To say there is no job security within WWE at the moment is an understatement, with the company frequently making releases to save money despite making massive profits. The belief is Nick Khan is behind the dive to trim the rosters, and it’s now been confirmed an additional 13 talents were let go on Friday. All came from WWE’s NXT brand, and the complete list of names is Mercedes Martinez, Bronson Reed, Bobby Fish, Leon Ruff, Kona Reeves, Tyler Rust, Jake Atlas, Ari Sterling, Zechariah Smith, Asher Hale, Giant Zanjeer, Desmond Troy and referee Stephon Smith.
The most surprising name among them was 32-year-old Bronson Reed. He had previously held the NXT North American Championship and recently been wrestling dark matches in front of WWE officials, with the expectation that he was being called up to the main roster. He would take to Twitter once he received the news stating that “This monster is back on the loose” and tagged in AEW, ROH, Impact, and New Japan.
Also unexpected was Mercedes Martinez, whose last NXT appearance saw her get legitimately knocked out by a roundhouse kick to the head, resulting in her being diagnosed with a concussion. Martinez was called up to the main roster last year as part of Retribution. Although, seeing the group was doomed to fail, she would ask to be removed from the group shortly after debuting. The decision had appeared to have paid off for her, however, she now finds herself jobless while the rest of Retribution is still employed.
At present, there seems to be no end in sight when it comes to the company letting talent go. Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt’s releases confirm that very few on the roster are safe regardless of how big a star they are. Unfortunately, these NXT releases also show that few are safe irrespective of potential.
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