WWE Pulls Tag Team From TV Due To Star’s Controversial Social Media Posts

WWE has removed a rising tag team from SmackDown programming on the heels of a controversial tweet that resulted in mega backstage heat.

Earlier this month, Jaxson Ryker—who had just been called up to the blue brand alongside Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake—ignited a firestorm of criticism with a tweet praising President Donald Trump. Ryker, real name Chad Lail, became public enemy No. 1 within WWE for the timing of his post, which coincided with nationwide protests over the tragic death of George Floyd:

A number of WWE stars, including Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens, took issue with Ryker’s tweet and prior social media post in which he referred to the Black Lives Matter movement as “garbage.” According to the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer (h/t WWFOldSchool), WWE cannot fire Ryker for his posts, but that hasn’t prevented him from getting nuclear heat backstage: “According to one person high up in the company, the belief is that Lail (Ryker) can’t be fired for expressing freedom of speech, but that the locker room is fuming at him.”

With Ryker becoming perhaps the biggest outcast in the WWE locker room, he has also been removed from SmackDown programming, as have his tag team partners Cutler and Blake.

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According to a report from Fightful Select (h/t PWMania), “The Forgotten Sons…were not expected to appear on the next two episodes of SmackDown either, according to Fightful Select…Ryker’s recent tweet in support of President Trump got him heat from others in the locker room. The report noted that WWE talents who are talking say that Ryker was well-liked ahead of the Trump tweet, and very respectful. It was also noted that Blake and Cutler have reportedly distanced their stances from Ryker’s following the Trump tweet. They also came in for a meeting with WWE’s Senior Director of Talent Relations Mark Carrano, and other wrestlers.”

It was noted that The Forgotten Sons have not appeared on TV since May 29, and there now appear to no immediate creative plans for the trio. Meltzer also said, “One person suggested that…the actual gimmick they were portraying even had Ryker not said it, would be tough to continue” given the current political climate. The Forgotten Sons had definite political undertones to their gimmick, and though it was Ryker’s tweet that earned him—and him only—backstage heat, many within WWE “feel bad” for Blake and Cutler, who have lost their TV spots because of it.

Fightful (h/t PWMania) says, “Regarding possible heat on Blake or Cutler, there is said to be none from the company but they are catching some of the backlash from Ryker’s Trump tweet. Sources who spoke to Fightful also noted that many on the main roster feel bad that Blake and Cutler are being ‘lumped in’ with Ryker after the time they put in on the NXT brand to get called up…There’s no word on when the vignettes from The Forgotten Sons might continue, if they haven’t been scrapped altogether, but it was noted that the trio is not figured into plans for the TV tapings being held at the Performance Center.”

The Forgotten Sons were a surprise call-up to SmackDown from NXT back in April and had received a sizable push on the blue brand that resulted in them battling and beating the likes of The New Day as well as The Miz and John Morrison. Their promotion to the main roster was reportedly a direct result of a major knee injury suffered by Jey Uso, which caused SmackDown to lose one of its top tag teams for the better part of the next year.

But after Ryker has become such a loathed figure in the WWE locker room, he finds himself in the same boat as a number of former WWE stars whose careers were derailed due to backstage heat.

Only, this time it would be surprising if he ever recovers from it.