This has been a bleak year for WWE. While they rake in record profits, they have also cut a record number of contracts. It’s getting harder and harder to get invested in shows like Monday Night RAW, Smackdown Live, or NXT 2.0 because of this. Why spend energy getting invested in a storyline or wrestler when they can be released at a moment’s notice? It’s easy to forget the scale of names released, but the number of people who have lost their jobs in WWE to date is 82. Let’s go ahead and list them all, and figure out where some of these names ended up.
It All Started With Good Ol’ Lars Sullivan
Starting in February, things started slow. Lars Sullivan & Steve Cutler were cut. Sullivan has not resurfaced in wrestling, while Culter is now Steve Maclin in Impact Wrestling. March brought Andrade, who requested his release and is now happy in AEW.
April 15th was the first mass release. Samoa Joe, Peyton Royce, Bo Dallas, Billie Kay, Chelsea Green, Wesley Blake, Kalisto & Tucker were cut. Joe rejoined WWE, The Iconics & Mickie James are in Impact Wrestling, Chelsea Green was in Ring of Honor before their issues, and Kalisto had one match in AEW before being chewed out.
May 19th brought the next mass release, where Velveteen Dream, Jessamyn Duke, Skyler Story, Ezra Judge, Alexander Wolfe, Kavita Devi, and NXT refs Drake Wuertz & Jake Clemons were released. Not notable follow ups here, but Wolfe did return to Germany to claim the WXW Championship, which is a promotion shown on WWE Network/Peacock.
Things Heated Up In June With WWE Releases
June was an especially bleak month for WWE. There was two big sets of cuts, the first on June 2nd with Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Ruby Riott, Buddy Murphy, and Santana Garrett being cut. Strowman has kept his head down, Black & Riott joined AEW, Murphy is in NJPW, and Lana is likely on her way to AEW alongside husband Miro.
Then on June 25th, NXT got deep cuts with 14 names cut. Tino Sabbatelli, Killian Dain, The Bollywood Boyz, Marina Shafir, Arturo Ruas, Curt Stallion, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Ever-Rise, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari & August Grey all cut. Nese, Grey, Stallion & Daivari have all shown up in AEW, with Ever-Rise and Arturo Ruas being signed.
July simply brought the release of Bray Wyatt, who is now working on Horror films. August started with Ric Flair being released, before NXT was cut deep again. Bronson Reed, Bobby Fish, Leon Ruff, Tyler Rust, Jake Atlas, Mercedes Martinez, Asher Hale, Giant Zanjeer, Zechariah Smith, Kona Reeves, Ari Sterling, Desmond Troy and referee Stephon Smith being cut. Fish would make his way to AEW, and Reed settled down in NJPW.
A November To Remember
Seemingly looking to outdo June, November started with 18 names being cut on the 4th. Keith Lee, Mia Yim, Nia Jax, Eva Marie, Karrion Kross, Scarlett Boudreaux, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, B-Fab, Harry Smith, Oney Lorcan, Franky Monet, Ember Moon, Trey Baxter, Jessi Kamea, Jeet Rama, Zayda Ramier and Katrina Cortez. None of these names are out of their non-compete clauses yet, but AEW is expected to sign Keith Lee.
Finally, we come to November 18th, when 8 more names were released. John Morrison, Tegan Nox, Top Dolla, Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott, Ashante Adonis, Drake Maverick, Shane Thorne & Jaxson Ryker. Swerve is expected to join AEW, and Thorne likely will head to NJPW with his old TMDK teammates.
The Tally Shows AEW Has Signed 7 Released Names
There has been a perception this year that AEW has gone crazy in offering contracts to everyone who has been released. In reality, they signed Andrade, Malakai Black, Ruby Soho, Ever-Rise, Arturo Ruas, & Tony Nese. Adam Cole & Bryan Danielson also went from WWE to AEW, but were not released – instead letting their contracts end and moving on. All in all, AEW signed 7 eligible names. Impact Wrestling signed 4, and NJPW took 3.
There will likely be more signings on all sides from the November releases, and hopefully those are the end of the messy year for the WWE roster. Which release shocked you the most? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.
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