WWE recently announced the release of numerous Superstars and backstage employees due to the coronavirus outbreak. And while the WWE Universe is reeling from the moves, one former Superstar and the current host is not taking the news very well. Paige, who is a former WWE Divas Champion and a co-host on the FS1 show WWE Backstage, went to Twitter to express her feelings about the moves WWE made in order to stay financially stable.
“My heart is breaking for my wrestling family…” Paige wrote. On Wednesday, WWE announced Kurt Angle was released from his contract. Along with Angle, the WWE let go of Drake Maverick (James Curtin), Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers), Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra), Luke Gallows (Drew Hankinson), Heath Slater (Heath Miller), Eric Young (Jeremy Fritz), EC3 (Michael Hutter), Aiden English (Matthew Rehwoldt) and Lio Rush (Lionel Green), among other backstage employees. Angle has retired from in-ring competition, but he was working as a producer.
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“I wanted 2 say thank you to the WWE for the time I spent there,” Angle wrote on Twitter. “I made many new friends and had the opportunity to work with so many talented people. To the Superstars, continue to entertain the WWE Universe as well as you possibly can. They’re the best fans in the world.”
“We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times,” WWE said in a statement Monday per ESPN. “We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance.”
The news of the releases and furloughs comes on the heels of WWE being deemed as an essential business by Florida officials. For a month, WWE has been filming their shows at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando including WrestleMania, which was a two-night event.
“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Orange County, Florida mayor Jerry Demings said to TMZ. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. And so, therefore, they were allowed to remain open.”
