Good thing he’s reunited with Sami Zayn, because it hasn’t been a great week otherwise for SmackDown’s Kevin Owens.
We’re still waiting on any kind of official word about Neville’s status with WWE, but it’s clear from KO’s Instagram that he’s thinking about the man he calls “one of the absolute best wrestlers on the planet” a couple of days after the former Cruiserweight champion allegedly walked out of Raw...
Now, word comes down that one of Owens long-time collaborators has left the company. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that producer Jimmy Jacobs is out after angering management by posting a photo on Instagram with members of The Bullet Club during their “invasion” of Raw last month.
Jacobs goes back to Ring of Honor (ROH) with Owens and Zayn (where he also famously worked with Seth Rollins, Steve Corino and others still in the WWE fold), and recently was featured in the Fight Owens Fight DVD talking about their relationship and KO’s career. James Cox commented in his review of that DVD set for The Wrestling Observer:
“[Owens] family starts at home with his wife and two children, but it extends into his work. The likes of Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, Neville, and Jimmy Jacobs are very much a close-knit unit of support and trust; a surrogate family that has been as consistent as any household.”
Business is business, as they say, but still... this has to be a tough week for all those guys. Makes you wonder if Jacobs ouster had anything to do with Neville’s rumored decision to ask for his release, but that’s just speculation on this writer’s part.
Pro Wrestling Sheet could not get a confirmation from the company, but their sources say Jacobs left last week. Dave Meltzer at The Observer backs their story on the reason behind his exit, as does Jimmy’s new merch at ProWrestlingTees.com:
We’ll keep you posted on a tumultuous week backstage at WWE.