Welcome back to the LNC Wrestling Mid-Afternoon News Roundup, the sixth installment of the series where we cut through the recycled headlines, scroll past the unnecessary outrage, and get straight to what actually matters in wrestling while everyone is trying to survive the middle of a Wednesday afternoon.
Today’s edition is heavily centered around WWE, but every story touches a different part of the company’s constantly expanding world. Danhausen’s bizarre connection to the New York Knicks continues to grow while WWE moves quickly to protect another piece of his increasingly valuable brand. Kayla Braxton has once again explained why leaving WWE was never about jumping to AEW. Masyn Holiday has voluntarily walked away from WWE’s crowded developmental system. John Cena has revisited the brutally one-sided promo that still hangs over Austin Theory’s career.
Meanwhile, Simone Johnson has opened up about why she left WWE despite being offered more money to stay.
Different careers. Different decisions. One busy Wednesday.
WWE Is Turning Danhausen’s Knicks Connection Into Something Much Bigger
Danhausen’s connection to the New York Knicks began as another ridiculous wrestling joke, but WWE now appears determined to turn it into a legitimate mainstream opportunity.
After previously “uncursing” the Knicks and watching New York end its 53-year championship drought, Danhausen was invited by WFAN to participate in the team’s championship parade. WWE cameras are reportedly expected to be involved, with additional ideas discussed for Knicks-related content, merchandise and a possible YouTube documentary.
The timing could not be better. WWE will return to Madison Square Garden for Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 18, giving the company a natural opportunity to continue the story inside the arena the Knicks call home.
WWE has also filed two trademark applications for “Human Monies,” one of Danhausen’s most recognizable phrases. The filings cover an enormous range of potential merchandise, including clothing, posters, trading cards, stickers, books, costumes, footwear and replica championship belts.
That is not the behavior of a company viewing Danhausen as a disposable comedy act.
WWE understands that his biggest value does not come from working long matches or chasing a traditional championship. Danhausen is a character, a merchandise machine and an instantly recognizable personality who can move between wrestling, sports, comedy and internet culture without needing everything explained.
His merchandise reportedly performed better than expected after his WWE debut, and the company is clearly looking for more ways to monetize an act that already arrived with a loyal following and a fully developed identity.
The Knicks story gives WWE something even more valuable than merchandise: an organic crossover that does not feel like another forced celebrity partnership. Danhausen became attached to the Knicks because fans embraced the absurdity of his curse, not because WWE paid for a corporate sponsorship and instructed everyone to pretend it mattered.
That authenticity is what WWE needs to protect.
Danhausen works because he treats complete nonsense like serious business. The moment WWE overexplains the joke, scripts every reaction or tries to turn him into a conventional wrestler, some of the magic disappears. Let him attend the parade, demand his human monies, declare himself the King of New York and continue acting like he personally delivered the championship.
Sometimes the smartest creative decision is knowing when to stay out of the character’s way.
Kayla Braxton Leaving WWE Was Never About Joining AEW
Kayla Braxton has once again rejected the assumption that leaving WWE automatically meant she was headed to AEW.
Speaking on TMZ Inside the Ring, Braxton—now publicly using her real name, Kayla Becker—said she made it clear when she left WWE in 2024 that she was not planning to join AEW or another wrestling company. After spending nearly eight years with WWE, she wanted to pursue something outside wrestling rather than perform a similar role underneath a different logo.
Her explanation should not be controversial.
Braxton had already accomplished nearly everything available to a backstage interviewer and host in WWE. She worked Raw, SmackDown, premium live events, kickoff shows, Talking Smack and The Bump. Her exchanges with Paul Heyman became one of the few recurring backstage interviewer relationships that actually developed its own personality and history.
Moving to AEW may have kept her visible within wrestling, but it would not necessarily have represented meaningful career growth. It would have been another wrestling company, another microphone and many of the same responsibilities she had deliberately chosen to leave behind.
Wrestling fans have become conditioned to view every departure as free agency. Someone leaves WWE, so they must be AEW-bound. Someone leaves AEW, so a WWE debut must be coming. That makes sense for active wrestlers, but not everybody wants to spend the rest of their career moving between the same two companies.
Braxton was not looking for leverage or a better wrestling contract. She was trying to build a life beyond the wrestling bubble.
The fact that people still criticize her for promoting smaller projects only proves why she wanted that separation. Success does not always mean remaining attached to the biggest platform available. Sometimes it means having the freedom to pursue work that feels more personal, even when the audience is smaller.
Masyn Holiday’s Exit Shows How Crowded WWE Development Has Become
Masyn Holiday has departed WWE, with the former WWE EVOLVE and WWE LFG talent reportedly leaving on her own terms.
Holiday, whose real name is Darci Khan, signed with WWE through the company’s NIL recruitment program in December 2023. She later appeared on EVOLVE, competed during the third season of LFG and was aligned with Layla Diggs and Nikkita Lyons as ROAR Records.
Despite those opportunities, she never reached NXT television.
Holiday may still appear on upcoming episodes of LFG because the season was taped months in advance, but her departure brings the actual WWE portion of her career to an end unless the two sides reconnect later.
There is no reason to frame this as WWE releasing someone it no longer wanted. The available reporting indicates Holiday made the decision herself. That matters because it changes the larger conversation surrounding her exit.
WWE’s developmental system is deeper than ever, but it is also increasingly difficult to navigate. College athletes, independent wrestlers, international recruits, WWE ID prospects and LFG contestants are all competing for a limited number of television positions.
Appearing on EVOLVE or LFG creates exposure, but it does not guarantee movement toward NXT. Talent can spend years training at the Performance Center, working short matches and waiting for a creative opportunity that may never arrive.
Holiday was still early in her development, so it would be premature to call her a missed future star. At the same time, voluntarily leaving after gaining television exposure suggests she may not have seen a clear enough path forward to justify remaining in the system.
Developmental wrestling is still employment, not a guaranteed dream factory. Sometimes leaving before several more years disappear is the most honest decision a performer can make.
John Cena Was Right About Austin Theory—But The Feud Still Failed Him
John Cena has revisited the harsh treatment of Austin Theory during the build to their United States Championship match at WrestleMania 39.
Cena explained that he was hard on Theory because he did not believe Theory had found an authentic connection with the audience. He viewed it as his responsibility to make people care and has said Theory was involved throughout the creative process behind their infamous Raw confrontation.
Cena’s criticism was not completely wrong.
Theory had the appearance, athleticism and confidence WWE wanted, but his character often felt like a collection of familiar heel traits rather than a personality that belonged specifically to him. Cena exposed that weakness in front of the entire audience.
The problem was not that Cena challenged him. The problem was that Theory never received a convincing opportunity to prove Cena wrong.
Cena told the audience that Theory was fake, uninteresting and not ready for the position WWE had given him. Theory then defeated him at WrestleMania through a referee bump and low blow in a match that failed to create the breakthrough moment WWE needed.
The victory looked important on paper. In practice, it changed almost nothing.
Theory remained United States Champion, but he did not feel more legitimate, more dangerous or more interesting afterward. Cena’s criticism became more memorable than Theory’s win, which is the exact opposite of what the program needed to accomplish.
A veteran can elevate a younger wrestler by questioning whether they are ready and then forcing them to prove it. Cena went further by attacking the foundation of Theory’s entire presentation. Without a meaningful transformation afterward, the promo became a public diagnosis rather than the beginning of a character arc.
Cena may have intended to push Theory toward something more authentic. WWE never completed that story.
That is why the segment still gets discussed three years later. Cena was painfully accurate about Theory’s limitations, but being right does not automatically mean the feud helped him.
Simone Johnson Left WWE Because She Wanted Her Life Back
Simone Johnson, formerly known in WWE as Ava, has explained that there was no single incident behind her decision to leave the company.
Johnson said several factors had been building for some time and that she eventually realized she needed something new. She left WWE in January after deciding not to renew her contract, reportedly turning down a pay increase in the process.
That detail makes her decision more significant.
Johnson was not pushed out, buried or left without an opportunity. She had become NXT’s on-screen General Manager and held one of the most consistently visible non-wrestling positions on the show. WWE was willing to pay her more to remain, but money was not enough to change how she felt.
As the daughter of The Rock and WWE’s first fourth-generation performer, Johnson entered the company carrying expectations that would have been unfair for almost anyone. Every promo, match and television appearance was measured against one of the most charismatic performers in wrestling history.
Her move from active competition into the General Manager position ultimately proved to be the right decision. She gradually became more comfortable, more authoritative and more believable as the person responsible for controlling NXT.
But improving at a job does not mean you are obligated to keep doing it.
Johnson said she is happier now and prefers having a smaller public outlet through travel videos and other personal content instead of participating in entertainment on WWE’s scale. After spending most of her life connected to one of the most famous people in the world, wanting a less public existence is understandable.
There will always be speculation about whether she could return. Her family connection and existing relationship with WWE make that possible. But her departure should not be treated like a failed wrestling experiment.
She fulfilled the childhood dream, discovered what that life actually required and chose something different.
There is nothing wrong with realizing the dream no longer fits.
Final Thoughts
This Wednesday edition of the LNC Wrestling Mid-Afternoon News Roundup is ultimately about knowing what your value is—and knowing when a situation no longer works for you.
WWE sees enough value in Danhausen to trademark his language, expand his merchandise and potentially build an entire Knicks crossover around him. Kayla Braxton knew changing wrestling companies would not give her the new life she wanted. Masyn Holiday walked away from a developmental system where television exposure still offered no guarantee of advancement.
John Cena saw through Austin Theory’s character before Theory was ready to answer the criticism. Simone Johnson turned down more money because remaining in WWE was no longer worth the level of public exposure it demanded.
Trademark filings. Championship parades. Career changes. Developmental exits. Old promos that still have consequences. A fourth-generation performer choosing her own direction.
Very busy. Very revealing. Very Wednesday.
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I’m the quiet one until the bell rings then I’ve got takes. I live for WWE NXT and TNA, I want every promotion to succeed, and I will absolutely roast the bad decisions on sight (because someone has to). Anime taught me to respect long-term storytelling; wrestling taught me that sometimes the plan is “we panicked” and called it “unpredictable.” The Miz got me into all of this, so yeah I appreciate confidence, commitment, and the art of talking like you’re already the main event. Now I bring that same energy to the page as the main writer for Late Night Crew Wrestling because if you’re not here to be must-see and tell the truth, why are you here?!