By David G. Firestone
So, as is tradition, WWE released a number of their superstars after WrestleMania. As expected, this led to a lot of fans being upset with some of the releases. This followed a somewhat lackluster WrestleMania, where fans were upset that some performers weren’t featured.
Well, I’m going against the grain here when I say that I agree with the releases, and perfomers not being featured in WrestleMania. Why? Well, here’s some food for thought.
WWE doesn’t run bingo halls. WWE doesn’t run swap meets. WWE doesn’t run rec centers. WWE runs big arenas across the world to huge crowds. WWE is not a small time promotion, WWE is the biggest promotion.
I say this because it’s part of why I agree with the releases. WWE is the top promotion in the world. A seat at the top table is not easy to get, and I feel that seats at the top table should be for the best. Not everyone who has a seat at the top table will stay there forever. Never forget that every career has a shelf life, and every career will end at some point. In many avenues, especially professional wrestling, your career’s end isn’t yours to define.
Objectively looking at the 2026 releases, it’s clear in the lead up to Wrestlemania, that most of them were floundering creatively. The New Day hadn’t done much in over a year. The MFT’s weren’t really going anywhere. The Wyatt Sicks had no momentum whatsoever for several months. In fairness, I actually forgot that a few of the releases still worked for WWE.
Again, seats at the top table are at a premium. Just because you had a seat yesterday, doesn’t guarantee you a seat today. Now there is another aspect that seems to go unnoticed. There are also a series of call ups from NXT, the top echelon of WWE’s developmental program. This is something that all performers need to understand, be it WWE, TNA, AEW, amongst others. That is that if you can’t cut the mustard, there are plenty of others who can.
NXT has had some pretty good call ups in recent years, and it’s always interesting to see how these go. Even some main roster signings have done well. Time will tell.
Now I’d like to discuss something that fans say that makes no sense to me whatsoever. Again, it’s said after every release. Fans will always complain about how much money WWE and TKO are making and whine about how it’s not right. So let me ask a question. Why would you keep employees who aren’t really being used for much? What entitles a wrestler to a WWE contract at all, let alone if they aren’t being used?
Let’s take Apollo Crews for example. Great athlete, very good in ring, but let me ask this…when was the last time we saw him wrestle on television in a singles match? Well, according to Cagematch.net, it was January 24, 2025, beating Johnny Gargano. He wrestled on Smackdown on February 13, in a 10 man match, and the last time was on April 14th in the 2026 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He’s one of the guys I forgot still worked in WWE.
Why would WWE keep Apollo Crews if they weren’t using him, and had no plans? Why spend millions on talent that have no long-term prospects, when that same money can get fresh faces in? WWE and TKO are businesses, and, at the end of the day, money is the goal. I’m sorry to see them go, but life will move on.
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