WWE releases 2026: List of all superstars, statements post-firing by TKO and more

WWE has an annual round of releases in which the company lets go of a majority of its talent who failed to meet expectations. The period came right after the end of their premier show, WrestleMania 42, which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, last week. It saw some shocking names being released from both the main roster and developmental territories (NXT, WWE ID, and Evolve), bringing a major shift in the WWE landscape right after The Show of Shows. Moreover, multiple reports have stated that the decision came and superstars were directly informed by WWE's parent company i.e TKO Group Holdings. With the recent firings, it has brought about a huge change in the global juggernaut's landscape.

List of all WWE superstars released post WrestleMania 42

Main roster:

• Kairi Sane
• Aleister Black
• Zelina Vega
• Uncle Howdy
• Nikki Cross
• Santos Escobar
• Motor City Machine Guns
• Dexter Lumis
• Erick Rowan
• Joe Gacy
• Zoey Stark
• Alba Fyre
• Apollo Crews

Developmental territory

• Andre Chase
• Tyra Mae Steele
• Sirena Linton
• Tyson
• Tyriek
• Chris Island
• Malik Blade
• Trill London
• Luca Crusifino

Did any WWE superstars send out a statement after TKO released them?

In a live stream on Twitch, Zelina Vega revealed that she was informed of her WWE release directly by TKO via a call. She said, "This time, it said TKO, 5:09 is when I got the call."

Injured star Zoey Stark tweeted out, "Thank you WWE, you made a young girls dream come true. You could not have been better and more supportive during my healing and I will be forever grateful. Thank you to all the girls in the back, the producers, camera men you were all incredibly kind and gracious. And a special Thank you to Terry Taylor and Coach Bloom for teaching me so much and being a shoulder to lean on. Its just the end of this chapter and the beginning of a new one. Falling Foward, onward and upward with God's plan, Booking: zstark.booking@gmail.com."

Alba Fyre had a short message, tweeting that her former persona, Kay Lee Rae, would have been better. "Kay Lee Ray would batter Alba Fyre, Just saying," said Fyre via X.

Wyatt Sicks member Nikki Cross thanked the entire WWE crew who helped her in this journey, saying, "Goodbye and thank you, WWE. I’m really excited for whatever my next chapter will hold. Thank you all for the continued love and support. Special thank you to Robbie Brookside and William Regal for helping this dream come true. Thank you to the wrestlers, coaches, producers and all the backstage crew who make all this possible.To the amazing girls in locker room ❤️."
Wyatt Sicks leader Bo Dallas, who potrayed the character and alter-ego of Uncle Howdy in WWE, thanked all his faction cohorts who put a lot of effort to honor the legacy of late Bray Wyatt and Brodie Lee. He tweeted, "Thank you Bo Thank you Erick Thank you Dexter Thank you Joe Thank you Nikki Thank you all for the hard work and dedication you put into the characters and the lore. Thank you for trying your absolute best to honor the legacies of Bray and Brodie with the tools you were given."

In a surprising turn of event, Kairi Sane has received a lot of support after her release, with #WeWantKairi trending a lot on social media. Days later, it was reported that the decision came due to Sane wanting to move back to her home country of Japan.

As the WWE roster undergoes a huge change following the release of multiple names, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the talents afftected by this talent cut round.

Also read: Was WWE legend Hulk Hogan broke? Life after first divorce, life threatening addictions, and more
Stay updated with the latest IPL Live Score, IPL news on Times of India. Follow the IPL Schedule, check the IPL Points Table, and track the race for the IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple Cap.