Following WWE’s Black Wednesday and the days that followed, a whole host of former WWE names are soon to see their non-compete clauses expire.
That April 15 date was the start of mass WWE releases that, including office personnel, is believed to have topped 100 people losing their jobs. It was shocking at the time, it’s shocking to think back on now, and it’s a date that will forever go down in infamy in wrestling circles.
On the more positive side of this, though, is that the WWE talent who were fired at that time will soon be able to compete for other organisations. The 90-day non-compete clause for those names will expire on July 15 – as in, just two days from now.
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The full list of former WWE stars who officially become free agents on July 15 reads:
Aiden English
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Curt Hawkins
EC3
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Epico Colon
Eric Young
Erick Rowan
Heath Slater
Karl Anderson
Kurt Angle
Lio Rush
Luke Gallows
Maria Kanellis
Mike Kanellis
No Way Jose
Primo Colon
Rusev
Sarah Logan
Zack Ryder
Certain other talents were under 30-day non-competes, but the above list are the final former WWE names who are now soon to be available to head to an AEW, an Impact Wrestling, an NWA, a New Japan, or wherever else takes their respective fancy.
Of course, several of these stars are rumoured to be turning up at Impact’s Slammiversary PPV which takes place this Saturday – with EC3, Eric Young, and Gallows & Anderson seemingly the most likely talent to appear at Slammiversary.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.
