8 WWE Releases To Expect In 2020

Time is a-ticking on these WWE careers.

Feb 19, 2020 February 19th, 2020

While the emergence of All Elite Wrestling initially saw Vince McMahon hesitant to bellow "You're fired!!!!" at anybody for a little while, it appears that McMahon has softened his stance a little on handing out WWE releases - with Luke Harper a recent prime example of a star being let go by WWE within the past several months.

So with the prospect of WWE releases now back on the table, many a WWE-contracted talent may be contemplating a life outside of The E. Whether that's actively seeking their WWE release or alternatively getting outright fired, several names could soon find themselves exiting McMahon's sports entertainment behemoth.

At the moment, wrestling fans are gearing up for WWE's annual Road to WrestleMania. After 'Mania is in the company's rear-view mirror, however, WWE usually turns its attention to freeing up some funds by embarking on a purge of its contracted talent. And that's not even thinking of what other releases - or expiring contracts - could follow later in the year should McMahon decide that the time is right to cut bait on certain names.

Here, then, are eight (well, technically nine) WWE departures that could happen before 2020 is out.

8. EC3

What do you do with a talent who proved himself to be one of the best talkers in the wrestling industry? Why, you sign him to a deal and then make his character a mute.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the genius work of WWE upon signing Ethan Carter III in 2018.

For poor EC3, his WWE return seemed destined to fail from that moment on - and the sad truth of the matter is that the two-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion has been afforded little to no genuine opportunities to succeed over the past couple of years.

Whether it was in NXT or on the main roster, the former Derrick Bateman has been the perfect example of the perennial afterthought. Bar one fluke win over an already-departing Dean Ambrose, there has been absolutely zero of note to EC3's current WWE run.

A recent interview for Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast has got online tongues wagging that Carter could be AEW-bound once he's able to get his WWE release. The fact that WWE decided to abandon their plans to trademark the EC3 name, not to mention that the superstar hasn't appeared on any form of WWE TV since September, suggests that the Top One Percent's WWE days are numbered - which seems like the best thing for all parties.

Andrew Pollard

Senior Writer

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 dayjob, 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, Jamie Hayer, 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.

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