John Bradshaw Layfield talks about the recent slew of WWE releases.
In early February 2025, WWE released Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, Giovanni Vinci, Cedric Alexander, Isla Dawn, Akam, Rezar, Paul Ellering, and Blair Davenport. Sonya Deville was also informed that her contract would not be renewed. Now, it is all about the next chapter for those performers.
Speaking on the most recent episode of the Something To Wrestle podcast, JBL briefly commented on the releases. He noted that he reached out to Gallows and Anderson, telling them he can't wait to see what they do next. He also said that now is a time for these talents to take advantage of the opportunities outside of WWE, calling this era of professional wrestling the best for wrestlers to make a name for themselves outside of WWE and even AEW.
"I texted with The Good Brothers last night, according to when this show's being taped. I text those guys all the time. Love those boys, man," he said. "Two good dudes and two good workers? They're going to be fine. I know they know they're going to be fine. There's so no sense in saying, 'Hey, you guys are going to be fine.' They know that. You know, I just texted them, telling them I love them and can't wait to see what they're doing next, and that, to me, is the key," he said. You can do one of two things when you get released. I feel sorry for anybody, by the way, who's lost a job. I've done it. I've had it happen to me many times for 30 or 40-plus years, from football and wrestling to everything else. Believe me, I've been fired, released. I would never dream of making light of it or do anything except my sympathies, and I'm sorry that it happened to you. But this is an opportunity, and you have two choices here.
"You can sit around and hope that Tony Khan picks you up, or that you get picked up by a different group, or you can go out there and make a name for yourself," JBL continued. "I've never seen an opportunity better in wrestling since I've been in it for 30-plus years. I've been a fan my entire life, 58 years, and I've never seen an opportunity better for guys going out and making a name for themselves. That's what I feel like The Good Brothers are going to do. That's what I hope all these guys do. You know, there's two different mindsets... I hope these guys go out there and make a hell of a name for themselves because I believe there's no time in wrestling history where it's easier to go out and do something big outside of the big one, which is WWE."
Fightful Select has free posts containing more information surrounding the recent WWE releases.
JBL continues to appear on TNA programming and many different independent promotions. He was also recently on WWE Raw on Netflix. Learn more about that experience here.
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