WWE's Annual Firing Spree (2025 Edition)

[Storm Trooper]

Lesnar didn’t walk out. He asked for a release and Vince gave him a conditional one that said he could do football and MMA, but after a bit he decided he wanted to wrestler and a judge declared you can’t stop someone from finding new employment. This was 20 years ago.

However, now the courts have declared all non-competes unenforceable. You should look it up. Anyone that wants to leave early can and at least a couple have in the last two years.

The thing is WWE doesn't do non-competes. They just don't release you from your deal. There's a big difference.

A Non-compete is you're no longer under contract but you can't work elsewhere. With WWE you're still under contract and you are still getting a paycheck.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

The thing is WWE doesn't do non-competes. They just don't release you from your deal. There's a big difference.

A Non-compete is you're no longer under contract but you can't work elsewhere. With WWE you're still under contract and you are still getting a paycheck.

I’m not sure where you read this, but they’ve all been given their release today and the 90 days thing is a standard non-compete they’ve been doing for decades. Yes, they get paid until the compete is over, but it is definitely a non-compete. People have already waived it since the FTC made their ruling.

 

[Ricky Smarks]

FTC Bans Non-Compete Agreements - Major Ramifications For Wrestling!

How the FTC banning non-compete agreements could be huge for the pro wrestling industry.

whatculture.com

This is an article that talks about the FTC ruling and how it might effect TKO/WWE.

Today's WWE Releases Came With Non-Compete Clauses

WWE released a bunch of talent today, and it appears that more could be on the way. This followed over 100 employees that were cut from the company's

www.ringsidenews.com

SRS talking about the last time there was a series of cuts and the non-competes they had with their releases.

WWE Allowing Some Wrestlers To Pass On Non-Compete Clauses, Letting Them Out Early | Fightful News

Not everyone is locked down in a 90-day non compete!

www.fightful.com

This is Fightful talking about WWE letting some wrestlers out of their non-competes early although this was before the FTC ruling.

Malakai Black Reveals Learning WWE No Compete Clause Was Only 30 Days – TJR Wrestling

Wrestling fans were left stunned as Malakai Black arrived in AEW at Road Rager attacking Hall of Famer Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes.

tjrwrestling.net

WWE hilariously releases Malakai Black without changing his NXT non-compete which is only 30 days.

—-

Regardless, it doesn’t change much. Most want to get paid.

 

[OsBlaze]

Lesnars was different as Lesnar walked out on his contract.

WWE does let people out of their non-competes. Chelsea Green was let out of it to go to TNA after her release (it was a couple weeks early). She just called and they're like yeah sure that's fine.

But the 90 days are 100% still enforceable. All the 90 days are is WWE saying "we will release you in 90 days," which is 100% legal. They are still under contract for those 90 days and unable to work on TV elsewhere. Remember when Heath Slater was released and then a month or so later he came out on Raw for a 1-off? He was still under his original contract.

I don't know, because back when Black was let go, and he showed up in AEW 30 days later, it's because he was still under his NXT deal that only had 30 days or something along those lines. So he didn't have to wait the 90 days. If it was that, then they could've waited the 90 days before letting him go.

Its also why sometimes, they've worked indie shows cause it's normally just TV they couldn't work for those 90 days. It's why Bryan Danielson got to work a Rampage Pro Wrestling show here in Georgia after his first WWE release, but that match never got put on the DVD for the show or any official release as it was within those 90 days.

 

[Lethal]

At the annual cull. I chuckle at the ‘legions’ of ‘fans’ over the socials who pour outrage and vitriol out when someone gets cut. They mask over that they probably haven’t improved enough or are stagnating enough to warrant freeing up spots for those who can be called up.

Cedric was doa when they removed the cw division. He ain’t going to aew cos they had a huge issue with his wife.

Good Brothers were like furniture and phoned it in. Never understood their hype.

Vinci screwed himself by trying Tiffy. He got dumped twice from imperium too so not sure what happened there

AOP mid as fuck and boring. Holding Kross down imo

Davenport my god so overrated and offered nothing to me. Never got the hype for her or cared for her.

Isla I never got either. The forced witch gimmick was meh and imo it pigeon holed KLR into something she wasn’t into.

Sonya imo got the hype cos people wanted to see her and Mandy kiss. She was awful with charisma, botched a lot and just wasn’t interesting. Writing was on the wall when she wasn’t in the IC tournament.

I’m surprised they didn’t touch NXT. Nikita Lyons is stealing money doing fuck all. Ridge Holland.

And if it’s a money thing? Fuck Logan Paul off.

 

[Professor Booty]

didn't realize today is the day I put Lethal on ignore but I won't stand for slander of Isla Dawn

 

[Ricky Smarks]

I don't know, because back when Black was let go, and he showed up in AEW 30 days later, it's because he was still under his NXT deal that only had 30 days or something along those lines. So he didn't have to wait the 90 days. If it was that, then they could've waited the 90 days before letting him go.

Its also why sometimes, they've worked indie shows cause it's normally just TV they couldn't work for those 90 days. It's why Bryan Danielson got to work a Rampage Pro Wrestling show here in Georgia after his first WWE release, but that match never got put on the DVD for the show or any official release as it was within those 90 days.

I actually just linked that case about. It was 100% because his NXT non-compete was for 30 days and they never changed his deal to the standard WWE 90-day non-compete. Hilariously.

 

[OsBlaze]

I actually just linked that case about. It was 100% because his NXT non-compete was for 30 days and they never changed his deal to the standard WWE 90-day non-compete. Hilariously.

Like I remember how shocked everyone was when he showed up, not cause he showed up in AEW, just how early he actually showed up lol.

 

[Grim]

Yeah the idea of TNA and WWE conspiring to keep talents away from other companies through abusing the 90-day period is fucking gross on so many legal and ethical levels that I refuse to entertain it.

 

[OsBlaze]

Yeah the idea of TNA and WWE conspiring to keep talents away from other companies through abusing the 90-day period is fucking gross on so many legal and ethical levels that I refuse to entertain it.

tbh, once you understand what OMB was saying, that's not at all what he was saying.

Like it wouldn't be keeping them away from other companies, they could wait it out and talk to other companies. It was just if they wanted to go to work right away they could go to TNA. I don't think to many people would take that offer and would wait it out. But, if someone knew they wanted to go to TNA, then they could just go. I don't see any issue there.

 

[Grim]

tbh, once you understand what OMB was saying, that's not at all what he was saying.

Like it wouldn't be keeping them away other companies, they could wait it out and talk to other companies. It was just if they wanted to go to work right away they could go to TNA. I don't think to many people would take that offer and would wait it out. But, if someone knew they wanted to go to TNA, then they could just go. I don't see any issue there.

Read that back again, very slowly.

"Sure, you can find work, if you wait. Buuuut, here's a company we highly recommend you sign to, and we'll let you out of this, free of charge!"

It's conspiratorial and pretty fuckin predatory.

 

[Chris]

That FTC ban was overruled for the record, Smark. But the WWE ones as independent contractors were never the same anyway, you're right about now they work otherwise

 

[Grim]

I think my larger overall point for it being predatory is that 90 days is a long time, and it utterly undercuts a wrestler's ability to entertain an open market when a company puts in a severance option thats only open to one other entity, and not others.

It's anticompetitive

 

[OsBlaze]

Read that back again, very slowly.

"Sure, you can find work, if you wait. Buuuut, here's a company we highly recommend you sign to, and we'll let you out of this, free of charge!"

It's conspiratorial and pretty fuckin predatory.

and how about you read this part slowly since you wanna be a fucking dick about it.

MOST. PEOPLE. WOULD. WAIT. IT. OUT

The only people who wouldn't, are people who would wanna go to TNA anyway. Now in a perfect world, they just would let any of them go anywhere right away, that would surely be better.

But is it better to just make them wait the 90 days to go to TNA if that's where they wanna go?

 

[Grim]

and how about you read this part slowly since you wanna be a fucking dick about it.

MOST. PEOPLE. WOULD. WAIT. IT. OUT

The only people who wouldn't, are people who would wanna go to TNA anyway. Now in a perfect world, they just would let any of them go anywhere right away, that would surely be better.

But is it better to just make them wait the 90 days to go to TNA if that's where they wanna go?

90 days is a long time and nobody being fired by a company should be forced to wait out offers. Point blank.