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Over the last few years, WWE has done an annual “Spring Cleaning” where they release a group of talent that they have not been using, or don't wish to use going forward.
Last year due to COVID WWE released a larger group of talent due to the uncertainties of the Pandemic. Most of the talent released last year went to work for other companies and are now thriving.
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Matt Cardona (FKA Zack Ryder) and Heath Miller (FKA Heath Slater) went on to work for Impact Wrestling. The Good Brothers, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows also signed with Impact Wrestling but have been appearing regularly on AEW Dynamite.
EC3 went on to work for Impact and multiple other promotions as a top star. Miro (FKA Rusev) is the current TNT Champion in AEW. This is just to name a few.
In other years, stars like Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal were released from their WWE contracts but became stars elsewhere. Their popularity and hard work brought them back to WWE where they became World Champions.
Things like this have been happening for years and the wrestling world has been a revolving door for superstars who remain popular. However, WWE has released a number of top talent this year, including former champions like Buddy Murphy, Aleister Black and Braun Strowman.
These stars will have to wait for a full 90 days from their release to work somewhere else due to contract obligations but here are a few of the released stars who will absolutely go on to become stars.
#8. Ruby Riott
Ruby Riott signed with WWE back in 2016 and quickly became a fan favorite on NXT. After her time on NXT, Riott was brought up to the main roster as the leader of The Riott Squad. Alongside Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, The Riott Squad was an unstoppable force on both Raw and Smackdown.
Once the group was split up, all three members seemed to sit in a bit of limbo. Riott was out with an injury for quite a while. Morgan really had nothing solid until Riott eventually came back. As for Logan, she was released from the company.
Before she was in WWE, Riott went under the name Heidi Lovelace and fans are already calling for her to go back to using that name. At only 30 years old, she still has a long career ahead of her and any promotion should want her.
AEW is looking to build up its Women’s Division as it has been highly criticized by fans. Britt Baker is currently the AEW Women’s Champion. If she stays the champion for the next 90 days, Riott would make for great competition for her.
Impact Wrestling has a stacked Women’s Division but if Riott were to go there, she would be another big draw to add to the list. Riott’s fast-paced in-ring style and her rebel appearance would fit in perfectly into the mix.
She could also choose to work on the independent circuit for a while, much like EC3 has been doing post-release. Her popularity and name alone could be a reason independent promoters would want to give her top booking.
No matter where she ends up, this will not be the last that we see of Riott. Any company will be lucky to have her and there is no doubt that she can be a top star wherever she ends up.
#7. Andrade
Andrade is a former NXT Champion and United States Champion but never really reached his full potential in WWE. Despite putting on some incredible matches, his character just seemed to get lost in the shuffle at times.
Andrade was paired with Zelina Vega for most of his time in WWE but once Vega was released last November, his character really started to suffer. They were going to split either way but once it started, he really wasn’t used again.
He initially asked for his release but it was denied. He sat in Limbo a bit longer until it was then granted in March.
Before working for WWE, Andrade worked under the name La Sombra and worked for promotions all over the world. Many would say he is one of the best wrestlers they have ever been in the ring with.
Much like his wife Charlotte Flair, he has an amazing athletic ability that would make him a huge draw for any promotions.
He recently appeared in AAA Wrestling and appears to be going back to his roots in Mexico to start his rise to the top of the wrestling world. He issued a challenge to current AAA World Champion Kenny Omega asking for a chance at the title. Omega has accepted the challenge and the match will be happening soon.
This could mean that we might see Andrade also appear on AEW since Omega is their champion as well. It would only help both promotions to have a cross-promotional feud between both stars.
Given that, AEW is regularly doing cross-promotional work with Impact and NJPW so this could be a huge opportunity for them. Andrade is a well-known name all over the world so even if it was just for a match or two; it should be something they consider.
With this being Andrade’s first big match post-WWE, it shows that both AEW and AAA already have faith in him.
Even if he doesn’t go to AEW right away, this run with AAA is only the beginning for Andrade and big things in his future.
#6. Aleister Black
Many considered Aleister Black to be a rising star in WWE. The former NXT champion has wrestled all over the world and shocked the WWE universe with his in-ring style and dark appearance.
Much like Andrade, Black also has ties to Zelina Vega as they are married in real life. When she was released last year, the future was up in the air for Black. He was not mentioned on WWE TV and just seemed to disappear.
Black recently reappeared in vignettes talking about a “Dark Father” and then attacked Big E during an Intercontinental Championship match on SmackDown.
With this his return only being a few weeks ago, things seemed to be looking up for Black. That is why many were surprised to see him released in the latest batch of WWE releases. He was also well-liked by many higher-profile people in WWE like Paul Heyman. Black made sure to thank these people via Twitter while discussing his release.
Before his time in WWE, Black went by the name Tommy End. He seems to be reclaiming that name as he does not own the Aleister Black name. He took to Twitch and explained that he isn’t quite sure what is next for him. Any promotion would be lucky to have him since he is such a larger than life star.
Vega is a big star on Twitch now and both she and Black have a clothing business. Prior to Vega’s release from WWE, there were some rumors she might go on to be a manager for her husband. It would be interesting to see if they were both to show up somewhere together.
No matter what is to come for Black, he is already involved in so much that he could do a lot with his other ventures. He would be a perfect fit for AEW though especially if his wife were going to join him.
He is not only a great wrestler but also a great character. Given the creative freedom that AEW provides, he can really do a lot with it.
#5. Buddy Murphy
Buddy Murphy was signed with the WWE for quite some time and was part of a major tag team in NXT at one point. Murphy became a big star on 205 Live and made a huge transformation to be a part of the Cruiserweight Division.
His big moment in WWE is when he teamed up with Seth Rollins and became one of Rollin’s disciples. This led to a storyline with Rey and Dominic Mysterio that eventually faded away leaving Murphy with nothing.
He might have rejoined Rollins a few weeks back but nothing ever came from it. Many fans would praise Murphy for his in-ring work and there were also WWE stars who really wanted to see more come of his character.
Even if we got just a little glimpse of what Murphy is capable of, not many can compete with his athletic abilities.
He will fit in wherever he ends up and will put on five-star matches no matter who the opponent is. If he goes to New Japan or Impact, he can easily become one of their top stars on the roster. Will Osprey and Murphy could tear the house down with a face-paced/high-flying match-up in Japan.
Another dream match would be Murphy vs AEW’s PAC. Murphy and PAC have very similar styles and both know each other well. PAC was a huge part of the Cruiserweight Division of the WWE but left to reinvent himself. Murphy could follow in the same footsteps.
Murphy would describe himself as “The Best Kept Secret” but it’s time for the secret to come out and for him to shock the world with his talents.
#4. & #3. The IIconics
Peyton Royce and Billie Kay came into the WWE together and were a team known as The IIconics. After taking over the Women’s Division in NXT the two then came up to the main roster and were instant fan favorites.
Their in-ring abilities and relatable characters made them great stars no matter the roster they were on. Coming from Australia together and knowing each other for years really helped the authenticity of their character’s friendship.
After competing in a match that forced them to separate, the two seemed to drift throughout their rosters without direction. The decision to split the two was highly criticized by fans because many wanted their characters together
The two now go under the names Cassie Lee (Royce) and Jessica McKay (Kay). They recently said during an interview together that wherever they end up they are going to be a tag team.
They would be perfect fits for Impact’s Women’s Division as they are also currently building up their tag teams. Impact already has a wide variety of hard-working female characters in their division but the two could really spice things up there.
Another possibility would be that they show up on AEW Dynamite. As stated before, AEW has been criticized for their Women’s Division but adding these two talented female stars could start a Women’s Tag Team Division for the company.
The two are spending time working on their own podcast right now as well. If it takes off it could be huge for them!
The IIconics were huge stars together and they will be stars no matter where they go. The Women’s Tag Team division is about to be shaken up for whoever they sign with.
#2. Lana
Lana first appeared in WWE as the crazy Russian manager of her husband Rusev. Her fierce accent and stunning looks really made her character someone that the WWE universe wanted to see.
Once she started to train to become an in-ring star, her character really started to develop. Eventually, her accent dropped but she was still tied to her husband for most of her time there.
She gave her all to WWE and really put in the work to be a successful star instead of just another pretty face on the screen, but she never seemed to stick.
Lana whose real name is CJ Perry has a very strong acting background and has even appeared in movies for WWE. If Lana wanted to, she could make a career out of acting or even social media due to her strong presence there
Since her husband is signed to AEW, it would be nice to see the two teaming up together once again. This time with their creative freedoms, they could really do some great work together.
If she does stay in wrestling, she could become a huge on-screen personality for AEW. Miro is currently the TNT Champion for AEW and with her addition to the roster; it would do nothing but help his character as well.
#1. Braun Strowman
The Monster Among Men is one of the most shocking WWE releases in years. This time last year, Strowman was the Universal Champion and defeated Goldberg at WrestleMania. It seemed that his career was really booming and it could only go up from there.
Strowman came on to the scene out of nowhere and became The Black Sheep of the Wyatt Family. Once separated from them, his character really started to develop and fans started to see how much of a monster he was capable of being.
WWE invested a lot of time into Strowman and really pushed his character since its inception. He is a former Strong Man competitor and is involved in many things outside of the wrestling world. He literally is a larger than life personality given his size and will end up somewhere.
If he does end up on the independent scene, it will most likely only be for a short time as any major promotion will be lucky to have him.
An athlete of his size and ability is very rare and he will draw a lot of fans for a promotion. AEW does not currently have anyone that can compare to his size and if they wanted to add more “big men” to their roster, he would be a steal.
Strowman is one of those people that has what it takes to be anything he wants to be. Even if he were to leave the wrestling world completely, it would not be long before he found something else he could do.
Again, not many people in the world are the size of him and that alone could help him with an acting career. He is also a big outdoors person and maybe he could have his own reality TV show doing that.
Long story short, Strowman is going to be a big star and a household name no matter where he ends up.
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