As we’ve been reporting here on eWn, WWE released five talents from its roster on Friday – Jinder Mahal, Xia Li, Veer Mahaan, Sanga, and Xyon Quinn.
Pwinsider is reporting that there are no further releases expected to take place over the weekend.
Additionally, the latest talent releases were handled differently than in the past. The calls to the wrestlers cut from the roster were more “apologetic and respectful” than previous executives who headed up WWE Talent Relations, including John Laurinaitis. It is said that Laurinaitis in particular was often rude to the talent when he informed them they were being fired.
While WWE internally attributed the move to “budget cuts,” it remains unclear whether this was the same message communicated to the affected talent.
All five Superstars were informed of their releases on Friday evening. As per WWE management, the decision to release these stars resulted from a combination of factors, including their lack of recent appearances on TV due to the unavailability of creative content and their tenure and growth trajectory within the company.
Moreover, none of the released talent had any issues or conflicts that led to their departure. All five of them were well-regarded and respected among their colleagues.
Some members of the SmackDown roster came to know about the releases after the news surfaced online as no official memos were sent to the talent or staff.
Interestingly, Jinder Mahal, who was recently at NXT, was reportedly very supportive and helpful to his colleagues, offering valuable advice to anyone who asked for it.
As for Xia Li, the graphics team had advertised her for the upcoming battle royale on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, indicating they were unaware of her release from the company.
Each of the five talents has a 90-day non-compete period before they can become free agents.
