Chris Jericho Comments On The 2 WWE Releases That Surprised Him

If you remember back in early May, the WWE released several stars from their contracts. Some names were expected like Wade Barrett, who most fans knew was on his way out of the company. Some names, shocked and saddened the wrestling world like Damien Sandow, who fans felt like deserved better. Chris Jericho recently had Damien Sandow (now going by Aaron Stevens) on his Talk Is Jericho podcast. The duo spoke about a wide variety of topics, including Sandow’s WWE release. Jericho mentioned that Sandow and Santino Marella were the two names that surprised him when he heard about the news of talent getting release.

Jericho didn’t think Sandow should have been released from the company, especially with the upcoming brand split where he would likely have shined:

“When you think about guys that get released that maybe should not have, I would put [Sandow] on the list. I mean, sometimes you’re cleaning out the closet, so to speak, and, I mean, you can understand some of the guys that get released, but a guy like Damien Sandow, I think, had a huge upside as a performer. Very versatile, can do anything that you want, could do anything that you ask, but anything he was given, he got it over. I mean, in this time, it seems a little bit strange that he would be released right before the [brand] split. A guy like that could have been given something minimal and made it maximum. But, like I said, that’s the nature of the business” (Source: Talk Is Jericho, H/T WrestlingInc).

 

Widget not in any sidebars

 

Chris Jericho was also surprised by the release of Santino Marella who he says should have stuck around for a comedic element for the show:

“Another guy I was really surprised about, I didn’t really talk about this when it happened, that big kind of purge happened with all the releases, was I was really surprised about Santino Marella being let go because I thought, in my opinion, Santino should have been on every show [or] could have been on every show because that comedic element that he brought to the table. You could just have him standing in the back reciting a Chinese menu and it would be awesome. That’s the type of performer he was” (Source: Talk Is Jericho, H/T WrestlingInc).

You can listen to the full podcast here. Make sure to catch Aaron Stevens as he wrestles on the independent scene over the next couple months.

I agree with Chris Jericho though, especially with Sandow. The WWE could have utilized him in a big way with the upcoming brand split. The fans loved him and he received a reaction every time he stepped into a WWE ring. They could have kept him as a lower card comedy guy for either of RAW or Smackdown.

Let us know what you think!