Multiple Wrestlers On Why Wrestlers Are Upset Over WWE Releases (Patreon)

On Thursday, November 4th, 2021 WWE released 18 wrestlers from their roster. They released nine from their NXT/developmental roster and nine from their main roster. When the news came out many people in the wrestling community criticized WWE for more releases. 

When you look at 2021 as a whole, WWE has released 72 wrestlers this year alone. 16 of them were still in their first contract with WWE. Of those 16, five were signed a year to a year and a half ago and 5 were signed within 2021. That there is the main issue it seems like some have with these releases.

I spoke with three professional wrestlers about the WWE releases, two that have not been in WWE before and one who is a former WWE wrestler, and all three basically told me the same thing. The issue they have with the releases is when they release people that have not even been under contract long. You sign people to deals and make them think for at least the next however many years their deal is for, they are financially secure. They agree to move to Florida, away from friends, family, and everything they know to be fully committed to WWE when in the end WWE was not fully committed to them for at least the length of their contract.

One of the wrestlers we spoke to stated that they understand why releases need to happen. They understand that WWE is a publically traded business and that they can not keep everyone they have under contract, under contract forever. Yet that WWE could go about it a different way than they have over the last few years. Especially with people that as stated above, just signed with the company and moved for WWE.

The other two we spoke with actually stated something similar but in a way, I really did not think about. They both said to me that if WWE needs to release people then they should just not re-sign them to new deals. With everything these wrestlers give up to sign with WWE, they should at least honor the contracts. Keep a list of who you think is not working out and when their contract comes up, let them go then. At least then they are more aware the release is coming. The commitment made is fullfilled on both ends and then they go their separate ways.

Now WWE is a business and sometimes you need to show you are spending less money at a specific given time and the easiest way to do so is with releases. It always sucks when people lose their jobs yet as stated above there are better ways to go about this. There are better ways than just out of nowhere to tell someone you have been let go, especially to someone who you just signed less than six months ago.

Yes, we can all criticize WWE from pillar to post about these releases and how they go about it till the cows come home and things may never change. Yet in the big picture of things, there has to be a better way for them to go about this than the way they are now. Will things ever change? We don't know but one could hope. At least fulfill your commitment to the contract signed and if in the end things are not working out with said wrestler, inform them that their deal is coming up, will not be renewed and both sides can go on their own way a little easier.