WWE Releases: Every Wrestler Released In 2026

The very nature of the wrestling business mean that talents so often come and go from companies, be that after lengthy stays with a promotion, or a relatively short run there. And that's long been the case in WWE, as highlighted by over 50 names departing the TKO outfit in 2025.

Of those 50+, some were quick to find a new home with another major company, others have been hitting the road on the independent scene, and then there are those who have decided to leave the wrestling business in their rearview mirror altogether. Here we are, early into 2026, and there are likewise several names who've headed for the WWE exit door this year already, either outright released by the market leader, or, in some cases, a performer has made the bold choice to walk away from the biggest wrestling company in the world and bet on themselves and their skillset being better utilised elsewhere.

This article will be updated throughout the rest of 2026, though hopefully it won't be a case of having to update this too frequently. While WWE usually tends to make extensive cuts once WrestleMania Season is done, the organisation has already seen a handful of names move on to pastures new just a couple of months into '26.

Starting things off with a 2022 signing with an impressive athletic background, who may well be looking to put pro wrestling behind her...

Brinley Reece

Last seen on EVOLVE back in March 2025, Brinley Reece took to Instagram on 4 January 2026 to announce that her time with WWE had come to an end.

With a background in tumbling and acrobatics, the real-life Breanna Ruggiero signed with WWE after impressing at a tryout during the weekend of SummerSlam 2022. She'd wrestle her first official match at a September 2023 live event, teaming with Fallon Henley in a loss to Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson. Under the name Brinley Reece, the California native would make her televised in-ring bow the following month, losing to Arianna Grace in the first round of the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament.

Reece would wrestle 12 times on main NXT programming during her time under contract, though she was winless in all 12 of those. However, she did find a little more success on NXT Level-Up and in EVOLVE, where she picked up a few victories. Brinley also had a small role to play in the working relationship between WWE and TNA, competing three times for the Anthem promotion.

Citing "personal health challenges and a serious injury that required surgery" in her statement announcing her WWE exit, the 25-year-old's final match with the company was a March 2025 live event loss to Karmen Petrovic. By May of that year, Reece suffered a shoulder injury, which is what she referenced with those surgery comments.

That her departure statement also featured the words "I am officially closing my chapter wrestling in WWE," it would appear that Breanna Ruggerio may have called time on her in-ring career.

Tommaso Ciampa

The biggest WWE departure of the year so far, and likewise AEW's greatest acquisition of the year so far, Tommaso Ciampa isn't so much a WWE release, per se, but more Ciampa opted against re-signing with the market leader.

Instead, the former two-time NXT Champion and two-time WWE Tag Team Champion decided to bring an end to his ten-year run with WWE, announcing on 21 January that he had decided to walk away from the company. As the Psycho Killer has since revealed in subsequent interviews, he'd grown frustrated in WWE, particularly by fans talking about how Tommaso peaked during the glory days of NXT Black & Gold. For the veteran, he felt that the 2026 Tommaso Ciampa was far better in every single way than that younger version, and he wanted to be afforded the chance to show that elsewhere, rather than re-sign with WWE and likely be featured in the exact same spot for the next however many years of that new contract.

Of course, Ciampa wasted little time in making an immediate impact away from WWE, debuting on AEW Dynamite one week after announcing his WWE exit. There, Tommaso would answer Mark Briscoe's open challenge for the TNT Title, with that match taking place on the very next episode of Collision; a Collision where Ciampa emerged victorious, winning a championship in his very first AEW match.

Tommaso Ciampa may have lost the TNT Title to Kyle Fletcher already, but make no mistake about it, he's already shown in his handful of AEW appearances so far that he's absolutely correct in this version of Ciampa having plenty left to offer on a major, major level.

Ava

In some surprising news, Simone Johnson announced her WWE exit at the end of January, with 27 January marking her final NXT appearance.

This exit brings an end to Johnson's two-year run as NXT General Manager Ava, and it was her decision not to renew with WWE, with her seemingly having no interest in continuing a career within the wrestling business. Prior to that on-screen GM gig, Simone had been part of Joe Gacy's Schism faction as Ava Raine, making her TV debut in 2022 after being first signed in 2020. Of course, the Raine part of her name would be dropped once the Schism came to an end, and she'd initially become Shawn Michaels' assistant before being given the NXT GM role in early 2024.

As for what's next for the fourth-generation star, early reports suggest Simone Johnson is likely to pursue a career in her parents' Seven Bucks Productions, which is a company that deals in movies, TV, digital, and technology, producing various Dwayne Johnson-fronted efforts over the years, such as The Smashing Machine, Black Adam, Baywatch, and the story of Saraya/Paige, Fighting with my Family.

Since departing WWE, Simone has made it clear that the company's political views do not align with her own, hitting out at US President Donald Trump and ICE, shortly before deactivating her X account.

Tatyanna Dumas

For those who haven't watched WWE LFG, Tatyanna Dumas may not be a name you're familiar with. A former Gladiator on the Australian edition of, well, Gladiators, and having also appeared on Australia's Ninja Warrior, Dumas was ultimately unsuccessful with her LGF pursuits.

Dumas' final match for the company came at a December NXT live event, where she'd come up short against fellow LFG alumnus Zena Sterling.

News of Tatyanna's release only became public after Ava announced her WWE departure, with the two currently in a relationship, including appearing on the red carpet alongside Dwayne Johnson at the world premiere of The Smashing Machine. While certain people have speculated that Dumas' release played a part in Ava deciding to leave WWE, none of those involved have commented on that.

Kelly Kincaid

Having done a great job as a backstage interviewer and occasional ring announcer for NXT, it was a little surprising to see Kelly Kincaid announce on social media that her time with WWE would be coming to an end on 14 February.

Per Kincaid, she was not given the option of extending her stay with WWE, suggesting that this was a case of the company choosing not to offer her a new contract. The Missouri native had been with WWE since February 2022, bringing an end to her run at four years.

Before becoming Kelly Kincaid in WWE, the real-life Kelly Verbil was known to Ring of Honor fans as Quinn McKay, an announcer-turned-wrestler, and someone who fronted so much of ROH's pandemic-era content. During those wrestling days, she had the chance to tangle with notable names such as Roxanne Perez, Willow Nightingale, Megan Bayne, the Allure, and Max the Impaler. It remains to be seen what's next for Kelly, whether that's inside or outside the ring.

Away from the wrestling business, Kelly and her partner Lewis Howley - better known as WWE's Elton Prince - welcomed their first child into the world in September 2024, with Kincaid having returned to NXT TV in March 2025, and picking up where she left off with her interviewing duties.

As of February 14th, I will no longer be under contract with WWE

— Kelly Kincaid (@KellyKincaidWWE) February 6, 2026

Kelly Kincaid - signing off

— Kelly Kincaid (@KellyKincaidWWE) February 11, 2026