Report: WWE Planning More Regular Rounds Of NXT Releases
NXT talent will reportedly be given 90 days to show improvement - or potentially face being cut.
WWE's latest round of roster releases hit last week, with the promotion jettisoning 10 NXT wrestlers from its talent pool including tenured performers Dakota Kai, Malcolm Bivens, Persia Pirotta, and Dexter Lumis, all of whom were television regulars.
As is often the case in these situations, "budget cuts" were attributed as the reason in an internal email circulated by WWE head of talent relations John Laurinaitis.
Now, it appears such releases could be on the verge of becoming a more regular occurrence.
Speaking on an episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that NXT wrestlers will effectively be given 90 days to demonstrate what the promotion sees as an acceptable level of improvement. If they don't hit that level, they may be cut from the roster, though wrestlers who show steady improvement within this window should theoretically be safe. Long-term contracts appear to mean little in this situation, either, as even those bound to multi-year deals will be considered.
A lack of in-ring improvement was cited as the reason behind Harland's inclusion on the list of wrestlers cut from the NXT roster last week. If accurate, this new report suggests more may soon join him.