There is always the possibility that superstars could be released from WWE , but nothing is known until it happens. Rumors have been flying that the company is going to start releasing a number of names by the end of the year, but it appears as if someone may have jumped the gun on those rumors. A new set of updated rumors are now swirling that while releases are always possible, no one is going anywhere right now.
A number of superstars have asked for their releases from the company, with a only a few of them being granted. Luke Harper is one of those who has wanted to move on from the promotion, but WWE has decided to hold onto Harper and others so they can’t sign with All Elite Wrestling, or another competitor.
Some of the most recent rumors have stated that WWE would start granting release requests to those superstars that the company didn’t think could help other promotions. According to Wrestling Observer Radio , by way of Ringside News , that isn’t exactly accurate.
Luke Harper, Sin Cara, Mike Kanellis, and others have gone on social media to publicly request their releases, but they’re still under contract with WWE. Dave Meltzer has confirmed there is some “internal pressure” to grant some of those releases, but as of now, WWE plans to keep them.
Holding onto those superstars asking for their release could hurt morale in the locker room, but WWE has no plans to cut anyone.
“You know, they’re not letting people go,” Dave Meltzer said. “I know people who have argued to let people go, but they’re not letting anyone go still.”
A number of superstars who have requested their releases don’t have a lot of time left on their current deals. It’s not out of the question for them to sit back and wait six months or a year for the deals to expire.
Other superstars, such as Mike Kanellis, recently signed long-term deals, and WWE isn’t looking to let them go in the near future. Kanellis signed a deal for five years, and Meltzer says that guys like that are simply out of luck.
“There’s a time for that — now for the guys who signed a five-year contract now and three months later they wanna go [like Mike Kanellis] that’s a bad situation that I can’t help you with, because that was… you know don’t sign five-year deals if you think you’re gonna be unhappy.”
Each year, WWE does a bit of spring cleaning as they release a number of superstars. Most of the time, it’s those names who haven’t been used much in the last year, but that may not happen this year if the rumors are true. With more competitive promotions now in existence, Vince McMahon may not want to make anyone available to the competition.