Backstage Report On WWE Departures, Decision-Makers & TKO Stance On 'Dark Characters'

After the big lights faded from WrestleMania 42, WWE executed its annual springtime reset last Friday, by eliminating 24 wrestlers from their positions within the company (14 main roster stars and 10 developmental). With so many questions on why, who was behind the releases, and other, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter revealed new information, and also refuted any false rumors that made its rounds online.

While there's a lot to unpack, the first question answered in this week's reports was what were the reasons behind these releases? Of course, budgeting and saving money were key aspects of those decisions; however, age also played a big factor, and whether their storylines ran its course. Most of those who were released on the main roster were between their mid-30s and early 40s. It was said that the Stamford-based promotion is trying to recruit and showcase more younger talents on the main roster.

As for who was behind it, while many believed TKO were pulling the strings, that was not the case. WON noted that WWE's Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque was heavily behind those difficult decisions, along with input from WWE President Nick Khan. Others involved in these discussions included Ed Koskey and Bruce Prichard.

Speaking of TKO, rumblings turned into rumored wildfires when it was expressed that all five members of the Wyatt Sicks (Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Nikki Cross), as well as Aleister Black, were all let go because the parent company of WWE did not like their "dark characters." Today's reports confirm that the announcement was entirely false. In fact, when reached for comment, WON were told that was "bulls***," and that it was all a matter of not having anything more to work with, with them.

One name that certainly turned heads last week was the former three-time WWE Women's Tag Team Champion Kairi Sane. Despite the pleas from fans to Triple through their "#WeWantKairi" posts online and live chants featured on "WWE Raw" this past Monday, the belief is that Sane's release stemmed from the desire of wanting to move back to Japan at some point.