It’s been somewhat of a rollercoaster in WWE from a roster perspective, as there have already been several unexpected departures and releases, and those are likely not the last. So far, we’ve seen releases or non-contract renewals from WWE, stars who have decided not to renew with WWE, and immediate contract terminations, and all of this in the course of the past 3 weeks. At present, there are 17 stars who will no longer be part of WWE moving forward in this time period, and that list almost included Santos Escobar as well, but he decided to re-sign with the company after they reportedly presented a new offer.
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Those cuts have affected just about every facet of WWE and all experience levels. Some of the most high-profile departures are Karrion Kross and Scarlett, who have gone into more detail on how their contract negotiations went and why they decided not to re-sign. Andrade was immediately cut and showed up in AEW a few days later, but the cuts have also affected some of the brightest stars in the company’s WWE ID program, as well as Evolve and NXT. Names like Wes Lee, Kylie Rae, Zayda Steel, Summer Sorrell, Stevie Tunrer, and Lance Anoa’i come to mind, and the most recent to join this list is Ridge Holland.
WWE’s Roster Has Experienced Big Cuts, and Some Are Truly Shocking
Talent cuts and WWE are sadly somewhat synonymous at this point, but this is the first time we’ve seen roster cuts involve the company’s WWE ID program and Evolve, which are two of its newest endeavors. This is also the first time we’ve seen a number of talents choose not to renew their contracts and go elsewhere, and that’s true of Escobar as well, as his contract had expired before a new deal was reached.
There are also a number of talents on this list that never really got a chance to shine on the main roster or on TV in the way they were initially supposed to. Steel seemed like a lock for NXT and had become a star on Evolve, and Steel wasted no time after her deal with WWE ended, as she just wrestled Indi Hartwell. Lance Anoa’i never got a chance to even debut, and while Stevie Turner wrestled a bit in NXT UK, after she returned from injury, she never got the chance to jump back in the ring, as she was moved to a managerial role on NXT and then Evolve.
Wes Lee seemed destined to impress on the main roster, especially after everything he had to go through when his Tag Team Partner was released from the company after personal controversies. Lee then transformed into a singles star and delivered several match of the year candidates, but lately he had all but disappeared from TV, and now he’s no longer with the company. Perhaps we’ll see him pop back up in TNA though, since he already has some history built in there.
The one that’s really surprising is Ridge Holland, who is actually injured currently and last wrestled recently as part of the TNA NXT crossover. He was informed today that his contract isn’t being renewed, and while WWE is paying for the rehab from the injury, he won’t be able to work for another 6 months, so this leaves him in a really terrible position.
“I’ve been informed that WWE will not be renewing my contract when it ends on November 14th. WWE are still going to cover my rehab from injury but my guaranteed pay will end, quite frustrating to say the least as I cannot work for another 6 months due to the aforementioned injury, with a family of 5 to support,” Holland wrote.
“My career with WWE has been blighted by misfortune but I’m still thankful and grateful for the opportunity and experience. The shining light that has always kept me going is the HUGE support from a handful of special human beings. Thank you. I’m unsure what lies ahead of me in terms of wrestling but going forward I will be working hard to heal up and in that time I will be launching my own online coaching business so stay tuned,” Holland wrote.
Every WWE Star Released in Recent Talent Cuts:
- Zayda Steel (Did Not Renew with WWE)
- Kylie Rae (Contract Not Renewed)
- Lance Anoa’i (Released)
- Drako Knox (Released)
- Zara Zakher (Contract Not Renewed)
- Jamar Hampton (Released)
- Wes Lee (Released)
- Summer Sorrell (Released)
- Jin Tala (Released)
- Stevie Turner (Released)
- Brayden Ray (Released)
- Haze Jameson (Released)
- Ridge Holland (Contract Not Renewed)
- Andrade (Terminated)
- Karrion Kross (Did Not Renew with WWE)
- Scarlett (Contract Not Renewed)
- Jazmyn Nyx (Did Not Renew with WWE)
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