DAYTON, OHIO – JULY 15: Sonya Deville (C) makes her way to the ring with Zoey Stark (l) and Shayna … [+] Baszler (r) during Monday Night RAW at WSU Nutter Center on July 15, 2024 in Dayton, Ohio. (Photo by WWE/Getty Images)
The WWE has reportedly conducted a massive sweep, resulting in the release or separation of seven Superstars. The sweep seemed to kick off on February 4 with the release of Duke Hudson, who confirmed his departure on social media.
On Friday night, just ahead of the airing of SmackDown, six other Superstars reportedly learned that their current tenures with WWE were coming to an end: Sonya Deville, Cedric Alexander, Akam and Rezar (aka AOP), Blair Davenport, and Paul Ellering are all reportedly done with WWE.
In case you missed the results of Friday night’s episode of Smackdown, here they are:
Bianca Belair def. Piper Niven | Elimination Chamber Qualifier
Pretty Deadly def. DIY
Drew McIntyre def. LA Knight and Jimmy Uso | Elimination Chamber Qualifier
Carmelo Hayes def. Akira Tozawa
Alexa Bliss def. Candice LeRae | Elimination Chamber Qualifier
Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes def. Jacob Fatu and Tama Tonga
Fightful News confirmed Deville’s status. According to reports, Deville wasn’t released, but she was informed that her contract, which expires in a few weeks, won’t be renewed.
As a result of WWE’s decision, Deville will immediately become a free agent at the end of her contract and will be eligible to sign with another organization right away.
Alexander confirmed his release on social media.
Because he was released while still under contract, he will have to wait 90 days before signing elsewhere.
AOP, Davenport, and Ellering haven’t publicly acknowledged the news, but both Wrestling Observer and Fightful are reporting that the four performers have been released.
Hudson struggled to make a major move beyond his spot with Chase U on NXT. While he has always had the look and persona necessary for elevation, things didn’t click for him with WWE. Hudson confirmed his release with an entertaining self-interview, implying that he was set for a reinvention moving forward.
WWE’s roster moves broke up two factions. Deville’s Pure Fusion Collective was always an odd mix with her, Zoey Stark, and Shayna Baszler. Deville easily carried the most presence and appeared to be the best overall performer.
However, Stark’s athleticism makes her a promising performer moving forward. Baszler has been lost ever since her Queen of Spades run in NXT ended and she was called up to WWE.
She seemed to have a chance to regain momentum alongside Ronda Rousey, but once that feud was over—which saw Rousey put her over on her way out—Baszler went back to being underutilized.
The Final Testament is no more with AOP and Ellering exiting. Their grouping with Karrion Kross and Scarlett never took off. I’ve spoken with one person with ears to the ground in the promotion who suggests that more releases could be on the way.
Davenport never really got a chance to cook with WWE. She has always been a strong in-ring performer, but the character portion never landed with WWE.
Keep an eye out for more updates on WWE roster moves as we head into the thick of the Road to WrestleMania 41.
