Oro Mensah was released last month as part of WWE’s round of cuts and while there’s no indication of what he will do next, Mensah has finally talked about his release and how he feels about it.

While speaking to Shawn Talks Wrestling, Oro Mensah was asked about the day he got the call about his WWE release and who called him. He said he was shopping at Costco with his wife. It was his first time in the U.S. in three years, and he wanted to try the famous Costco pizza. Just after taking a bite, his phone rang.

Mensah saw who was calling and already guessed what it was about. He answered the call quickly and the call lasted about 45 seconds. They thanked him for his time with WWE and wished him well. Oro didn’t know the person calling and even forgot their name.

“So, it’s funny because I was out with my with my wife. We were at Costco doing some normal grocery shopping, you know what I mean? And I was like first time I’ve been in the States for three years. I was like, ‘Hey, let me get this Costco pizza. Everybody’s talking about this Costco Costco pizza. Feels like a day to eat Costco pizza.’ Oh, yeah. Felt like a day.

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You know what I mean? So, I grabbed the pizza. We sit down. I take the first bite and my phone rings. I’m like, ‘Oh, wait a minute.’ And to be honest, because you know, if you’re in the bubble, you kind of know what’s going on. And I saw the call. I was like, ‘Okay, here we go. I knew already.’ Like, must be something like that. You know what I mean? picked up the phone real short because I’m like I’m a short and simple guy, you know what I mean? So, it was 45 seconds. There’s not much to ask.

There’s not much to like communicate. Basically, it was like, ‘Okay, thank you for your service and we wish you all the best.’ I was like, ‘Hey, thanks for having me for six years.’ And that was it.
You know what I mean? I could not tell you who it was directly, okay? Because the person I spoke with, I’ve never met the person. So, honestly speaking, I also forgot the name. I’m sorry, but that’s how it is. 45 seconds.”

When asked how he felt about being released, Oro Mensah said it was a big shock. He had been with WWE for six years, from age 24, so most of his twenties were spent there. At that moment he was sitting with his wife, who had been with him through his wrestling career, even when he wrestled in Europe before WWE. They had both left their families in Switzerland to follow this dream.

Oro Mensah said he didn’t know how to feel or talk about it then. His wife stayed calm and told him not to worry and that they would get through it together. That made him feel better because at first, he felt like he had let her down. But she told him he hadn’t disappointed her at all and asked what they would do next. Oro said they started thinking about new plans and knew there were still things to do.

“I mean, it’s like obviously it’s a big shock because like I said, I was there six years. I got signed when I was 24. So, basically my 20s was like all WWE. So, I was like obviously going through it. And then most importantly in that moment I was sitting across my wife and she’s been in this journey since I started wrestling and I mean she’s already seen me do all the indies back home in Europe and me getting the call to do the try out. She’s been all the way you know what I mean like and then she moved with me like we left both our families in Europe in Switzerland and we moved straight like I could tell you the story how we did that too if you want to but we did it like all together. I just
looked at her and like I couldn’t communicate in that moment because I didn’t know how to feel about it.

And she was just like she was real cool like down to earth and was like don’t worry about it. We got this. It’s okay. You know what I mean? And that was like the biggest relief because in that moment I just felt like I disappointed her and disappointed the trust she gave like she put into me the whole time. But she was like, ‘No, you didn’t disappoint me in any way, in any regard.’ And I that’s that was just cool. She was just like, ‘Okay, now what’s next? What are we going to do next?’ I was like, ‘Okay, let’s think about it.’ And there’s things to do, you know what I mean?”

Mensah said he’s on a work visa, and they’re still trying to sort it out. Because of that, he can’t take any wrestling bookings in June. If everything goes well, the earliest he might be able to wrestle again is in July.

Mensah’s wife is on a spouse visa, which means she’s not allowed to work. That’s been one of the biggest problems they’ve had to deal with, especially now that he’s no longer working with WWE.

They also have a dog and if they decide to go back to Switzerland, they’ll need to take the dog with them. But Switzerland has strict rules about bringing pets, so it’s another thing to figure out. After his release, Oro’s first thoughts were about how to take care of his wife, how to look after their dog, and what to do next with their lives.

“Like, I’m on a work visa, so we had to get that sorted first, and we’re still in the process of getting that work visa sorted. That’s why you won’t see any bookings for me in June at the moment, because I think the earliest I can take bookings—maybe, if I get the visa sorted by then—is July. So that’s something we’re still working on.

And like I said, I’m on a work visa. My wife’s on a spouse visa. That means she can’t even work—she’s been on a spouse visa the whole time. For people to understand, that means she legally isn’t allowed to work. You know what I mean? So that’s the biggest issue we’ve been dealing with.

And then we have a dog, and I was like, damn, if we go back home, I’ve got to bring my dog with me. You know what I mean? There are different regulations in Switzerland, so those were the first two things we had to think about—how do I take care of my wife, how do I take care of my dog, and what’s next?”

While Oro Mensah has yet to announce his next move publicly due to his visa issues, fans are obviously going to support him no matter what and so we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds for Oro Mensah.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.

Do you believe WWE dropped the ball with Oro Mensah and should have done more with him? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

Subhojeet Mukherjee has covered pro wrestling for over 20 years, delivering trusted news and backstage updates to fans around the world.

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