5 WWE Superstars who were released in 2018: Where are they now?

It's never good to lose your job, whether you're at the bottom of the ladder, or in the highest paid official.

Since the WWE is a company (and the most successful wrestling company at that), the goal is simply to make money, and sometimes, cuts have to be made. Whilst the WWE usually release a wave of talent not long after the annual WrestleMania pay per views, other releases can occur throughout the year, and take plenty of fans by surprise.

In 2018, plenty of members of the WWE Universe had to say goodbye to some of their favourite Superstars, who for one reason or another, didn't work out in WWE.

That hasn't stopped these now-former Superstars finding other ways to make ends meet and apply their craft though.

Here are five WWE Superstars who were released in 2018, and where are they now?

#5 Enzo Amore

Amore appeared in the crowd at the recent WWE Survivor Series pay per view.

When Enzo Amore was fired from WWE, his release came with a wave of controversy.

The then-Cruiserweight Champion, Amore was sent packing after failing to disclose a sexual assault allegation to the company, though Amore has claimed he wasn't aware of the claim until he was fired.

Whilst Amore was later cleared due to insufficient evidence, the Certified-G was reportedly massively unpopular backstage already, so this release was more a case of when, not if.

Nowadays, Amore focusses on his rap career, saying that there's no amount of money that would make him enter the squared circle again.

Despite this, Amore did make a show of himself at Survivor Series 2018, causing a ruckus in the crowd, that got him ejected from the building, much to the delight of his former colleagues.

#4 Abbey Laith

A former Chikara Grand Champion, Laith was one of the key players in the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

Joining the WWE in 2016, Abbey Laith came with five years of prior experience in the industry.

Competing in promotions such as Shimmer and Chikara, Laith is perhaps best known for winning the Chikara Grand Championship, the only woman to hold the main title of a non-female focussed promotion.

In WWE however, Laith failed to make an impact, mostly appearing in losing efforts and battle royals in NXT.

She did, however, do well in the 2017 Mae Young Classic, eliminating Germany's Jazzy Gabert and America's Rachel Evers, before being eliminated by Mercedez Martinez in the quarterfinals.

Being released by WWE in March 2018, Laith has joined Wonder World Ring Stardom, entering their 5-Star Grand Prix tournament, though she only scored six points in the tournament, and thus didn't advance to the finals.

#3 Big Cass

Cass makes his way to the ring during an episode of Monday Night RAW.

The second part of the beloved NXT Tag Team, Big Cass was also sent packing due to issues with the company in 2018.

Much like his partner Enzo Amore, Cass was reportedly very unpopular backstage, often flouting WWE's strict guidelines on what was expected of him as a Superstar on-screen, and a representative of the company off-screen.

With backstage issues like kicking a bathroom door down, and arguing with Sami Zayn on the U.S. Government's treatment of Muslims, the final straw came when he attacked a 'little person' more on SmackDown Live than he should have.

Since leaving, Cass has made a name for himself on the indie scene, though fans were quick to ridicule him when images showed him during a match, looking heavier than he ever did during his time with the WWE.

#2 Rich Swann

Swann as Cruiserweight Champion, and is currently Impact's X-Division Champion.

With his exciting offence and oodles of personality, Rich Swann seemed to be the next big thing in the WWE's new cruiserweight division.

Defeating The Brian Kendrick on the pilot episode of 205 Live, Swann captured the Cruiserweight Championship in 2016, with things seemingly going great for the Baltimore-native.

Things quickly changed in December 2017, when Swann was indefinitely suspended due to domestic violence against his wife, and was later released in February 2018.

Despite this, Swann has become a big success following his release from the company, joining Impact Wrestling in June that year, with Swann's contract being a multi-year deal.

Recently, Swann achieved a high point in his brief time with Impact, capturing their X-Division Championship at the company's Homecoming event in Ultimate X, besting Ethan Page, Jake Christ and Trey Miguel, showing he has plenty left to give.

#1 Neville

Neville left the WWE in August 2018 after months of contract disputes.

One of the biggest signings to WWE, Neville was a crucial part of the 'NXT 5', a select group of indie stars who joined the WWE roughly at the same time.

Alongside Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Hideo Itami, Neville had great success with WWE, winning the NXT Championship, and later capturing the Cruiserweight Championship from Rich Swann.

On October 10, 2017, several sources reported that Neville had quit the company, and had been unhappy with his position for a while.

Despite these rumors, Neville still remained under the WWE banner, until his eventual release in August 2018, nearly a year after his last appearance on TV.

With his incredible moveset, there has been no shortage of places for the now PAC to apply himself, recently winning Dragon Gate's Open the Dream Gate Championship, and signing with AEW.