Jan 09 2009
WWE Releases Eight On-Air Talents
WWE sent out a press release today that they would be releasing ten percent of their staff, both office personnel and on-air talent. The releases are coming after the company’s poor third quarter results that saw a 37% loss in profit from the previous year. The company mandated that $20 million would be cut from their budget in order to offset the profit loss.
So far eight on-air talents have been released, and it is unknown how many office personnel have been let go.
The men released include Val Venis (Sean Morley), D-Lo Brown (AC O’Connor), Bam Neely (Justin LaRouche) and Kevin Thorne (Kevin Fertig). Morley had been with the company since 1998. O’Connor worked with the company from late ’96 until his release in 2003. He was re-signed to the company in 2008. Fertig was originally with the company from 2002 until 2005. He was re-hired in 2006 and was worked various occult gimmicks. LaRouche joined the company in 2007.
Also released were referees and backstage talent Kevin Keenan, Mike Posey, Jimmy Korderas and Tim White. Korderas has been a referee for the company since 1987. White has also worked for the company since the mid-‘80s and was Andre the Giant’s personal assistant/handler/best friend while Andre worked for WWE.
It’s expected that more releases will be forth-coming.
