8 WWE Stars Released

WWE

After WrestleMania 42, WWE had its annual post-Mania talent releases that resulted in around 30 names exiting the company.

However, after that initial wave of departures, several more names have emerged as having left WWE as well.

Here are eight further WWE releases and departures that have taken place over the last few weeks.

8. Carlee Bright

A few days after the initial WWE departures all came out, Bright announced her exit from the company as well.

Bright had been signed since November 2022 and was most notably in a tag team with Kendal Grey.

However, when Grey broke out into one of the top stars in the NXT women’s division, Bright was essentially left behind in Evolve.

Despite announcing her departure prior to the episodes airing, Bright has still been showcased on the current season of WWE LFG.

7. Kofi Kingston

After the WWE releases came to light, reports also emerged that the company was asking some talents to take significant pay cuts.

Among those talents were New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, who declined that request and opted to leave WWE instead.

This brought an end to one of the longest tenures in WWE, as Kingston had been with the company since 2006.

Chief among his many accolades was winning the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 35 in 2019.

6. Xavier Woods

In addition to Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods also left WWE upon New Day being asked to take a pay cut.

Woods is expected to use the name Austin Creed as his new post-WWE ring name – the name he established on the indies prior to joining WWE as well as on his UpUpDownDown YouTube channel.

Woods never held a singles title in WWE, but he did win the 2021 King of the Ring tournament, defeating Finn Balor in the final.

He was with WWE for just under 16 years in total, having signed in 2010.

5. JC Mateo

JC Mateo’s short-lived WWE run ended a few weeks ago, just over a year after he signed in 2025.

The former Jeff Cobb spent his tenure aligned with Solo Sikoa in the MFT faction and was never treated as a focal point.

After a few early wins against the likes of LA Knight and Jimmy Uso, he ended up in the background of the group and rarely even wrestled.

His last match saw him team with Tama Tonga in a loss to Damian Priest and R-Truth.

4. Tonga Loa

JC Mateo wasn’t the only MFT member to depart WWE, as he was joined by Tonga Loa.

Loa had been signed for a year longer than Mateo, with them debuting at Backlash 2024 and 2025.

Loa is recognized as a former WWE Tag Team Champion, though he didn’t actually win the title – it was Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu that won it, before Solo Sikoa ordered Fatu to hand his belt over to Loa.

This was Loa’s second tenure with WWE after originally being with the company from 2009 to 2014 where he most notably performed as Camacho.

3. Francois Prinsloo

Another under the radar WWE departure that emerged in recent weeks was that of Francois Prinsloo.

Prinsloo joined the company in 2024 along with Shady Elnahas (now known as Shido Ash) and Aaron Fara (now known as Viktor Zanov).

However, unlike Ash and Zanov who recently debuted on Evolve, he never made an official TV appearance before announcing his exit from the company on social media.

He described his time in WWE as “nothing but a blessing” and noted that it “reignited my passion and talent for acting and speaking.”

2. Aria Bennett

Aria Bennett also recently confirmed she is no longer with WWE.

She hasn’t fully commented on her exit but did update her social media to list her as being “former WWE” rather than currently with the company.

She had a few matches on Evolve but suffered injury setbacks over the past year.

Bennett, real name Ajiea Lea Hargrave, had originally debuted in June 2024 and had her last match in April 2025.

1. Masyn Holiday

Masyn Holiday is the most recent WWE talent to announce her exit.

She departed the company on her own terms, stating it to be due to depression and anxiety, and she was “very, very, very unhappy” in WWE.

She did state that it wasn’t because of anything wrong with WWE itself – just that it wasn’t aligning with her personal goals and what she wants in life.

Holiday had most notably been in a tag team in Evolve with Layla Diggs, who recently debuted on NXT TV.

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