Highlights
- Talent being released from WWE has become common, with around 90 wrestlers departing since 2020, highlighting the changing faces of Raw and SmackDown.
- The Revival, now known as FTR, left WWE after tension with Vince McMahon, and are now the reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions, proving their success outside of WWE.
- Some names, such as Drake Maverick, Zelina Vega Sarah Logan and Good Brothers are now back in WWE, proving that the door is never truly closed with the wrestling giant
Unfortunately, talent being let go from WWE has become a common occurrence in the modern day.
Whether that be talent requesting their release due to being unhappy or wrestlers being unexpectedly let go, fans have become used to the faces of Raw and SmackDown changing over time.
This has particularly been the case in the last couple of years, as WWE took financial measures during the pandemic and cited ‘budget cuts’ as they let members of their roster go in April 2020.
There have been around 90 active wrestlers who have departed Vince McMahon’s company since the first batch of firings in 2020, so, let’s take a look and see who went on to become stars and who struggled to find their feet, starting with the first 30.
1 Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder
Just five days before the first major batch of releases took place, The Revival were granted their WWE departures, putting an end to the tension between themselves and Vince McMahon.
Vince presented the pair with so-called ‘laughable’ characters prior to their releases, despite the pair being told that they wouldn't be able to leave the company when they asked to do so.
Now, Dawson and Wilder find themselves as the reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions, now known as Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood, collectively FTR.
The pair successfully defended their titles against The Young Bucks at Wembley Stadium at AEW All In last month, and are widely regarded as one of the best tag teams in thew world right now.
It seems as if, to be recognised as such, FTR needed to leave WWE, despite being quite decorated whilst working there.
2 Drake Maverick
The former Rockstar Spud, known to WWE fans as Drake Maverick, was quite the underrated performer in his time with the company.
His first introduction to the fans was being made the 205 Live General Manager, but, he’s also been the manager of AOP and is fondly known for his endless chase of the 24/7 Championship, which he and R-Truth traded several times.
Maverick could’ve featured twice on this list, having been let go from WWE in April 2020, and then again in November 2021. Though, he actually finds himself back in the company today, being employed as a writer on the creative team for Monday Night Raw.
3 Curt Hawkins
Curt Hawkins spent the most part of his second tenure with WWE being known for his infamous losing streak, a statistic which eventually racked up around 270 losses in a row.
To be fair, this garnered him quite a lot of fan support, leading to his Raw Tag Team Championship win alongside longtime friend Zack Ryder at WrestleMania 35.
Today, under his real name of Bryan Myers, the 38-year-old is signed to Impact Wrestling, where, post-WWE, he has won the Digital Media Championship, adding to the TNA Tag Team Titles he won with Trevor Lee in 2015.
4 Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows
Making their impactful emergence in 2016, the re-debut of Luke Gallows and the first WWE appearance of Karl Anderson took the company by storm. Paired with AJ Styles, their first few years in WWE saw them pick up multiple tag team titles and wrestle on the biggest stages.
Gallows and Anderson were released in April 2020, but, as with a few entries on this list, they are now back in WWE, having been part of the 2022 re-hirings, despite being quite outspoken about the company following their exits two years prior.
They came back last October and formed the OC, reuniting with Styles and also inviting Mia Yim (Michin) to be part of the group. They were drafted to SmackDown and still compete regularly on the blue brand.
5 EC3
When EC3 first debuted in NXT, many fans had high hopes for what could come next given that he seemed tailore made for WWE's main roster.
Triple H, who ran NXT at the time, gave him a catchy entrance theme and immediately entered him into the ladder match to determine the first North American Champion.
Despite his undeniable charisma, and the high hopes fans had for him, WWE opted to have him be mute on the main roster, in 2018, meaning he struggled to showcase just how good he was.
Recently, he won the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship, defeating Tyrus in a bullrope match. His win proved to be the last outing of his opponent, who had to retire as a result. With there being less than seven days since EC3 won the title, it remains to be seen how successful his reign can be.
6 Eric Young
Once a member of SAnitY, Eric Young is a former NXT Tag Team Champion. As is the case with many releases, once Young and his teammates arrived on SmackDown, WWE couldn’t find much for them to do.
After being with WWE for four years, he was part of the 2020 firings and returned to Impact Wrestling, but he actually returned to WWE under Triple H in November 2022, where he was set to return to TV after WrestleMania 39.
However, that didn't happen, and with Vince McMahon returning to the company, Young asked to leave without ever having actually returned to TV. Since his second release, EY has returned to IMPACT.
7 Lio Rush
During his WWE run, Rush was both a competitor and a manager. Fans may remember his alignment with Bobby Lashley, playing the role of an obnoxious, heel hypeman.
When it came to in-ring work, Lio captured the Cruiserweight Championship when the title was featured on NXT in 2019, and was one of the company's most exciting performers.
Rush has unfortunately been plagued by many, many injuries throughout his career, especially since leaving WWE in 2020, but remains active to this day.
He regularly shows up in New Japan Pro Wrestling, having been part of this year’s Best of the Super Juniors Tournament, barely missing out on the semifinals. He also appears for IMPACT, where he is the current X Division Champion.
8 Heath Slater
One of WWE’s most reliable stars, Heath Slater was mostly used in a comedy role during his time with the company.
He was, of course, part of 3MB, but also teamed with Rhyno in one of the most endearing acts in recent memory, with the pair capturing the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.
Given how dependable and recognisable he was, many were shocked to see him released by WWE in April 2020.
Now known as just ‘Heath’, the 40-year-old is signed to IMPACT. Continuing his affiliation with Rhyno, he captured tag gold in the company and competed most recently on the company's crossover event with New Japan in August.
9 Sarah Logan
Sarah Logan was known for being part of the Riott Squad, with Ruby Riott and Liv Morgan. Oddly, the popular team disbanded in the 2019 WWE Draft, meaning they never had the opportunity to win the company’s women’s tag team titles.
She was released from her contract three years ago, but is back with WWE today, competing under the ‘Valhalla’ name and predominantly acting as the manager of The Viking Raiders, consisting of Ivar and her real-life husband Erik.
Though, that isn’t to say that her in-ring career is over, playing a pivotal role in establishing Maxxine Dupri, making the Alpha Academy member look strong when losing to her this summer on WWE Raw.
10 Erick Rowan
Erick Rowan was, of course, a member of the beloved Wyatt Family in WWE.
It goes without saying that the group were among the most influential in company history, so, when those in charge attempted to have him be a singles competitor, nothing seemed to land.
Some may even remember a time in which Rowan began to carry around a mechanical spider, something which Drew McIntyre later destroyed.
He was let go by WWE in 2020 and hasn’t really found a new home. He still has a strong connection with the wrestling world, but, unfortunately, has only appeared on WWE and AEW TV when it came time to mourn the losses of Brodie Lee and Bray Wyatt respectively.
11 Primo and Epico Colon
Primo and Epico were known under name names in WWE, including gimmicks such as The Shining Stars and Los Matadores.
Despite their continual repackaging, it can’t be denied that the pair were one of the constants of the company’s tag team division over many years.
Today, the pair wrestle for Puerto Rican promotion World Wrestling Council. They also compete for various lucha-based companies and have won various tag team championships across North America.
Their recent match at NGCW Lucha Conquest 9 was their first tag match together in over three years.
12 Mike Kanellis
Brought in at the same time as WWE re-signed his wife Maria, Mike Kanellis made his WWE debut at Money in the Bank in 2017.
Though, due to Maria’s pregnancy and other external circumstances, appearances were limited and Kanellis only wrestled four times on SmackDown before being moved to 205 Live.
Here, he struggled to find his feet and eventually asked for his release, reverting to his last name of Bennett for use outside WWE.
Both Mike and Maria are now in AEW, where Bennett is actually playing a crucial role in the critically acclaimed storyline between Adam Cole and MJF as part of The Kingdom. Being Cole’s old partner, he, alongside Matt Taven and Roderick Strong, are attempting to convince Adam to turn on the AEW World Champion before MJF has the chance to do it to him.
13 Maria Kanellis
Given a separate entry due to her having a previous run with WWE, Maria Kanellis was initially with the company between 2004 and 2010 before her 2017 return.
As mentioned, she became pregnant that same year and subsequently only had one in-ring match during her second WWE stint, aside from being involved in comedy 24/7 title segments, technically becoming the first pregnant woman to hold a championship.
As eluded to, Maria is currently signed to AEW, being affiliated with her husband Mike Bennett and The Kingdom. As was the case with WWE, Maria is still yet to compete in a match since joining Tony Khan’s company just under one year ago.
14 Zack Ryder
As mentioned in Curt Hawkins’ section of this list, Ryder won the Raw Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 35, though, unlike his partner, he had been a mainstay in WWE for several years before that.
At one point, he was one of the most organically over superstars on the whole roster, yet, those in charge never really capitalised on his popularity.
Once his eventual release came, he became known by his real name, Matt Cardona, and is currently part of the NWA, but has also made appearances for AEW, GCW and Impact. As well as this, he’s popped up in various independent promotions and has earned himself the nickname ‘The Indy God’, you truly never know where he will go next.
Despite that, Cardona has been linked with a return to WWE for some time now, so despite but surprised to see him pop up on Raw or SmackDown before too long.
15 No Way Jose
No Way Jose had one of the most eye-catching gimmicks, coming out with a myriad of dancers as he partied his way down to the ring. The character was a lot of fun for the NXT audience, but, could only go so far as he didn’t really establish himself well once called up to the main roster.
Post-WWE release, he would simply be called ‘No Way’ and eventually found himself contracted to IMPACT, where he stayed until late-2021, while also taking independent bookings.
16 Rusev
The Bulgarian star once had unwavering momentum, as his fan popularity soured in late 2017, but, as has been the case with many in the past, WWE never really saw Rusev in the same light that those in the fanbase seemed to.
He was picked up by AEW in September 2020, winning the TNT Championship in May of the following year, showing that his new employers probably viewed him in a stronger light to Vince McMahon.
Wrestling as Miro, the 37-year-old became known as ‘The Redeemer’, and obsessed over retaining his title, answering to his ‘God’ in the process. Despite a year-long absence, he returned AEW in June, and most recently defeated Powerhouse Hobbs at All Out.
17 Deonna Purrazzo
Deonna was initially selected to be an alternative for 2017 Mae Young classic, and despite only wrestling a dark match, WWE decided to take her on on a full-time basis.
Purrazzo mainly featured on NXT and NXT UK and only had 16 televised matches during her WWE stint, but fans remained quite high on her, and thought she could go on to become a star.
That isn't what happened though, and in April 2020, Purrazzo was released by WWE, later claiming that the company's bosses didn't think that she was ready for TV, and needed more time to develop.
Deonna racked up stints in ROH and Stardom prior to signing with WWE, but went on to join IMPACT Wrestling after leaving the wrestling giant, where she quickly became one of the promotion's top stars, still remaining involved with the company to this day.
18 Aiden English
Aiden English proved to be a very diverse performer during his WWE tenure. He was introduced as one-half of The Vaudevillians, but also provided a fantastic support act when it came to seconding Rusev and featuring heavily in the Bulgarian’s popular ‘Rusev Day’ act.
English, whose real name is Matthew Rehwoldt, is still heavily involved in the world of wrestling today, but, not in terms of in-ring action. In recent times, he’s actually switched his attention to the commentary desk, providing colour and context for IMPACT shows, as well as a few dates commentating for New Japan, whenever they host a show in the United States.
19 Taynara Conti
Taynara Conti was scouted off the back of her relatively successful venture into judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, where she has earned a black belt and a blue belt respectively.
Following unsuccessful trials to be on the Brazilian Olympic team in 2016, WWE brought her in to feature on NXT, a brand she spent four years on.
Tay is currently signed to AEW where she is prominently featured on-screen as part of a tag team with Anna Jay. Before their recent disbanding, she was also a crucial member of the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Away from the ring, the 28-year-old is currently pregnant with the child of fellow AEW wrestler Sammy Guevara.
20 Curtis Axel
Axel looked to be the next in line of WWE Superstars from the Hennig family as the son of Mr. Perfect and grandson of Larry ‘The Axe’ Hennig.
The third-generation performer came into WWE as part of The Nexus, and, well, countless points have been made about the company’s handling of the faction following its introduction.
In fairness, Axel won the Intercontinental Title and got paired with Paul Heyman, but it wasn’t enough for him to escape the shadow of his family members, and his time with the company fell flat.
In April 2022, two years following his release, Axel was re-hired as a producer on Raw and was even spotted on screen as a security guard during a tense pull-apart brawl between Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes prior to that year’s Hell in a Cell.
Though, he was quietly released three months later and hasn’t yet returned to the world of wrestling, either behind the scenes or in the ring.