New Details & Backstage Notes On Yesterday's WWE NXT Releases
Backstages news, notes, and reactions to the WWE releases of Drake Wuertz, Alexander Wolfe, & more.
As previously reported, WWE released eight NXT talents yesterday, with Alexander Wolfe, Kavita Devi, Drake Wuertz, Jessamyn Duke, Vanessa Borne, Skyler Story, Ezra Judge, and Jesse Clemons all cut loose.
Per PWInsider's Mike Johnson, "budget cuts" were cited as the official reason for these releases. WWE claimed the same in April, when the likes of Samoa Joe, The IIconics, and Mickie James were let go.
The report also notes that the cuts were originally going to come around three weeks ago, though WWE ultimately decided to wait until now. Wrestlers started being released at around 11am yesterday.
Johnson writes that Clemons and Duke were particularly well-liked backstage, with the roster "shocked" that the former, a referee, was let go. Duke, who had been working as a digital content producer for WWE during the pandemic, will reportedly get another shot in WWE if she works on her in-ring skills.
Vanessa Bourne's release was also met with surprise as she was thought to have considerable upside. With Devi, there was an internal belief that she wasn't going to be back in WWE anytime soon, having returned to her native India due to a family matter, nixing a planned appearance at Superstar Spectacle in January.
The Wuertz situation is its own beast entirely.
Wolfe, who appeared on this week's episode of NXT, is already advertising his availability:-
Just for the record: My WWE contract will expire on June 15th. That means I'm a free agent on June 16th.
I have a lot in my head right now so let's keep it short: Thank you @WWENXT @WWE for 6 year. Bye bye pic.twitter.com/hB09dG8RC3
— Axel The Axeman Tischer (@TheWWEWolfe) May 19, 2021
Here's hoping that this is the last of WWE's string of releases.