Add as a preferred source on Google TKO was reportedly one of the driving forces behind WWE’s latest wave of releases, directing the creative team to trim the roster after WrestleMania 42.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the company held back on cuts in 2025 while it was still shaping its image as WWE’s new parent company, but has now gone through what was described as an internal “catch-up.”
The main factor was reportedly the combination of recent NXT call-ups and the upcoming reduction in Friday Night SmackDown’s runtime. Meltzer said TKO asked creative for names of talent who were not in their plans, aiming to remove a similar number of people from the main roster as those promoted from the developmental brand.
“Last year, because they had basically just taken over the company and they were trying to be good guys and all that, they didn’t order a lot of cuts last year. They kind of held back. So it’s kind of like a catch-up.”
“The main roster cuts, essentially, it was two things. Number one, all the people who were brought up from NXT that got spots, essentially, they wanted to remove a similar amount of people. They went to creative. It was creative that made the call as to who. They said, ‘Who on the roster are you not planning on using? Give us X number of names,’ which would be that number, the number that were brought up, and additional names from SmackDown.”
“SmackDown is going to two hours. So therefore, there is an hour less time of television. So therefore, there is less time to put as many people on. So therefore, there would be additional cuts on the SmackDown side.”
SmackDown is expected to return to a two-hour format between late June and early July as part of its deal with USA Network, reducing the weekly space available for storylines and matches. Around the same period, the blue brand added names such as Fatal Influence, Blake Monroe, and Ricky Saints.
Among those released were Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Santos Escobar, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley of the Motor City Machine Guns, Bo Dallas as Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, Zoey Stark, Alba Fyre, and Apollo Crews.