Backstage news on tonight's unexpected WWE releases - Reports
The WWE Universe is currently buzzing over a trend that is unfortunately becoming all-too-familiar: Friday night releases. Officials kicked off Crown Jewel Weekend 2024 with another round of departures right before SmackDown hit the air. A few notable superstars were cut, and now backstage sources are revealing details on the matter, with concerns for the near future.
Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell, and Tegan Nox were wished the best in their future endeavors by WWE tonight, shortly before SmackDown. PWInsider claims no additional departures are expected today. Numerous 2024 releases have been confirmed or made on Fridays, including MVP, Bobby Lashley, Dijak, Kayla Braxton, Drew Gulak, and Jinder Mahal. Even Vince McMahon announced his resignation from the TKO Board of Directors on a Friday, although it was not related to company policy.
The Lone Wolf was informed that his WWE contract would not be renewed, according to Fightful Select. The internal speculation had Corbin's contract expiring at the end of the year. The former NFL player had immediate interest from multiple indie promotions, with one top booker hoping that the 40-year-old would continue his wrestling career. A non-compete clause does not apply to talents whose contracts expire.
The Girl With The Shiniest Wizard and Impressive Indi are both subject to 90-day non-compete clauses. After January 30, 2025, they will be eligible to start with any other promotion.
WWE and Triple H did not have extended creative plans for Nox in quite a while. She was at recent SmackDown tapings and worked some dark matches in the summer and non-televised live events, but she had not been on WWE TV since RAW on April 1.
Hartwell was described as the most unexpected release of the trio, although fans on social media seem to be more shocked by Corbin's departure. People within WWE noted that Hartwell seemed to be coming into her own with her social media skits lately.
Indi teamed with Candice LeRae for a loss to Bayley and Naomi on tonight's SmackDown, which was taped last week. Sources noted that her "Wait, what" tweet from tonight was done as a rib; to clarify, she did not find out about the unfortunate news on social media.
Nox and Hartwell will likely need to deal with a work visa situation in the near future if they continue their careers in the United States. Their future plans cannot be confirmed as of now.
There's no word yet on confirmed reasons for tonight's departures. The talents were all informed today, November 1. Multiple sources have noted how the internal word is that there will be no more cuts from this round.