WWE Opinion: Company Makes a Statement with A.W. Firing

With SummerSlam being so close, it's a little unusual that the biggest stories of the week have been about wrestlers and their words, not their actions.

Earlier this week, we saw CM Punk take a few jabs at an MMA champion. Former world champion Kevin Nash let his emotions out this week about former world champions in WWE. We even saw JTG take to Twitter about his frustrations and social media juggernaut Zack Ryder do the same act.

It isn't a case of things getting out of hand. They already are out of hand. Controversies are popping up all over the place from employees using their avenues to say what they feel about something.

WWE can only nip something like this in the bud while they still have some control over the situation.

This may be one of the driving forces behind A.W. being released by WWE this week. His comment on an episode of RAW is still pretty fresh in people's minds and it did offend people. WWE apologized on A.W.'s behalf and A.W. would later say he was sorry on his own Twitter account. Watching eyes were wondering what A.W. would say next this week. His comment involved Mother Theresa and did not have nearly as much backlash as the one involving Kobe Bryant.

Still, there was a feeling this past week on RAW that A.W. was watered down and that he was being critiqued. A.W. may have even had some of his comments written for him to prevent a situation like there was when A.W. brought the name of the Lakers superstar and his controversial personal life. When A.W. did the Mother Theresa comment this past week, Jerry Lawler is heard immediately after the comment with the words "That's better". Clearly, WWE was laying into A.W. for what he had said.

It may not have been so great backstage between A.W. and management. Keep in mind that A.W. came up originally in ECW as Abraham Washington. The gimmick didn't last as ECW folded up. Down in FCW, Washington had been seen as a competitor, leader of a faction and even a general manager at one point. That could have been the fate for A.W., but he was put together with Titus O'Neil and Darren Young to help The Prime Time Players make some waves.

Young and O'Neil will have to continue on alone as A.W. seems to be the martyr for the WWE roster, who has been pretty outspoken lately. A.W. was involved in the rising tag team division and could have made an appearance at SummerSlam later this month. Instead, he will be sitting on his couch to watch the event. That should put a scare into other superstars.

Some weren't even certain JTG was still employed by WWE. Would you really give WWE another reason to release you if you may be on your way out anyway?

Someone should have told JTG that comments like those sour grapes he was talking about usually come out after a superstar is released. As for a guy like Kevin Nash, who has friends in high places, why would you bother talking poorly about the only major promotion to still give you a chance anymore? Nash could have had a cushy job and a Hall of Fame speech to write, but comments like that may not help matters.

CM Punk may be a long-standing WWE Champion, but that title could be lost at SummerSlam.

This situation looks a lot like the Chris Brown situation from a few months before, but Punk needs to curb his Twitter controversies. WWE has a relationship with the social media site that doesn't need to be tarnished. Also, even if they are being said by personalities that are uneducated about Punk. anytime that someone with a following like Colin Cowherd puts "WWE" and "steroids" into the same rant, things tend to get dicey.

The one superstar who needs to really watch what he is saying is the Internet Champion himself, Zack Ryder.

Ryder became a made man by social media and it can be that same technology that is his downfall. Ryder has a cult following now, but won't get on anyone's good side in WWE if he keeps berating the company for cutting down his YouTube show or keeping him off episodes of RAW.Fan favorites don't always get the spotlight. Ryder has gotten things handed to him in the past and if he still hasn't been proven to run with them, Ryder needs to wait for his turn again.

An example was made of A.W. with his firing.

Saying whatever you want and having WWE deal with the backlash is not a good thing. Case in point, just look at what A.W. has said on his Twitter account since his release. There are so many curse words involved and risque statements that my position at Bleacher Report won't be compromised by even posting one of those.

A.W. is only proving WWE's point right now by being outspoken and showing his insulting nature. He said something wrong, was most likely not genuinely apologetic and very well could have been butting heads with management ever since.

So, beware if you are a WWE employee. The company is taking a stand against those who say what they want and feel untouchable. Nobody is too big or too important to see let go.

Comments from Michael Cole and CM Punk have gone relatively unpunished, but WWE is putting their foot down. Speaking of putting a foot down, just ask Chris Jericho how WWE feels about controversy nowadays.

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