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WWE Superstars are currently focused on The Road to WrestleMania, but despite a new year usually bringing better fortunes, two WWE Superstars have already been released from the company this year.
Lars Sullivan and Steve Culter have become the first WWE Superstars released by WWE in 2021 and join a long list of former stars now looking to make an impact in the business outside of WWE, following their surprising departure from the company.
Last year was tough for many businesses and Vince McMahon's company was forced to make many harsh decisions and think outside of the box in order to continue to create their product and push the business forward during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
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Many releases that came back in 2020 were a direct result of the first global lockdown, which forced WWE into their own Performance Center for a number of months, in order to keep their employees safe.
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Many of the WWE Superstars who were released back in 2020 have since moved on to new chapters in their lives and careers, here are just five examples.
#5. Former WWE Superstar Taynara Conti/Tay Conti
Taynara Conti was quietly released from WWE back in April 2020 after several main roster WWE Superstars had already been handed their release papers.
Conti made history back in 2018 when she competed in the Women's WrestleMania Battle Royal, becoming the first Brazilian woman to compete on the grandest stage in WWE.
Conti has a background in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and competed in the 2016 Olympics, before being signed to the company back in October 2016. The Brazilian star was just 20 years old when she signed with WWE and went on to compete several times for WWE as part of their NXT brand.
Conti only ever worked on NXT and after reports suggested that the star had been released in January 2020, these were confirmed to be false. But real reports followed a few months later and Conti herself confirmed the news on Twitter.
The former WWE star's 90-day no-compete clause ended in July last year which allowed the Brazilian star to head over to All Elite Wrestling and later become known as Tay Conti. The former NXT star signed with AEW full-time in September and has since become a popular member of their roster after being included in several high profile women's matches.
#4. Former WWE Superstar Lio Rush
Lio Rush was a controversial figure in WWE throughout his time in NXT but was interestingly brought up to the main roster back in 2018 and began competing as part of 205 Live.
Rush later went on to align himself with Bobby Lashley where he became his hype man as part of a storyline that lasted less than a year, before the WWE Superstar was sent back down to NXT.
Rush was able to claim the NXT Cruiserweight Championship following his return and would become an exciting part of the developmental brand, before rumors suggested that he could be set to rejoin Lashley on the main roster.
This wasn't the case, since Rush was later released from WWE alongside several other WWE Superstars in April 2020.
It's been almost a year since Rush's WWE release and the former Champion has concentrated on his career on the Independent Circuit. Back in November, The Man of the Hour was announced for NJPW's Super J-Cup, before he won the Major League Wrestling World Middleweight Championship back in January.
Rush has also gone on to dip his toes into the music industry, releasing two studio albums back in 2020 called Ever After and The Final Match.
#3. Former WWE Superstar Sarah Logan/Rowe
Sarah Logan found fame in WWE as one-third of The Riott Squad alongside Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott. The trio was pushed against several WWE Superstars throughout 2019 following their main roster debut, before WWE decided to allow the three women to go their own separate ways.
Logan was interestingly the only female wrestler on the main roster who was released from the company as part of the April 2020 budget cuts. This led to many current WWE Superstars pushing for her to be re-signed, but the star later announced her pregnancy, which left her on the sidelines.
Logan's husband Erik has also been missing from WWE for several months since his Viking Raiders partner Ivar suffered a neck injury back in September.
Logan has continued to update the WWE Universe throughout her pregnancy and recently announced that she had made it to 41 weeks whilst carrying her son, whom she has already named Raymond Cash Rowe.
The former WWE Superstar has also noted that she's hoping to make her return to wrestling following the birth of her first child.
#2. Former WWE Superstar No Way Jose
No Way Jose was an exciting WWE Superstar throughout his time in the company, since he would lift the crowd throughout his entrance and show off his impressive dance moves mid-match.
The former WWE Superstar was unable to capture any Championships in the five years he was contracted to WWE, but he was able to gain promotion to the main roster back in 2018, but was sadly another star making up the numbers.
In 2019, No Way Jose made his Royal Rumble debut but was eliminated in just two seconds by Samoa Joe, in what was considered his most entertaining appearance of the year.
Jose was released alongside many other stars who make up this list back in April 2020 and has since dramatically changed his look. Jose is almost unrecognizable from the star who once danced his way to the ring in WWE.
At present, like many other former WWE Superstars, Jose is looking into taking bookings on the Independent Circuit under the new ring name of Levy Valenz.
#1. Former WWE Superstar Zelina Vega
Zelina Vega was considered to be a hot prospect in WWE whilst managing former United States Champion Andrade throughout his early years on the main roster. Whilst working as a manager, Vega was also able to compete in several high-profile women's matches where she proved that she had what it takes to compete at the highest level in the company, when given the opportunity.
It came as a huge shock to many members of the WWE Universe when it was announced that Vega had been released from WWE back in November after issues stemming from WWE's newest third-party rules.
Reports just weeks before stated that the WWE Superstar was someone that was set for a huge push, before her career with the company came to an end.
It's only been around four months since Vega's release but the former WWE Superstar has thrown herself into her career as a social media influencer. Vega has returned to her given name of Thea Trinidad and continues to connect with fans through her Youtube and Twitch pages.
