The first WWE releases of the new regime have officially been made public. These marked the first batch of releases since a crop of NXT talent was cut on April 29, which included the likes of Dakota Kai, Dexter Lumis, and Harland. Kai and Lumis have since returned to WWE, while Harland – as Parker Boudreaux – has signed with AEW.
Per PWInsider, the names released this time around are Bodhi Hayward, Sloane Jacobs, Erica Yan, Damaris Griffin, and Ru Feng. News of possible releases was first teased by the Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez late on Monday evening while Monday Night Raw was on-air.
Who Were The Five NXT Superstars?
Although the five names weren’t key members of the roster, Bodhi Hayward stands out as the biggest name cut. He had most recently been seen as part of Andre Chase’s Chase University stable, though he was written off television not too long ago by Duke Hudson. Debuting in January, he last wrestled Indus Sher on September 24.
From the women’s division, Sloane Jacobs and Erica Yan were cut. Jacobs wrestled as The Notorious Mimi before signing with WWE, debuting this past March and entering the NXT Breakout Tournament. She wrestled as recently as this past weekend’s live events. Erica Yan, meanwhile, debuted in December 2021, and last wrestled Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley on September 10.
Lastly, Damaris Griffin and Ru Feng had barely wrestled on television before being cut. Griffin wrestled four contests on NXT Level Up, last competing on the August 5 broadcast. As for Feng, he wrestled across NXT, NXT Level Up, and 205 Live, going without a win in his eleven matches and last competing in the middle of September.
These NXT cuts were the first undertaken by the new WWE regime, who took over in July. It’s currently unknown if any more cuts are on the way.