WWE Release Rusev, Zack Ryder & No Way Jose

Even more superstars are let go by WWE.

Apr 15, 2020 April 15th, 2020

Today is a day that will go down in wrestling infamy for the sheer jaw-dropping number of people that WWE has released. And now, there is yet another update on further releases that have now been confirmed.

As of this writing, the latest names to join the list of released WWE talent are Rusev, Zack Ryder, and No Way Jose.

When you look at these three superstars, Rusev is the one who really jumps out as being a top, top talent. If handled correctly, the Bulgarian Brute could have been a mainstay of the WWE main event scene for the next decade. Instead, the company decided to do so many false-starts with Rusev that it became tiresome – regardless of the former US Champion’s undeniable charisma.

Whereas Rusev’s WWE departure has been rumoured for months, it’s a little more surprising to see Zack Ryder released. Granted, Ryder’s long-time BFF Curt Hawkins was one of the many released by WWE earlier in the day, but the Long Island Iced Z seemed a solid candidate to stay with the company. Instead, Ryder’s 15-year WWE career has been brought to an end.

For No Way Jose, the 31-year-old entertaining performer has seen his WWE journey brought to an end for now after spending five years with the company. Jose was an undeniably entertaining presence in NXT, yet WWE ultimately did him a disservice during his time on the main roster. Following the lead of Drake Maverick, Jose – real name Levis Valenzuela Jr. – took to Twitter to give his thoughts on this news.

Rusev, Zack Ryder, and No Way Jose join Drake Maverick, Heath Slater, Lio Rush, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, EC3, Curt Hawkins, Eric Young, Sarah Logan, Erick Rowan, Aiden English, Kurt Angle, Pat Buck, Sarah Stock, Billy Kidman, Shane Helms, Lance Storm, Mike Rotunda, Fit Finlay, Shawn Daivari, Scott Armstrong, Epico Colon, Primo Colon, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, writer Andrea Listenberger, and long-time referee Mike Chioda as today’s confirmed WWE departures.

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.

See more from Andrew