KEY POINTS

  • WWE's latest releases feature Keith Lee, Karrion Kross and Ember Moon due to reported budget cuts
  • Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp put out more details regarding the releases
  • All talent included in this batch of releases will have a 90-day non-compete clause

WWE once again surprised its fans after its most recent round of releases, with budget cuts being the reported reason once again.

According to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, WWE’s head of talent relations John Laurinaitis revealed the information via email.

The full list of superstars released is as follows: Scarlett Bordeaux, Karion Kross, Franky Monet, Ember Moon, Oney Lorcan, B-Fab of faction Hit Row, Jessi Kamea, Zayda Ramier, Trey Baxter, Katrina Cortez, Jeet Rama, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Nia Jax, Harry Smith, Keith Lee, Mia Yim and Eva Marie.

Since Kross was called up to the main roster, his on-screen and real-life partner Bordeaux has yet to be seen and the former mentioned that they were “waiting for something to be revealed,” which could have been a hint towards their imminent release.

The release of Lee is a bit more surprising since the company went through the effort of debuting his new “Bearcat” nickname and them playing up his move to Raw via the WWE Draft.

With the previous six rounds of talent and staff releases, all talent will be having a 90-day noncompete clause, which is a breath of fresh air for Metalik who has been asking for his release for quite some time.

WWE’s chief revenue officer Nick Khan also hinted that big NXT stars could also be making their debut on the main roster, after saying that they wanted a “younger, fresher approach with NXT 2.0,” according to Sapp.

WWE fans were not expecting another round of releases so soon after the completion of the WWE Draft, but the hope now is that these recently cut stars have somewhere to go after their non-compete clauses expire.

Sapp also told fans to brace themselves as more reports of “WWE never had any real creative plans” for any of the released stars according to the people he has been talking to.

It is a very frustrating time for fans of the top-tier pro wrestling promotion to see former titleholders like Moon, Lee and Lorcan be released, but it has come to be an expected occurrence since the company started releasing talent due to the pandemic.

For now, there are no other names believed to be at risk of release.

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