Reaction to WWE’s 2026 spring cleaning and call ups

I wanted to do a review of Hulk Hogan’s new documentary as my next column, but the annual spring cleaning happened yesterday, so I decided this was a bigger story to write about alongside all the call-ups that will replace them.

As we know, the week after WrestleMania, WWE—and now TKO—love to refresh the roster by calling up new talent while releasing wrestlers they feel aren’t worth keeping, and this year was no different. They called up pretty much all the top stars from NXT while releasing a number of people, and I will look at all of them and see what the future holds.

First, let’s start with the negative and talk about those released.

Aleister Black and Zelina: That’s the most surprising, considering how much Triple H was behind them and wanted to push them at the main event level. This shows how much power TKO has over WWE decisions right now, because it makes no sense. The act was really over with the crowd, and this feels more like them trying to save money by cutting two big contracts. Anyway, I don’t know how Aleister’s relationship is with AEW, but if it’s still good, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come back to AEW in three months.

Kairi Sane: Speaking of surprising releases, this one also came as a huge surprise, considering she was in the middle of a big storyline involving Asuka and Iyo. But again, I feel this was another money-related release by TKO, as she probably had a large contract and, in their eyes, wasn’t worth what they were paying her. As far as where she goes next, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if she goes back to Japan and Stardom.

The Motor City Machine Guns: I always thought they made a mistake signing with WWE, but I’m guessing they wanted to try and get a big run in a major company before calling it a day and moving into a backstage role. Sadly, that didn’t happen, as they won the tag titles for a few weeks and then disappeared since WWE didn’t have anything for them to do. Heck, their last few matches were on Main Event and at the World Convention during WrestleMania weekend—that shows how little WWE had for them to do. So I wasn’t really surprised that they ended up on that list.

As far as where I see them going next, I feel like AEW will be eager to make a deal with them once their non-compete clause is up, so don’t be surprised if we see them show up in AEW by the end of the summer.

Santos Escobar: As soon as I heard he had signed a new contract, I knew he would have a big bullseye on his back and be one of the first to be released. The fact that they decided to use him in AAA for his big return instead of WWE was a sign that his time in WWE was limited. So this wasn’t a big surprise, especially since his feud with Dr. Wagner Jr. went nowhere. As for where I see him going next, I could see him going back to Mexico and either finding a way to get rehired by WWE for less money under the AAA deal or just working for CMLL.

The Wyatt Sicks: The thing is, I’m surprised they weren’t released earlier, as I always felt they didn’t fit with the current style of product WWE was producing. The gimmick was able to last for a few years and even get a run with the tag titles, but let’s face it—the gimmick had run its course, and there’s not a lot you can do with it. The final nail in their coffin was being killed off by the MFT on last week’s SmackDown.

As far as where they go next, I feel like Nikki will probably move on from wrestling. Dexter could probably end up in TNA, and the same goes for Joe Gacy, as they could fit well with the “Undead Realm” style content there. Bo will probably do some independent shows, but I doubt we will see him regularly on a major show. As for Erik, he’ll probably go back to the indies as well.

Zoey Stark and Apollo Crews: I decided to put them together mostly because, if there were two wrestlers I wasn’t surprised got released, it’s these two. Zoey had more time on the injured list than in the ring, and Apollo was mostly used to lose to everyone. His last match was on this week’s Main Event against Mr. Iguana—that says a lot about how expendable he was. As far as their future, I don’t see a lot for them. Maybe MLW or NWA would be interested, but I doubt AEW or TNA will be.

Alba Fyre: Again, I’m not surprised. I thought she would have been released last year when Isla Dawn was released, but she managed to stick around, likely due to her association with Chelsea. With Chelsea on the injured list this year, it gave TKO a chance to release her, which isn’t shocking. Out of all the released talent, this is the one I’m least sure about in terms of what’s next. Maybe AEW or TNA picks her up, or maybe she returns to the UK scene. Either way, it’s unfortunate, as I thought she did a great job as Chelsea’s sidekick.

I’m not going to go through all the developmental releases, as most names aren’t well known, but I will mention two in particular.

Andre Chase: Let’s face it, there was no way he was going to get called up, as he wasn’t a particularly strong in-ring performer and the Chase U gimmick had a shelf life that likely wouldn’t translate well to the main roster. So I wasn’t surprised to see him cut. He’s probably not signing anywhere major and will likely continue working the independent scene.

Tyra Mae Steele: Talk about a waste of money for WWE. I understand she was signed because she won an Olympic gold medal and also won the first season based largely on that fact, even though she wasn’t the best all-around performer. The reality is she never really improved, and the fact that she went from NXT to Evolve showed how much development she still needed. Now that she’s been released, I don’t see her continuing in pro wrestling. She may realize it’s not for her and move on to something else.

Now let’s move into some positive news and talk about the call-ups, since NXT lost most of its top stars this week.

Ethan Page: He made his debut on Raw this week, and quite frankly, he showed he belongs there. Do I see him being pushed to the main event level? No. But I could see him becoming an upper-tier midcard talent competing for championships.

Sol Ruca: She’s a fun talent to watch, but time will tell if she gets a big push. It will depend on how well the fanbase connects with her. If she gets over, she could find herself in a world title program.

Fatal Influence: I’m glad they called up the whole group and not just Jacy, because this has been one of the better acts in NXT. Jacy without the group doesn’t work as well. If they can maintain their strong crowd reactions, I could see them becoming a major part of the SmackDown women’s division, with all three potentially winning titles.

Joe Hendry: He’s making his debut next week on Raw, and depending on the crowd’s reaction, I could see him quickly rising up the card.

Ricky Saints: He’s debuting next week on SmackDown, and like Joe Hendry, it will depend on the reaction he gets. Having Cody in his corner backstage will help, and I could see him winning a midcard title fairly quickly.

Blake Monroe: She should do very well on SmackDown, as she’s a strong character and delivers in the ring. I could see her entering a feud with Tiffany over the United States title shortly after debuting.

Conclusion and Predictions

Unless another round of releases happens in the next few days, I think this will be it for this year’s “spring cleaning.” However, I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear about a few more over the weekend.

If I had to predict a few names, I would go with Talla Tonga, who didn’t appear at all with the MFT last night. Unfortunately, I could also see Giulia and Kiana James being released based on how she lost her title. Depending on how large his new contract is, I could see Matt Cardona being released again, as they don’t seem to have plans for him and may have only brought him back as a favor to Chelsea. Lastly, given her uncertain status, I could see them parting ways with Piper Niven.

Let’s hope this round of cuts is done, as it’s always a difficult time for WWE talent and fans each year. While I understand why these decisions are made, hopefully this new class of call-ups doesn’t fall flat and end up on next year’s list. As for those released, I don’t think this is the end for many of them—we’ll likely see a number of them back on television somewhere down the line.