Rhyno leaving WWE in July, turned down a significant pay increase

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Rhyno (Terry Gerin) announced during an interview with Chris Van Vliet that he intends to leave WWE when his contract expires on July 17. “They actually offered me more than twice my downside,” Rhyno told Van Vliet. “But it wasn’t where they would have to use me because the downside is so large, and it wasn’t about money, it was about me wanting to be on the road working, helping the younger guys kind of as a player/coach.”

Van Vliet also asked if WWE is offering bigger money deals because they are scared of All Elite Wrestling scooping up various talents. “I don’t know if they are scared or concerned,” said Rhyno. He spoke about the various companies running in the United States creating a shallower pool of talent. Watch the full video below or at Chris Van Vliet’s Youtube Page.

Powell’s POV: The interview was conducted at Rhyno’s “Big Daddy’s Boat Yard” in Michigan. Rhyno noted that he currently plays the player/coach role and feels his job is to help find the next Steve Austin, John Cena, or Dwayne Johnson. He said he wants to continue wrestling and labeled his departure a mutual understanding. He also emphasized multiple times that the company was great to him. He said his fear of not going on the road was that he would become miserable. Rhyno noted that he doesn’t have a 90-day noncompete once his deal expires, so it will be interesting to see where he lands next. Rhyno also spoke about going to church multiple times each week, Heath Slater’s reaction to his decision to leave WWE, being able to take independent bookings, and the part he played in Vic Joseph’s broadcasting career. It’s great to see Rhyno thriving and being so well respected after some rocky times several years ago.

Check below for the latest Pro Wrestling Boom Podcast with Jason Powell and guest Court Bauer discussing MLW’s future, pay-per-view possibilities, whether MLW talent could appear on the AAA event at MSG, Salina de la Renta serving as the executive producer for the latest MLW Fusion television show, and more.