More WWE releases reportedly to be announced soon
WWE is reportedly planning on releasing more NXT Superstars soon, and the announcement might be around the corner.
The company released 10 superstars on April 29. Some of these stars were even regulars on NXT 2.0 television, Dexter Lumis, Dakota Kai, Malcolm Bivens, Persia Pirotta, and Harland all departed the company.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio recently noted that a six-month evaluation of the talent has been completed. The idea is that if a talent in the developmental brand does not improve enough and performs "below par" in the evaluations, they will be released by the company. This was cited as the reason for the release of Harland (real name Parker Boudreaux).
WWE Could Be About To Release More Talent Soon wrestlr.me/76771/
This isn't always the case, as some recent departures from the former black and gold brand have left due to their contracts not being renewed, like Johnny Gargano. Others have come with no explanation other than that they don't "fit in to NXT 2.0", like Dakota Kai and Isaiah Scott (Swerve Strickland in AEW).
Another note to be pointed out here is that if releases come in a six-month cycle, and if the last round of performers released were in late April, we can expect the next round in October. This was in slight contrast to Alvarez's reports, who said that the six-month evaluation has ended, hinting that more stars will be released sooner than that.
Many WWE stars released in the past two years have found a new home in AEW
William Regal Planned to Sign AEW Talent Before His Release theovertimer.com/2022/05/willia… #AEW #WilliamRegal #WWE
Many former WWE Superstars, who have been released in waves since the start of the pandemic in 2020, have found work in All Elite Wrestling.
In recent years, names like Miro, Andrade, Malakai Black, Adam Cole and many other former employees of Vince McMahon now work in AEW.
More recently - Athena, Jeff Hardy, Toni Storm, and Samoa Joe have been regulars on Dynamite and Rampage.
Don't forget names like Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose), CM Punk, and Chris Jericho, who have all been AEW World Champions, first made their names in WWE. Suffice to say that the flow of talent has been one way for most of the three years since AEW started. The rare exception came in Cody Rhodes, who jumped back to his former employers this year.
Complete List of WWE Releases in 2022