WWE NXT has changed a lot since the beginning of the “2.0” revamp, and the hits keep coming as it looks like a number of new cuts have been made on the WWE Performance Center staff.
According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, several producers, coaches and writers were some of the names cut in the latest round of layoffs by the company. Sapp reported that “Road Dogg” Brian James, Ryan Katz, Ace Steel, Scott Armstrong, Allison Danger and Hideki Suzuki were among the names released on Wednesday. PWInsider.com later confirmed Katz and Steel’s respective departures, along with Dave Kapoor, aka Ranjin Singh.
Sapp also shared the following statement that WWE issued to Fightful about the releases:
“With the continued evolution of NXT 2.0, we’ve decided to part ways with some of the staff based in our Performance Center. We thank them for their many contributions throughout the years and wish them the best.”
Road Dogg has had a role backstage since 2014, and he previously had a brief run as a producer in 2011 before he returned to the ring.) He has been a producer, and he also served as the co-head writer of WWE SmackDown at one point. Most recently, he had been working as a member of the WWE NXT Team and teaching classes about promos and character development at the WWE Performance Center.
Katz started working for WWE’s developmental territory NXT in May 2015 as a Creative Producer. Steel joined WWE as a coach in November 2019, but he was furloughed on April 15, 2020, as a part of the company’s initial COVID-19. Steel was brought back in October 2020 for his latest run with the company. Kapoor has been on the WWE creative team since 2011, where he most recently worked as the Senior Vice President of Creative. Kapoor is also known to fans as Ranjin Singh, the manager and storyline brother of The Great Khali.
Suzuki signed with WWE to coach at the Performance Center in April 2021. He later joined the Diamond Mine faction in WWE NXT. Prior to his arrival in WWE, Suzuki was a World Champion in Big Japan Pro Wrestling, Wrestle-1 and Pro Wrestling Zero1.
Danger, or Cathy Corino, Steve Corino’s sister, had a remarkable in-ring career with SHIMMER and Ring of Honor, among other promotions, before she signed with WWE this past October.
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