Pro Wrestling Contract Season

[abucalves]

So it seems that Penta is now out of contract with AEW, with Fenix having added injury time. 

Of course the big rumour was they were going to come in to the WWE together, but now that that might not be possible for a while, will WWE bring him as a solo act. The Lucha Underground fan in me is excited for that but I also know that 1) this is WWE so he might just end up in a LWO type situation and 2) Penta is not who he was in Lucha Underground.

[BomberPat]

I think it might end up hurting both of them if WWE are dead set on getting them as a double act; they might not go after Penta until Fenix has become available, which means that by the time they're able to get the Lucha Brothers, they won't have teamed together for months, and Penta will have been working the indies and elsewhere enough that it feels less like a "get" from AEW. While there's the chance that Penta rediscovers what made him special as a singles act, it's probably more likely that he's going to be doing the greatest hits and going through the motions for some big money indie bookings until Fenix is available to hire, and that might diminish his appeal, or at least make them a colder act by the time WWE come calling. And for them, the big offer of bypassing NXT and getting a bunch of perks might not be on the table any more by then.

I've not seen much from WWE to suggest that they'd know what to do with the Lucha Bros as a team or individually, though a quick check of Cagematch suggests they've never faced the Motor City Machine Guns, and it's wild for WWE to be the place that could finally happen.

[RedTwoster]

28 minutes ago, abucalves said:

So it seems that Penta is now out of contract with AEW, with Fenix having added injury time. 

Of course the big rumour was they were going to come in to the WWE together, but now that that might not be possible for a while, will WWE bring him as a solo act. The Lucha Underground fan in me is excited for that but I also know that 1) this is WWE so he might just end up in a LWO type situation and 2) Penta is not who he was in Lucha Underground.

Penta is still a very distinct wrestler, and I think AEW dropped the ball on both him and Fenix as singles acts - Penta’s brief feud with Cody showed how much charisma and potential he has in that role. 

I hope WWE gives him a try as a singles competitor for that reason - Smackdown in particular could do with him; but he’d benefit any brand, really - including NXT. Maybe he’s the guy to take the title from Trick while they wait for Fenix to turn up, I don’t know. But I hope they give him a run on one of the main brands. 

[DavidB6937]

Out of Penta and Fenix, I'd definitely say that Penta would be the one able to stand out more from a solo perspective in WWE, so I'd hope they would bring him in regardless.

[SaitoRyo]

On 12/4/2024 at 2:26 PM, DavidB6937 said:

Out of Penta and Fenix, I'd definitely say that Penta would be the one able to stand out more from a solo perspective in WWE, so I'd hope they would bring him in regardless.

You got your wish! Looks like Fenix is still playing the 'They're making me honour the contract I signed? That's so not fair!' card on social media. 

On the subject of people who want out of AEW, Ricky Starks apparently requested and was denied his release, so he's going to have to sit it out while doing indies to keep himself active. 

[METAL ON METAL]

Several releases/contracts not renewed over the past couple of days in WWE:

Sonya Deville

Cedric Alexander

Blair Davenport

AOP & Paul Ellering

Duke Hudson

Don’t like seeing people losing their jobs but business-wise probably the right decisions, all had gone as far as they could.

[simonworden]

1 hour ago, METAL ON METAL said:

Several releases/contracts not renewed over the past couple of days in WWE:

Sonya Deville

Cedric Alexander

Blair Davenport

AOP & Paul Ellering

Duke Hudson

Don’t like seeing people losing their jobs but business-wise probably the right decisions, all had gone as far as they could.

None of them were really adding anything to be missed but I'm surprise AOP and Sonya Deville were released as both have been in lower-mid card acts featured on TV recently. That said, the other members of each group could easily be binned off without the show missing anything. 

[Joe Blog]

Alexander to join Hurt Syndicate? 

[Supremo]

Gallows and Anderson, inexplicably walking into catering next week.

[FLips]

Only Sonya is a surprise there as she had quite a big presence in the Rumble. 

[MVP RULZ]

Duke Hudson was known about as he has done a video on social Media doing the usual breaking free/Get to see the real him shtick

Cedric is one of those you forget he even worked at the company still until he makes a random appearance on NXT every once in a while, probably would have been better for both parties if he was binned off years ago when the whole cruiserweight division was dissolved and especially when the Hurt Business ended.

AOP did nothing of note since returning really and Kross has been seen without them for the past month so not really a surprise

Blair Davenport can maybe be considered unlucky in that they didn't really give her anything to do at all since her call up and makes you wonder why they bothered to even promote her in the first place (though given the Influx of talent to the womens roster in NXT in the last half of the year chances are she would have got lost in that shuffle as well) but when you are on the main roster and still can't get a Rumble spot it was clear they had no faith in her.

Sonya is quite surprising considering PFC have been featured regularly despite not really being over and as mentioned by others was in the Rumble but she has been around for what 6-7 years? and has never made much of an impact really in that time and wasn't really someone you can see ever doing so (unlike Zoey Stark where there is maybe something if they can just tap into the right gimmick for her)

I wouldn't be surprised to see Shayna gone whenever her contract is up as well as she feels very much the same as Sonya.

Edited February 8, 2025 by MVP RULZ
Spelling

[LaGoosh]

Is one of the AOP better than the other? Both lads look the business and like everything they do is painful so you'd think one or both of them could find something somewhere. 

[HarmonicGenerator]

I don’t think they were ever “good” but they filled a nice niche back in their first NXT run as a pair of bruisers in a tag division where it was much more work rate based and you had DIY, Blake & Murphy, FTR, Strong/O’Reilly and American Alpha. But they’ve never seemed to make any impression outside of that first run. For most of both their main roster stints, I was only reading results and not watching the shows but their names would never seem to come up - they ended up a pair of nonentities.

Edited February 8, 2025 by HarmonicGenerator
I’m aware those NXT tag teams weren’t all around at the same time as each other

[Arch Stanton]

If I didn't read about it in this thread, I am certain it would have been six months or more before I even noticed any of those names had been missing from the shows. Most of them will find better opportunities on the indies, plus nowadays you can go and sign for TNA and get back into the Fed through the back door of NXT!

[Kamran]

4 hours ago, Joe Blog said:

Alexander to join Hurt Syndicate? 

I'm not sure...Cedric is married to Big Swole and she had a public falling out with TK when she left AEW (she accused AEW of lack of diversity/representation/leadership structure, TK said she was crap). It feels like an age ago so it could all be water under the bridge now, TK loves a trio (even if they don't defend their titles) and I can't see MVP wrestling regularly so It could still happen, I guess it will also depend on how much MVP/Shelton/Bobby push for it.