Post-WrestleMania 42 WWE releases begin, notable names exit

Posted on by GoalVerseNews

After taking the wrestling world by storm with WrestleMania 42, WWE has started letting stars go.

The company began releasing wrestlers on Friday, April 24, less than one week after holding its flagship event in Las Vegas. While some wrestlers leave throughout the year — whether on their own terms or not — WWE typically does a mass release on a yearly basis, last done in February 2025. With the proverbial calendar turning the page into a new season following WrestleMania, WWE is making roster moves now.

By the numbers: WrestleMania 42 found time for everything. How much was wrestling?

There have been notable names that have reportedly been released or they have confirmed it themselves. The list includes former champions and people that just were in the ring in the past month. Here are all the updates as WWE departures are underway:

WWE stars released

Here is a list of people released as of 8:30 p.m. ET on April 24:

  • Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy)
  • Nikki Cross
  • Joe Gacy
  • Erick Rowan
  • Dexter Lumis
  • Kairi Sane
  • Motor City Machine Guns
  • Aleister Black
  • Zelina Vega
  • Santos Escobar
  • Zoey Stark
  • Alba Fyre
  • Apollo Crews
  • Andre Chase
  • Dante Chen
  • Tyra Mae Steele
  • Chris Island
  • Tyriek Igwe
  • Trill London
  • Sirena Linton
  • Luca Crusifino
  • Malik Blade
  • Tyson Dupont

WWE releases: 2026 updates

Wyatt Sicks: Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) and group let go

One of the major releases are all the members of the Wyatt Sicks, according to Fightful.

The group was formed in honor of Bray Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda and Dallas’ brother, who created the characters of the group before he died in August 2023. After weeks of teasing, the group debuted in June 2024 as a way to honor Wyatt, with his brother leading the charge as Uncle Howdy in an electric segment.

“The world gets the chance to see that even though (Wyatt’s) gone, his ideas and legacy are still going through,” Dallas told USA TODAY Sports in October 2024. “Everything that’s going on up to this date and then going forward, if it’s not Windham’s idea, it has a piece of Windham’s idea in it.”

With Dallas, Cross, Gacy, Dexter Lumis and Erick Rowan, the Wyatt Sicks were one-time WWE Tag Team Champions, and just wrapped up a feud with MFT on the April 17 episode of SmackDown, one day before WrestleMania.

The Wyatt Sicks enter the dring during SmackDown at T-Mobile Arena on April 17, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nikki Cross says goodbye to WWE

The Wyatt Sicks member confirmed her departure in a goodbye posted on social media. She had been with WWE since 2016.

“I’m really excited for whatever my next chapter will hold,” she said. “Thank you all for the continued love and support.”

Kairi Sane

A former NXT Women’s Champion that made a highly-desired return in 2023, Sane came back to WWE and joined Damage CTRL, forming another tag team with Asuka to bring back the Kabuki Warriors. They wrestled alongside Dakota Kai at WrestleMania 40. 

She missed time in early January recovering from an injury before returning in May. In the past year, she became a three-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion when her and Asuka captured the titles. 

The Kabuki Warriors wrestled Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky on the Raw After WrestleMania 42, meaning Sane departs less than a week after her last match.

Motor City Machine Guns

A legendary tag team, Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley leave after less than two years in WWE, according to Fightful.

They immediately became a player when they debuted in October 2024 when they won the WWE Tag Team Championship in their second match in the company. That would be their only reign as they remained contenders in the tag team division, notably in the WWE Tag Team Championship Six Pack Tables, Ladders And Chairs match at SummerSlam 2025. However, their opportunities were limited since then.

Aleister Black, Zelina Vega 

Real-life married couple Black and Vega have departed.

Vega returned to WWE in 2021 and spent time part of the LWO. She reached a career high in April 2025 when she became the second Women’s United States Champion, her first singles title. 

After spending time in AEW, Black returned to WWE in April 2025, and he eventually formed a partnership with Vega in October. They wrestled a match together against Rhea Ripley and Damian Priest in December.

Santos Escobar

The leader of Legado Del Fantasma is out of WWE, Fightful reported. A former NXT Cruiserweight Champion, he led the group and its biggest moment was the feud with LWO, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania 40. Recently, he and his faction have been competing in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.

Zoey Stark leaves after injury

Stark’s confirmed her departure from WWE.

A former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion, Stark had a storyline with Trish Stratus when she moved to the main roster in 2023. She was then part of Pure Fusion Collective for a few months before fellow members Sonya Deville and Shayna Baszler were released.

In May, she faced Rhea Ripley and Kairi Sane in a triple threat Money in the Bank qualifying match when she leaped from the top rope and landed awkwardly on her right knee and was in immediate pain. She tore her ACL, MCL, and meniscus in the move, hadn’t wrestled since as she recovered.

“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,” she said.

Alba Fyre confirms leave, Chelsea Green shows love

A member of Chelsea Green’s “The Secret Hervice ” leaves after seven years with the company.

A former NXT UK Women’s Champion, Fyre is mostly known for her time in the tag team division with Isla Dawn to form The Unholy Union. They were together for nearly three years, with their peak moment coming at Clash at the Castle: Scotland in June 2024, when they won the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship in their home country.

After Dawn was let go in February 2025, Fyre was repackaged as part of Green’s regime when she was Women’s United States Champion. She mostly served as a support role for Green, and had her last televised match in February.

She posted a message on social media after her departure.

Green posted her on tribute to Fyre, noting she is “sad to not have her on my side.”

Apollo Crews

Part of WWE since 2014, Crews leaves WWE, Fightful reported.

He won the United States Championship in 2020 and when he used a Nigerian royalty gimmick, he won the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 37. He had various matches across several WWE shows since then. 

Andre Chase confirms departure

The leader of Chase U confirmed he was released. Appearing as a university-leader gimmick, Chase became a hit in NXT with people donning the shirts and throwing up the “U” with their hands. Chase was a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion during his time.

“Thank you to everybody who threw up the ‘U’ at the shows,” he said. “Just know that you truly helped make something out of nothing. When I signed with WWE, on the first day, it was made abundantly clear I was never going to be on television, I was never meant to be a superstar.

“But then something changed, and it was because of your support and the connection we had.”

Dante Chen

Chen confirmed his departure, noting he was the first Singaporean-born WWE star. He spent his five years with WWE in NXT and Evolve, making one main roster appearance in a loss to Bron Beakker in February 2024.

Developmental releases

Several talent part of the developmental brand of WWE were let go. Names include Tyra Mae Steele, a gold medalist in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and winner of “WWE LFG.” Former member of The D’Angelo Family Luca Crusifino also leaves.

This story will be updated.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WWE parts ways with talent days after WrestleMania. See who was released

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *