Dean Ambrose wwe
Dean Ambrose celebrates victory over the Wiz during the WWE show at Zenith Arena on May 09, 2017 in Lille, north France. PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

It’s certainly been an interesting start to the New Year for WWE. Several wrestlers have reportedly asked to be released from the company within the first few weeks of 2019.

Hideo Itami was the latest superstar to make headlines because of such a request. Fightful reported Tuesday night that the Japanese wrestler asked for, and has been granted his release.

It was just a few hours prior that PW Torch reported Dean Ambrose informed WWE he would not re-sign with the company when his contract expired. WWE later confirmed that Ambrose won’t renew his deal, which ends in April.

The latest round of rumors regarding wrestlers looking to be let go by WWE began two weeks ago with The Revival. Bodyslam.net reported that the tag team asked for their release following their match on “Monday Night Raw,” and Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that people within the company feared the team made up of Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson would soon be on their way out.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reported on Jan. 16 that both Mike and Maria Kanellis asked WWE to be released from their contracts. Maria later denied the report.

Ambrose is the only one of the aforementioned wrestlers that’s had much success on WWE’s main roster. He’s been one of the company’s top superstars since making his debut as a member of The Shield in 2012 with one WWE Championship reign and three reigns as the Intercontinental Champion. The 33-year-old has main-evented several pay-per-views.

The Revival had a ton of success in NXT with two tag team championship runs, but that hasn’t been the case since making their “Monday Night Raw” debuts nearly two years ago. Both Wilder and Dawson suffered injuries within their first few months on the main roster. The Revival didn’t wrestle on the main card of any PPV in 2018.

Itami’s NXT run was derailed in 2015 when he suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out for over a year. He joined the “205 Live” roster in November 2017 and has never held a title in WWE.

Mike and Maria Kanellis have spent more time being off WWE TV than on it since the couple debuted a year and a half ago. Mike Kanellis was most recently featured on “205 Live,” and Maria Kanellis competed in the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble.

​

RELATED STORIES