On Thursday, some big names in WWE were hit with a round of talent cuts.
Among the biggest names was Dolph Ziggler, the 43-year-old wrestler who is a two-time world heavyweight champion, six-time intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Other wrestlers released include Elias, Shelton Benjamin, Mustafa Ali, Rick Boogs, Emma, Aliyah, Riddick Moss and Hit Row’s Top Dolla.
Ziggler’s release and a number of other cuts were first reported by wrestling outlet Fightful.
A WWE spokesperson declined to comment to The Post about the cuts.
The releases come a week after WWE merged with UFC to form a new company, TKO, which is both publicly traded and under the Endeavor umbrella.
Former WWE champion Dolph Ziggler was among the wrestlers the company released on Thursday.Getty Images
Elias carries a guitar in his 2015 NXT appearance. Getty Images
There were also cuts to WWE back office roles last week.
A number of wrestlers confirmed their releases on Thursday.
“From drifting onto the stage… to WrestleMania with John Cena & The Undertaker… to millions of people around the world walking with Elias for years… to a #1 iTunes album… to being my own younger brother ( ZEKE) while traveling around the world. . It was a great time. God is good!” tweeted Elias, referring to a number of his character’s turns throughout the year.
Wrote Mustafa Ali: “I no longer work with WWE. I’m looking forward to the future. Thank you very much.”
He signed the tweet with his real first name, Adeel.
Emma, whose real name is Tenille Dashwood, tweeted Thursday morning that it was “a dream” for WWE to host its “Elimination Chamber” event in her home country of Australia next February 24.
Tenille Dashwood, who starred in WWE as Emma, announced her release on Thursday.Instagram / Tenille Dashwood
Hours later, she tweeted: “Oops, whatever. I was just released…I’m no longer with WWE.”
On Thursday morning, WWE announced that “SmackDown” will be leaving Fox for USA Network next year.
“Raw” and the developmental brand “NXT,” currently airing in the United States, are proverbial free agents in the live rights market.
The Wall Street Journal reported that “SmackDown” rights in the United States totaled $1.4 billion, a 40 percent increase over WWE’s deal with Fox for the program.