WWE has wielded the proverbial axe with three of its wrestlers set to depart the company.
Former United States Champion Baron Corbin is among the names said to be on his way in the latest round of cuts, alongside Brit Tegan Nox and Indi Hartwell.
Corbin has been a steady presence in WWE since his debut via NXT back in 2012.
As well as his tenure with the US gold, he boasts an NXT tag team title run, spells as King of the Ring and the Money in the Bank holder, and a victory in the 2016 Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
He famously ended the career of WWE legend Kurt Angle, his victory against at WrestleMania in 2019 taking just six minutes and proving to be the Olympian’s final wrestling match.
The star even held an on-screen authority role for a short period during a varied career, but has featured more sparsely in recent years, his impending exit reported by US outlet Fightful overnight.
They say it’s speculated that his contract with WWE ends at the end of the year, with Corbin told on Friday it won’t be renewed.
Brit Nox, meanwhile, leaves WWE for the second time. The Wales-born sensation had an established independent career under her belt when she was first signed in 2017, featuring on NXT.
She departed in 2021 without making a main roster debut but put that right in her 2022 return when she featured on SmackDown and battled against Damage CTRL.
Among her most notable WWE outings was an NXT Championship challenge of Becky Lynch last September. She’d also wrestled in a tag team match alongside Liv Morgan against UFC great Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler.
“Some things are just out of your control and you can only do as much as you can,” stated Nox in a post on X. “Let’s clear one thing up though. I’m ready. I’ve been ready. Just have to show people what they’ve missed.”
Perhaps the most unexpected of the departures is that of Hartwell, who featured in a televised tag team match on Friday night, joining up with Candice LeRae in a losing effort against Bayley and Naomi.
The bout was broadcast on a tape delay having been filmed just over a week ago owing to WWE’s travel schedule ahead of Saturday’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia.
Summing up the surprise of her departure, Fightful added in their report: “When asking for reactions, several staff and talent felt she was coming into her own with social media skits of late.”
Hartwell, a former NXT Women’s Champion, left fans on social media stunned with her brief response to the outlet’s report, simply stating: ‘Wait what,’ though they have since added the post was intended as a joke.
The star herself later seemingly backed up this claim in a follow-up post saying: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
Saddened fans nonetheless added their sympathies, one saying: “We love you and wish you the most success, thank you for the memories.”
Another added: “You are a star and I am sure you will succeed anywhere you go.”
Aussie Hartwell made her WWE debut in NXT in 2019 and battled Shayna Baszler in a match on Raw soon after.
She held the NXT tag titles with LaRae and won the brand’s women’s gold in 2023 before surrendering it as part of her move to Raw.
