WWE Releases Darren Young, Summer Rae

Further terminations follow Emma's departure.

Summer Rae, Lana
WWE.com

Further to the news that WWE have today let Raw superstar Emma go, the company have also announced the immediate departures of Summer Rae and Darren Young.

Few details were given about the departures, beyond the standard 'future endeavours' template.

Unlike the Australian, who was an active participant on PPV just this past week, Rae and Young have barely featured on WWE television in recent times, with injury keeping the pair of them sidelined for much of the year. Rae's last appearance was as a cameo in the crowd during the Mae Young Classic finals, whilst Young has been absent from performing duties since January.

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In her six years with the company, Summer Rae struggled to make a significant impact on the business, most notably appearing alongside Fandango as his dance partner before gradually fading into the background, save for an execrable storyline with Rusev and Dolph Ziggler. Young on the other hand shook the ground from the start, exploding on the scene as part of The Nexus in 2010. His termination means that just one member of the original crew, Heath Slater, remains active in WWE today.

Young did win a tag title whilst with the group, but perhaps his most noteworthy contribution was in becoming the first openly gay active superstar in WWE's history. Whilst this is no big deal in and of itself, in a business - and a company - with a history of institutionalised homophobia, it marked a significant step in the right direction.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.