5 WWE stars who were released in 2019 - Where are they now?
WWE recently made headlines when they released a number of employees across the board in the company. April was the first time in several years that WWE had made wholesale changes to their roster since the company has spent the last few years building brands like NXT, NXT UK, and 205 Live.
This doesn't mean that WWE hasn't released stars in the past few years, the releases have just been much fewer and far between.
Back in 2019, WWE made a handful of releases for some interesting reasons and many of these stars have since gone on to debut for other promotions. It seems that things are ever-changing in the wrestling world and the rise of AEW has helped a number of former WWE stars following their release.
#5. Tye Dillinger
Tye Dillinger was known as The Perfect 10 throughout his time in NXT and on the main roster. The nickname became so popular that WWE even allowed the star to make his Royal Rumble debut at number 10, which became the highlight of his main roster career.
Dillinger headed to the main roster in April 2017 and told Edge and Christian on their Podcast of Awesomeness that he dreaded going to work for around six months and decided to ask for his release before he listened to a new offer of a contract.
"I was dreading it. I was back there going, 'Please respond; please make noise; please cheer.' I was pleading, not to the audience, but whoever would hear me. I was praying, essentially, that they would still acknowledge that I existed. I was spiralling. Instead of enjoying the two days I had off, I was dreading the third day when I'd have to leave already. It was time to go. I was probably late in leaving, actually."
"I just said to Talent Relations at the time that I needed to go and they said, 'Well, we're about to offer you a pretty substantial raise'. Now, I am by no means a millionaire, I'm not even close. I've been very lucky. I have everything I could possibly need and I wouldn't have that without WWE. But for me, personally, it wasn't about the money, so I didn't even let him get the offer out of his mouth. Later I found out what it was, a couple of weeks later, but I just said, "It wouldn't change anything tomorrow morning when I wake up — I'm still going to feel the same way that I do right now and the way I've felt for the last six months."
Dillinger was granted his WWE release in February 2019, before he sat out his 90-day no-compete clause and went on to join AEW. Dillinger is now known as Shawn Spears.