As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, ten WWE NXT talents were future endeavored by the company on Friday. The names released include Malcolm Bivens, Dakota Kai, Harland, Persia Pirotta, Dexter Lumis, Draco Anthony, Raelyn Divine, Mila Malani, Sanjana George, and Paige Prinzivalli. All of these talents will have 30-day non-compete clauses.
Fightful is reporting that it was John Laurinaitis who made the calls to the talent, citing budgetary reasons.
Additionally, the following email was sent out internally:
“Due to budgetary cuts, and with immediate effect as of today, 4/29/2022, we have come to the terms to release the following.”
Bivens had made it very clear in recent months that he wasn’t planning to re-sign with the company when his contract expired. He was also saying the same last year but he agreed to a short-term extension due to the Diamond Mine pitch. One source in the WWE Digital department said there was a significant push to feature Bivens more.
Dakota Kai reportedly knew she’d be released in the future and told WWE officials she wasn’t planning on renewing her contract. While she worked several dark matches on RAW and SmackDown, she wasn’t given any indication that she’d be called up when the WWE Draft takes place.
As far as Harland is concerned, the feeling from several coaches and officials was that he wasn’t improving enough in the ring.
It should be noted that one WWE official revealed that they were frustrated with some of the cuts because several angles, gimmicks and storylines will now need to be changed on little to no notice.
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