7 WWE Superstars recently released this year who have already found new jobs

The Revival and Heath Slater have found new homes, who else
The Revival and Heath Slater have found new homes, who else

One of the major positives about being a wrestler in the WWE is that if you do, for whatever reason, go on to leave the company, it's almost certain you'll be able to find a new gig elsewhere, or at least get some appearances on the independent circuit.

In fact we've seen former WWE Superstars like Juice Robinson, Kenny Omega, Hideo Itami and RVD all enjoying successes elsewhere in promotions like New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact. That certainly isn't an exhaustive list either!

With that in mind, it's certainly no wonder that many of the Superstars released by WWE are quickly snapped up. This year has certainly been no exception, especially with WWE releasing a large number of talent in one go, many of which were quick to find new homes!

So, let's take a look at 7 WWE Superstars released this year who have already found new homes!

New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE


#7. The Revival

The Revival
The Revival

Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson were always a tag-team that people considered to have a lot of potential and to be extremely talented in the ring. But for one reason or another, they never quite hit the heights people foresaw for them whilst in WWE.

For that reason, their release as part of a large group of Superstar releases earlier this year wouldn't have been a surprise to many, especially with the Revival themselves requesting their releases at least twice beforehand.

But, with Dawson and Wilder now being free agents, the possibility of the long anticipated match between them and The Young Bucks was now a thing. And low and behold they signed with AEW.

Dawson and Wilder, now known as FTR, and using the names Dash Harwood and Cash Wheeler, debuted for AEW on May, 27th 2020 only a few months after their last appearance for WWE, which was at a live event.

#6. Heath Slater

Heath Slater is now in Impact
Heath Slater is now in Impact

Heath Slater was one of the unsurprising, but disappointing names to be included in the list of Superstars released by WWE in early April. Especially as the only original surviving member of Nexus (not including Bryan, who obviously left and was brought back)

Luckily, unlike some of the other releases, Slater did get some sort of send off as he was brought back to Monday Night RAW to confront Drew McIntyre and face the WWE Champion and former 3MB stablemate in a match.

Many would have assumed this would leave Slater with the option to return to WWE down the line, much like Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre did. But, it was only a matter of days until we saw Heath Slater show up elsewhere.

Just two weeks after his RAW appearance, Heath Slater would turn up during Impact Wrestling's biggest show of the year, Slammiversary as seemingly a new signing for them, now known as Heath Miller. Let's hope he reunites with his former tag-team champion partner Rhino!

#5. EC3

EC3
EC3

EC3 was someone who should've amounted to big things upon his return to WWE. Especially after proving himself as an entertaining, main event level talent at TNA/Impact Wrestling.

Whilst he did have some success, winning the NXT North American Championship. He was swiftly called up from WWE NXT to the main roster and then was even more swiftly lost in the shuffle.

youtube-cover

So, like Heath Slater, it wasn't necessarily a surprise to see him get released as part of the large group of releases from WWE. But the question was what would he do next?

Well, it seemed obvious really. He'd already made one big return to one company, so why not make a second big return to a different company. Which is exactly what he did, as he turned up in a hype video at Impact's Slammiversary pay-per-view and is due to make his re-debut on the Tuesday 21st July episode of Impact.

It seems like a given that Impact will treat EC3 like the main event talent that he is and that he'll go on to be a big star for the promotion again!

#4. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are now known as The Good Brothers in Impact
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are now known as The Good Brothers in Impact

The release of AJ Styles' 'OC' stablemates was certainly a surprise given that just days before, they'd appeared alongside him to face the Undertaker in the Boneyard Match at WWE WrestleMania. But alas, they were cut too.

In hindsight, the former Bullet Club members were a huge deal on the independent circuit and never really reached the same heights during their time with WWE. So it's not the worst thing to see them outside of WWE.

And it certainly didn't take that long for us to see them outside of WWE as they appeared in a video the night before Impact's Slammiversary to say they had signed with Impact and were now known as 'The Good Brothers'.

They appeared on Slammiversary, helping Eddie Edwards fend off Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to establish themselves as babyfaces on the show. They will allegedly be around Impact for two years and will also supposedly be making appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

#3. Deonna Purrazzo

Deonna Purrazzo
Deonna Purrazzo

Deonna Purrazzo never really got a chance to do anything in WWE. She was put in a tag-team with Chelsea Green and the pair made some main roster appearances in losing efforts. Then, they just bizarrely stopped getting featured.

As much as WWE is the dream for a lot of people, Purrazzo included, sometimes it just doesn't work out. Purrazzo was released from the company during the mass release earlier this year, but she certainly didn't waste anytime in finding her next move.

She swiftly turned up at Impact Wrestling, joining their already stacked women's division and made her intentions clear by setting her sights on Jordynne Grace and the Impact Knockout's Championship.

Not long later, and Purrazzo is defeating Jordynne Grace at Slammiversary to become the new Impact Knockouts Champion. Her time of barely getting any in-ring action at WWE is long forgotten!

This is great because Purrazzo is a great talent and should be at the top of any division she's in. Hopefully Impact can keep hold of her!

#2. Eric Young

Eric Young
Eric Young

You might be noticing a running theme here that a lot of the WWE Superstars who were released and found homes fairly quickly, were wrestlers who had proven themselves elsewhere, but didn't really get the chances they should have at WWE.

You'll also notice that a lot of WWE's recent crop of releases have ended up at Impact Wrestling. So it's certainly no surprise that an extremely talented former Impact World Champion like Eric Young has joined the likes of Purrazzo, EC3 and Gallows and Anderson in finding a new home there.

Young was given the start in WWE that anyone would've dreamed of. He was made the leader of a faction in SAnitY, which even got over and became a big part of NXT television. But the group were called up to the main roster and then forgotten.

Alexander Wolfe ended up on NXT UK, Killian Dain went back to NXT and Nikki Cross, who has had the most success, is now in a partnership with Alexa Bliss. Meanwhile Young is now back with Impact and is probably set for great things.

#1. Drake Maverick

Drake Maverick
Drake Maverick

Drake Maverick has certainly lived up to the 'maverick' part of his name in his post-WWE release adventures, because unlike anyone else on this list, his new home turned out to be the very place that released him in the first place.

Maverick posted an impassioned video on social media when it was announced he had been released by WWE, and wrestling fans all over the world took to the video incredibly well. Maverick then proceeded to make a great name for himself by seeing out his final matches, as part of a Cruiserweight Title tournament, with his head held high.

This ultimately impressed the higher-ups in WWE who decided to rehire Maverick and promptly throw him into a major angle on NXT involving the Cruiserweight Title. There was also a shocking reveal of El Hijo Del Phantasma as Santos Escobar, the man behind the recent kidnappings.

Hopefully, now that WWE are aware of what a great talent they have in Drake Maverick, they can make the best of him, now that they've wisely decided to keep him around!

Quick Links

Edited by Akhilesh Tirumala
sk promotional banner
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications