UPDATED 11:40 PM ET
According to Fightful Select, WWE Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis issued an internal e-mail on Friday to the company, announcing the releases. It was said he cited budget cuts as the reason for the releases. The text from the email is below:
“Due to budgetary cuts, and with immediate effect as of today, 4/29/2022, we have come to the terms to release the following.”
The NXT talents released Friday are all under 30-day non-compete clauses. They will officially become free agents on Sunday, May 29, and will be free to sign with other promotions.
According to several sources, one NXT official expressed frustration how several angles and storylines are going to be impacted with little to no notice or preparation before the releases took place.
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WWE made another set of roster cuts on Friday, releasing eight wrestlers, a manager, and a referee.
The 10 releases are listed below:
Dakota Kai (real name Cheree Crowley)
Malcolm Bivens (formerly Stokely Hathaway)
Harland (real name Parker Boudreaux)
Dexter Lumis (real name Samuel Shaw)
Persia Pirotta (real name Stephanie De Landre)
Draco Anthony (real name Reginald Chase Crews)
Referee Blair Baldwin (real name Paige Prinzivalli)
Vish Kanya (real name Sanjana George)
Mila Milani (real Kellie Morga)
Raelyn Divine (real name Jaylen Williams)