Power Ranking Damien Sandow, King Barrett and the Disappointing WWE Releases
Recently, WWE programming has seen the debuts of young talent from NXT and familiar faces from elsewhere in a concentrated effort by officials to freshen up the product.
To do so, the company had to clear room, and it did just that on Friday afternoon, cutting eight Superstars, many of whom had been with the promotion for a long period of time. WWE released Damien Sandow, King Barrett, Cameron, Zeb Colter, Hornswoggle, Santino Marella, El Torito and Alex Riley, bringing to an end what were some lengthy stays with the company.
It is never enjoyable to see men and women lose their jobs, especially when they put in as much hard work as they do to entertain the WWE Universe. Some releases, though, are naturally more disappointing for a variety of reasons.
Some have to do with the immense talent a certain performer possesses, while others are based in the memories they helped make.
Whatever the case may be, the wrestling world was forced to reminisce on the moments those eight characters were responsible for when the news came down on Friday.
Now relive the careers of those performers, their releases ranked in accordance to the disappointment surrounding their departures.
8. El Torito
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El Torito never had a chance in WWE.
Despite being a truly talented worker, he was far too short to be taken seriously against other Superstars and was instead shoehorned into a Los Matadores act that never had a shot at succeeding into today's more serious product.
That does not mean he did not leave an impression during his time with the company.
Who will ever forget the WeeLC match he competed in against Hornswoggle at Extreme Rules 2014? Those two competitors tore the house down in a match that, were it not for The Shield vs. Evolution later, would have stolen the show.
He was the only element of the act that truly got over, but the shelf life was limited, and now he finds himself out of the company.
"Thanks, WWE and fans," he bade adieu on Twitter. "My career continues."
7. Hornswoggle
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Hornswoggle spent a decade with WWE.
Think about that for a moment.
The performer may have been small in size, but for quite some time, his stature on Raw and SmackDown was larger-than-life. Whether he was the sidekick to the dangerous Finlay or the illegitimate son of Vince McMahon, he was wildly over with fans because he looked completely different from the rest of the Superstars on the roster.
At only 4'4" tall, he provided fans with a visual that captured their attention and garnered love and support from kids in the stands. He was an honorary member of D-Generation X alongside Triple H and Shawn Michaels, entered Royal Rumbles and was even revealed as the Anonymous Raw GM after years of mystery, proving his adaptability to audiences.
His last appearances came in 2014 as a member of 3MB. He was embroiled in a feud with El Torito of Los Matadores fame and even had his head shaved after an embarrassing loss to his rival.
Whether he was working in front of an audience or performing in a backstage skit, Hornswoggle was a fan favorite whose time with the company may have been past its sell-by date but whose departure is one of the sadder ones.
"The family I take with me from WWE has supported me thru [sic] so many highs and lows it's absolutely mind blowing," he addressed his release via Twitter.
6. Cameron
3 of 8
Cameron never fit into the role of professional wrestler. She tried and was making significant strides to improve her ring game late in her stint with WWE, including some work in NXT, but she never quite succeeded between the ropes.
A beautiful young woman whose attitude, facial expressions and body language would have made her the perfect manager for a talent in need of a voice, she never had the option available to her. Instead, she was thrown into the ring before she was ready and asked to wrestle matches she had no business being in.
The result was heavy criticism from fans, which she seemingly took in stride before a May 5 blog post that revealed her struggle with cyberbullying and heaped praise on Ryback for his ongoing dispute with management over fair wages.
Controversial from Day 1, when she appeared on WWE Tough Enough and revealed to host "Stone Cold" Steve Austin that her favorite match was Melina vs. Alicia Fox, Cameron never received the opportunities beyond being a straight wrestler she probably should have.
With her time in WWE at its end, she will be more remembered for her contributions on Total Divas than anything she accomplished in the ring.
5. Santino Marella
4 of 8
"This August would have been 10 years with #WWE, [sic] not bad for a guy that had his first match at age 29, [sic] it took me 3 HARD yrs to get there," Santino Marella said, addressing his release from the sports-entertainment empire Friday via Twitter.
Marella is one of the rare instances of a comedic character who was truly, madly over with WWE audiences. His timing was impeccable, his play on the accent handed to him by WWE Creative was outstanding and he was willing to poke fun at himself despite being a legitimate badass outside the ring (he is an accomplished mixed martial artist).
Whether he was ill-advisedly standing up to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, trying to Americanize Vladimir Kozlov or pulling a Cobra out of his trunks and nearly winning the 2011 Royal Rumble to a thunderous ovation, Santino captivated every audience he performed in front of and made wrestling fun for those few, brief moments.
A two-time Intercontinental champion, United States champion, tag team champion and Miss WrestleMania.
Do not ask about that last one.
For a guy who got into the industry late and was asked to be a character that was unlike the man away from the cameras, he achieved more than anyone could have imagined and likely has a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame waiting for him in the future.
4. Zeb Colter
5 of 8
In a perfect world, Zeb Colter's contract with WWE as a performer would have been terminated Friday but he would have turned right back around and signed on as a member of WWE Creative, where he could use decades of knowledge acquired in the industry to help craft a better, more thorough and logical program than the one the company puts out every week.
Instead, he has been freed up to appear for independent promotions and potentially help a young promotion take the necessary steps creatively to make an impression on the industry.
As the Tea Party sympathizer, Colter was always going to have a short lifespan in WWE. The character was a product of real-life controversy, and as soon as that died down, so did the need for his character. Though he helped generate heat for Jack Swagger, the pairing was ultimately a flash in the pan thanks largely to mistakes on the young Oklahoman's part.
Colter continued to be useful, though, particularly when it came time for a newly turned babyface Swagger to feud with Rusev over the United States Championship. Unfortunately, health issues arose and Colter was forced to undergo surgery, as reported on his official Twitter account in December 2014.
It was a disappointing end for the man also known to longtime wrestling fans as both Uncle Zebekiah and Dutch Mantel.
Like Alex Riley, he has remained quiet on social media.
3. Alex Riley
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While not the most disappointing, Alex Riley may be the single biggest case of WWE dropping the ball on this entire list.
In 2011, Riley was a lackey for The Miz, sitting under the then-WWE champion's learning tree. When he began taking offense to his treatment at the hands of the former Real World star, a feud between the two naturally developed. Riley broke out, generating a humongous ovation every time he entered the arena.
Fans genuinely wanted to see the Washington, D.C., native shut his former mentor up, and he did, at the Capitol Punishment pay-per-view in his hometown. Riley was rolling, teetering on the brink of breakout stardom.
Then he abruptly left television for reasons that are still fully unknown. He disappeared for years, working only the occasional Superstars or Main Event taping before turning up consistently at the broadcast booth in NXT, his push not only over but completely erased as if it never happened in the first place.
He would grow into the commentator's role, but it became clear he wanted to return to the ring. He worked hard and finally did, only to blow out his knee. Again, he worked extremely hard to get back to the squared circle and was recently competing for the brand, putting over stars such as Apollo Crews and Sami Zayn.
Now Riley tests the free-agent market. With his desire and determination, not to mention the work ethic fans have witnessed for themselves, the odds he makes it big with a promotion such as Ring of Honor or TNA, or even tries his hand in New Japan Pro Wrestling, are great.
Riley has remained mum in regard to his dismissal from the company.
2. Damien Sandow
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Damien Sandow is an example of someone who got himself over in whichever gimmick was handed to him by WWE Creative, only to be failed miserably by the institution in the long run.
Whether he was an Intellectual Savior to the Unwashed Masses or a Stunt Double, he embraced the characters thrust upon him and carried them to heights they never would have achieved without his complete and utter devotion to them.
The Stunt Double case was an interesting one because it took on a life of its own. What started seemingly as a once-and-done, throwaway pairing became an integral part of WWE programming late in 2014 and into the new year. At WrestleMania 31, Mizdow stood up for himself at the hands of his egotistical superior, The Miz, and eliminated him from the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, much to the delight of the fans in Santa Clara, California.
Alas, no matter how over Sandow became or how loud the reactions to his entrance were, he could never quite convince WWE Creative to stick with him to generate a sustained push. The result is the wasted talents of a truly unique performer who will now take his talents elsewhere, to a company that will be significantly better off for having him.
"Wow! Trending worldwide for 3 plus hours. Sorry I didn't notice I was at @ChurchillDowns," he told Twitter followers, not mentioning his release in any further detail.
1. King Barrett
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The biggest and most disappointing of the recent WWE releases is that of King Barrett.
It was one year ago that Barrett outlasted Superstars such as Neville, R-Truth and Dolph Ziggler to become the 2015 King of the Ring. An ill-timed injury halted his push, though, and before long, he was the fourth wheel in the decidedly generic and uninspired League of Nations faction.
Understandably frustrated with his spot in the company, ProWrestlingSheet (h/t WrestlingInc.com) reported in February that the Brit would be leaving the company when his contract expired in July 2016. The beatdown he received at the hands of his League brethren suggested his departure may come sooner than later, and on Friday, that proved to be the case.
The release signals the end of a career that never quite lived up to expectations.
Barrett was always an extraordinary talker. From Day 1, whether he could wrestle a lick or not, it was clear he could captivate the audience on the mic. Unfortunately, he would be plagued by injuries and awful booking.
His role as Nexus leader, one that should have made him an instant main event star for the foreseeable future, was hampered by the desires of WWE Creative to portray John Cena as a superhero. A subsequent feud with Randy Orton did nothing to elevate his star.
Barrett had all of the tools to be a credible main event talent, a heel WWE could build its young roster around. For a plethora of reasons, it never happened. He should have been a heavyweight champion. Now fans are left to wonder what may have been.
"As planned, I am taking a well-earned break from the wrestling industry in order to expand my horizons but I'll be back in the ring when the time is right," he wrote on his official Twitter account, suggesting he may not be finished chasing his dream of becoming a headliner in the sport.
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