WWE News: Another Superstar Confirms Release
WWE released several superstars last month, but reports pertaining to those who lost their jobs are still surfacing. As documented by WrestlingNews.co, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer confirmed on Wednesday that former NXT superstar Rachael Evers was also let go as part of the company’s budget cuts.
Evers, who appears to be wrestling under her real name Rachael Ellering moving forward, also took to Twitter to announce that she is now taking independent bookings. The former NXT star released a video with her message that showed her in NXT followed by clips of her previous days on the independent circuit.
Evers wasn’t a household name on the black-and-gold brand, so it’s unsurprising to learn that she’s been released. The former superstar wrestled some NXT shows throughout 2016 and 2017 before she appeared in both Mae Young Classic tournaments. Her performance in the competitions ultimately earned Evers a full-time deal in 2019, but her progress was hampered courtesy of an ACL injury that occurred in July of last year.
Some fans had high hopes for Evers in WWE. She is the daughter of Paul Ellering, a former wrestler and legendary manager who was instrumental in the success of the Road Warriors and Authors of Pain. Evers’ family lineage and wrestling pedigree will make her a sought-after name outside of WWE. Another run on the independent circuit is an ideal way to grow her profile, as well, since she rarely featured on WWE television.
We know who we are, who we’ll always be and we have a choice: we can hide in the shadows or stand in the light pic.twitter.com/DKpF7rafka
— Rachael Ellering (@RachaelEllering) May 13, 2020
Evers, who was trained by Lance Storm, competed in several notable promotions before she signed with WWE. Most wrestling fans recognize her from her tenures in Shine and Impact Wrestling, but she achieved success all over the independent circuit. Evers was also ranked at number 87 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated‘s list of the top 100 female wrestlers in the world back in 2019.
Outside of wrestling, Evers is an accomplished powerlifter who won a bronze medal at the 2014 World Powerlifting Championships. In an interview with the Miami Herald, Storm described her as a “dream” student due to her commitment to always improving her game.
“She listened, took instruction and criticism well, and just worked harder than you could ever expect. She earned my respect immediately. This woman will succeed, because she has talent and just works too damn hard to ever fail.”
It remains to be seen where Evers will end up next, but even one of the most well-respected legends in the business believes she’d be a significant gain for any company.
