Image: WWE
WWE announced on Thursday that nine wrestlers have been released from the company.
In a statement on WWE.com, WWE announced that Samoa Joe, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Tucker, Kalisto, Bo Dallas and Wesley Blake have been released: “WWE has reached an agreement on the release of Samoa Joe , Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Mickie James, Chelsea Green, Tucker, Kalisto, Bo Dallas and Wesley Blake starting today April 15, 2021. We wish them the best in all their future endeavors. ”
It was announced last Monday that Joe was no longer part of the Raw commentary team, but remained on the WWE talent roster. He hasn’t struggled for concussions since February 2020, but stated earlier this year that he doesn’t believe his in-ring career is over.
Royce & Kay were previously WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as The IIconics. Their team was split up in August last year. Kay was in action at WrestleMania 37 night one last Saturday, along with Carmella in the Tag Team Turmoil match won by Natalya and Tamina.
James was on the pre-show panel for NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver nights one and two last week and also commented on the event’s pre-show matches. James tweeted about her release: Grateful for the memories. Grateful for the dressing room. Grateful for the fans. Grateful for these little keys to my golden handcuffs. You can never expect others to see you as big as your own dreams.
During her SmackDown debut last November, Green suffered a broken wrist. She posted a photo last month while backstage at SmackDown, but did not appear on the show.
Tucker was previously part of Heavy Machinery before the tag team was broken up, while Kalisto was previously part of The Lucha House Party and Blake was previously a member of both The Forgotten Sons and Baron Corbin’s Knights of The Lone Wolf. Blake’s stable mate Steve Cutler was released by WWE in February. Curtis Axel, the former Dallas tag team partner, was released last year.
Tucker tweeted after his release was announced: “Freedom dear !!” He too tweeted: “I look forward to telling my story.”
Today’s releases were announced on the one-year anniversary of WWE’s pandemic-related roster cuts in April 2020.