Kassius Ohno allegedly released from WWE

(Kassius Ohno vs. William Regal from NXT – a great, technical, hard-hitting 
match made even better by Brad Maddox on commentary)

According to reports by several websites, Kassius Ohno (formerly Chris Hero) was released by WWE on Friday. The information is still only being credited to “sources” and neither the WWE or Kassius Ohno have commented on their Twitter pages or websites. But, the news appears to be valid.

One of my favorite promotions in the world, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, tweeted from their official account late Friday that Chris Hero will be returning at their December show, All Star Weekend 10.

Also late Friday, WWE Superstar “The Prince of Queens” Curt Hawkins took to twitter to say this:

While the information isn’t 100% verified, it seems to be true that Kassius Ohno has parted ways with WWE. The news surprised many on the internet, as Ohno had recently returned to NXT programming after a long absence. Word was that the long break from appearing on NXT was because WWE wasn’t happy with his physique. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen.

What’s strange, to me, is that he looked a lot better in the last two matches he wrestled on NXT – both losing efforts to Luke Harper. The matches, especially what was most likely his final match this past week on NXT against Harper, were rough, hard-hitting matches that really showcased the brutality Harper is capable of and the complex striking offense that Ohno brings to the table.

It’s no secret that I’m a huge Chris Hero fan. My friends and I cheered him month after month when he wrestled as “The Savior of CZW” and led the CZW army in an inter-promotional war against Ring of Honor. During that time, Hero was CZW’s Ironman champion and for a time (he might still be, I’m not sure) the longest reigning Ironman champion. It wasn’t long after becoming the Savior of CZW that he formed the Kings of Wrestling with Claudio Castagnoli, a tag team that had great success in independent promotions across the globe.

Obviously, I’m disappointed by the news. Hero is an immensely talented wrestler who can go hold for hold with guys like Daniel Bryan, has the speed and quickness of a cruiserweight and has outstanding striking abilities with his hands, feet, elbows, and knees that can hit you from any direction. Not only that, but there was a great charisma to his character. Whether he was a heel or face, he always worked hard selling what was happening in the ring. And while I’ve heard he’s a very positive person outside of wrestling, he was also a tremendous heel. He played the heel with such a smug arrogance that not many can nail down as well as he could.

It’s surprising to me that WWE couldn’t find a way to work Kassius Ohno into their product. In my opinion – it’s only WWE’s loss. I’ll be glad to see him back on the indies and I plan on driving (almost) any distance to see him on a show in the area.

Sigh…at least I can still reform the Kings of Wrestling in WWE 2K14.