WWE’s developmental roster has taken another hit, with 10 talents reportedly leaving the company in the latest round of cuts. Wendy Choo, Jasper Troy and Adriana Rizzo headline a group that stretches across NXT, WWE Evolve, LFG and the Performance Center, while referee Gary Wilson is also among the departures.
For wrestling fans, the biggest talking point is not simply the number of names leaving. Several had recently been featured or developed as potential future WWE stars, including an LFG winner, a former WWE Speed Champion and an Evolve Women’s Champion.
WWE roster cuts: Who is out?
Here is the full list of 10 reported departures:
- Wendy Choo — Former WWE Evolve Women’s Champion and longtime NXT talent.
- Jasper Troy — WWE LFG Season 1 men’s winner and former WWE Speed Champion.
- Adriana Rizzo — NXT talent known for her role with Tony D’Angelo’s Family.
- Zena Sterling — Developmental talent who appeared on LFG, Evolve and NXT live events.
- Anya Rune — WWE ID talent who competed on Evolve.
- Braxton Cole — Appeared on LFG, Evolve and NXT live events.
- PJ Vasa — Former rugby player who competed across WWE’s developmental programming.
- Gary Wilson — Referee who worked on NXT and later SmackDown.
- Ellen Akesson — Swedish powerlifter and arm wrestler recruited to the Performance Center.
- Marcus Brown — Bodybuilder signed to WWE’s developmental system.
The departures were reported by Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp. Bleacher Report’s breakdown of the WWE releases also details the backgrounds of the 10 affected talents.
Jasper Troy may be the biggest surprise
Jasper Troy’s exit immediately stands out. He won the men’s side of the inaugural WWE LFG season and went on to become WWE Speed Champion, giving him two notable achievements during his developmental run.
His latest reported WWE match came against Akira Tozawa on the August 27 edition of Main Event.
After his departure became public, Troy posted “30 Days” on social media and changed his wrestling identity to Kairo D. Reign. That makes his next move outside WWE one of the more intriguing stories to follow from this group.
Wendy Choo’s long WWE run ends
Wendy Choo brings considerably more WWE experience than many of the other released talents.
She spent years in the developmental system, appeared extensively on NXT and worked through multiple characters, including Mei Ying, before becoming established as Wendy Choo.
Choo later competed on Evolve and became WWE Evolve Women’s Champion. Her release therefore removes a wrestler who had already accumulated substantial television experience and recently held a championship.
Adriana Rizzo among familiar NXT departures
Adriana Rizzo will be familiar to NXT fans from her time alongside Tony D’Angelo’s Family.
Injuries disrupted her progress, and she later appeared with Evolve, including in a ringside interviewing role. Her departure ends a WWE run that began in 2022.
Zena Sterling, Anya Rune and Braxton Cole were also working through WWE’s expanding developmental structure, appearing across NXT live events, LFG, Evolve or WWE ID.
PJ Vasa reacts to her WWE exit
Former rugby player PJ Vasa publicly thanked WWE after her departure and included #30Days in her message.
Vasa had competed on LFG and Evolve and gained additional WWE exposure, including a Main Event match against Ivy Nile.
Her message, combined with Troy’s “30 Days” post, has naturally shifted attention toward when and where the pair could wrestle next.
Two prospects leave before an official WWE match
Ellen Akesson and Marcus Brown were at a much earlier point in their development.
Akesson arrived with a competitive powerlifting and arm-wrestling background, while Brown came from bodybuilding. According to the reported details, neither had competed in an official WWE match.
Their departures show that this round reached from recognizable NXT names all the way down to recently recruited Performance Center prospects.
Why did WWE make the cuts?
There is no publicly confirmed individual explanation covering all 10 departures.
Industry reporting has suggested that WWE is creating developmental roster space while continuing to bring prospects into the system following talent tryouts. That may provide context for the timing, but it should not be treated as WWE’s official reason for every individual exit.
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Are Raw and SmackDown stars next?
For now, reports indicate no main-roster cuts were expected to follow this developmental round. That is an important distinction for fans wondering whether established Raw or SmackDown names are next.
There is also no confirmation that these 10 will necessarily be the final developmental departures. Unless further releases are reported, however, there is no basis to present another wave as certain.
Another WWE roster shake-up in 2026
The latest departures follow an earlier post-WrestleMania round of WWE cuts, meaning roster turnover has remained a significant story throughout 2026.
Fans following movement involving established WWE stars can also revisit the circumstances surrounding Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods’ WWE departure, which involved a different level of the company’s roster.
The latest cuts are more about WWE’s future talent pipeline. Winning a developmental competition or holding a championship clearly does not guarantee a path to Raw or SmackDown — and Troy’s departure is perhaps the clearest example.
Attention now shifts to free agency. Choo’s experience, Troy’s recent push and the independent background of some of the other names could create opportunities elsewhere once they are available to compete.
Wrestling careers can also develop well beyond a single promotion. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s journey from WWE to global entertainment is an exceptional example, though the immediate question for this group is much simpler: where will they wrestle next?
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