WWE’s Scrapped Plans for Giovanni Vinci Before His Release Revealed

Giovanni Vinci’s WWE release came as part of the latest wave of roster cuts, but new details are emerging about what could have been.

According to Dave Metzler of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE originally had a strong creative direction in mind for Vinci—a rich playboy gimmick—but the plan never made it to television.

Dave Meltzer reported that WWE had “a great idea” for Vinci’s character, but it ultimately didn’t come to fruition. “Gallows, Anderson & Vinci gone. Hate to say it, but I called Vinci as soon as the team split up. Was told they had a great idea for him doing the rich playboy gimmick. Oh well,” Meltzer wrote.

Vinci’s WWE run was filled with stop-and-start momentum. After being part of GUNTHER’s Imperium faction, he was removed from the group with Ludwig Kaiser delivering the final blow. WWE then attempted to repackage him, but after minimal follow-up, Vinci was taken off TV entirely.

His release follows the departures of Isla Dawn, Blair Davenport, Akam & Rezar (AOP), Paul Ellering, Cedric Alexander, Sonya Deville, and The Good Brothers. With WWE still making changes to its roster, it’s unclear if more cuts are on the way.