WWE Releases Seven Superstars; Why Two Could Make an Impact

In what has become somewhat of an annual pre-WWE Draft tradition, World Wrestling Entertainment came to terms with the releases of seven superstars this past week. Five of the releases really won't have that much of an impact, but there are two names on that list that could potentially bite them in the long run.

The five names I don't think will cause much of an impact by their releases are: Slam Master J (formerly Jesse), Funaki, Mike Knox, Jimmy Yang, and Katie Lea Burchill. Mike Knox might have had a bigger effect if WWE had bothered to use him in recent months. However the two that will cause some commotion are the "Gold Standard" Shelton Benjamin, and former WWE Women's Champion, Mickie James.

The first one we'll look at is Mickie James. The former WWE Womeon's Champion, who initially debuted as the character of a crazed stalker of Trish Stratus. She gained her WWE notoriety by feuding with Stratus, and then redefining the women's division with the pending retirement of Stratus and the departure of Victoria (known now as Tara, for TNA Wrestling). She was one of the last remaining good additions of the female roster. The majority of the so-called "Divas" couldn't work their way out of a wet paper sack. The majority of fans I have talked to lately feel that the Diva matches lately are nothing more than an excuse to head to the bathroom or get a snack or snack. I can't exactly argue the point. Don't mistake me here...I have nothing against women in wrestling. As a matter of fact, I encourage it. But if you're going to go out in front of 20,000 people, you need to prove why people should remember your match over everybody else's match. Give me a reason to pay my money to come see you. With most of the Divas now, I don't have that reason.

The second one was probably the most surprising of the releases. The man known as "The Gold Standard" to WWE fans, Shelton Benjamin was in the mix of superstars sent packing last week. Brought in by Kurt Angle to team with Charlie Haas as part of the "World's Greatest Tag Team," Benjamin gained more recognition after the split with Haas. He had a decent run with the WWE I-C title, but was never given a serious run for the WWE Title or the World Heavyweight Title. I said for a number of years that Benjamin was the most underrated superstar on the WWE roster. I would go so far as to say that it was a total crime that he wasn't at least given a trial run with a major title to see if he could run with the opportunity given to him. He had great matches with Shawn Michaels, Carlito, and John Cena, that should have more than proven his ability to get the job done.

According to several wrestling internet sites, including F4WOnline, reported that it wasn't due to budget cuts. Rather, it was just to make room for the newer talent that are appearing on weekly programming such as the NXT wrestlers like Daniel Bryan and Heath Slater. Maybe it's just me, but I think if the new guys and girls want to learn from the best...stop letting them go.