Published: Jun 3, 2026 by Liam | Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026 by Liam
Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.
@ajiea.lee
Aria Bennett, real name Ajiea Lea Hargrave, has confirmed she was one of the names who recently departed WWE.
WWE had its annual mass release and departure period in April and May after the WrestleMania 42 premium live event.
Hargrave has updated her social media bio to now list her as being “former WWE” as opposed to currently being with the company, which evidently means she was among the recent departures.
She has also updated her page to use her real name instead of the name Aria Bennett – she had two separate pages, one with the real name and one with the Bennett name, but the Bennett one has been changed to her real name now as well.
Bennett’s last match for WWE took place in April 2025, when she teamed with Chantel Monroe in a loss against Kendal Grey and Carlee Bright – Bright being one of the other names who was let go recently.
After that match, she was out of action with a torn ACL.
She ended up having 11 matches on record after making her debut at an NXT live event in June 2024.
Four of those 11 matches were on WWE Evolve, including a tag team win alongside Layla Diggs against Haze Jameson, who was also released recently, and Kalyx, the masked wrestler played by referee Jessika Carr.
She also suffered losses to Wendy Choo, Zara Zakher, and took part in an Evolve Women’s Championship play-in four-way match that was won by Kylie Rae.
Prior to signing with WWE, Hargrave was a First-Team All-American USA gymnast, as well as being an actress and model.
We wish Hargrave all the best for her future. She hasn’t issued a full official statement on her WWE exit other than the aforementioned updates to her social media pages.
You can find a full list of all the 2026 WWE releases and departures by clicking here.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
Most Recent
- Nikkita Lyons Wins WWE Evolve Women’s Championship
- Original El Grande Americano Removed From Current WWE Roster
- WWE NXT’s Kendal Grey Opens Up On Struggles With ‘Entertainment’ Side Of Wrestling: ‘I Love That It’s Challenging Me & Getting Me Out Of My Comfort Zone’
- WWE Champion Cody Rhodes Reveals He Had An Unreported Backstage Outburst In The Build To WrestleMania 42: ‘I Don’t Need To Be Having Temper Tantrums, I Need To Be Providing Solutions’
- Big E Explains Why It Wasn’t Difficult For Him To End WWE In-Ring Career: ‘I Just Had Such A Charmed Career’
- Big E Opens Up On Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods’ WWE Departures: ‘I Don’t Think Those Guys Are Retired, So I’m Excited To See What’s Next’
- Enzo Amore Recalls John Cena Saving His Career In WWE NXT: ‘He Got Me & Big Cass Over, Triple H Gave Me A Squash Match’
- Former WWE Star Enzo Amore Addresses Potential Big Cass Reunion: ‘He’s My Brother, He’s My Hawk, I’m His Animal’
- TNA Wrestling’s Matt Hardy Addresses He & Jeff Hardy’s In-Ring Retirement Plans: ‘Whenever Our Bodies Tell Us Okay, We’re Done. That’s When We’ll Be Done’
- Matt Hardy Thinks TNA Wrestling’s Leon Slater Would Have ‘Killed It’ In WWE’s Attitude Era: ‘He Is So Talented’
mailing list