Armando Estrada Released

by Jack Windham
November 18, 2008

After a very entertaining stint as the general manager of ECW, Armando Estrada now finds himself without a job after being released by WWE.

Armando Estrada Released

The official WWE website revealed that Armando Estrada had been released from his contract.

As with the majority of people that get released, the company wished him well on his future endeavors.

Excellent Roles

Armando Estrada had some pretty memorable roles in WWE.

He did an excellent job as the mouthpiece for Umaga back when the Samoan seemed like a savage beast.

A lot of wrestling fans were puzzled when WWE removed him from that duty. It left Umaga without someone to talk for him, which basically handicapped him in the storylines.

He also did an excellent job as the general manager of ECW.

With both of these roles, he was able to display his superior mic skills.

Bad Fit

Since he started off in WWE as an on-screen character, a lot of wrestling fans are unaware that Armando Estrada was a trained wrestler.

The guy actually spent quite a bit of time down in Ohio Valley Wrestling training.

While he was there, Paul Heyman recognized his superb mic work and expanded his role in OVW.

After his stint as general manager of ECW, the company tried to turn Armando Estrada into a full time wrestler.

Despite having a tremendous physique, most wrestling fans were unable to fully accept him as a wrestler.

His failure to get over as a wrestler prompted the creative team to put him on the backburner and off television.

What's Next?

It's really a shame that Armando Estrada has been released.

The guy had potential to be a vital part of WWE as an on-screen character. His mic skills really were above and beyond.

Since he's already 29 years of age, it's hard to envision him being brought back into the company a few years down the line.

Time isn't on his side, so he's going to have to look towards the future.

TNA more than likely doesn't have a spot for Armando Estrada as a wrestler. He might be able to get a gig as an on-screen character there, but TNA has plenty of those right now as well.

With his Cuban character (Armando Estrada is actually of Palestinian descent), he might be able to get a gig down in Mexico.

Closing Thoughts

I know a lot of people are going to overlook this release since Armando Estrada wasn't being currently used on television.

However, as someone that truly appreciates mic work, I'm going to miss him.