From the WWE rumor mill: Reason behind the two NXT releases on Thursday revealed

What's the story?

On Thursday afternoon, the WWE announced the release of two female NXT Superstars from the company in Abbey Laith and Sage Beckett. On Friday, Mike Johnson of PWInsider provided some clarity on the reason why Laith and Beckett were released.

In case you didn't know...

Both Laith and Beckett appeared in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament that took place last August. In the tournament, Laith made it to the quarterfinals by defeating Jazzy Gabert and Rachel Evers, while Beckett was defeated in the first round by Bianca Belair.

The heart of the matter...

Johnson reports that there was no heat on either woman in the company. They were simply released for the reason that NXT Management didn't see enough progression with either of the women to continue employing them.

With the massive amount of talent accumulated at the Performance Center and NXT, meaning that many other talented wrestlers are "knocking on the door" and "something had to give", according to Johnson. If a wrestler isn't showing the desired improvement over a period of time, the WWE is likely to cut ties with them.

Johnson also states that he expects both women to return to wrestling on the independent scene. Laith was known as Kimber Lee in CHIKARA, whereas Beckett was working for WWN.

What's next?

Rumors are that there could be more cuts on the way, during what many call the annual "spring cleaning" in the WWE. Stay tuned to Sportskeeda for further updates on the NXT and WWE roster moves in the coming weeks.

Author's take...

I will admit that I was a little frustrated at these releases. I liked both women in the independent circuit and thought we would see each carve at least a decent NXT career.

It's definitely a tough business, and the fact that two talented wrestlers like Laith and Beckett were released is proof how competitive the fight for a roster spot within NXT and WWE is today.