Vince McMahon and other higher-ups decided to release 18 wrestlers last week, but there could have easily been more on the list.
Nia Jax, Karrion Kross, Keith Lee and another 15 wrestlers were cut by WWE last Thursday, mere hours after the company announce staggering profits in its Q3 earnings report.
It seems like many other WWE stars could have been cut too, as Dave Meltzer is reporting that several more wrestlers were on the chopping block.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer notes that an additional ten wrestlers were on the chopping block, many of whom are veterans on the NXT brand who aren't being used right now.
Meltzer notes that Timothy Thatcher and Danny Burch were included in a "bubble" of ten wrestlers who could have been released by WWE and were being considered by higher-ups,
Ultimately, Danny Burch, Timothy Thatcher and the other wrestlers in the "bubble" weren't let go, but you have to think that they'll be towards the top of the list by the time the next set of releases roll around.
There is no word on why WWE opted to keep the aforementioned names, but some have speculated that both Thatcher and Burch could be transitioned into coaches at the Performance Center.
Below is a list of the 18 wrestlers that WWE did release last week.
- B-Fab
- Ember Moon
- Eva Marie
- Frankie Monet
- Gran Metalik
- Harry Smith
- Jeet Rama
- Jessi Kamea
- Karrion Kross
- Katrina Cortez
- Keith Lee
- Lince Dorado
- Mia Yim
- Nia Jax
- Oney Lorcan
- Scarlett
- Trey Baxter
- Zayda Ramier
Some information has come to light about why some of the talent were released, at least according to reports.
Reports have indicated that Keith Lee was let go partly due to attitude problems, with Nia Jax's release is believed to have been down to the fact she isn't vaccinated.