In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer shed light on the internal directives and specific reasons leading to numerous departures from both the main roster and NXT. The WWE talent released or informed that their contracts would not be renewed around last week included:
Main Roster: Braun Strowman, Shayna Baszler, Dakota Kai, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, and Shotzi (whose contract was reportedly not renewed, effective July 2025).
NXT/Developmental: Cora Jade, Gigi Dolin, Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, & Wolfgang), Eddy Thorpe, Riley Osborne, Oro Mensah, Jakara Jackson, Javier Bernal, Dani Palmer, and Keanu Carver.
Meltzer reported that a directive within WWE was to clear roster space. This was aimed at creating openings on the main roster for upcoming talent from NXT and freeing up spots in NXT for new wrestlers to gain television experience. The report indicated that this strategy “essentially [targeted] those who were around but it was felt had little main roster potential.”
Regarding the NXT-specific cuts, Meltzer, citing multiple WWE sources, outlined several factors that influenced these decisions. “On the NXT side, decisions were made based on the feeling some talent was lazy, had not improved enough, were injury prone, or the feeling that they weren’t connecting.”
The final decisions on which talent would be released reportedly rested with WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque. However, Meltzer noted, “it is not known if he was told a number that he had to release, a dollar amount that he had to cut in these releases or if it was just all at his discretion.”
