UPDATE:
For 2020, so far, there have been several waves of WWE exits.
- Wave one included 16 WWE superstars.
- Wave two saw that number grow to 22.
- Wave three grew to 25 releases.
- Wave four added 12 more WWE departures.
- Wave five saw 7 more departures.
- Wave six saw 6 more departures.
- Wave seven saw another 6 exits.
- Wave eight had 3 more departures for a total of 64 exits since Christmastime 2019.
Despite being an essential service, a decision that appears to some to be a political quid pro quo, which a WWE expects these departures, a mix of releases and furloughs, will save WWE $48 million annually. The number of head office staff released or furloughed is unknown at this time.
In addition, Vince McMahon’s XFL reboot has filed for bankruptcy; WWE had a small stake in that venture.
ORIGINAL:
Despite Being An Essential Service, A Bloody Wednesday For WWE As First Wave Of Releases Announced! 16 Superstars Including A Hall Of Famer Gone!
WWE reports:
- WWE has come to terms on the release of Kurt Angle, Drake Maverick (James Curtin), Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers), Karl Anderson (Chad Allegra), Luke Gallows (Drew Hankinson), Heath Slater (Heath Miller), Eric Young (Jeremy Fritz), Rowan (Joseph Ruud), Sarah Logan (Sarah Rowe), Mike Chioda, Mike Kanellis (Mike Bennett), EC3 (Michael Hutter), Aiden English (Matthew Rehwoldt), Lio Rush (Lionel Green), Primo (Edwin Colon) and Epico (Orlando Colon Nieves). We wish them all the best in their future endeavors.
While the post WrestleMania season sees call-ups to Raw and Smackdown, it is also a time for releases. From the above, it looks like AJ Styles will be a solo act again as his OC mates have been released.
How the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic impacted the number of releases, in what is expected to be a first wave, is unknown.