The wait is over for a group of talent WWE let go this spring.
WWE cut roughly 25 names on April 24, hours before SmackDown, in one of the largest single-day roster reductions in recent company history. Main roster talent were subject to 90-day non-compete clauses, and those have now lapsed, opening the door for other promotions to sign them.
The following former WWE talent are officially free agents as of today:
Kairi Sane
Aleister Black
Zelina Vega
Uncle Howdy (Bo Dallas)
Nikki Cross
Dexter Lumis
Erick Rowan
Joe Gacy
Santos Escobar
Chris Sabin
Alex Shelley
Zoey Stark
Several arrive on the market with obvious options. Sane is a former Stardom standout and the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion, and was in the middle of a storyline with IYO SKY and Asuka that never got its payoff. Black previously worked in AEW as Malakai Black. Sabin and Shelley have deep history in TNA and teased their next move in a video posted to their YouTube channel last week, with Fightful Select having reported in late April that the pair were expected to eventually sign with AEW.
Dallas, Cross, Lumis, Rowan and Gacy make up the entire Wyatt Sicks faction, which debuted in June 2024 and was built around the legacy of the late Bray Wyatt. Escobar, now going by Hijo del Fantasma again, was announced this month for an appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, where his guest listing pointed to a feature film role he has been shooting.
WWE never issued a formal statement on the April cuts, with confirmation coming through reporting and the wrestlers themselves.
