WWE has parted ways with 10 signed talents in a fresh round of roster cuts, with the departures stretching across wrestlers, developmental prospects and even a referee who had worked on SmackDown.
The group includes Wendy Choo, Adriana Rizzo, Zena Sterling, Anya Rune, Braxton Cole, Jasper Troy, PJ Vasa, Gary Wilson, Ellen Akesson and Marcus Brown. The releases were reported on September 5, with the initial information tracing back to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp.
Some of those released had already collected championships and regular television exposure, while others were still at the Performance Center stage and had yet to wrestle an official WWE match.
Jasper Troy stands out among the names. He won the first season of WWE’s LFG competition and later became WWE Speed Champion, giving his departure a different profile from many of the developmental cuts in the same group.
Wendy Choo was another established name within WWE’s developmental system. She had competed across NXT and Evolve and became WWE Evolve Women’s Champion. Adriana Rizzo had been connected with NXT for several years and was best known on television as part of The D’Angelo Family. Her time with the company was also disrupted by multiple injuries before she later appeared on Evolve as a ringside interviewer.
The list also reaches much earlier-stage talent.
Ellen Akesson, a Swedish powerlifter and arm wrestler, had been assigned to the WWE Performance Center but had not competed in an official match. Marcus Brown, a bodybuilder who was also based at the Performance Center, likewise had not wrestled an official WWE match before his release.
Zena Sterling had been with WWE since 2023. She was trained at the Performance Center and had performed at NXT live events, while being featured through LFG and Evolve. Anya Rune had championship experience outside WWE and performed at Evolve in 2026, including in a Women’s Title qualifying Fatal Four Way.
Braxton Cole appeared on the third season of WWE LFG and also worked Evolve and NXT live events. PJ Vasa, a former rugby player, made his Evolve debut in November, while Gary Wilson had been signed as a referee since 2022 and worked on both NXT and, later, SmackDown.
No indication of main roster cuts so far
One immediate question surrounding the releases was whether another round involving Raw or SmackDown talent could follow.
At the time the cuts were reported, Fightful had not heard that main roster releases were taking place. Another account of the same developments similarly said main roster cuts were not expected at that point.
There is also no confirmed explanation yet for the circumstances behind each individual departure. It remained unclear whether any of the talent requested their release or whether contract expirations played a role.
That distinction matters because a list of departures does not necessarily mean every contract ended for the same reason.
WWE’s second sizeable round of cuts in 2026
The September releases mark the second substantial wave of WWE departures reported this year.
An earlier round was announced shortly after WrestleMania on April 24 and included Kairi Sane, Aleister Black, Apollo Crews, Bo Dallas, who performed as Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross and Joe Gacy.
The latest group, however, is particularly concentrated around WWE’s developmental pipeline. It includes former champions, television personalities, LFG participants, Performance Center recruits and talent still trying to establish themselves on NXT and Evolve.
For Jasper Troy, the contrast is especially striking. Winning WWE’s first LFG season and holding the Speed Championship had already placed him among the more visible names to emerge from that system. His inclusion now makes this round of roster cuts about more than prospects who never made it to television.
For the moment, the confirmed picture is limited to these 10 departures. There has been no reported indication that a broader main roster purge is underway, while the individual reasons behind the releases have not yet been established.
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