Backstage Details On Ashante Thee Adonis' WWE Departure

Ashante "Thee" Adonis announced on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that his WWE contract had expired and he was leaving the company, and a new report from Fightful Select provided more details on the "WWE NXT" star's departure.

According to the outlet, Adonis (real name Tehuti Miles) was among the talent brought back in the summer of 2022 that had signed three-year contracts. WWE sources Fightful spoke to claimed that Adonis was informed his contract was going to be allowed to expire a few weeks ago. Sources said that he had remained on a main roster deal despite being on "NXT" the last year. Adonis reportedly got praise internally at "NXT" for always working to improve, including, according to sources, both at the Performance Center and on his own time.

Due to his contract expiring, Adonis does not have to wait out a non-compete and is able to take bookings immediately. Fightful reported they had heard of a few TNA names who said they would like to see him make appearances there. Adonis wrestled in TNA, as the company has a partnership with WWE, in January in a loss against Jake Something.

Adonis first signed with WWE in August 2020 and joined Hit Row alongside the now Swerve Strickland, Top Dolla, and B-Fab the following year. The entire faction was released in November 2021, though Adonis, B-Fab, and Top Dolla were re-signed in August 2022. Following Top Dolla's second release, Adonis returned to "NXT" alongside new tag team partner Cedric Alexander. Adonis' last match with WWE came on the June 24 episode of "NXT" in a loss to Ricky Saints. He had been working alongside Karmen Petrovic in a romance angle on the brand prior to the loss.