WWE and NXT releases 2021: Jeff Hardy, Bray Wyatt, Ric Flair lead list of superstar cuts

Joe Rivera

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WWE and NXT releases 2021: Jeff Hardy, Bray Wyatt, Ric Flair lead list of superstar cuts image

'Tis the season of the future endeavor'd.

While WWE has a reputation for signing some of the world's best wrestling talent, it has also gained notoriety for misusing and, eventually, releasing said talent. The coronavirus pandemic ballooned the company's release list in 2020, with more of the same happening this year as several big-name wrestlers have been released from WWE contracts.

Once WrestleMania 37 ended, the company entered its annual "spring cleaning" period, during which it releases stars en masse. The cuts in 2021 have continued into the fall, with a few surprising names topping the list. Since WrestleMania, cuts have been made in May, June July, August and November.

MORE: Jon Moxley on what makes All Elite Wrestling so special

Sporting News will be tracking the latest reported releases throughout 2021 below.

WWE releases 2021

Jeff Hardy released

On Dec. 9, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported that Hardy was released from his contract. Fightful also reports that Hardy was offered rehab help by the company, which Hardy declined.

Tegan Nox, Isaiah Swerve Scott cut in new set of releases

Nov. 18: WWE let go eight performers two weeks after executing a large number of roster cuts. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com reported that WWE cited budget cuts as the reason for the newest releases.

  • Ashante Adonis
  • Top Dolla
  • Drake Maverick
  • John Morrison
  • Tegan Nox
  • Jaxson Ryker
  • Isaiah Swerve Scott
  • Shane Thorne

Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Nia Jax let go in new round of cuts

Release: Nov. 4

WWE dropped more performers two weeks after its Crown Jewel pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. Keith Lee, Karrion Kross and Nia Jax were among the biggest names on the list of releases reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com.

  • Keith Lee: Lee became a champ-champ in July 2020 when he added the NXT championship to his North American championship at the Great American Bash.  
  • Karrion Kross
  • Nia Jax
  • Ember Moon
  • Eva Marie
  • Mia Yim
  • Harry Smith
  • Lince Dorado
  • Gran Metalik
  • Jeet Rama
  • Katrina Cortez
  • Trey Baxter
  • Zayda Ramier
  • Jessi Kamea
  • B-Fab
  • Oney Lorcan
  • Franky Monet
  • Scarlett Bordeaux
MORE: 
Keith Lee 'WWE 24' review | Lee on why he vacated North American title 

Bobby Fish, Bronson Reed among NXT cuts

Release: Aug. 6

NXT underwent a massive facelift on Aug. 6, with 13 getting the axe, most notably Bronson Reed and Bobby Fish. The full reported list:

  • Bobby Fish: A founding member of the now disbanded Undisputed Era, Fish was a long-time partner of Kyle O'Reilly in the popular indy tag team reDRagon and well-respected veteran.
  • Bronson Reed: Captain of Team Thicc, Reed was finding his footing in NXT before his release on Aug. 6.
  • Mercedes Martinez: A veteran women's wrestler, Mercedes signed with WWE in 2020
  • Tyler Rust: A member of Roderick Strong's The Diamond Mine, Rust was also among those released on Aug. 6.
  • Kona Reeves: NXT's "Finest" was also released on Aug. 6. 
  • Leon Ruff
  • Stephon Smith
  • Jake Atlas
  • Ari Sterling
  • Desmond Troy
  • Zechariah Smith
  • Asher Hale
  • Giant Zanjeer

Ric Flair

Release: Aug. 3

The GOAT, Flair requested his release and was granted it in early August. 

Fightful reported that Flair had serious issues with WWE's booking decisions, including his storyline with Lacey Evans earlier in the year.

Bray Wyatt

Release: July 31

Wyatt was stunningly released on July 31, with reports pegging his release as a budget cut.

Wyatt has had many iterations in WWE, from NXT rookie Husky Harris to The Fiend. Noted as one of the wrestling industry's more creative minds, he should find work quickly after his release.

Killian Dain

Release: June 25

Dain, who was a part of NXT's popular SAnitY stable alongside Eric Young, Alexandre Wolfe and Nikki Cross, was released on June 25. After the stable split, Dain returned to NXT as a singles star, but sporadic appearances in the sub-brand eventually gave way to his release.

Curt Stallion

Release: June 25

Stallion made his debut in WWE in 2020, wrestling as part of the company's cruiserweight division. He was released as part of the June 25 cuts.

August Grey

Release: June 25

August Grey (real name Anthony Greene) was part of the company's releases on June 25. He had been signed to a contract in 2020, debuting under the WWE-assigned name.

He had wrestled on "205 Live" and later NXT.

Marina Shafir

Release: June 25

Shafir's NXT career was winding. After an MMA career, Shafir landed in NXT in 2018, famously part of the quartet featuring Ronda Rousey, Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler as former MMA fighters.

The Bollywood Boyz

Release: June 25

Sunil Singh and Samir Singh, the Bollywood Boyz, were released as part of the June 25 cuts. The Singh Brothers first appeared in the company as part of its Cruiserweight Classic tournament and would later align themselves with Jinder Mahal as villainous lackeys.

Tyler Breeze

Release: June 25

Breeze was one of NXT's standout performers when the the brand was burgeoning in the early 2010s, capturing the NXT tag team championships with Fandango once.

He found a second wind in WWE alongside Fandango, forming the popular and hilarious Breezango tag-team. The duo had returned to NXT in 2019 in May 2019, again wrestling as a tag team in the WWE sub-brand.

Fandango

Release: June 25

Fandango worked his way from ballroom-dancing heel to goofy partner of Tyler Breeze, lasting with the company for almost 15 years.

He had recently returned to NXT alongside Breeze, and the two formed a hilarious, entertaining tag team named "Breezango" for the better part of five years. Various injuries sidelined Fandango (real name Curtis Hussey) throughout his career.

Arturo Ruas

Release: June 25

Ruas first made appearances for NXT in 2016 and after being signed in 2015, making occasional appearances for NXT during his career.

Tony Nese

Release: June 25

Nese, a stalwart of the WWE cruiserweight division, was released on June 25 alongside a few others. The one-time cruiserweight champ known for his statueseque physique had been wrestling on "205 Live" when he was released.

Ariya Daivari

Release: June 25

Daivari, another member of WWE's cruiserweight division, had been another staple of "205 Live" since the show was aired, and made an impression in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament some time earlier.

The brother of former WWE manager and wrestler Shawn Daivari, the younger of the two had a career that spanned from 2016 to 2021.

Ever-Rise

Release: June 25

The popular duo of Chase Parker and Matt Martel were released from their contracts on June 25. The team spent two years in the NXT brand after a lengthy independent career.

Braun Strowman

Release: June 2

The "Monster Among Men" was among the next wave of releases from WWE on June 2, a surprising headliner among the list. As a member of the Wyatt Family early on, Strowman developed into one of the top characters on "RAW" in recent years, eventually wallowing in obscurity before WWE surprisingly released him on June 2.

Aleister Black

Release: June 2

Black — once again going by his former name Tommy End following his release — was among the releases on June 2, losing his job in WWE as part of its cost-cutting measures.

Coming up after a successful stint in WWE's NXT brand, Black never found solid footing on the company's main brands, spending time away from the TV until recently. Black was expected to get a big push, but ended up being pushed to unemployment instead.

Buddy Murphy

Release: June 2

Murphy started his WWE career in the NXT sub-brand alongside Wesley Blake and Alexa Bliss, eventually spending time away before reemerging as the company's "Best Kept Secret" on 205Live. After his call-up to the main roster, he lost his first name (as most do), going by just "Murphy" and acting alongside Seth Rollins in a villainous stable.

Lana

Release: June 2

Wife to AEW star Miro (then known as Rusev), Lana spent time in WWE as the "Ravishing Russian," Rusev's then valent before transitioning into an in-ring career. While Lana never reached her ceiling as a talent, she was beloved by fans. In 2020, Lana spent time getting put through table after table in an angle that was supposed to pay off in making her a mega-star, but she ended up mega-out of the company.

Ruby Riott

Release: June 2

Ruby Riott — originally Ruby Riot before the main-roster geniuses decided to add an T to her last name for some reason — was released as part of the company's June 2 releases. 

Before a lengthy career as an indy star, Riott landed in NXT and quickly ascended despite not winning gold in the promotion. She made her WWE debut alongside fellow NXT wrestlers Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan as the Riott Squad in 2017. Logan would eventually be released from her deal, leaving Riott and Morgan behind, until Riott was released in June.

Santana Garrett

Release: June 2

Garrett was a longtime indy wrestler before ended up making appearances for WWE as an enhancement talent in 2013. Garrett primarily worked as an enhancement talent throughout her career in WWE. 

Jessamyn Duke

Release: May 19

Duke was released on May 19. She made her last appearance on WWE TV in August 2020 on a "Raw Underground" segment.

Andrade

Release: March 21

Andrade (formerly known as Andrade "Cien" Almas in WWE) reportedly requested his released in March, and was granted it on March 21. The luchador was a one-time NXT champion and found little success on the main roster, though, winning the United States championship once.

Known as "La Sombra" in NJPW and CMLL before his NXT arrival, Andrade will likely find success in another wrestling company, and soon.

Lars Sullivan

Reported release: February 2021

Sullivan was being booked as a potential all-world heel before an injury sidelined him in 2019, and several controversies followed: mysoginistic and racist comments from Sullivan on an internet forum surfaced, as well as his appearance in an adult film years before his wrestling career got underway.

Speaking with Fightful earlier in the year, Sullivan revealed that he battles anxiety issues, and the company handled his release with grace.

He was quietly released in February, not even getting the "Future Endeavor" treatment on WWE.com.

Steve Cutler

Released: Feb. 4

Cutler, a third of the Forgotten Sons, was released after the stable was disbanded in the wake of Jaxson Ryker's controversial tweets surrounding former President Donald Trump and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Some reports indicate that Vince McMahon was "livid" with Cutler's (real name Steve Maclin) appearance at a New Year's Eve party, while the company continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Samoa Joe

Released: April 15

Samoa Joe, a one-time NXT champion and all-around badass, was released on April 15 during the company's annual mass releases. There's some question to why Joe was released, because both as a wrestler and broadcaster he had plenty of value.

Joe would later be rehired, returning to NXT as William Regal's right-hand man.

Peyton Royce

Released: April 15

Royce, half of WWE's "Iiconics," was let go on April 15. With Billie Kay, Royce's career blossomed on NXT before getting the call up to the main roster. That proved fruitless, with the company electing to split up the duo later.

Billie Kay

Released: April 15

The Australian Kay, half of WWE's "Iiconics," was let go on April 15. Alongside Peyton Royce, Kay made her stamp in WWE's NXT sub-brand before being called up to the main roster. The "Femme Fatale's" luck ran short, with the company deciding to end the duo soon after the callup.

Mickie James

Released: April 15

James, a veteran of the women's division, had an on-again-off-again relationship with the company for the past decade plus. She eventually returned to WWE in 2016, making sporadic appearances over the past year until her release.

Chelsea Green

Released: April 15

Green never made an appearance on the main roster, but was given a three-year contract extension with WWE in November 2020. Injuries kept her sidelined, eventually leading to her release.

She is married to former WWE star Matt Cardona (formerly known as Zack Ryder).

Tucker Knight

Released: April 15

Knight, formerly in a tag team alongside Otis Dozovic, was split from his partner soon after making his debut on the main roster. After the unfortunate disbanding of Heavy Machinery, Knight floundered in a singles role, eventually leading to his release.

Kalisto

Released: April 15

Kalisto, a third of the Lucha House Party, was separated from his stablemates in the 2020 WWE Draft. While he was a former United States and Cruiserweight Champion, Kalisto's eight-year WWE career ended soon after WrestleMania 37.

Bo Dallas

Released: April 15

Dallas, brother of Bray Wyatt, never found footing in WWE, struggling to find a gimmick that worked for him on the main roster. While he worked with The Miz and Curtis Axel, Dallas had been absent from WWE TV for more than a year.

Unfortunately, Dallas was let go on April 15, 2021, ending a career that lasted more than a decade in WWE brands.

Wesley Blake

Released: April 15

Blake was part of the controversial Forgotten Sons stable that made its debut in NXT before moving to the main brand. His stablemate, Steve Cutler, had been released in February. Only Jaxon Ryker, who came under fire for controversial tweets, remains employed by the company.

Joe Rivera

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Joe Rivera is in his seventh year with The Sporting News, handling NFL, MLB and some things pro wrestling. A proud-ish Rutgers University graduate, Rivera combines a new-school flair with an old-school soul. He loves dingers, wrestling, comic books, movies, music and really bad puns. He is also a card-carrying BBWAA member and teaches Multimedia Sports Reporting at his alma mater.

You can find him and tweet him @JoeRiveraSN, if you're into that sort of thing.