Tye Dillinger Confirms He Has Requested His WWE Release
During a week where four WWE NXT stars made special appearances on RAW and SmackDown, one former [...]
During a week where four WWE NXT stars made special appearances on RAW and SmackDown, one former NXT star is confirming that he has asked for his release from the WWE.
Tye Dillinger (Ronnie Arneill) took to Twitter late Tuesday evening to confirm the news. He wrote:
Before rumors begin to spread, let me set things straight ahead of time:
This evening, I requested my release from WWE. In the past 5 and a half years with them, I have seen and done some wonderful things. Things that I am very proud of and will never forget. I have met and have worked with unquestionably, some of the greatest talent on this earth and the pleasure has been all mine.
I feel at this time this decision, as extremely difficult as it was, is what is best for myself and WWE. I wish to continue to grow as a performer and offer those paying hard earned money to watch a show I'm performing on, a little more of myself.
To the male and female locker rooms, coaches and producers, to the production/ring crew, all the way up to the very top of WWE and most of all the fans...I wish you all the very best and thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.
— Ronnie Arneill (@perfec10n) February 20, 2019
Ironically, this news comes on Dillinger's 38th birthday. Earlier today, Dillinger's fiance, WWE's Peyton Royce, made a post on Instagram that seemed to serve the double purpose of both celebrating his birthday and confirming publicly that the couple are engaged.
View this post on InstagramMy biggest supporter. The love of my life. Happy birthday handsome! 🎊❤️💍
Dillinger worked a SmackDown house show on Monday night in Lake Charles, Louisiana, losing to EC3. He was presumably at Tuesday night's SmackDown television in New Orleans, though he did not appear on air. According to Cagematch.net, Dillinger's last appearance on SmackDown television was last September 25th when he worked a match against Shinsuke Nakamura.
Dillinger was a popular star in NXT before being called up to the main roster. His surprise appearance in the 2017 Royal Rumble was met with a great reaction from the crowd, but he has never been able to settle into a consistently booked position since that point in time.