KEY POINTS

  • Scott Garland discloses that it was the multitude of releases in the company that led to his exit
  • WWE opted to cut most of its performers due to financial concerns
  • Garland warns the company of rushing young talent into becoming mainstays

Former WWE wrestler Scotty 2 Hotty (real name Scott Garland) revealed that his departure from the company was due to the many superstars that were released since the global pandemic began.

The Attitude Era star was interviewed by Chris Van Vliet on his “INSIGHT” podcast and disclosed how the releases had personally affected him.

“I think the releases took a big toll on me. When I became a coach, I had no idea how much I would love that job, and those guys are then like your children. You create these relationships with people, and you see them get released, and you find out with everyone else when they come up on Twitter. I see somebody released that was in my class that I just saw three hours before. That’s how I’m finding out, and dude, this is not cool,” Garland told Van Vliet.

Garland was one of the most recognizable midcard acts in the mid-90s and early 2000s with WWE as a member of Too Cool, winning two tag team titles alongside Rikishi and Grandmaster Sexay, plus the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship in April 2000.

Released in 2007, he had worked on the independent circuit before being brought back to the company in 2016 where he served as a trainer at the WWE Performance Center to help usher in the new blood coming into the promotion via NXT.

News broke in late November of last year that Garland had asked for his release, much to the surprise of many within the industry.

Throughout 2021, WWE released 80 performers in the name of budget cuts, save for Jeff Hardy in early December and some other superstars.

Garland was also asked by Van Vliet about the type of performers that the organization is looking for and bared that WWE is mainly looking for athletic young talent who have yet to step in a pro wrestling ring.

“When I left there a month ago, they want young. They are hiring all these college athletes. I have always said that you can’t teach passion, and you need passion to do this. No matter what you’re making in money, you need passion. I think at some point it will swing back the other way,” Garland remarked.

As it stands, the rebranded NXT 2.0 is featuring mostly fresh faces, and its recently concluded New Year’s Evil event this past Wednesday, January 5 points to this direction.

Notable NXT cornerstones Tommaso Ciampa and Roderick Strong both failed in their bids to defend the NXT Championship and NXT Cruiserweight Championship against newcomers Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes respectively.

While this is an encouraging sign that fans should start investing in WWE’s budding stars, Garland was quick to issue a warning about having the young guns take the reins so soon.

“Putting green on green on live television can be dangerous,” Garland stated.

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