Enzo Amore's Concussion, Superstar Releases and Top WWE News from Week of May 7

WWE is trying to convince everyone we are entering a new era, and it might be the truth. Unfortunately for some people, that means management did a little spring cleaning with the roster.

Let's take a look at some of the biggest headlines from the past week.

Ryback in Contract Dispute with Management

Many wondered why Ryback wasn't part of the Battle Royal on Raw to find a No. 1 contender to Kalisto's United States Championship.

The Big Guy ended up going home Monday following unsuccessful negotiations with management regarding a new contract with better pay.

Ryback has been doing some of the best work of his career over the past few months, and he took to Tumblr to share his thoughts on wrestlers not being paid fairly for the effort they put in.

"

Today I sit and fly home and for the first time in years feel absolutely free. I will start by saying I did request to be taken off of WWE television until myself and Vince could get a yes or no on a new deal. This has been going on since my IC Title run and had been nothing but a major strain on my life as all I ever wanted to do was work for WWE.

I was told to head home until we agree or not agree to specific terms and contrary to reports it isn’t over money or a bus that stuff was settled a while ago. It comes down to a major problem I have with not only WWE but wrestling in general.

Why is it a guy who is told he is going to go out and lose and does everything he is told be paid not only less, but much less than said winner over a period of time. Every single performer for WWE sacrifices the same amount of time from home and their families and every single man or women goes out and does what they are told.

"

Ryback is a good character, but this isn't the first time he has stirred up trouble for himself. During a recent international tour, he made some comments in the interview in the video featured above that garnered a lot of attention.

There's no denying the value of having someone like Ryback on the roster, but everybody is expendable in the world of pro wrestling. Hopefully he can come to some kind of agreement with management, otherwise he might find himself making a lot less money on the indy circuit.

WWE Releases 8 People

Fans were shocked Thursday to learn WWE had released eight talents from the main roster according to WWE.com.

Hornswoggle, El Torito, Cameron, Alex Riley, King Barrett, Santino Marella, Zeb Colter and Damien Sandow were all let go in one fell swoop. Most of them have already shared statements through social media, thanking fans for their support.

"

Wow! Trending worldwide for 3 plus hours. Sorry I didn't notice I was at @ChurchillDowns . Ok so here it goes.. [e-mail]

— Aaron(Damien Sandow) (@TheDamienSandow) May 6, 2016"

Some of the releases weren't shocking, but Sandow's caught a lot of people off guard. Despite rarely being used on television anymore, he still maintained a large following among WWE fans.

Hornswoggle, El Torito and Colter hadn't been used in months, while Riley and Cameron would occasionally pop up on NXT.

Barrett was already on his way out the door, so nobody was shocked by his release, and few likely even knew WWE still employed Santino.

All eight should be able to find work outside of WWE, and some may even wind up with TNA, Ring of Honor or Lucha Underground.

WWE Legend Returns to Television

As seen during the May 5 episode of SmackDown, Bob Backlund has returned to the company as part of Darren Young's new gimmick.

Young said he was looking to find a life coach, and the best man for the job was Backlund. The former WWE champion appeared alongside his new protege saying "We're going to make Darren Young great again."

The line is a play on Donald Trump's "Make America great again" campaign slogan. It's hard to tell whether this is WWE taking a shot at the GOP nominee or if it's just a similar phrase being used to gain attention.

Backlund has always been an entertaining character, but younger fans may not be familiar with his work since he hasn't worked for WWE since 2000, save for a few random appearances.

Young is a talented wrestler with a lot to offer, but he hasn't had much success outside of his tag team with Titus O'Neil, The Prime Time Players, so it will be interesting to see whether having Backlund in his corner puts him on the right track.

Former TNA Champion Debuts in NXT

During Wednesday's episode of NXT, former TNA champion Eric Young made his first appearance in a WWE ring during a promo with Samoa Joe.

They would end up having a match later in the evening, which Joe won after putting Young in his trademark Coquina Clutch.

This marks the fifth former TNA champion to appear on WWE TV this year after Joe, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode and AJ Styles.

There was a time when TNA was hiring ex-WWE Superstars on a regular basis, but it appears the tables have turned and WWE is picking up some of the best talents to ever compete in the six-sided ring.

It's too early to tell whether Young is going to work for WWE going forward or do the same thing James Storm did last year and return to TNA after making a few appearances.

Enzo Amore Receives Concussion During Tag Title Match

Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady's pay-per-view debut came to an abrupt end when Amore hit the ring ropes and apron during their match with The Vaudevillains at Payback on Sunday, giving him a concussion in the process.

Thankfully, Amore spent less than a day in the hospital and was released after every other test came back negative.

"

pic.twitter.com/rKoBoFgRYw

— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) May 2, 2016"

His injury brought the PPV to a screeching halt. Everyone in the arena went quiet and watched with worry as he was stretchered out of the building.

A concussion should never be taken lightly, but it could have been much worse. When Amore eventually returns, you can bet he and Big Cass will be right back in the hunt for the tag titles.

Extreme Rules Card Taking Shape

WWE is already well on its way to filling the card for Extreme Rules on May 22.

In fact, the main event for the next pay-per-view was booked before Payback even went off the air. Here is a look at the matches set for the event, according to WWE.com:

• AJ Styles will challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in an Extreme Rules match.
• The Vaudevillains will face The New Day for the Tag Team Championships.
• Natalya will battle Charlotte in a Submission match for the Women's Championship.
• Rusev won a Battle Royal to earn a shot at Kalisto's United States Championship.

Based on segments from Raw and SmackDown, it's safe to presume The Miz will be defending the Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cesaro in a Fatal 4-Way match.

Every title has a spot on the card, but there is still room for a few more bouts. What would you like to see added to the Extreme Rules card?

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter: @BR_Doctor.