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During an interview with Into The Danger Zone w/ Chris Denker, Nixon Newell (fka Tegan Nox) was asked about the story behind her release from WWE last year.
Like many of the 80+ wrestlers who were fired by WWE in 2021, Nixon was told the decision was made due to budget cuts. But she doesn’t believe that excuse for a second. Instead, Nixon said WWE has a certain look and character type they expect from their female wrestlers on the main roster, and she didn’t fit the mold:
“...I’m a 5’6” brunette girl covered in tattoos. I feel like, as we can see watching the product now, it’s very much, Diva era coming back, I feel?
I just always felt like I was always on the chopping block as such, even if I could wrestle. I was not much of a personality enough for them or a character enough for them to keep my job...but I was always kept as the girl next door, and I’m not the girl next door...I just always had that feeling of I’m not what they’re looking for. As soon as they split me and Shotzi up...I was like, yeah, I’m on the block next.”
Newell explains that as soon as she was called up to the main roster, she felt like she was in the firing line. Everyone is walking on eggshells, and it feels like if you make one mistake, you’re done. It was a completely different feeling in NXT.
WWE’s lack of communication didn’t help. She wasn’t given any indication that she and Shotzi were split up until she found out on Twitter while they were out driving. Nixon was brought into one Raw taping after the draft where they sent her home after testing positive for COVID. She drove 16 hours home, and they never brought her back to Raw after she was cleared. She was released shortly thereafter.
There’s no doubt in her mind that WWE’s excuse of budget cuts was nonsense:
“Nothing to do with budget cuts. I just didn’t fit the look or the idea of what they wanted for their female wrestlers.”
Do you think Nixon Newell is right on the money in her assessment of WWE’s reason for cutting her?
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