More on WWE’s Latest Wave of Talent Releases on Thursday & Backstage Reaction

As noted before, WWE released around twenty two known talents from their main roster and NXT developmental system on Thursday. These releases were done in conjunction with WWE’s mass staff layoffs this past Friday as part of their post-sale to Endeavor and merger with UFC process.

In regards to Dolph Ziggler’s release, Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Ziggler’s contract with WWE was not set to expire until Summer of 2024. It was reported that Ziggler had planned to leave WWE years ago but got talked by WWE officials into staying instead. Prior to his release, Ziggler had spent the past 19 years with the company.

In regards to Aliyah’s release, it was reported that many within WWE had expected her name to be on the talent cut list. Those spoken to reportedly stated that Aliyah was rarely brought over for television tapings nor had she been factored in any creative plans of late. Prior to her release, Aliyah had been signed to the company since 2015 and had been a member of the main roster since 2021.

In a follow-up report, Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that NXT officials did not have any knowledge beforehand that Mustafa Ali was going to be among those released. Those spoken to reportedly stated that Ali had even worked through an injury in order to make his recent NXT run happen. It was reported that Ali’s contract was originally set to expire in either Spring or Summer of 2023. Prior to his release, Ali had been working for WWE since 2016.

In regards to Elias’ release, it was reported that the reason for Elias’ absence on WWE programming was not due to any injury related issue and instead was just WWE officials not having any creative plans for him. It was reported that Elias had been pitching creative ideas up until about a month ago.

In regards to Riddick Moss, it was reported that those spoken to stated that Moss had been a favorite of Paul Heyman when he was running the show. Heyman reportedly felt that they could get him into being a potential main event level star for the company. It was reported that this sentiment was not shared by many WWE officials which was the reason for why Moss struggled to get booked for shows.

In regards to the reaction within WWE over Thursday’s wave of talent cuts, Fightful Select reported in another report that their sources stated that many within the company who would usually have knowledge beforehand when it comes to talent releases did not appear to know who all of the talent would be selected for Thursday’s releases. It was reported that over the past year or so, WWE has not publicly announced releases themselves and in many cases never actually confirmed them.

In regards to the backstage reaction within WWE’s locker room, it was reported that the general reaction was one of frustration. Several talent spoken to stated that they felt frustrated over the releases due to WWE had first announced their new $1.4 billion television deal for SmackDown and then started cutting talent afterwards. One top star spoken to reportedly stated that most of those releases barely had a chance to save their jobs since they were not being booked and described this situation as a “circle that couldn’t be escaped.”

Several talent spoken to reportedly also stated that they had been under the belief that the days of WWE doing mass talent cuts was a thing of the past and that talent deals would simply be allowed to expire for those that the company was not going to retain. It was reported that this had appeared to be the method WWE had been doing for talent releases of late prior to Thursday.