Two WWE NXT Releases Were Especially Surprising Internally

WWE decided that Thursday was the day that they would issue cuts to their roster. Last week they axed a number of employees from their HQ, and that was somewhat expected after the TKO merger. The roster cuts came as a bit of a surprise, especially in certain cases.

Click here for a complete list of WWE main roster releases from this round of cuts.

Two of WWE NXT’s recent releases have reportedly puzzled those within NXT. There were several cuts made to the company’s developmental brand.

NXT took a significant hit in this round of cuts, and a few people were released who never had a chance to perform on television. Most of the NXT talent who were released had been regulars on NXT Level Up.

Mustafa Ali and Ikemen Jiro were both released as they were both getting time on television. Ali had been a consistent presence on NXT programming after becoming a free agent in the 2023 WWE Draft, and he had a Premium Live Event match scheduled at No Mercy against North American Champion Dominik Mysterio.

Bodyslam.net reportedly spoke to multiple sources in NXT, and the prevailing sentiment is that the releases of Ali and Ikemen Jiro have left those who work on the brand baffled and confused about the decision to cut both of them.

“That one (Mustafa Ali) and Jiro are huge head scratchers. Ali did everything he was told to do. My guess is his requests to be released finally caught up to him”

“Jiro was a guy who was really over with the NXT crowd. They’d clap to his entrance and cheer the funny stuff he’d do. The fans knew he was a good athlete, but were guaranteed a good time when he showed up.”

Jiro’s spot on television diminished in recent memory, but he was still around. Apparently, his flamboyantly colored sports coat gimmick wasn’t enough to keep him around.

It’s terrible whenever anyone loses their job, especially in WWE. The company is making great profits, but they still made a lot of cuts after that TKO deal closed. We are hoping for the best regarding everyone who was cut by WWE in recent memory, including the more than 100 employees who lost their jobs.

What’s your take on WWE making these cuts? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you think!