Rhyno And Shane Strickland Updates

During last night's Monday Night Raw broadcast, tag team partners Rhyno and Heath Slater were forced to face each other by Acting Raw General Manager Baron Corbin in order to keep their job, with Slater getting the victory.  The storyline was that Rhyno was fired, while Slater learned he wasn't getting to stay a pro wrestler, but would instead become a referee for the Raw brand.

Several outlets received a number of questions about Rhyno's status with the company.  As of this morning, they were told he is still slated for the South American tour that kicks off tomorrow in Santiago, Chile, so this would appear to be something storyline-based, not an actual exit from the company by the former ECW World Champion.

Shane Strickland has been finishing up with Major League Wrestling and is expected to start with World Wrestling Entertainment next year.

In an update to that story, Strickland may not be starting with WWE in January as originally expected. Several outlets has been told by several sources that there may be a delay to a contractual concern with his Lucha Underground deal.  Strickland worked for the El Rey Network promotion as Killshot.  While the deal is coming to a close, the word making the rounds is that there is an issue regarding his LU contract that needs to be resolved and until it is taken care, Strickland wouldn't be able to officially sign and start with WWE.

Strickland will continue to work for Major League Wrestling during this time period and their Miami double-shot next week may no longer be his final dates for the promotion.   He is currently being advertised for the promotion's 2/3/19 date in Philadelphia and is working a number of other high profile independent dates, including CZW's Cage of Death and House of Hardcore this weekend in Philadelphia, PA.

It's been noted, MLW had been planning for Strickland's exit as far back as the Wargames bout that took place in Fort Lauderdale, booking him to get wiped out and taken out of the match with the idea that he was injured and written out of the company.  If and when he is free and clear to move on, he will finish up with MLW, which had recently turned him with the idea that he had grown sour on the company's product and their fans.