Bodhi Hayward was well-liked by fans and in the middle of a popular storyline, but that wasn\'t enough to keep his job with WWE NXT.
Hayward was one of five Superstars released from the developmental brand this week, alongside Sloane Jacobs, Erica Yan, Ru Feng, and Damaris Griffin.
It has been reported that unlike previous years of \'budget cuts,\' the releases this week were down to WWE not seeing enough improvement.
Trouble Backstage
Hayward\'s release was the most surprising of the five, given that he was part of the Chase U stable at the time.
It was reported not long after that Hayward\'s release was down to issues WWE had with him and not due to a lack of improvement.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer shared more details about Hayward\'s backstage issues.
With Bodhi Hayward, it was more than that [not showing enough progress.] They didn\'t like the work ethic. They didn\'t like that he was late to shows and didn\'t show up to shows. The primary reason for everyone [else] was lack of progression. But for him it was a little bit more than that. It had to be enough to overcome the fact that he was actually in a storyline that was a long-term storyline, and that the crowd liked him.
Speaking about future prospects for Hayward, Meltzer said that there are options for the former NXT Superstar.
\"He does have friends. He might be able to get hooked up some place. He has a good look. He\'s got that going for him. People naturally liked him. So it took a lot for him to get cut. He would be the kind of guy they would want to keep. He did get injured, which didn\'t help.\"
What\'s Next?
After his release, Hayward shared a video saying that he is \"hurt\" and \"embarrassed\" to be release.
Hayward also promised to bounce back from his release, in a speech that fans have heard from several released Superstar\'s before.
Speaking about the video, Meltzer acknowledged that there is a big difference between promising big things and delivering.
\"There are so many guys when they get cut from WWE, they do the big speech. \'I\'m going to come back and this and that.\' And there are guys who do. But seven or eight out of ten, you never hear from them again. They don\'t do indies. Remember Dan Matha? \'Oh yeah you\'ll be seeing me! You\'ll be seeing me!\' I never saw him again.\"
While not confirmed, it is believed Hayward is dealing with a 30-day non compete clause, as is customary for releases from NXT.
