Ex WWE NXT Superstar Wishes There Were More Opportunities For Them Before Their Release

WWE has released a few talented Superstars over the past couple of years. It seemed that a wave of pandemic budget cuts was always around the corner. Sloane Jacobs was cut during that time, but she has gone on to continue her passion in pro wrestling. Now, she can reflect on getting that bad news from WWE.

Sloane Jacobs is also known as Notorious Mimi after her WWE release. She recently discussed her release while speaking on Talk is Jericho, where she was quite candid about getting that phone call nobody wants from their boss.

“So, I was signed for, I wanna say, eight or nine months so it was from mid-March to October 31st. We love getting fired on Halloween (she laughed). I was carving a pumpkin dammit!

Although her time in NXT wasn’t the longest one, Jacobs admitted that she had a wonderful time. Learning under so many experienced people is an incredibly valuable experience, and she had an amazing time with WWE’s developmental brand.

While name-dropping Norman Smiley, Robbie Brookeside, and AJ Winkler, she praised WWE’s developmental system for exposing her to so many eclectic styles. In the end, it expanded her pro wrestling horizons and gave her the abilities she has today. That being said, she wishes there were more opportunities for her in NXT.

“But it was honestly an amazing experience the whole time I was down there. I got to work with the normal coaches people always bring up like Robbie Brookside, Norman Smiley, AJ Winkler who’s from wXw in Germany and I really enjoyed learning all these super different styles. I feel like it expanded what I knew a lot. But I wasn’t on TV all that much as anyone who really kept up would tell you.

“I had three main TV matches and that was it the whole time I was down there and I’m not really sure I never received particular guidance on what they wanted changed or not but, I think as most people who’ve been around the business or specifically paid attention to the way that the WWE developmental system works for a while, mass releases are a really common thing and I was one of five or six specifically on that day and definitely like one of 20 or 30 in that year that, you know, just got the boot at some point. They didn’t offer a ton of explanation. It was a like a minute-long phone call.”

“But I (got a) call the next day from the head coach which I appreciated. Matt Bloom gave me a call and was just like, ‘Hey, we appreciated your work. You worked hard and we hope you don’t leave wrestling for this’ which I both felt very complimented by and at the same time I was like, ‘I’m not gonna leave wrestling for this. You do not own my love for wrestling. I’m gonna wrestle anyway, thank you very much’. But I really appreciated everyone there and everyone was super friendly. I just wish maybe it had gone a little longer.”

Mimi’s release from WWE was a hard pill to swallow, especially at 19-years-old, but she carried on. Now she is getting more opportunities, largely thanks to the experience she had in NXT.

“I was still 19 when I got fired (from WWE) actually. It definitely really sucked, but at the same time, part of me immediately went, I actually get to wrestle again. I was so excited because I had done nothing for three months. I pitched stuff, it had gotten ignored. I’d offer storylines, characters, stuff like that and it had gone completely unnoticed and I couldn’t even get on live events for the life of me.

“Even though I was really sad, one, I think it was kind of one of those things where you see it coming but, more so, I was just like, thank God I get to actually wrestle again because I have 13 matches in 2022 which is way low for me or something like that and I’ve already had like 30 this year.

“It’s like you feel privileged to get the training and be able to make the paycheck but at the same time, if you’re not actually producing the product, you feel kind of pointless being there.” 

We’ll have to see what’s next for Sloane Jacobs, whether she’s going as the Notorious Mimi or any other name. She is a valuable asset to any roster, and it is apparent that she has soaked up every bit of tutelage that she was able to gain along the way.

What’s your take on WWE releasing Sloane Jacobs? Did they cut her too soon? Sound off in the comments!