Does WWE have a talent hoarding problem?

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WWE has about 200 wrestlers divided between their 5 brands (RAW, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live & NXT UK). Unfortunately, it seems the company has too many wrestlers and they don’t know what do with most of them.

Without a doubt, the major reason WWE signs wrestlers is to keep them off the market. They just sign people for the sake of it and for the idea of creating a new star. Despite this philosophy, a few wrestlers have slipped through their hands. It’s clear WWE doesn’t have a long term plan for anyone right now. The plan is to just stockpile people and add them to the collection of names they already have, aside from their key players.

For example, Andrade (AKA La Sombra) asked for his released after months of inactivity and obviously the request was denied at the time. WWE has failed to push one of the most talented Mexican wrestlers of the last 10 years. If this case also sounds familiar, it’s because it also happened with the original Sin Cara (Carístico). WWE failing to make Andrade into a main eventer should be considered criminal. The fact they wanted to keep him and have him stay backstage doing nothing, made everything even more mind-boggling.

There are plenty of cases similar to Andrade’s on the current WWE roster. These wrestlers just want to work, and WWE doesn’t seem to see the value in them. But also, they know that someone like Andrade could easily be a star in another promotion. Like AEW, which he recently signed to.

Something that is a bit alarming to pro wrestling fans is the fact WWE will increase their signing spree due their plan of opening NXT variants on different parts of the world, just like they did in the UK with NXT UK.

Countries like Japan, Canada and Mexico have a rich history in pro wrestling, and are the next targets of WWE’s global localization. They’re getting major deal after another, allowing them to have the capital to expand even more, signing any wrestler they want.

About Post Author

Juan Carlos Reneo

Juan Carlos Reneo is one of the original writers at The Scrap, contributing since the site’s inception. Hailing from Spain, he is a passionate professional wrestling enthusiast who primarily writes opinionated articles focused on AEW. With a large and devoted following on X, Juan brings unique insights and a dedicated perspective to his coverage of the wrestling world.

juan.thescrap@gmail.com