The floodgates just opened. WWE’s April release class is officially free to sign anywhere.
The 90-day non-compete clause tied to the April 24 round of cuts lapsed Thursday, clearing the departed talent to appear on television for AEW, TNA, CMLL, NJPW, and anyone else. Eleven wrestlers from that wave were on standard main-roster non-competes, meaning this is their first legal window to sign or show up elsewhere. Contract types and exact release dates varied enough that not every name necessarily hit the market on the same day.
The WWE Names Now Cleared To Compete
- Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin)
- Kairi
- Hijo del Fantasma (Santos Escobar)
- Zoey Serrano (Zoey Stark)
- Aleister Black
- Zelina (Zelina Vega)
- Erick Rowan
- Nikki Storm (Nikki Cross)
- Joseph Sawyer (Joe Gacy)
- Samuel Shaw (Dexter Lumis)
- Bo Dallas
Where Some Are Reportedly Headed
The Motor City Machine Guns are the marquee names. Shelley and Sabin have been linked to AEW since the day they were cut, a fit built on their history with The Young Bucks and FTR and their standing as one of the most decorated tag teams of the century. Fightful reported the internal belief was that the team was AEW-bound once the clause lapsed, while the Wrestling Observer noted interest from multiple AEW sources without confirmed signings. Nothing is official yet, so treat the destination as unconfirmed.
The timing is doing a lot of talking, though. AEW Redemption goes down Sunday, July 26 in Montreal, and Dynamite runs July 29 at the Masonic Temple Theater in Detroit, the Guns’ hometown. That’s two enormous stages within a week of them becoming available.
Nikki Cross, working as Nikki Storm outside WWE, has stepped into an ownership role with PROGRESS Wrestling and DEFY Wrestling alongside her partner, former NXT name Big Damo. It’s a creative and business venture rather than a straightforward in-ring run.
Zelina Vega filed a US trademark for the ring name “Xelina” on July 20, a standard move for talent looking to control their branding once WWE keeps the intellectual property it created.
Joe Gacy, now wrestling as Joseph Sawyer, has been teased in GCW promotional material for a potential match with Atticus Cogar, though nothing has been officially announced. GCW has a long track record of scooping up freshly available WWE and NXT talent.
Not everyone from the spring cuts is available yet. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, released in early May, aren’t expected to reach free agency until August.
Expect this picture to change quickly as signings get confirmed. For newly released performers weighing their options, veterans have offered plenty of guidance, from Matt Cardona’s blueprint of three paths forward to Jim Ross sharing his own advice to released WWE talent.
