Welcome to the Grapevine! This section of Smark Henry is where we round up all the important founded and unfounded rumors floating around the pro wrestling scene that you may have missed over the past few days. Remember to take everything with a grain of salt!
More details on Steve Cutler's WWE release
The reason why former WWE superstar Steve Cutler contracted COVID-19 in early January, leading to his release last week, was because he and his girlfriend, Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo, had attended a New Year's party. Purrazzo addressed the situation in a series of tweets, indicating that others had also done the same but were not fired or penalized for doing so.
Dave Meltzer reported on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Vince McMahon had promised stars such as Roman Reigns that WWE would be a safe environment with regard to COVID-19, which was why he was angry with Cutler. Purrazzo also noted that once they tested positive, they quarantined at home, eliminating any exposure in the workplace. (Source: WON)
We say: While it's absolutely boneheaded that people would go to real-life parties during a pandemic, Purrazzo does raise a good point—if others did it, why weren't they punished, and why did Cutler have to be fired right away? Was it because he was an expendable talent on the roster? If WWE truly cared about minimizing COVID, why are they still holding shows? Why are Performance Center recruits training five days a week? As they say on Reddit, everyone's shitty here, and Cutler didn't deserve to get fired especially if he did his best to not infect anyone at work.
Edge pushing for match with Daniel Bryan
Edge has reportedly pitched a match with Daniel Bryan for this year. In an interview with CBS Sports, he said he wanted it to be an Ironman Match. Edge is expected to choose Roman Reigns for his WrestleMania match after winning the men's Royal Rumble. (Source: WON)
We say: Seems like Edge is just running around doing whatever he wants because of his miraculous return, and we think it's getting approved because he brings a lot of eyes to the current product. We're not ones to complain as long as his body is still able to produce with his opponents, though.
Photo from WWE
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