Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane and the Wyatt Sicks have all reportedly left the WWE. The SmackDown superstars were among numerous names released by the promotion on Friday after WrestleMania 42.
Vega verified the news in a Twitch stream. Black and Vega’s releases are the most surprising. The married couple was a regular presence on SmackDown, with Black firmly involved in the upper midcard scene. He won his last three matches this year, beating Sami Zayn, the United States champion at the time in a non-title match, WrestleMania headliner Randy Orton and Matt Cardona.
Black returned to WWE one year ago. It marked his second stint with the company after a respectable run in AEW. After beating Damian Priest in a Last Man Standing match in October, it seemed like WWE was ready to move Black up the ladder, but nothing came of it.
Sane, meanwhile, was a prominent player in an ongoing feud between Asuka and Iyo Sky that had been ongoing for months. She returned to WWE in 2023 and joined forces with Asuka, Sky and Bayley as part of Damage CTRL.
Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan and Dexter Lumis were also among those departing the company, according to professional wrestling journalist Sean Ross Sapp.
Cross published a statement after her departure, thanking WWE and its personnel.
“Goodbye and thank you, WWE,” Cross wrote on social media. “I’m really excited for whatever my next chapter will hold. Thank you all for the continued love and support. A 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 the locker room.”
The Wyatt Sicks debuted in 2024 following the death of Dallas’ real-life brother Bray Wyatt. The group functioned, in part, as a tribute act to the late WWE champion. They recently held the WWE tag team titles with Gacy and Lumis defending them.
The group feuded with Solo Sikoa and the MFTs for months and seemed to wrap up their storyline last Friday, losing an eight-man tag team street fight.
Below are the revealed cuts made on Friday, which include more former tag team champions and other superstars from the main roster and NXT.
WWE talent releases
- Aleister Black
- Zelina Vega
- Bo Dallas
- Kairi Sane
- Nikki Cross
- Joe Gacy
- Dexter Lumis
- Erick Rowan
- Motor City Machine Guns
- Apollo Crews
- Santos Escobar
- Zoey Stark
- Alba Fyre
- Andre Chase
- Dante Chen
