Report: Reason WWE NXT Superstars Were Released Revealed

On April 15, WWE released 10 NXT Superstars including Drake Maverick, Deonna Purrazzo, Kassius Ohno, Tino Sabbatelli, and Taynara Conti. 23 other wrestlers from the main roster were also released, while nine producers were furloughed until at least July.

The mass releases came after the company announced they would be making cutbacks, despite estimates showing WWE is still on course to make record profits in 2020.

While the wrestling behemoth had committed to making the cutbacks, Sean Ross Sapp at Fightful revealed the company released talent that fit a certain criteria. Talent that were let go were those who had previously expressed dissatisfaction with creative or had been on the roster for some time without making it to TV.

For the avoidance of doubt, Sapp penned: "We were told that the primary line of thinking in releasing NXT talent were people who had expressed their dissatisfaction creatively, or had long tenures there without plans."

What the released talent does next remains to be seen, but one Superstar who has already rebranded themselves is Kassius Ohno, who has quickly revived his Chris Hero character.