"That kind of ruffles some feathers a bit" - NFL star reveals why his deal fell through with WWE
Former San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman made some appearances for WWE back in 2014, and it was believed that he signed a deal with the company; however, that deal ended up falling through.
Shawne Merriman was the most recent guest on Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette to discuss a variety of topics. When asked about his short stint with WWE, Merriman explained why things didn't end up working out.
"We started kind of going back and forth, at an event in LA, I believe it was, and I think I came out at One Night Stand. There was a PPV I did in San Diego and I was part of the show," Shawne Merriman said. "I got really good feedback, so the plan was to work for the NFL Network, and then train half the time and then the other half of the time spend in Orlando at the Performance Center. One of the biggest holdups goes back to me holding ‘Lights Out’ and name rights. That kind of ruffles some feathers a bit, too."
I got @shawnemerriman on the pod today! We talk some early life, football, boxing, his promotion Lights Out Xtreme Fighting, and how he trained w Jake Paul 👀👀 is he legit?!? Listen to the pod! https://t.co/kpK5EWQqdu
Shawne Merriman thinks there are a few reasons why his deal with WWE ultimately fell through
On top of dealing with the rights to Merriman's "Lights Out" gimmick, the former NFL star believes the amount of WWE layoffs that took place in 2014 with the launch of the WWE Network probably was another factor for the two sides not coming to terms on a deal.
"But all in all, I think the thing that really didn’t work out was they were launching the Network around that time," Shawne Merriman continued. "And there were a bunch of layoffs, and there was a lot going on at the time. I think they laid off about 10% of the employees of all of WWE."
Shawn Merriman later admitted he still talks to people who work for WWE and left the door open for something possibly happening between the two sides in the future.
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What do you make of Shawne Merriman's comments? Are you disappointed that he never signed with WWE? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
Thanks to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription of this podcast.