WWE have announced a number of NXT stars released this evening. Among them are former NXT Champions Keith Lee and Karrion Kross, as well as their partners Mia Yim and Scarlett Bordeaux.
This is not the first large scale firings by WWE this year. Multiple times they have released a number of stars, with this current one focusing mainly on NXT talent.
Karrion Kross was recently called up to the main roster. He lost to Jeff Hardy twice in quick succession, before disappearing from action. He was reportedly not thought of as a star by Vince McMahon, so his release does not come as too much of a surprise.
Keith Lee, who was recently named The Bearcat, has been released from WWE. Lee was thought to be seen as a huge star in WWE. He had star making performances in Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble in 2019, and was reportedly thought of highly by Brock Lesnar.
Harry Smith, the son of the legendary British Bulldog, was also released this evening. He resigned with the company in July this year, but never made an appearance on TV before his release.
Ember Moon, the former NXT women’s champion, was also released tonight. She is joined by Nia Jax, another former Women’s Champion.
Two former Lucha House Party members, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado, were fired as well. They join former teammate Kalisto, who appeared on AEW Dynamite as Samuray del Sol.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com confirmed that the reason for the release was budget cuts. WWE recently announced a profit of over $250 million for the current quarter.
A list of other names released by WWE are:
- Keith Lee
- Mia Yim
- Scarlett Bordeaux
- Karrion Kross
- Ember Moon
- Oney Lorcan
- B-Fab
- Trey Baxter
- Katrina Cortez
- Jeet Rama
- Gran Metalik
- Lince Dorado
- Nia Jax
- Harry Smith
- Eva Marie
- Zayda Ramier
- Jessi Kamea
We’ll update the list as more information becomes available.