Jim Spellman/Getty Images
Several WWE superstars were reportedly released from their contracts on Thursday after WWE merged with UFC to form TKO Group Holdings last week.
According to Fightful Sean Ross Sapp, WWE parted ways with Dolph Ziggler, Elias, Shelton Benjamin, Rick Boogs, Emma, Riddick Moss, Top Dolla and Aliyah. Also Mustafa Ali tweeted On Thursday, he announced that he was “no longer working with WWE.”
PWInsider.com (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News) reported that WWE laid off over 100 employees following the merger.
Nick Hausman of HausofWrestling.com later reported that a WWE source indicated that “significant cuts” would also be made to the talent roster.
Most of Thursday’s releases featured artists who have had some success in the WWE in the past, but have struggled to advance beyond the lower card in recent months.
Arguably the biggest name to be let go was Ziggler, who was one of the company’s longest-tenured superstars, having signed back in 2004.
Ziggler has a Hall of Fame resume, having won the World Heavyweight Championship twice, the Intercontinental Championship six times, the United States Championship twice and the Tag Team Championship four times. He was also a one-time winner of the Money in the Bank ladder match.
Last year, Ziggler made a surprise move to NXT and also defeated Bron Breakker for the NXT Championship. Ziggler eventually returned the title to Breakker and then returned to the main roster.
Ziggler was not used much after his return, despite his considerable talent and charisma in the ring.
Ziggler, 43, could be a highly sought-after free agent given all of his success, and AEW appears to be a potential landing spot with his brother Ryan Nemeth working for the company.
Benjamin, 48, signed with WWE in 2000 after a spectacular college wrestling career at the University of Minnesota. He joined Kurt Angle’s Team Angle faction in 2002 and became a three-time Intercontinental Champion, three-time Tag Team Champion and one-time United States Champion.
He was released in 2010 before returning in 2017 and eventually became part of The Hurt Business with Bobby Lashley, MVP and Cedric Alexander. The stable disbanded in 2022 and Benjamin struggled to secure consistent television time after that.
Elias was another long-standing member of the roster who was released as he signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2014.
When Elias was called up to the main roster in 2017, he established himself as an excellent heel, using his musical performances to get under fans’ skin and create a lot of buzz.
Last year, Elias introduced a new character named Ezekiel, who claimed to be Elias’ brother. After an entertaining feud with Kevin Owens, Ezekiel was sidelined and Elias returned, but he had not competed in a televised match since May before his release.
Like Elias, Moss signed a developmental deal in 2014 and endured many trials and tribulations before making it to the main roster, including numerous injuries.
Moss’ most notable run came from 2021 to 2022 alongside Happy Corbin under the name Madcap Moss. Moss won the 2022 Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal before WrestleMania 38, which was the catalyst for his breakup with Corbin.
His on-screen appearances have been extremely sparse this year, which was also the case for his real-life fiancée Emma, who was also released on Thursday.
Emma was with WWE from 2011 to 2017 when she was first released. After appearances in Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling, Emma returned to WWE in October 2022, but was never able to establish herself as a key member of the women’s division after losing to Ronda Rousey in her first match back.
Aliyah spent six years in the WWE developmental system from 2015 to 2021 before finally getting her big break in the form of a call-up to the main roster.
In August 2022, Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez won a tournament for the vacant WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, but lost it to Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai just two weeks later.
Aliyah disappeared from WWE programming following this loss and did not compete in a televised match for an entire year before her release.
Boogs debuted on the main roster in 2021, using his legitimate guitar skills to impersonate Shinsuke Nakamura in the ring. Eventually, they began to team up and even had a SmackDown Tag Team Championship match against The Usos at WrestleMania 38.
During the game, Boogs suffered a torn quadriceps and patellar tendon, which kept him out for nine months. He returned in January, but his only televised match since May was participating in the battle royal at SummerSlam last month.
Top Dolla, whose real name is AJ Francis, spent two seasons as an NFL defensive tackle with the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders before starting professional wrestling in 2020 and signing with the WWE.
Together with Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Ashante Thee Adonis and B-Fab, Top Dolla founded Hit Row in 2021. The group found success in NXT, but were released just weeks after their main roster debut.
Top Dolla, Adonis and B-Fab returned last year but were never promoted beyond their roles as enhancement talent to compete against larger tag teams and singles acts.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all the latest wrestling topics. Watch the latest episode in the player below.