WWE made a mass round of talent cuts on Thursday, which included Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, Elias, Shelton Benjamin, Riddick Moss, Emma, Aliyah, and “Top Dolla” AJ Francis from the main roster, and Quincy Elliott, Shanky, Bryson Montana, Yulisa Leon, Dabba-Kato, Kevin Ventura-Cortez, Alexis Gray, and Daniel McArthur from NXT.
The company was looking to cut back on $50 million to $100 million in expenses following the merger with the UFC to form the TKO Holdings Group.
Dave Meltzer reported the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“The key to the releases were talent making main roster money but not being used on the main roster and with the idea that they were not going to be used in the future.”
“It’s time in vs. how much money you are paid vs. return on investment,” said one WWE official regarding the talent cuts.
