This time of the year, WWE fans might expect to see talents beginning to be released from the company and “wished well in their future endeavours.” In fact, it around a year ago that a endeavours.” In fact, it around a year ago that a noticeable group of names were officially let go, including Damien Sandow and Wade Barrett.were officially let go, including Damien Sandow and Wade Barrett.
The news wires haven’t been complete without stories about superstar releases, with a few NXT wrestlers cut loose in late April. Still, with talents like Shinsuke Nakamura and Tye Dillinger beginning to take main-roster roles, one can only assume some of the other talents could be released soon.
While we would never wish such a thing on anyone, here are five names that would seem likely to appear on such a cut list.
#1 Curtis Axel
Some of Curtis Axel’s woes in recent years have been just sheer bad luck for the third-generation star. For instance, he was actually making some headway with his “Axelmania” gimmick until Hulk Hogan’s sex tape and racism scandal broke.
Still, Axel hasn’t had much meaningful screen time in many months. He was part of the build to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33, but other than the brief build to that, he hasn’t had a televised match since losing to Braun Strowman in December.Strowman in December.
The time may be soon that the son of “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig might soon find himself outside the WWE, and that might not necessarily be a bad thing.
#2 Summer Rae
Summer Rae has been noticeably absent from WWE programming for months, with her last televised match coming in July. She explained late last year that she was out of action due to injury, but with no official recognition of those health concerns, it’s hard to see why she still hasn’t been seen.
Simply put, the women’s division is just too crowded at this point for someone like Summer Rae to make an impact inside the ropes. Both rosters have plenty of women who have put in much better work much more consistently.
She may have a future in the WWE as a manager or valet, but if she has a future as an in-ring performer, it will likely have to be in another promotion.
#3 Aiden English
English might be the longest shot to be let go of anyone on this list, since he’s recently been working his singer gimmick as a singles act. Still, if the WWE decides to clear some names off its roster, the former NXT tag-team champion could easily be one of them.
Similar to Axel, English hasn’t become expendable due entirely to his own actions. His former tag-team partner Simon Gotch was released last month, reportedly due to backstage drama, and that obviously left English in a bind from a booking perspective.
Perhaps the two could unite in the Indy scene or English could make a fresh start on his own.
#4 Paige
This is far from the first speculation regarding Paige's future in the WWE. The former NXT women’s and main-roster Divas champion has been the subject ofmain-roster Divas champion has been the subject of rumours and news for a variety of reasons in recent months, related to her relationship with Alberto Del Rio, leaked X-rated photos and the injuries that have kept her away from the WWE.
But the fact remains that she hasn’t been seen in the ring since June, and Del Rio hasn’t exactly helped make her recovery period a smooth one, taking shots at the WWE on several occasions. Even if the WWE truly would like Paige in the fold, the aforementioned deep women’s roster gives executives the flexibility to part ways with her and any associated drama.
#5 Sin Cara
Unlike most of the other names on this list, Sin Cara has been seen on WWE programming as recently as this week. Still, a loss to Dolph Ziggler – a man who takes a considerable number of losses himself – far from confirms that the superstar has a firm footing with the company.
Sin Cara was actually a participant in one of the backstage incidents that helped lead to Gotch’s release, and that’s not the only time the masked wrestler has had similar issues.
New ring gear could be a sign of good things to come for Sin Cara, but it also wouldn’t be entirely shocking if he was “wished well in his future endeavours” in the coming weeks by WWE management.
