This Day in Wrestling History (July 8): A Big Black Friday

12 years ago today, WWE completes the biggest mass talent firing in company history. The press release from WWE.com when the first firings came down on July 5:

Eight Superstars Released

July 5, 2005

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to agreements on the release of the following Superstars. WWE would like to wish them the best in their future endeavors.

-Mark Jindrak

-Maven

-Shannon Moore

-James Yun (Akio)

-David Heath (Gangrel)

-Billy Kidman

-Spike Dudley

-Kevin Fertig

On July 6, Jackie Gayda, Matt Morgan, Dawn Marie, Joy Giovanni, and Hiroko and Kenzo Suzuki also get released. The release of Dawn Marie came as a surprise to many as she was pregnant at the time of her release. Also receiving their walking papers were the other Dudley Boyz, Bubba Ray and D-Von. Their contracts were set to expire and would not be renewed.

Also released was Marty Jannetty. Jannetty was recently arrested for his role in a domestic dispute with his then-girlfriend, violating his probation (he was on probation due to a DUI charge). With Jannetty unable to leave his home state of Florida, he was forced to miss some bookings, leading to his release. It would be the first of three times Marty was fired from the company over an 15-month period.

On July 8, Jim Cornette joined the ranks of the released after he had allegedly verbally and physically assaulted a student in Ohio Valley Wrestling, slapping him as many as fifteen times. This came after Cornette was suspended back in May for slapping Anthony Carelli backstage at an OVW event (Carelli went on to moderate success as Santino Marella).

The releases, dating back to the prior month when eleven office workers and announcer Marc Lloyd were let go, were in conjunction with WWE trimming its budget in preparation for WWE’s move back to the USA Network in the fall.

The releases did not end there: ten days later, twin referees Earl and Dave Hebner were fired for selling counterfeit WWE merchandise. Both Hebners had been with the WWF since the 1980s, with Earl being most infamously remembered for his role in the Montreal Screwjob in November 1997.

Lisa Moretti, aka Ivory, was released on July 22 when her contract was not renewed.

On July 25, Brian Heffron, aka The Blue Meanie, was also released when his short-term contract expired.

So if you’re scoring at home, that’s 23 on-air talents released in the span of about a month, the bulk of which coming in the first full week of July.

So what are they up to now?

• After a brief stint in Japan, Jindrak joined Mexico’s CMLL in 2006. He took on the ring name Marco Corleone, a play on the feature family in The Godfather film series. In August 2008, Jindrak was one of four wrestlers banned from wrestling in Tijuana for pulling down the tights on an opponent in a match (that spot’s forbidden in Tijuana). In March 2009, Jindrak signed with AAA and competed for Lucha Libre USA. One year later, he left AAA and joined Mexican independent Perros del Mal, before returning to CMLL in December 2011. Last month, Corleone won a torneo cibernetico to claim the vacant CMLL World Heavyweight Championship. He’s just the second non-Mexican to hold the title, with Steele being the first in 1997 (Steele went on to moderate success as Val Venis).

• Maven Huffman, the first male Tough Enough winner, joined the cast of the sixth and final season of VH1 reality series The Surreal Life. Later in the year, he hosted a show on BET J (today known as Centric). He also wrestled in the independent circuit and dark matches for TNA through 2007. In 2010, Huffman was a part of Home Shopping Network’s morning show, HSN Today. In April 2012, Maven was arrested on doctor shopping to illegally obtain prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone. A week after his arrest, he went to rehab under WWE’s former talent rehabilitation program. After working as a bouncer for a New York City nightclub, Huffman returned to the ring in 2015.

• Shannon Moore returned to the independent circuit before briefly joining TNA in late 2005. In July 2006, Moore returned to WWE as part of the ECW brand. He appeared sporadically on ECW and Smackdown until his release in August 2008. After a year on the independent circuit, he took a six-month sabbatical from wrestling before returning to the ring on the Hulkamania tour in Australia. That was his foot in the door to return to TNA in January 2010. He most notably teamed with Jesse Neal as one half of Ink Inc. Shannon left TNA in July 2012 and had been on the independent circuit ever since.

• Following his release, James Yun briefly competed for Ring of Honor before returning to WWE for a tryout in May 2006. Originally brought in as enhancement talent, company officials were impressed enough to bring him back full-time. He was rebranded Asian cowboy Jimmy Wang Yang. He teamed with Shannon Moore in late 2007 and early 2008, then with Slam Master J a year later. In April 2010, Yun was released from WWE. In June 2011, Yun reprised his Flying Elvis gimmick in a X Division tournament for a TNA contract. He lost in a three-way match that included fellow TNA alum Matt Bentley to Low Ki. Yun is considered retired, though he has wrestled a few times since 2011. He owns party bus and pest control businesses in Cincinnati, Ohio.

• David Heath, best known as Gangrel, was re-signed to WWE in 2006 to potentially join a vampire stable with Kevin Thorn and Ariel, but weight issues prevented him from appearing on WWE programming. He competed in then-developmental territory Deep South Wrestling until his release in January 2007. He’s been on the independent circuit ever since, though he did appear as part of a 15-man battle royal at the RAW 15th Anniversary special in December 2007. Heath appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2015 and on WWE Network series The Edge & Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness in 2016.

• Billy Kidman, real name Peter Gruner, Jr., alleged in a 2007 interview with The Sun he was fired over a disagreement on a management decision to stop booking wrestlers on first class international flights. Following his release, Gruner wrestled on the independent circuit in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. He returned to WWE in 2007 as a trainer for Florida Championship Wrestling, then as a producer and road agent in 2010, a position he holds to this day.

• Following his release, Spike Dudley, real name Matthew Hyson, competed on the independent circuit in the Northeastern United States before joining TNA in April 2006 as Brother Runt. He aligned with Team 3D (the former Dudley Boyz) and feuded most notably with Abyss and the Latin American Xchange until his release in August 2007. Hyson wrestled on the independent circuit until taking a two-year sabbatical in 2010. He resumed his career in 2010 and made two notbale appearances for TNA in early 2013. Hyson most notably wrestled in December 2015, and he appeared on the WWE DVD release Straight Outta Dudleyville in 2016.

• Kevin Fertig returned to the independent circuit following his release as Mordecai, a “reverse Undertaker” gimmick he used in 2004. A year after his release, Fertig returned as vampire Kevin Thorn. In early 2008, Fertig was sent down to Ohio Valley Wrestling, then Florida Championship Wrestling before his release in January 2009 after he turned down a new deal. Fertig’s been on the independent circuit ever since, though he did wrestle one dark match for TNA in September 2009 as Serpent. After a four-year sabbatical in 2011, Kevin returned to wrestling in 2015.

• Jackie Gayda, one of two winners of the second Tough Enough, married fellow wrestler Charlie Haas just a month before her release. After a couple of appearances on the independent circuit, Gayda briefly joined TNA in late 2005. After announcing she was pregnant in May 2006, Jackie was kayfabe fired, then later legitimately fired. She’s largely been away from wrestling since, though she appeared in the Miss Wrestlemania battle royal at Wrestlemania 25 in 2009 and appeared both in a wrestler and manager capacity for Perros del Mal and Family Wrestling Entertainment. Hass and Gayda are still married. They have four children together.

• Following his release, Matt Morgan went to New Japan Pro Wrestling. Expected to get a big push as a monster gaijin heel alongside Brock Lesnar, Morgan abruptly left for All Japan Pro Wrestling. He also appeared for Italian promotion Nu-Wrestling Evolution and Rings of Europe in Austria before joining TNA in August 2007. In 2008, he was Beast on the third season of the rebooted American Gladiators. He would win the TNA World Tag Team Championship 2010 with Hernandez and in 2011 with Crimson. Late in 2011, Morgan became the first Ring Ka King champion. Morgan was released in July 2013. After about six months on the independent circuit, Morgan retired from wrestling. That retirement lasted all of 18 months. He briefly appeared for TNA in 2015 and most recently appeared for the promotion again in April 2017.

• Dawn Marie Psaltis’ release came to the shock of many. She was on maternity leave at the time of her release. In November, she appeared for the ECW reunion event Hardcore Homecoming: November Reign. A month later, she gave birth to a baby boy. A month after giving birth, Psaltis filed a complaint against WWE with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming she had been wrongfully fried. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount in 2007. She joined Women Superstars Uncensored in 2008 and was inducted into the promotion’s Hall of Fame two years later. In 2008, Psaltis started Wrestlers’ Rescue, a charity dedicated to raising funds to get medical care for wrestlers. The charity came under fire when wrestlers Jerry Lynn and James “Kamala” Harris did not receive funds from auctions held by the charity.

• Joy Giovanni was picked up by WWE after finishing third in the 2004 Diva Search. During her brief time in the company, she was a panelist for the G4 series Video Game Vixens, and was WWE’s only Rookie Diva of the Year. Following her release, she appeared in a few small films, was in an Avenged Sevenfold music video, and got recertified in massage therapy. Giovanni made a one-time return to WWE in 2009 as part of the Miss Wrestlemania battle royal at Wrestlemania 25. This was her only match.

• After their release, husband and wife Kenzo and Hiroko Suzuki returned to Japan and appeared for HUSTLE. She briefly became the promotion’s general manager in late 2005 and early 2006. Hiroko soon left the wrestling business. In 2015, Hiroko was elected to the Funabashi city council.

As for Kenzo, he’s still wrestling to this day. In addition to appearing for HUSTLE, he competed for CMLL, AAA, Dragon Gate, and All Japan Pro Wrestling, where he has wrestled as Kenso since 2010. Kenso held the Gaora TV Championship, a mid-card title for All Japan, in late 2015 and for half of 2015. In 2011, he captured the All Japan World Tag Team Championship with The Great Muta. Kenzo continues to appear for All Japan occasionally, but he has been a freelancer for the last two years.

The Suzukis are still married.

• About a month after their release, The Dudley Boyz, real names Mark LoMonaco (Bubba Ray) and Devon Hughes (D-Von), were issued legal notices stating that WWE had trademarked the Dudley name and they could not use it elsewhere.

No longer the Dudleys, Mark and Devon joined TNA in September 2005 as Brother Ray and Brother Devon, Team 3D (they would later be joined by the former Spike Dudley, rechristened Brother Runt). The duo would go on to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship in 2007 just before TNA’s split from the NWA, and were the inaugural TNA world tag team champions (they would win them again in 2009).

The duo split in late 2010 and embarked on pretty successful singles careers. Devon would go on to win the TNA television title twice, while Mark had two runs as TNA world heavyweight champion as Bully Ray. In 2014, Team 3D was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.

In early 2015, Mark made a one-time appearance in the Royal Rumble match. That August, the duo rejoined WWE after a decade away from the company. Their largely disappointing run ended a year later.

The two teamed one last time in December 2016. Devon retired and has since returned to WWE as a producer. Mark is still wrestling today in Ring of Honor as Bully Ray.

With 23 tag team championship reigns, the Dudley Boyz are the most decorated duo in modern wrestling history.

• Marty Jannetty, best known from his time as one half of The Rockers with Shawn Michaels, had been let go by WWE five times prior to his July 2005 release (the other four in chronological order: (1) June 1987 for their hard partying and causing a disturbance at a hotel bar—he was fired alongside Shawn Michaels less than a month after joining the WWF; (2) March 1992 after he was put on house arrest for attacking a police officer; (3) February 1993 for allegedly wrestling under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol; (4) February 1994 in the wake of litigation against wrestler Charles Austin—Austin was paralyzed after he landed badly on his head following a Rocker Dropper in December 1990).

Marty was brought back in February 2006 as part of a pending Rockers-McMahons feud, but Marty missed a TV taping and was released in early March.

Six months later, Marty joined WWE again as a trainer. He lasted all of two weeks before he was fired yet again. Though there was some dispute to this, Jim Ross confirmed his release in December, though Marty did appear on the RAW 15th Anniversary special that month.

Marty doubled as a performer and trainer for CHIKARA from 2011 to 2013. In July 2016, Jannetty joined a class action lawsuit with many ex-WWE performers concerning the risk of brain injury.

Earlier this year, he appeared for Game Changer Wrestling’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break.

WWE.com

• Longtime manager Jim Cornette had not been seen on WWE programming since Wrestlemania X-Seven at the time of his release after briefly handling color commentary in 1999.

In recent years, Cornette had become lead booker and part-owner of Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s developmental territory until 2008. Cornette had a hand in developing many men and women who went on to at least moderate success on the main roster, including John Cena, Randy Orton, Dave Batista, and Brock Lesnar.

In 2006, Cornette joined TNA as an on-screen authority figure and as a member of their creative team. Cornette often clashed with Vince Russo, who was hired about three months after Jim joined the company. On September 15, 2009, Cornette was released after three years with the company.

Less than two weeks later, Jim rejoined Ring of Honor (he had a brief stint there in 2006). In 2010, Cornette rejoined Ohio Valley Wrestler as its head booker. He left just over a year later when TNA ended its working relationship with OVW.

In October 2012, Cornette was removed from his position as head booker; soon after, he was placed “on sabbatical” after a backstage outburst following a Steve Corino injury at an ROH TV taping.

The outspoken Cornette returned to WWE in March 2017 to induct the Rock ‘n Roll Express into the WWE Hall of Fame. He also appeared on the WWE Network series Table for 3.

Last month, a restraining order was filed against him in Posey County, Indiana by longtime nemesis Vince Russo.

• Earl Hebner had been a referee for WWE since 1988 at the time of his release (his debut was the Hulk Hogan-Andre the Giant match at The Main Event in February). After he and his brother were released for selling counterfeit WWE merchandise, Earl took a sabbatical before debuting for TNA in February 2006. He had been the company’s senior official ever since. In 2015, Hebner was inducted into the TNA Hall of Fame.

Earl’s twin brother Dave, best known for refereeing the Intercontinental Championship match at Wrestlemania III and the WWF Championship match at Wrestlemania IV, retired from refereeing after knee replacement surgery in 2002. He was a road agent for many years prior to his release. Dave briefly appeared for TNA in 2005. In 2012, Dave managed the Lumberjacks out of the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance.

• Lisa Moretti gained national fame as Tina Ferrari of Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling fame in the late 1980s. The three-time WWF Women’s Champion was with the company for six years.

Her later years saw her transition to broadcasting, co-hosting The WWE Experience with Todd Grisham. She also briefly became a trainer for Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Shortly after her release, Experience was cancelled in the United States, though the series continues to run internationally to fulfill programming commitments.

Moretti wrestled on the independent circuit sporadically, but has also worked in an animal shelter and in landscaping.

She appeared at Wrestlemania Axxess in March 2015 and appeared on Table for 3 with Alundra Blayze and Molly Holly in early 2016.

• Brian Heffron, best remembered for his time in ECW as The Blue Meanie, one-third of nWo parody the Blue World Order, was signed to a short-term deal perhaps in exchange for not considering legal action against John Layfield (aka JBL) after he was deliberately injured at the end of One Night Stand in June 2005.

Meanie defeated JBL in a no disqualification match on the July 7, 2005 Smackdown (a show made infamous for its final segment).

In April 2006, Heffron was diagnosed with empyema and had to get part of his lung removed.

In 2015, Heffron reunited with Stevie Richards and Nova as the Blue World Order for the Kings of Trio tournament. They were knocked out in the first round by Devastation Corporation.

Heffron, now a trainer at famed wrestling school The Monster Factory, still occasionally wrestles to this day.