Comprehensive List Of WWE Firings Since TKO Merger

WWE decided to make some tough cuts to their roster, but they also fired a lot of staff a week before that. All that went down after the massive TKO merger went through.

There were a lot of people in WWE who were nervous that a call will come that they are no longer employed. Sadly, that Zoom call came for a lot of people in WWE.

WWE and UFC’s merger is now complete, and TKO Holdings Group intends on cutting costs. They have a number in mind, and it will take a lot of hard decisions to reach that desired $50 million to $100 million goal. It was later proclaimed that the company is ready to “fire out of the gate,” and those exact words were used.

In total, WWE fired over 100 employees on September 15th. We do not know all of their names, but some names on the corporate level have been revealed.

Frank Riddick was the first major WWE departure. He was WWE’s CFO, and his departure went down shortly after being awarded a $5 million bonus after the TKO merger.

Catherine Newman was fired from WWE as part of the cuts. She was WWE’s Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing. The marketing department was hit especially hard with the cuts, as were the WWE Network and podcasting divisions. In the end, the analytics division was left with only three employees.

WWE also fired Amanda Bloom, their Director, Enterprise Master Data & Governance. She later posted on LinkedIn to declare that she is now looking for work.

Jamie Horowitz, who was Vice President of Development and Digital, was also fired. It was later reported that Horowitz was not well-liked within the company.

Mustafa Ali said he is no longer working with WWE, and his name was the first to come out in the last list of roster releases. He was working with NXT prior to his departure, where he was trying out a new character.

Matt Riddle was released a day after the rest of the main roster talent. The Original Bro earned a ton of headlines, including from his ex-girlfriend, who couldn’t hold back “tears of joy” when he was fired.

Dolph Ziggler’s release was one of the biggest shocks to see. It was recently reported that Dolph Ziggler asked for some time off from WWE. He has been crafting his stand-up comedy routine for years, and now he will have more opportunities to explore those options.

It didn’t take long for fans to hear about Elias’ release. Longtime readers will know what Ringside News exclusively reported that the internal belief was that his Ezekiel brother character killed his creative.

It was then revealed that Emma was released today as well. She was with Riddick Moss creatively in WWE, and she hadn’t been seen in quite some time.

Riddick Moss later joined Emma’s in the list of releases. WWE has historically released couples together, and it appears this round of cuts included another one. Ringside News exclusively reported that WWE creative didn’t know how to get Moss over, because he never connected with fans.

It was later reported that Rick Boogs was released from his contract. He was aligned with Shinsuke Nakamura, and had a lot of momentum, but then he suffered a terribly-timed injury. He never quite got the same momentum, or guitar playing gig in WWE after that.

Sadly, Aliyah’s name joined that list later. She was a mainstay in NXT for around seven years. Then she finally made her way up to the WWE main roster. Her final match was when she lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles alongside Raquel Rodriguez to Damage CTRL. She has been absent from WWE television since then.

Top Dolla’s name joined those releases as well. The last two members of Hit Row, Ashante Thee Adonis and B-Fab, are still with the company.

Shelton Benjamin was also released from his WWE contract today. He is a pro wrestling veteran, and former member of the Hurt Business, who will be missed by a number of people on the roster.

Shanky was cut from his WWE contract today. WWE had just got back from India’s Superstar Spectacle event, so the timing of his release was interesting.

Dabba Kato was released from the company, marking an end to his run with WWE. He had runs as Commander Azeez and Babatunde on the main roster.

Also, Mace and Mansoor were both released, which effectively fired both members of Maximum Male Models at the same time. Their cut was especially hard for some fans to take.

Dana Brooke was released from her contract. She was previously with the NXT brand, and trying to refresh her character. Ringside News exclusively reported weeks ago that her drive has never been a question within WWE.

Dabbo-Kato, Quincy Elliot, Ikeman Jiro, and Yulisa Leon were released from their NXT deals. They had all appeared on NXT television. Quincy Elliott’s case is especially interesting, because it was reported that there were several issues with him having heat.

Brooklyn Barlow, Alexis Gray, Daniel McArthur, Kevin Ventura-Cortez, Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald, and Melanie Brzezinski have also made their releases from the Performance Center known. 

What’s your take on this list of WWE releases? Sound off in the comments to let us know who Tony Khan will sign first!