WWE has seen people come and go, and Vince McMahon has no problem firing someone for any reason. Just ask Steve Cutler.
One person who Vince McMahon wound up firing for a slightly illogical reason was Stacy “The Kat” Carter. Fans of the Attitude Era remember the Kat for her various storylines such as being partnered with Chyna, or her rivalry with the Right to Censor. Other fans will remember her as the now ex-wife of Jerry “The King” Lawler. Jim Ross talked about Carter’s release on a recent episode of the Grilling JR podcast, where he said Vince McMahon considered her “difficult.” At the time, JR was head of Talent Relations, and Vince asked him to make the move.
“She was a sweetheart, I thought, but she apparently based on what the writers said, she was too hard to work with. So, they caught Vince on a day when he was not in a really great mood, apparently. I got called in Vince’s office, ‘I want her gone. What? ‘I want her gone today.’ So, you know, that’s where your job becomes very challenging.”
“Look, there is no way I would have fired her, no matter what the writers said. Without talking to the writers and telling what did she do, that you believe merits her dismissal. Explain to me so that I know. I didn’t do that because I had no room to do that. I asked, ‘Can I do some checking around?’ ‘No, she’s gone. Well, you know, you got a decision-maker, Conrad. I would have done anything. I would have challenged Vince. Well, you’re stupid if you do that. That’s what he wanted.”
Ross elaborated more on what made The Kat perceived as being “difficult.” She asked questions about her storyline, trying to understand things. It was that which possibly led people to believe she was difficult, and created a conflict with her and the writing team.
“The thing about Stacy, unlike a lot of women, Stacy had product knowledge. She lived the business since she was a teenager being Lawler’s girlfriend and then his wife. So, she had a little more of a knowledge and basic fundamentals, skillset as far as the psychology and understanding of the product than did a lot of the Divas. And, with that said, she would question things. Ask questions. I’m not going to do this. I’m not going to do that. Well, that doesn’t make any sense. You’re stupid, whatever.”
“She would ask for the logic behind something she was going to do, which is, if you’re a good producer, you’ve got no problems with talent asking questions because you can explain it and sell it to them. But in any event, they lost patience, this crew, the creative in that regard, and she was out. And Lawler was out. So, you know, he felt like he was doing the right thing, and I admire what he did.”
Jerry Lawler eventually quit in protest for her release, though he returned to the company and she never did. Carter wound up divorcing Lawler in 2001 and left the wrestling business.
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