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Donovan Dijak, formerly known as Dijak, criticizes WWE’s method of releasing talent and says there has to be a better way.
In recent years, WWE has released talent without officially announcing the news, and there are often times when the news is reported before the talent themselves are told. This has led to an environment when talent are often left guessing when releases are happening.
Speaking with Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, Donovan Dijak shared his thoughts on WWE’s method of handling releases. He called it one of the most horrific business practices he had ever witnessed. (H/t Fightful for the transcription)
“It’s one of the most horrific business practices I’ve ever witnessed,” Dijak said. “I haven’t been in a lot of businesses. I will be outspoken about this until it gets fixed. That’s not how it should be done. They need to figure out a way to contact everybody, all at once, and let everybody know all at once that this is happening. We should not be put through this thing where you see one name come out, ‘Oh, Mustafa Ali has been released,’ and we all go, ‘Okay, I know he asked.’ I texted him, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry.’ He texted me back, ‘Yup, I think there is more coming.’
“Even though I’m at a decent spot at that time in NXT, they can fire anyone. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that a guy from the main roster gets sent to NXT and then released. It’s happened many times and was a concern of mine. You’re watching people drop like flies. ‘He was just on TV last week.’ Why do they have to do it like that? The answer is, they don’t. It wouldn’t take that much thought to come up with a better way to do it. There has to be a better way. I went through 15 (release days). Ali was announced for a PLE, and was then released. I feel secure, but I bet he felt secure.
Dijak Recalls Shane Thorne’s Release
Dijak then brought up the round of releases where Shane Thorne, formerly known as Slapjack, got cut. He detailed how he didn’t feel secure, and he thought he was about to get fired.
“The (release round) where Shane (Thorne) got released, that was the one where (I didn’t feel secure),” Dijak said. “I’m looking at my phone, Shane is texting me that he got released. My name is T-BAR, I can’t get off main event. ‘Sure, I’m at the top of this list.’ I have no credibility. I’m just staring at my phone. My wife can see it on my face.
“I’m starting to cry because I think I’m about to get fired and I don’t have a backup plan. Back then, I would have been f**ked. Shane is still recovering from what they did to him. It was a mugging. He was ripped out of his tag team, made SLAPJACK, which is a bigger joke than T-BAR, and then cast aside for a year and released.”
Dijak: We’re Just Waiting For Our Name To Pop Up
Donovan Dijak went on to recall how WWE stars don’t have another source, so they’re waiting for names to get reported, much like everyone else. He noted that everyone is just waiting for their name to pop up while also wondering why certain talent got released. Dijak also stated that there had to be a better way.
“You’re watching the names come out,” Dijak said. “We’re all on (Sean’s) Twitter page. We don’t have another source. We see one name. ‘Today is the day.’ We’re all just waiting for our name to pop up because you might find out before us. While we’re doing that, we’re looking at our phone waiting for the 203 number to pop up because that means you’re f**ked.
“The game we’re playing in our minds is, ‘Why him?’ We’re talking to each other. ‘Braun, Bray, can you believe it.’ You hear through the grapevine, ‘I heard this guy got into an argument with Vince. I heard this guy asked for more money.’ We’re justifying it, ‘What did I do? Did I make a mistake?’ It becomes a nightmare. I don’t know what the answer is to a better way, but there has to be a better way.”
Check out Dijak’s comments about his WWE contract not getting renewed here.
Click here to see what Donovan Dijak had to say about his backstage visit at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.
RELATED: Donovan Dijak: I Was Never Told About WWE Not Renewing My Contract In Any Official Capacity
