WWE legend "not sorry" to hear Odyssey Jones has been removed from TV (Exclusive)
Odyssey Jones' WWE RAW storyline abruptly ended after domestic violence allegations emerged on September 3. Legendary reporter Bill Apter and WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long recently gave their thoughts on the 30-year-old's reported removal from the roster.
On August 5, Jones debuted on RAW in a storyline with New Day members Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported that the former NXT talent was taken off programming "when domestic violence allegations came to light."
Apter highlighted the seriousness of the situation when Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine host Mac Davis read the news live on air as it broke:
"I'm sorry to hear that. They were working a very strong storyline with he and Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. I'm sorry to hear that. Again, these are alleged charges as we're taping this, but domestic violence is something that we just can't put up with." [1:40 – 2:06]
Long responded to the allegations by saying Odyssey Jones and everyone else in WWE should know domestic violence is unacceptable:
"Like you guys are saying, 'I'm sorry to hear that,' I'm not saying that. I'm not sorry to hear that. These guys know better. This is a grown man we're talking about here, and I'm sure as long as he's been in the WWE he knows the rules and regulations. He knows what you can't do and what you can do." [2:15 – 2:31]
Watch the video above to hear the panel's take on the news that Nikki Bella's husband Artem Chigvintsev was recently arrested for domestic violence.
Teddy Long on Odyssey Jones' position in the WWE spotlight
Since joining WWE in 2019, Odyssey Jones has been tipped to be a star of the future. The powerhouse wrestler is one of the strongest men in the company and looked set to feature prominently on RAW after his impactful debut.
Teddy Long thinks WWE stars like Jones are role models and cannot afford to be at the center of negative stories outside the ring:
"And whether he knows it or not, when you're putting your hands on a woman, like I said, I don't know, I don't even know the guy, I don't know whether this is true or not, this is all alleged, but if that is true then that's not the way to go. That's really not the way to go if you gotta start putting your hands on a woman, especially in the position that you're in. You're on TV every week, young man. You can't do stuff like that." [2:32 – 2:55]
Odyssey Jones' profile page has been removed from WWE's website. Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer reported that the wrestler has been fired, but WWE has not yet confirmed his release.
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