Steve Maclin opens up on the potential cause of his WWE release
On February 4, Steve Maclin - known as Steve Cutler in WWE - saw his seven-year stint with the company end as he was released.
Weeks after contracting COVID-19 at a New Year's Eve party, Steve Maclin was shown the door by the company despite being led to believe everything was fine.
Speaking to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, Maclin ran through the aftermath of the New Year's Eve party. He claimed that he tested negative at first, but was then informed that someone at the party had tested positive.
"So, it’s a small knit group that we have," Maclin said. "We have a New Year’s party, and there’s multiple New Year’s parties and that’s where the mix-up came from somehow, I don’t know, higher. Doesn’t nearly mean anything now. We had the New Year’s party. Next day I go to TV, I test negative. Work TV, Blake and I work there with Corbin. We do our thing. Monday I find out one of the friends that we had there tested positive." (H/T Fightful)
Steve Maclin was then tested again the following Monday, which once again came back as negative. However, he tested positive for COVID-19 following a nose swab on Friday later that week.
"So, Deonna and I went out and got tested like we should do, like anybody should have done, like the right minded and I came back negative," Maclin continued. "That was that Monday. So, okay cool. No symptoms. Nothing happening. Go to TV Friday and I test positive for the nose swab at WWE TV at Tropicana Field. I’m like, ‘Okay, what do I do?’ Get on the hotline with doctors, talk, we find out what’s going on and they say, ‘Yep, just quarantine.’ Okay, cool."
Former Forgotten Sons stablemate Wesley Blake stayed at Tropicana Field after testing negative, and Steve Maclin believed writers were cool with him as he headed into quarantine.
"Talk to the writers, everything’s cool and then Blake tested negative. So, he stayed," Maclin added.
That feeling was, supposedly, not mutual among other WWE officials.
Vince McMahon wasn't happy about Steve Maclin's positive COVID-19 test
Steve Maclin revealed that while on his way home, Wesley Blake was sending him rather worrying texts.
WWE CEO Vince McMahon apparently wanted to fire Steve Maclin on the spot following his positive COVID-19 test.
"I’m on my way home and then here I am getting texts from Blake," Maclin said. "Get a phone call, ‘Hey, do you have heat? Like for something you have done?’ I’m like, ‘I dunno. Why?’ He goes, ‘Ah, somebody’s kind of pissed and a few people said in a meeting that Vince wanted to fire you at that moment,’ and I had a few friends that were in that meeting as well. I was like, ‘Huh. Okay. That’s good..."
Steve Maclin then tried to contact Mark Carrano for clarification but was met with silence. He was then also blanked by the writer and creative team before his fate was sealed.
"So, of course, I send a message to Mark Carrano saying, ‘Hey, I don’t know what’s going on or what’s being thrown around, if there’s anything you need to talk to me about, please call me, text me, let me know what’s up.’ No answer. That’s how I found out, pretty much, I had COVID that day, quarantine for the next week. Kept in contact with writers. Still no answer back from higher of writer team and creative team. Yeah. What a time. So, it’s just one of those moments of loss," Steve Maclin finished.
Carrano eventually rang Steve Maclin to explain that he was being released by WWE due to the creative having nothing for him. However, it's very possible that his departure stemmed from that New Year's Eve party.
Thank you, Sean Ross Sapp and Fightful for the interview and transcription.