WWE's Abraham Washington Overreaction

WWE.com has issued a succinct statement stating that they have released Abraham Washington.  The move is likely a reaction to Washington's joke about Kobe Bryant on a recent episode of Raw.

If this is indeed the basis of letting him go, it's an overreaction by the company.

A.W.'s joke was classless and cheap, not to mention not exactly timely.  It's by no means reason enough to end his WWE tenure.

Shouldn't there be an escalation of punishment that ends in someone's release?

Suspension, a fine or even a private talk in Vince McMahon's office would have sufficed.  Any of those would have been appropriate reactions.

It is not in WWE's best interest to only be mentioned in the mainstream news for negative reasons.  Making light of rape isn't a recipe for winning over new fans.

But this didn't need to happen.

This wasn't a situation where a headcase had been running wild for any length of time.  This was a misguided outburst that should have been dealt with behind closed doors.

A.W. didn't make himself look better by going on a rampage via his Twitter account.  He does, though, have a legitimate reason to be furious.

John Cena spent the early part of his career making homophobic jokes.  The Rock once famously called out Booker T, saying that he rode the short bus.  These comments could be seen as disparaging to the mentally challenged.

Ptpaw642_original_crop_exact Photo from wwe.com

Neither Rock nor Cena were fired.  WWE just told Cena to tone it down.

The Kobe Bryant joke had largely been forgotten about.  Now WWE risks frustrating fans who may see this firing as symbol of the PG Era's "wussiness."  They stirred up something that would have died down naturally.

In a wrestling landscape so devoid of managers, it's especially hard to see A.W. go.

Is WWE just confident that they can replace A.W.?  With so many talented, hungry men and women waiting in the wings, they'll surely find someone to fill the void.

But expelling talent from the company with little reason is unwise.  Who knows what A.W.'s career could have been?  Sending him home also senselessly hurts Titus O'Neil and Darren Young's careers.

WWE is being overprotective of their image here.  WWE is being foolish.

The company cannot react to every negative thing a wrestler or manager does by firing them.  There must be less severe options available.