A WWE star who was released after only eight months in the company has reflected on her experiences there.
Notorious Mimi had been wrestling on the independent scene for three years when WWE signed her to a developmental deal in 2022. The star was repackaged as Sloane Jacobs and made multiple appearances on NXT and Level Up in matches against the likes of Thea Hail and Roxanne Perez before being released from her contract that October.
During a recent appearance on Talk is Jericho, Mimi said she learned a lot while working in the company, but admitted her frustrations about not getting much TV time.
“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!
“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, A.J. 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.”
She went on to say there wasn’t much guidance on what she could change before being let go in a one-minute phone call.
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.
“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 complemented 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.
“I really appreciated everyone there and everyone was super friendly. I just wish maybe it had gone a little longer.
Notorious Mimi felt ignored in WWE
Reflecting further on her release, Mimi said her pitches for storylines and characters had gone “unnoticed” in the months leading up to being let go.
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.”
Since being let go, Mimi has gone on to wrestle in multiple promotions, including making her Ring of Honor debut against Willow Nightingale.
— Notorious Mimi (@notorious_mimi) April 7, 2023
H/T to POST Wrestling for the above transcription.