標籤: fired

During a new interview, WWE star Matt Cardona revealed a brilliant and hilarious idea for the company’s next 2K game.

One of the best products that wrestling companies create from their television content is video games. It allows dedicated supporters of the industry to become punters and live out the matches of their dreams. Another fun element of wrestling games is the career mode.

If you can’t be a wrestler in real life, WWE fans can make it and make the journey to becoming a main event WWE Superstar. Over the past few decades, the company’s game creators have made a lot of fun additions to the career mode. Well, Cardona has a great idea for WWE 2K7 that mirrors the stories of several popular current stars.

“Man, I think there should be a way where you get fired, then you go and toil on the indies for five years and come back. I’m serious,” he told Sproff. “You go, and you wrestle in all these dirty places. Then you go to Japan. Then you wrestle out at some fair, and then you come back to WWE.”

Cardona is the latest WWE one-time star to be fired and then become a star on the independent scene only to return to the world’s No. 1 company. Current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes did something similar from 2016 to 2022 after leaving the company. Before him, Drew McIntyre had prepared a blueprint to return to WWE by becoming a top indie star from 2014 to 2017.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

Two managers have already been fired during the Major League Baseball season, with the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox both making changes in April. With several other projected contenders struggling, another could be removed this month.

USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale wrote Sunday that Houston Astros manager Joe Espada could be the next captain to be fired during the regular season.

The Astros currently have the seventh-highest payroll in baseball this season at $240.93 million. After a 5–2 start to the season, however, the club has gone 9–19 since April 2.

Espada took over as Astros manager in 2024, taking charge of a club that won 90 games the previous season and reached the American League Championship Series. However, during his tenure, the Astros have not won a single playoff game and they missed the postseason in 2025.

Why the Astros May Fire Joe Espada

Espada isn’t necessarily to blame for the Astros’ problems this season. Entering MLB games today, Houston’s lineup ranked sixth in runs scored (178) and third in batting average (.269), OBP (.348) and slugging (.440).

Unfortunately the Houston skippers have one of the worst pitching staff in baseball. The Astros’ pitchers have the highest ERA (5.75) and WHIP (1.62) in baseball and allow the fourth-highest batting average (.264).

Injuries play a significant factor in this, with starting pitchers Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (arm), Ronel Blanco (elbow), and Cristian Javier (shoulder) being on the injured list. Imai is the closest to a comeback, but command was a big issue for him in his first rehab start.

More blame can certainly fall on the shoulders of Astros general manager Dana Brown. However, for now, team owner Jim Crane is at his word. This puts Espada in an unfavorable position for his job security, with Brown potentially firing his manager as a last resort to save his job.

Realistically, barring a major change by the club, Espada would be fired within a matter of weeks. A change in the dugout will give Brown some playing time, but the club’s on-field results in recent years could mean he will not be retained when his contract expires after the 2026 MLB season.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The Boston Red Sox made the first managerial change of the 2026 Major League Baseball season over the weekend, firing captain Alex Cora and his top assistants. Since a change has already taken place and many clubs are struggling, trying to determine who could be next

As the April portion of the MLB schedule draws to a close, let’s take a look at our first MLB hot seat rankings.

1. Joe Espada, Houston Astros

Who will be the next manager to be fired? Our bet is on Houston Astros captain Joe Espada. Astros general manager Dana Brown is in a contract year, and while he has yet to publicly support Espada, the pressure is mounting in Houston. Team owner Jim Crane wants results after investing more than $230 million into the Astros’ roster this season, well above the luxury tax. No trade is coming, and the Astros lineup – the fourth-most runs scored (151) with the third-best OBP (.345) and SLG (.438) – has already done everything it can to try to propel the team forward. If the Astros miss some of their upcoming sets against the Red Sox, Dodgers and Reds, Espada probably won’t be the team captain when they return home for a May 11 series against the Seattle Mariners.

2. Carlos Mendoza, New York Mets

Is it Carlos Mendoza’s fault the New York Mets are 10 games below .500 on Monday? No, because in retrospect, the Mets roster was deeply flawed from the beginning, and missing the postseason for the second consecutive season is a huge indictment of the front office. However, both the team’s poor performance and there being zero real chemistry in the Mets clubhouse require someone to be the proverbial head on the chopping block. We believe owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns will have some patience with Mendoza given the team’s injuries. However, if things did not change by mid-May and the Mets lost the Subway Series at Citi Field, Mendoza would be gone.

RELATED: New York Mets managerial candidate to replace Carlos Mendoza

3. Rob Thomson, Philadelphia Phillies

Just minutes after Alex Cora was fired, there was talk that he would be replacing Rob Thomson. While the Philadelphia Phillies captain is absolutely on the hot seat, we highly doubt that an outsider will be hired, and that’s even if a change at the top is being contemplated. Philadelphia is off to a rough start right now, but they are coming off four consecutive seasons with over 90 wins. Since Thompson took over as interim manager in 2022, the Phillies have the third-best record in baseball (355–270). A change is certainly possible if things don’t change by the summer, but we think it’s a safe bet for Thomson to be there by May.

4. Matt Quatraro, Kansas City Royals

The Kansas City Royals are heading into their second season with a sub-.400 winning percentage under Matt Cutraro in four years. Through 514 career games as captain, the team has a winning percentage of .457 and the sixth-most losses (279) in baseball. Ownership has already spent money this off-season to put up fences to see if that will change things, and now they have their eye on a $3 billion stadium in Kansas City. The results on diamond are not good at all. Right now, it’s really just a question of whether or not the Royals will wait until the offseason to part ways with Cuartro.

RELATED: Reporter predicts which player the Royals will trade this summer

5. Tony Vitello, San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants took a huge gamble by becoming the first team in the modern era to bring a college baseball coach straight to the majors as captain. Early on, Tony Vitello demonstrated that he may not have the right personality for the job. Even setting aside his many eyebrow-raising admissions and quotes to reporters, the Giants got off to a poor 6–12 start.

As noted, Vitello’s club picked up series wins over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins at home. It would also be a pretty big blemish on President of Baseball Operations Buster Posey’s resume if he fired a manager just a few months after bringing him on board. Ultimately, our prediction is that Vitello will remain until the end of the season and then return to the Tennessee Volunteers as their program heads into the 2026 campaign.

Matt Johnson is the senior NFL and college football editor for Sportsknot. His work including the weekly NFL and college… More about Matt Johnson

The New York Giants revamped their coaching staff after hiring head coach John Harbaugh, but retained general manager Joe Schoen. This was a surprising move, as many around the NFL believed that Harbaugh wanted to bring in his own general manager. However, Shawn’s time in New York may soon be coming to an end.

There are those in the NFL who think Schoen could be fired as Giants general manager “this week,” as Pat Leonard of NY Daily News Sports reports. New York is coming off a successful 2026 NFL Draft, and it’s clear that Harbaugh’s fingerprints are all over the selections.

Schoen only has one year left on his contract, but he may not reach the finish line. Harbaugh reports directly to New York ownership rather than to Schoen, creating a different power structure than previously established. This has limited Schoen’s power in the organization, which is evident heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.

If the Giants move on from Schoen, it would allow Harbaugh to eventually bring in his own general manager. If not, Schoen will essentially have to take a one-year “trial” to see if he’s a long-term fit next to Harbaugh in New York. However, that could all end if the Giants give their general manager a new contract extension.

Right now, it seems like everything is on the table for the Giants after the 2026 NFL Draft. Schoen can stick around and work with Harbaugh or New York can fire him. Despite what Harbaugh said was important, Schoen still had input on a successful 2026 draft class.

It remains to be seen what happens next, but this could end Shawn’s tenure as Giants GM.

READ MORE: 4 takeaways from the New York Giants after the 2026 NFL Draft

Austin Konensky is a writer at SportsNut, covering the NHL, MLB, NFL, NBA and more. His work can also…more about Austin Konensky