Photo: NXT's Kassius Ohno Teases His WWE Departure
Of the 30+ active WWE wrestlers who were released last week, one name that repeatedly popped up on [...]
Of the 30+ active WWE wrestlers who were released last week, one name that repeatedly popped up on the list but was never outright confirmed by WWE was NXT star Kassius Ohno. Between his Superstar profile getting moved to the WWE Alumni page on WWE.com and a report via Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer that he had been either fired or furloughed, Ohno's departure seemed like a sure thing. But "The Wrestling Genius" opted not to directly confirm his firing online, instead choosing to change his Twitter profile name to "WWE Alumni."
On Sunday night he took things a step further, posting a darkened image of a pair of boots inside of an empty wrestling ring. The name "Kassius" can clearly be seen on one side.
— WWE Alumni (@KassiusOhno) April 20, 2020
Could this mean Ohno is retiring his WWE name in favor of his Chris Hero moniker he used on the independent scene? Or could it mean the 40-year-old veteran is actually retiring? Only time will tell.
Hero cut his teeth on the independent scene wrestling in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Chikara, CZW, TNA, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring of Honor before initially signing a developmental deal with WWE in 2012. He took on the new Ohno persona in Florida Championship Wrestling and started appearing on NXT when the developmental brand was rebooted. He was released by WWE in November 2013, then re-signed with the company in December 2016 and started working on the NXT brand again, first as a face and later as a heel during his feud with Matt Riddle. After a loss against Riddle at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, Ohno claimed he was "quitting" NXT. It turned out instead of leaving the company he was actually making the jump to NXT UK, where he claimed to be the greatest British wrestler in the world despite being from Dayton, Ohio.
His final match for the promotion came on the March 7 episode of NXT UK, where he competed in a battle royal for a shot at Walter's NXT United Kingdom Championship. Ilja Dragunov wound up winning the match.