WWE: Bronson Reed, Tyler Rust, Mercedes Martinez, and more released

The WWE roster was hit again with a series of surprise releases. News broke late Friday evening that a wave of cuts came that seen the following removed from the organization. Bobby Fish, Bronson Reed, Jake Atlas, Ari Sterling, Kona Reeves, Leon Ruff, Stephon Smith, Tyler Rust, Zechariah Smith, Asher Hale, Giant Zanjeer, and Mercedes Martinez. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported the news.

NXT and 205 Live were the hardest hit by these cuts. Many were surprises as several participated in main storylines within the brand. For example, Bobby Fish just competed in an intense matchup with Roderick Strong. Strong is the central face of the newly debuted group Diamond Mine, which Rust was also a part of during its announcement.

Reed is the biggest name in this round of cuts. Reed was recently the NXT North American champion, and many were expecting him to be called up to the main roster. In recent weeks he had done dark matches during the main roster shows, much like Karrion Kross which led to his introduction on Monday Night Raw. He took to Twitter to confirm the statement and his intentions to stay within wrestling.

Martinez was also in a solid position on the NXT brand until a stiff kick from Xia Li in her last match left her injured.

Reeves took to Twitter to thank both the WWE and WWE NXT for his time in the company.

At the time of the news, the WWE had not released an official statement.

WWE has continued to release droves of on-air talent and behind-the-scenes personnel, citing the COVID-19 global pandemic and cost-cutting measures as the reasons. However, the promotion continues to have strong revenue reporting as displayed during the quarterly earnings meetings, the most recent of which was held in late-July. News of Bray Wyatt’s release caused a hit to the morale of the roster, which was reported across multiple media outlets.

For more news about WWE and all things professional wrestling, stick to Daily DDT.