Full List Of Recent WWE Talent Departures, Releases Or Contracts Not Renewed

The road to WrestleMania has a dark cloud hanging over it. Recently, news broke that numerous WWE stars were either released or told their contracts would not be renewed in the coming weeks.

It is not the reason behind the mass layoffs is not entirely clear. The nature of the various departures differs, as some were granted releases, some were released, and some were simply told their contracts would not be renewed. Many of the released stars included notes about having 90 days until they can compete elsewhere.

With the releases appearing to be over for now, these are the 12 performers who no longer have jobs in WWE.

Duke Hudson's release came as a shock to many familiar with "NXT," as the 6-foot-5-inch competitor found massive popularity during his tenure with Chase U. Hudson was in WWE six years and is a former NXT Tag Team Champion alongside Andre Chase.

Hudson began his WWE career in 2019 under his real name, Brendan Vink. After appearing exclusively at "NXT" house shows, Hudson made his first televised appearance on the March 23, 2020 episode of "WWE Raw," where he and teammate Shane Thorne were defeated by The Street Profits. Hudson continued to make main roster appearances under the Brendan Vink persona throughout 2020, locking up with talent such as Cedric Alexander and Ricochet. He began performing under the name Duke Hudson during the 2021 "NXT" Breakout tournament, where he made it to the second round of matches before being bested by Carmelo Hayes. Hudson's 2021 career remained quiet until he became embroiled in a feud against Cameron Grimes, to which he ultimately lost after losing both a Hair versus Hair match and a No Holds Barred match against Grimes.

Hudson continued to float around "NXT" before November 2022, when he was integrated into Chase U as the faction's flagbearer alongside cheerleader Thea Hail and leader Andre Chase. Hudson is best known for his work with Chase U, which saw him win the NXT Tag Team Championships with Chase in 2023. Hudson's last televised match was on the October 9, 2024 episode of "NXT," where he lost to the treacherous Ridge Holland. Chase U was disbanded shortly after. Hudson recently released a cryptic (though well-produced) video in which he attempts to work through his WWE departure.

Cedric Alexander's eight-year WWE career came to an end with his recent release and subsequent social media announcement. Having debuted with WWE in 2016, Alexander is best known for his work in the development of WWE's cruiserweight division.

Alexander first broke out as part of the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic tournament, which saw fans publicly demand he be signed following a standout second round match with Kota Ibushi. Paul Levesque obliged. and Alexander was seen thereafter on "205 Live" programming, locking up with the likes of Noam Dar, Neville, and Mustafa Ali. Alexander was often present in No. 1 contendership matches for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, but was never pushed for the title before 2018, when he fought his way through a tournament for the vacant belt. Alexander won the Cruiserweight title in the tournament finals on the WrestleMania 34 kickoff show and held it for 181 days.

After Alexander dropped the title to Buddy Murphy at Super ShowDown 2018 and failed his subsequent attempts to regain the title, he began to perform on the main roster full-time. He did not find success in his United States Championship aspirations against then-champion AJ Styles, but did become a two-time WWE 24/7 Champion between 2019 and 2020 — albeit, with reigns lasting less than a day. Alexander's career saw a brief revival with his participation in the Hurt Business, which led him and Shelton Benjamin to win the "Raw" Tag Team Championships. The two held tag gold for 85 days before dropping the titles to the New Day in March 2021. Just prior to his release, Alexander began appearing on "NXT," where he allied himself with Je'Von Evans. Alexander's last match saw him fall to Ethan Page on the January 28 episode of "NXT."

Akam and Rezar's release marks the Authors of Pain's second departure from WWE, and WWE Hall of Famer Paul Ellering has gone with them.

While they were recently associated with Karrion Kross and Scarlett as members of The Final Testament, Akam and Rezar's WWE journey began in 2015. Debuting as Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani respectively, Akam and Rezar first performed as the Authors of Pain (AOP) in 2016, when they began to score televised victories against teams such as American Alpha. The Authors of Pain won the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, and eventually defeated #DIY for the NXT Tag Team Championships at NXT Takeover: San Antonio in 2017. AOP held the tag titles for a whopping 203 days, defending their titles against the likes of The Revival and Heavy Machinery before ultimately dropping the titles to SAnitY at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. During their time in "NXT," AOP was accompanied by Ellering, an industry veteran of nearly 50 years.

After failing to regain their tag team gold, AOP made their main roster debut on the April 9, 2018 episode of 'WWE Raw. They quickly gained the "Raw" Tag Team Championships after defeating Seth Rollins in a Two-on-One Handicap match in November 2018, and held the titles for 35 days, after which they floated around the main roster before being released in 2020. AOP were brought back in January 2024 (though they may have been signed for some time before then) when they, alongside Ellering, returned to WWE programming to aid Kross' misadventures against Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. AOP's last WWE match was on the December 30, 2024 episode of "Main Event," where AOP defeated Cruz Del Toro and Joaquin Wilde of the LWO.

After a career that saw her become the first openly gay female WWE star, recover from a terrifying home invasion, and claim a collection of five star matches, Pure Fusion Collective's leader Sonya Deville was informed that her contract would not be up for renewal, come its expiration at a currently undisclosed time.

Deville began her WWE career with her appearance on the 2015 season of WWE's reality training television show, "Tough Enough."Her appearance led to her signing a WWE contract that October, and she quickly made her way to "NXT's" house shows under her real name, Daria Berenato. Deville's first televised "NXT" appearance came on the July 13, 2016 episode of "NXT," where she lost alongside Alexa Bliss and Mandy Rose in a six-woman tag team match.

Deville debuted the Sonya Deville persona in April 2017, and continued to stay on "NXT" until December 2017, where she began to operate alongside Rose and Paige (now known as Saraya) as a member of Absolution. Absolution proceeded to feud with Bayley, Mickie James, and Sasha Banks heading into 2018, but Paige's retirement from WWE caused the group to disband that April. Rose and Deville continued to work alongside each other post-Absolution dissolution as Fire and Desire.

The dissolution of Fire and Desire in April 2020 led to a No Disqualification match at SummerSlam 2020, which saw Rose force Deville out of WWE. Deville began her work as "WWE SmackDown's" General Manager in 2021, where she began feuds with Bianca Belair and Naomi. Deville re-entered in-ring competition in 2022, and eventually claimed the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships alongside Chelsea Green in 2023, although an ACL injury in July 2023 ultimately forced Deville to vacate her title. Upon her return, Deville founded Pure Fusion Collective alongside Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark on "WWE Raw." Deville's most recently televised match was the 2025 women's Royal Rumble, and it is unclear whether she will make any future appearances as she waits for her contract to expire.

Once a menace on "WWE NXT UK" programming, Blair Davenport has now departed WWE. A former face in STARDOM, AEW, and Revolution Pro Wrestling (RevPro), Davenport's WWE career began in 2021 with a four match-long winning streak serving as her formal introduction to "NXT UK" programming.

While Davenport's win streak was cut short by two losses against Meiko Satomura for the "NXT UK" Women's Championship, Davenport quickly regained her footing as one of the most dangerous competitors in "NXT UK" with another winning streak. As "NXT UK" merged with "NXT" in 2022, Davenport appeared on the scene as a wild card in the title unification match between then-"NXT" Women's Champion Mandy Rose and "NXT UK" Women's Champion Satomura. While Davenport did not come out victorious in the following Triple Threat at NXT: Worlds Collide, Davenport got comfortable on "NXT" programming in 2023, locking up with notable competitors Roxanne Perez, Gigi Dolin, Kelani Jordan, Lyra Valkyria, and Nikkita Lyons.

2024 saw Davenport's call-up to the main roster, where she immediately locked up with Naomi and Indi Hartwell in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Triple Threat in June 2024. Davenport engaged in a brief feud with Naomi, which evolved to include Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill on the side of Naomi, with Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn of The Unholy Union on the side of Davenport. Shortly after Davenport and The Unholy Union suffered a loss at the hands of Belair, Cargill, and Naomi, Davenport attempted to stake her claim on the "WWE Speed" Women's Championship, only to be bested by Naomi. Davenport's last televised WWE match was on the November 22, 2024 episode of "WWE SmackDown," where she lost in the first round of the inaugural WWE Women's United States Championship tournament to eventual tournament winner Chelsea Green.

Isla Dawn, a recent ally of Blair Davenport's, has also been released from WWE. After clawing her way through the independent scene, Isla Dawn technically made her WWE debut as Stacy Coates in November 2017, where she lost to Asuka on an episode of "WWE Raw."

The Isla Dawn of today debuted on WWE programming in June 2018, after which she became a mainstay of "NXT's" UK-based operations, locking up with notable "NXT UK" stars in Toni Storm, Rhea Ripley, Piper Niven, and eventual Unholy Union teammate Alba Fyre (then-known as Kay Lee Ray). After "NXT UK's" dissolution in 2022, Dawn took her talents to "NXT's" Orlando-based programming, where she won her debut match against Thea Hail on the December 6, 2022 episode of "NXT." Dawn began to team with Fyre in 2023, and Fyre and Dawn eventually claimed the "NXT" Women's Tag Team Championships at Stand and Deliver 2023. While Fyre and Dawn ultimately lost their title unification match against then-WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler, the two continued to operate as a tag team as they moved to the main roster.

Fyre and Dawn, now The Unholy Union, shocked the world when they claimed the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships in a triple threat involving Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Baszler, and Zoey Stark at Clash at the Castle 2024. The pair held onto the titles for an impressive 77 days, successfully defending their titles against the likes of Meta-Four, Damage XTRL, and Pure Fusion Collective. After dropping the titles back to Belair and Cargill at Bash in Berlin 2024, The Unholy Union continued to operate as a unit until Dawn's release. Dawn's last broadcasted WWE match saw her take a loss to Shotzi in the "WWE Speed" Women's Championship Number One Contendership Tournament semi-finals.

Best known for their work alongside AJ Styles as "The OC," Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows are not expected to return to WWE programming any time soon. Once NJPW and Ring of Honor staples, Anderson and Gallows first arrived to WWE in 2016, where they first allied themselves with Styles as "The Club," derived from NJPW's infamous Bullet Club, which all three men were involved in at some point.

Anderson and Gallows' first WWE run saw them involved in several high-profile tag team feuds involving names such as The New Day and Cesaro and Sheamus. Tag team gold did not come across The Club until 2017, when Anderson and Gallows defeated Cesaro and Sheamus for the "WWE Raw" Tag Team Championships at 2017's Royal Rumble kickoff show. The Club held onto their gold for 63 days, eventually dropping the titles to The Hardy Boyz at WrestleMania 33 in a four-way Ladder match.

Gold eluded Anderson and Gallows until 2019. Shortly after rebranding to The OC, Anderson and Gallows captured the "Raw" Tag Team Championships in a triple threat between The Revival and The Usos. Unfortunately, The OC dropped the titles just 21 days later to the team of Braun Strowman and Seth Rollins. The OC experienced a precipitous drop in success after that, frequently taking losses against WWE's tag roster until their eventual release in 2020.

Anderson and Gallows made their way to Impact Wrestling (now known as TNA) shortly after their release, and operated as the Good Brothers to socre three Impact World Tag Team Championship reigns, with a combined 418 days as champions. Anderson and Gallows returned to WWE in 2022 — though admittedly not without controversy — where they reunited with Styles and integrated "Michin" Mia Yim to reform The OC. Prior to their recent release, Anderson and Gallows were making occasional appearances on "NXT," and their last televised match saw them take a loss to Hank and Tank on the September 24 episode of "NXT."

Formerly Imperium's Fabian Aichner, Giovanni Vinci's 7-year long tenure with WWE has come to an end. After making his "NXT" debut as Fabian Aichner on the October 4, 2017 episode of "NXT," Vinci spent two years fighting his way through the ranks of "NXT" before crossing the sea to "NXT UK," where he joined forces with GUNTHER (then-known as Walter) and Ludwig Kaiser (then-known as Marcel Barthel) in May 2019. What was originally christened as the European Union quickly became Imperium, and Vinci found great success in the infamous faction.

After making the move from "NXT UK" to "NXT" in 2020, Imperium won the NXT Tag Team Championship from Matt Riddle and Timothy Thatcher (who replaced Pete Dunne) on the May 13, 2020 episode of "NXT." Their first reign with the tag titles lasted for a respectable 105 days, and Imperium defended the titles against the likes of Breezango and the Undisputed ERA. Vinci and Kaiser dropped the titles later that August to Breezango, but a second run with the titles was not too far off. Fourteen months after losing NXT Tag Team Championships, Vinci and Kaiser were champions once again after they won a Lumber Jack O'Lantern match against MSK for the titles at 2021's NXT: Halloween Havoc event. This time, Imperium held onto the titles for 158 days, defending the titles twice before eventually dropping them back to MSK at Stand and Deliver 2022.

When GUNTHER and Kaiser were called up to the main roster in 2022, Vinci stayed behind, adopting the Giovanni Vinci name for the first time and reimagining himself as a wealthy European bon vivant with the catchphrase "Veni Vidi Vinci." This didn't last long, however, as Vinci was called up and reunited with Imperium shortly after Vince McMahon gave up creative control of WWE and Paul Levesque took the reigns. While he and Kaiser returned to their tag team ways and he was no longer a preening socialite, Vinci did keep the new name.

In April 2024, Kaiser turned on Vinci, who was exiled from Imperium and subsequently disappeared from WWE programming afterwards. Vinci did make an attempt at a return to the "Veni Vidi Vinci" gimmick, but was reportedly "pushed down the card" and was little used after taking a couple quick losses on "WWE SmackDown." Vinci's last broadcasted match saw him eliminated in the first round of the WWE Speed Championship No. 1 Contender tournament by former Brawling Brute Sheamus.

Elektra Lopez rounds out the current list of WWE releases and contract non-renewals. Having previously wrestled in Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling, the Elektra Lopez of today debuted in 2021 in a loss to Franky Monet (now known as Taya Valkyrie) on the June 22 episode of "NXT."

Lopez continued to appear on "NXT" programming as "NXT" rebranded into "NXT 2.0." She locked up with several well-known female competitors during her time in "NXT," from Cora Jade to Io Shirai (now known as IYO SKY). Despite gaining wins over talent such as Fallon Henley, Indi Hartwell, and Sol Ruca, Lopez never claimed nor competed for the NXT Women's Championship.

Lopez had an odd history with the stable known as Legado Del Fantasma, which she joined in 2022 when it was made up of Santos Escobar, Cruz del Toro, and Joaquin Wilde. Toward the end of the year, the stable was called up to the main roster, but the three men were accompanied not by Lopez, but by Zelina Vega (Lopez stayed in "NXT" where she formed a team with Lola Vice). Later, they formed the LWO with Rey Mysterio; when Escobar split from the LWO, he linked up with Angel and Berto, aka Los Garza, to form a new Legado Del Fantasma — and Lopez, who had finally been called up in her own right, was once again assigned to the faction.

Despite being featured with the group, Lopez rarely occupied the main roster ring. Her first main roster singles match saw her pick up a win against Vega in April 2024, while her most recent in-ring foray resulted in a loss against Tiffany Stratton in the first round of the inaugural WWE Women's United States Championship tournament.