More Released WWE Stars To Join TNA Wrestling

WWE/TNA

The Thursday, August 27 episode of Impact saw Zoey Serrano (Zoey Stark) officially sign her TNA Wrestling contract, four months on from her WWE release in April.

Serrano becomes the latest talent to join TNA have after being let go by WWE – with this year also seeing the likes of Uhaa Nation (Apollo Crews), Elayna Black (Cora Jade) and Fabian Aichner (Giovanni Vinci) make that same move.

With many former WWE stars still on the free agent market, here are six more released WWE stars who could potentially join TNA Wrestling:

6. Romeo Malverde (Santos Escobar)

One of the most surprising releases of the April 2026 roster cuts was most certainly Romeo Malverde (fka Santos Escobar).

Just six months before being let go, Malverde departed the company of his own volition after rejecting a new deal. However, just one day into his free agency, Malverde was approached by Nick Khan and offered new and improved terms to remain with WWE.

While most anticipated this new deal would also come with a renewed effort to push Malverde further up the card, he was instead sent to AAA at the beginning of this year. Two months after arriving in AAA, Malverde suffered a tricep injury which required him to undergo surgery, and then the following month he was gone from WWE.

While he has went on record to say he’s not in a rush to make his next move in wrestling, Malverde has over two decades of experience to bring to the table and could very well become a main event level player in TNA Wrestling before too long.

5. Bo Dallas

After Bo Dallas was released from WWE the first time back in 2021, he did not continue to ply his trade on the independent scene or with another promotion.

The following year, he had returned to WWE alongside his brother Bray Wyatt under the guise of Uncle Howdy, who later became the focal point of the Wyatt Sicks faction in 2024, after Wyatt tragically passed away in August 2023.

Despite a memorable debut, the Wyatt Sicks didn’t recapture the magic of their namesake and in April this year they were all released from their WWE contracts.

With Dallas’ entire wrestling career being spent in the WWE system, seeing him flex his creative muscles in another promotion – such as TNA – would be truly exciting. Whether he keeps a supernatural character and aligns with The Hardys or The Righteous, or revamps his career with something entirely new.

4. Tonga Loa

With his brothers Tama and Talla Tonga remaining in WWE – and now partnered with their father Haku – and Jeff Cobb (fka JC Mateo) making a swift return to NJPW, Tonga Loa’s next move is anyone’s guess.

A return to NJPW – where he spent almost a decade before rejoining WWE in 2024 – could potentially be an option, but it’s unclear whether there’s any firm interest from the Japanese promotion.

TNA Wrestling was another promotion that Loa spent some time in after his first WWE run ended, with the multi-time tag team champion wrestling as Micah in 2015, and even forming the oft-forgotten The Rising faction with current WWE stars LA Knight and Drew McIntyre.

Without many clear options, TNA could be where Loa revives his career and solidifies himself as a true singles star for the first time.

3. Xelina (Zelina Vega)

Another released WWE star who has some history in TNA is Xelina (fka Zelina Vega), with the former WWE Women’s United States Champion competing as Rosita between 2011-2012.

Xelina has not worked outside WWE since 2017, so it’ll be interesting to see what this new darker iteration of her character can do in another promotion.

Whether paired with her husband Malakai Black or standing on her own, Xelina can potentially do what she couldn’t during her first TNA run and capture a singles championship.

Following the arrivals of Zoey Serrano and Kiera Hogan over the past week, Xelina arriving in the Impact Zone would perhaps be the biggest coup of all given her excellent promo ability and in-ring experience.

2. Malakai Black

As mentioned, Malakai Black is also free and available alongside his wife Xelina after the pair were both released by WWE in April.

Given that there are questions regarding whether AEW will have interest in re-signing the Dutch star given how his first tenure in the company went, TNA Wrestling may be the best option available to him should he want to remain in the United States.

Black would easily be a main event talent in TNA, and the company should certainly be looking at acquiring him if they want to bolster their World Title picture.

Even if it doesn’t last multiple years, Black could use TNA to rebuild and prove his worth after what was a disappointing return to WWE and rather lacklustre time in AEW before that.

1. Samuel Shaw (Dexter Lumis)

TNA Wrestling is where former WWE star Samuel Shaw (Dexter Lumis) called home during the mid 2010s.

While he didn’t win any championships during his tenure, Shaw mixed it up with some of the promotion’s top talent such as Mr. Anderson, Abyss and Samoa Joe, and birthed some of the creepy aspects of his character that would later be seen in his WWE run.

With Shaw now back on the indies following his WWE release in April, TNA should be looking at bringing him back. Not only can he pick up where he left off a decade ago, but he can also reunite with former on-screen wife Indi Hartwell for a new chapter in their love story.

Zoey Serrano made Indi Hartwell her first target in TNA, so now’s as good a time as any for an InDex reunion.

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