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It's time for another stacked edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's WWE News Roundup. Today, we kicked off the lineup of stories with the reason behind a top NXT star's release.
A WWE Hall of Famer also revealed that he lost a high-profile movie role due to John Cena's rise within the promotion. A popular superstar was also allegedly told not to use Shawn Michaels' famous wrestling move.
We concluded the WWE News Roundup with Booker T issuing a public apology to a former opponent.
#4. Road Dogg says Dexter Lumis was released due to his age
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Dexter Lumis was an incredibly unique character in NXT. The former IMPACT Wrestling star became a fan favorite owing to his gimmick, and his release almost a month back caught everyone off guard.
Road Dogg spoke to WrestleZone recently and revealed that Lumis' age played a role in WWE deciding to let go of him. The man behind the gimmick, Samuel Shaw, was a "great guy" to work with, as The Hall of Famer admitted.
Lumis, who is presently 38 years old, didn't come under the new mandate regarding grooming younger performers in NXT.
"[Dexter] drew all kinds of stuff. We used to write him to draw pictures on NXT all the time because he's a genius artist. I think with Dexter, look, Sam's a great guy, I'm a huge fan of his… I think what his deal was is I think his age, you know what I mean? Like he's not 40 but he ain't 25 either." (H/T - Fightful)
While Dexter Lumis didn't win any titles during his WWE stint, he walked away with many fans and will surely be a sought-after name as a free agent.
#3. Kurt Angle says he was initially supposed to star in The Marine
The first installment in the Marine franchise marked the feature film debut of John Cena. However, it has now been revealed that Kurt Angle was slated to play the lead role in the movie.
The Olympic Gold Medalist opened up about missing out on The Marine on his podcast and added that he was offered the role after Steve Austin's WWE exit. The Texas Rattlesnake left the company despite being Vince McMahon's first choice for the job.
Kurt Angle was next in line, and he was looking forward to taking a break to film the movie. Much to the former world champion's surprise, Vince McMahon decided to hand over The Marine to John Cena.
"The Marine was supposed to be my movie. What happened was, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was told that he was going to do 'The Marine'… Steve left the company, so Vince gave the movie to me. I had it, and they weren't sure when they were going to film it. A year went by, and then Vince came to me and said 'Hey, listen, I want to give that Marine movie to John Cena.'"
WWE wanted to position John Cena as a future megastar. McMahon felt that featuring the rising talent in a big movie would help legitimize his name in the business.
While Kurt Angle wasn't angry with the Cenation Leader, the veteran said he wasn't happy with the WWE boss.
"I wasn't mad at John; I was mad at Vince. He just took the movie away from me because this new kid came in and made a huge impact. I made a huge impact too!" (H/t WrestlingInc)
Kurt Angle losing a spot in the 2006 movie was the beginning of the end of his WWE run as he departed the company the same year.
#2. Shawn Michaels allegedly banned Tajiri from using a move in WWE
Rene Dupree revealed on his podcast that seven-time champion Tajiri was told not to use a move similar to the Sweet Chin Music superkick during his matches.
Tajiri's move set revolved around kick-based offense, and one of his variations included the superkick. However, Shawn Michaels was the master of the maneuver and was the only superstar who used it during his heyday.
Superkicks are in most matches in the modern era, but the situation wasn't the same more than a decade ago. Here's what Dupree recalled about HBK disallowing talent from utilizing the Sweet Chin Music:
"Somebody told me that he had pulled Tajiri aside and told him to stop doing his kicks. Tajiri had some of the best f***ing kicks in the business, period. But because they looked so good, and that's Shawn's finish, he wanted him to stop doing it," Dupree said.
The Sweet Chin Music is amongst the most iconic finishers of all time. Did Shawn Michaels' way of stopping wrestlers from adopting the superkick work in his favor in the long run? A question for fans to ponder over in the comments section.
#1. Booker T apologizes to Paul London
The Cafe de Rene podcast recently also featured Paul London as a special guest. The former tag team champion revealed that Booker T wasn't always a safe in-ring worker.
The five-time WCW Champion accidentally broke London's nose with a stiff back elbow during a match. Paul London even said that Booker T never apologized for the incident.
The WWE Hall of Famer then issued a heartfelt apology to London. There was no malice behind Booker T's actions as the respected star never intended to hurt Paul London, as he stated below:
"I want to say, first and foremost, to Paul London, I apologize. Okay? If I did anything that you thought I did out of malice or if I hurt you, I apologize."
Booker T also explained what went wrong with the back elbow strike that caused all the damage. You can read about that and more right here.
Meet Randy Orton's lovely wife HERE
