WWE Releases 11 Former Champions: Full List, Common Thread
WWE Releases 11 Former Champions: Full List, Common Thread
Brian MaziqueSat, April 25, 2026 at 5:28 AM UTC
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WWE cleaned house on Friday, just hours before SmackDown went on the air on USA Network. The talent cuts have become something most wrestling fans expect, but this one was widespread and it included a collection of people who have held WWE gold.
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Who Did WWE Release On April 24, 2026?
While most people are focused on the Wyatt Sicks getting cut, the most surprising person on the list is Kairi Sane. Her angle with Asuka and Iyo Sky seemed like it was coming to a head.
WWE has not issued an official statement, with confirmations coming via reporting from Fightful Select, PWInsider and the wrestlers themselves on social media. The full main roster list includes Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Santos Escobar, the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley), Apollo Crews, Zoey Stark, Alba Fyre, and the entire Wyatt Sicks faction: Bo Dallas, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy and Erick Rowan.
NXT and developmental cuts include Andre Chase, Dante Chen, Tyriek Igwe, Tyson Dupont, Tyra Mae Steele, Malik Blade, Chris Island, Luca Crusifino, Trill London and Sirena Linton. The total is roughly 25 names, with reporting describing the situation as fluid.
Which Released WWE Talents Are Former Champions?
While none of the released wrestlers were world champions, many of them held gold on the mid-card and in the tag team divisions.
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Released Talent
Title Reigns
Kairi Sane
3x WWE Women's Tag Team Champion
Zelina Vega
Women's U.S. Champion, Queen's Crown winner
Apollo Crews
U.S. Champion, Intercontinental Champion
Chris Sabin
WWE Tag Team Champion (MCMG)
Alex Shelley
WWE Tag Team Champion (MCMG)
Bo Dallas
24/7 Champion
Nikki Cross
Raw Women's Champion, 3x Women's Tag Team Champion
Dexter Lumis
WWE Tag Team Champion (Wyatt Sicks)
Joe Gacy
WWE Tag Team Champion (Wyatt Sicks)
Erick Rowan
SmackDown Tag Team Champion (Bludgeon Brothers)
Alba Fyre
WWE Women's Tag Team Champion
That's 11 main roster title-holders gone in a single day, with most of those reigns coming inside the last five years.
What Do These WWE Releases Have In Common?
As WWE is obviously in a youth movement with stars like Oba Femi, Je'Von Evans, Sol Ruca and others getting major spotlight, age is the one factor that may have worked against the wrestlers who were released.
With only three exceptions, every released main roster talent is at least 35 years old, and several are over 40. Pair that with most of these names being on stop-start pushes or sitting outside the active title picture, and the cuts read less like budget trimming and more like a deliberate generational reset. The Brock Lesnar retirement at WrestleMania 42 was the symbolic version of the same shift — out with the old, in with the next wave.
What's Next After The WWE Releases?
AEW is the first place many will look, but don't forget about TNA. While WWE now has a working partnership with TNA, it is still a separate entity. Nic Nemeth aka Dolph Ziggler landed with TNA among others after being released from WWE.
Main roster names are tied up by 90-day non-competes; NXT and developmental cuts get 30 days. Some exits may technically be contract expirations rather than formal releases, but the result is the same. The Wyatt Sicks dissolving is the biggest creative loss in this round, ending a faction that was specifically built to honor the legacy of the late Bray Wyatt less than two years after it debuted.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Apr 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Wrestling section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Sports”
