In September, WWE released several talents, and that came as a big surprise. WWE fired over 100 people from their corporate headquarters, right after the TKO Group Holdings deal closed, and then they axed several members of their roster.
The NXT Superstars who were fired during that list of releases has already seen their non-compete clauses run out. NXT Superstars only have a 30-day wait, but main roster talent must wait even longer.
Although WWE released all of those Superstars at once, they saved Matt Riddle on his own the next day. He had a laundry list of infractions, personal drama, and other backstage controversies with WWE; so, he burned his last bridges and nobody could protect him from a release this time around. The Original Bro will be among those names that will enter the free agent market this week.
As of next week, around December 21st, those released WWE Superstars will be officially free agents. Their 90-day non-compete clauses are going to expire, leaving a lot of possibilities in the pro wrestling world.
Those former WWE Superstars will officially become free agents, granting them the freedom to work with any organization. The list of wrestlers includes Mustafa Ali, Aliyah, Shelton Benjamin, Rick Boogs, Emma, Dana Brooke, Dabbo-Kato, Elias, Quincy Elliot, Mace, Mansoor, Riddick Moss, Matt Riddle, Shanky, Top Dolla, and Dolph Ziggler.
We previously reported that Dolph Ziggler already has a pro wrestling gig announced. Odds are, his schedule will be as busy as he wants it to be.
AEW is also always a part of the conversation whenever non-compete clauses start to expire. It stands to reason that Bryan Danielson would pull to have Tony Khan sign Mustafa Ali, someone he also pulled to work with during his final run in WWE.
We will have to see where all of those former WWE Superstars appear next. It could result in some big headlines in the not too distant future.