It's been nearly four months since WWE did a mass release of talent, but the news broke last night that the company has cut 10 names from the NXT 2.0 roster. The biggest surprise was Dakota Kai, a Superstar many believed was destined for greatness on the main roster.
Rumour has it she may have declined to sign a new contract earlier this year, meaning that the inaugural NXT Women's Tag Team Champion has been looking to move on for a while now.
The rest of the names who have been released include Malcolm Bivens (Stokely Hathaway), Paige Prinzivalli (Blair Baldwin), Harland (Parker Boudreaux), Persia Pirotta (Stephanie De Landre), Sanjana George (Vish Kanya), Draco Anthony (Reginald Chase Crews), Mila Malani (Kellie Morgan), Raelyn Divine (Jaylen Williams) and Dexter Lumis (Samuel Robert Shaw).
However, WWE might not be done yet.
During a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said he's heard "rumblings" that more releases are coming, pointing out that "the idea is to do it before the investors call."
WWE has become merciless when it comes to releasing those they see no value in, though we're definitely surprised Kai and Boudreaux were among them. In the past, we might have speculated about many of these pro wrestlers making the leap to AEW, but that roster is stacked enough as it is.
Stay tuned for updates.