNA does have better Divas and they'd be fools not to sign her.
@RRODisHere Does TNA still have the better female workers? That's debatable. WWE still has Gail Kim, Beth Phoenix, and Nattie Neidhart. Awesome Kong left TNA. Angelina Love is out with an injury. Who's left? Tara and Hamada are really good, but I think it really drops out after that.
I agree with rpad, it seems that now WWE has the better divas talent but if Mickie does join TNA then i think it would make them pretty even. There are some divas in the WWE that aren't just good at selling the moves or gimmicks but they're great eye candy so they put them out there.
I think this is a great move by WWE. Their roster is overloaded with below average talent and every week TNA continues to outperform their roster in the ring with innovation and excitement. Don't get me wrong, TNA has a long way to go, but their overall product is much more exciting than watching a lackluster John Cena/Batista match where the finale comes from using duck tape.
Anyway, as far as Shelton Benjamin and Mickie James are concerned, I think that these were good moves by WWE. The WWE needs almost a complete overhaul of their women's division. They have some decent talent in Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim and sometimes Maryse and Michelle McCool really stand out. The rest of the women's roster is below average and completely robotic/unbelievable.
Now, to jump into the TNA Knockouts vs. WWE Divas debate, I think the Knockouts are amazing. Daffney has really come on strong for their roster in the recent feud with Tara. Tara has been carrying this division on her back for quite some time, but the rest of the Knockouts are really coming along. The storyline with the Beautiful People is getting old and these three Knockouts can barely wrestle a lick, but they are entertaining. If WWE would release the shackles from experienced divas like Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix, they would have a powerhouse on their hands. Mickie James was a fan favorite, but she will easily be forgotten. TNA should pick her up, but she would need to be retrained and develop a better persona than what she used in WWE. Honestly, Piggie James??? C'mon!
Finally, Benjamin was a talented wrestler in the ring, but his microphone ability was AWFUL!!! They carried Benjamin on the roster since the original Team Angle. He was exciting to watch, but boring to listen to. Just watch all of the vignettes they gave him in ECW for his ECW Championship match against Christian. He never mastered this ability and now he is paying for it. I doubt TNA would pick him up because they would never want another lame Val Venis situation on their hands. Also, Benjamin is no Mr. Kennedy. I wish him well, but WWE made the best decision in getting rid of all of these 'superstars'.
http://TNAWresleBlog.blogspot.com
@MitchG26 The match sucked, but I thought the duct tape finish was pretty funny…though that probably wasn't the intent.