5 WWE Superstars released in 2017 and the reason behind each one
2017 has been quite the year in professional wrestling, WWE specifically. There has been no shortage of in-ring action, thanks to the brand-split, which has basically added double the programming, including a pay-per-view almost every other week. Needless to say, there's plenty of work to go around for all WWE Superstars.
Unfortunately, some of the talent doesn't stick around as long as expected and releases or cuts do occur on a regular basis. In fact, cuts have become so common, that there is now a phrase fans use for that certain time of the year - "Black Friday."
Not to be confused with the busiest shopping day of the year, there's nothing joyful about this particular day. This is the day that has become synonymous with the popular "future endeavour" saying.
Now that we are deep into Summerslam season, there have already been several significant releases throughout the year thus far. Some have asked to be released, while others were blindsided with a pink slip.
Whatever the reason was, there are quite a few Superstars that are no longer with the company and in this column, we will take a look at five former WWE Superstars that were let go this year and the reasoning behind their release.
#5 Simon Gotch
In 2013, Simon Gotch signed his developmental contract with WWE after a pretty strong run on the independent scene. Gotch performed for a number of well-known promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Chikara, and Full Impact Pro, just to name a few.
In April of last year, The Vaudevillains made their main roster debut as members of the newly revamped Smackdown Live brand. At first, there was a lot of hype and promise surrounding their potential as main roster championship contenders.
Unfortunately, The Vaudevillains never picked up the steam needed to be a long-term success as WWE Superstars.
In April of this year, almost one year to the date since his main roster debut, Simon Gotch was released. The general consensus is that Simon simply was not happy with his progress, or lack thereof, as a main roster Superstar. With that said, both Simon and WWE officials reached a mutual agreement to grant Simon his release. Upon being released WWE released the following statement:
"WWE has come to terms on a mutually agreed upon release with Simon Gotch as of today, April 5, 2017. WWE wishes Gotch the best in all his future endeavors."
Upon being released, Simon also had to wait out a 90-day no-compete clause in his original contract. Since then, the 90 days have passed and Simon is working a full schedule, being booked all over the world as "Simon Grimm."