WWE officials announced the release of James Dudley II on Tuesday. Dudley, the son of a WWE Hall of Famer, was driving the limousine that contained Bret Hart at the end of Monday's Raw show. "We wish James the best in his future endeavors," reads a release on the WWE website.
The feeling internally was that roughing up a man who had to retire due to head trauma and later suffered a stroke was even more violent than Daniel Bryan choking a ring announcer. "We don't want to be hypocritical," said one high-ranking WWE official.
Prowrestling.net has been assured that this is not a work or part of the NXT angle. In fact, Dudley has already discussed potential bookings with various indy promoters, as WWE may allow him to work for certain promoters before his 90-day noncompete clause expires.
Meanwhile, there are rumors that TNA intends to make Dudley a big money contract offer. TNA creative lead Dixie Carter is said to be so excited about the signing that she's allocated a seven-figure budget for limos that Dudley will smash around the backstage area at the Impact Zone.
Spike TV president Kevin Kay is so fired up by the potential signing that network is said to be willing to cover a portion of Dudley's contract. Carter, who must be a soothsayer, appeared to verify Kay's enthusiasm when she tweeted over the weekend: "Just got off the phone with Spike prez Kevin Kay. He is all in and agrees this will change TNA on every level."
As excited as Carter, Kay, and indy promoters are to book Dudley, there is still a chance that he could re-sign with WWE once the heat dies down. The feeling is that Dudley is just a scapegoat because Linda McMahon, an advertiser, a corporate partner, or perhaps even Barack Obama himself complained about Dudley's role in Monday's angle.
There is a lot of concern within WWE over the status of the NXT angle going forward. After all, Dudley's limo is widely regarded as the second best worker of the remaining NXT wrestlers, and now there's no one to drive it.
"Except for having hot bamboo shoved up my penis, I can't think of a better way to spend a Tuesday morning," tweeted WWE star Chris Jericho. Jericho mentioned something about going to the dentist earlier in the tweet, but that was probably just a swerve.
Dudley, who is affectionately known by some fans as "The Best Limo Driver In The World," is a longtime darling of the internet wrestling community. As such, several online petitions have been formed with the goal of getting Dudley his job back.
"James is no Mickie James, but it's taking everything in my power not to call WWE and threaten them with machetes and explosives," said some guy who looked a lot like the demented virgin who threatened to blow up WWE Headquarters earlier this year. "Stupid restraining orders."
